We bought a Groupon for a two night stay at the Palmer House in July and immediately made a reservation for March 20 and 21st. 2013. The Groupon purchase covered the room cost but not the room tax. The Palmer House charged the room tax to my visa as authorized. In early February I received a call from the Palmer House saying they would be unable to honor the prepaid Groupon but would honor the same rate as the Groupon and I could get a refund from Groupon for my purchase. The first response from Groupon was a refund in Groupon bucks which could be used in the future with to purchase Groupons. At this point I elected to cancel the trip rather than put out additional funds and was told by Francess Palmer that she would put through a refund that day for the room tax that I was charged. I followed up with an e-mail when the refund was not showing after a couple of weeks with no response from the Palmer House. After protesting with Groupon that I should receive a refund they have refunded my credit card in full. There has been no refund or response after a month regarding a refund of the room tax. Since the Inn did not honor the stay I will next pursue this with my credit card.

Five of us stayed in the Carriage house and brought my dog. Perfect accommodation for group, family or accompanying dog. The Carriage House had great charm. Occupants in upstairs bedrooms wake to a fabulous view of the sun rising over the bay and Fort Sumter. Rooms are comfortable, beautiful but not stuffy. Downstairs has a nice functional little kitchen, dining area and very comfortable den that we enjoyed greatly after standing all day working the food and wine festival. As another pointed out, the den is not furnished completely in antiques. This reviewer obviously doesn't know a great deal about style of furniture. The couches are not "50's" but over stuffed contemporary. This is exactly what is needed in this setting, seeing that the carriage house is designed for family use and accompanying pets...Access to the main house was an experience! A delicious full breakfast is served in the dining room every morning. Guests are allowed to eat in the "drawing room." We were told by two hosts that the staff would prepare anything we wanted for breakfast. I did venture from the buffet and request French toast that was very good. Later in the day, wine, cheese and other snacks are served.... So interesting to hear the history of the house from Francess, the third generation owner.... All the staff was great. Libby, the concierge, was especially helpful and accommodating without being all over us every time we went to the main house. She even offered to walk our dog! Libby told us about nearby puppy parks that we did take our dog to. Our stay was very comfortable and our needs were well met. The Palmer house is beautiful and loaded with visual history. My husband and I have visited Charleston many times over the years and stayed in many diverse accommodations. One often must give up some things in order to get other things. This time our group was in Charleston on business. We will certainly be staying there again, for business or vacation.

Staying in a bed and breakfast, you have to be prepared for things to be different, sometimes very different, from staying in a chain hotel. Different can mean good and it can mean not so good. Here are some of the good aspects of the Palmer Home. The breakfast room looks straight out on to Charleston Harbor and right dead center is Fort Sumpter, where the Civil War began. Residents of this house watched the initial bombardment from the home's piazza. How many other hotels can give you that experience? Many of the furnishings in the house are original and 150-200 years old. So some of them are what you might think of as `a bit shabby'. Sure, but you won't find things like that in a Marriott. King Street and Broad Street are five minutes walk away, with some of the country's best restaurants only a little farther walk. There's a very pleasant park just around the corner on the Battery. If you want to hang around the house all day, it's big enough that nobody will bother you, even if you are in the large public rooms. There's a swimming pool (which wasn't open because it was February and near freezing but presumably is open in warmer weather). Not so good was our room, which was a kind of add-on to the carriage house and too small for all the furniture in it. There was a mix-up about our reservation (my wife didn't read the advice to call them if you arrive after 4 p.m.) and so we ended up with that room rather than the one we had reserved. I'd avoid booking that room (the heater is very noisy) and go for something in the main house. Some people have complained about the breakfast. Seemed like a fine traditional Southern breakfast to us -- grits, bacon, scrambled eggs, biscuits (some a bit burned on the bottom but that sometimes happens when you bake them in house) juice, coffee, etc. The afternoon wine was o.k., Lindemans and perfectly drinkable. If you want a $50 wine, you're welcome to bring it. The service is a bit hit and miss, not always easy to find someone on the desk, but the kitchen staff were nice enough to dig out something to settle my wife's upset stomach (got from a food truck, not the B&B). If you want to experience a glimpse of authentic Charleston, this is as good a place as any.

My husband and I have visited Charleston often and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The house was in walking distance of downtown Charleston which we enjoyed greatly. Francis Palmer was a gracious hostess who made sure that our stay was enjoyable. Yes, the house is old but it is 160 years old. The bed was comfortable and warm. We look forward to visiting again.