My wife and I stayed at the API in late September 2009 as part of an Anniversary/Babymoon vacation. We selected this property because of its centralized location, its historic ambiance, and the relatively inexpensive price compared to other hotels in the area.

Upon arrival, the first thing we noticed was the lack of parking. I pulled into the tiny courtyard behind reception and had to block someone in in order to go in to check in. At check-in, I was given vouchers to park in the Bank of America deck nearby (the rate was then charged to my hotel bill). This wasn't exceptionally convenient (the deck has no elevator, and many of the spots are reserved for other businesses), but it was enclosed and safe.

We reserved a standard King, but were upgraded to a mini-suite at check-in, which was very welcome and generous. We were also housed in the building across the street, which I preferred, as the lobby building had exterior corridors. Our room was quite comfortable. There was no view (just a rooftop) from our 2nd floor room, but this wasn't an issue for us. We did notice a surprising lack of enclosed storage. There were two small drawers a shelf in the TV cabinet, but that was all. Still, overall the room was quite pleasant. There was a common area (available as overflow breakfast seating) outside of our room which was used by some guests during the day and somewhat noisy, but it was extremely quiet at night.

A general note: The hotel seemed to try to "stay out of the way" of the traveler, almost to the extent of being aloof. Information at check-in was limited to breakfast, parking, and vending location. The room contained no "hotel book" about amenities or local attractions. There were some Charleston-themed magazines there, but these didn't provide any practical information. I discovered the high speed internet on a whim, just as I found the book of local restaurant menus (and the free cookies) in the lobby rather by accident. There wasn't even a listing of TV channels. For their part, the staff was very friendly and willing to answer questions, but I still would have liked a binder in the room with this type of information.

Breakfast was on the 4th floor of our building on a really nice balcony. The breakfast itself was simple (just muffins, bagels, yogurt, and cereal), but sufficient. The woman who ran the breakfast area was very pleasant and helpful. The balcony was also open to the guests at other times of the day; we enjoyed spending time up there in the evening as well.

The hotel location is fantastic -- just a block down Church Street to Market Street, and a block over from Meeting St. This provided excellent access to local restaurants. The streets ARE side streets, though; Hank's Seafood backs onto the building, and we often passed kitchen workers taking breaks on their stoop along the road. They were pleasant enough, though. One even pointed out to me that the parking meters weren't required after 6pm.

Beyond exploring Market Street, you'll need transportation to see the other sights. We saw bike taxis available at Church & Market, but we used our car for most things.

We recommend Hyman's for seafood (expect to wait), and Bocci's for Italian. Both are in walking distance from the hotel, and you can get coupons in many of the local tourism books. For lunch one day, we opted to purchase hot sandwiches from the Harris Teeter grocery store on East Bay, and then walk down to Waterfront Park. It was a bit of a hike, but the wooden swings on the pier made for a relaxing lunch!

Overall, our stay was quite pleasant. Despite the eccentricities, we'd stay here again if ever in the area!