Why book?
You just can’t fake Lowcountry authenticity or refinement, and Zero George has both in spades.
Set the scene
There are numerous ornamental wrought-iron gates in Charleston you can’t enter, but this is not one of them. Look for the understated signage and the telltale brass “0” leading you into a welcoming courtyard flanked by blooming camellias and trained magnolias. Stroll left to the central staircase of the main dwelling where, if you give them advance notice of your impending arrival, your host awaits with a glass of champagne.
The rooms
The original “bones” of each dwelling are evocatively nostalgic: antique floorboards, wainscoting, dormant fireplaces, and semi-private verandas for reading or sipping coffee in Caribbean-blue Le Creuset stoneware mugs. Design choices keep things fresh and light: pale blue walls, creamy linens, woven flax rugs, gleaming white marble vanities, minimalist lamps, and sconces. There’s a timelessness and breathability to it all. Zero George doesn’t clobber you over the head with history (no 19th-century portraits, chunky mahogany heirlooms, or oriental rugs). It lets the buildings speak for themselves, with tastefully neutral design elements that keep you comfortably in the 21st century. From classic single rooms and suites to three-bedroom residences ideal for families or longer stays, Zero George is a Charleston home away from home.
Food and drink
First things first: The Caviar Bar. Reserve your seat on the veranda for Zero George’s popular silver service of Regiis Ova Supreme caviar and all the trappings. Then if you still have room, stay for dinner, where The Restaurant at Zero George’s exec chef Vinson Petrillo dishes up exquisitely plated multi-course tastings from the tiny confines of the 1804 ground-floor kitchen. Having received Michelin Recommended status, it’s one of the most coveted dinner reservations in the city. Monday is the only night they don’t serve dinner, but you can reserve a seat at Monday evening’s “cooking class”—more of a cooking demo than a hands-on class, so you don’t have to worry about taking notes or burning yourself—just sit, sip, watch, make friends, and feast. It’s no wonder regulars return to Zero George again and again for flavors that sing and surprise. Breakfast for guests is far more low-key: a European continental assortment of goodies that you load on a wooden tray then take to your favorite dining spot on the grounds. My spot? The “Conservatory” with dappled sunlight illuminating a wall of herbs.
The neighborhood/area
Head out on foot, or on one of the hotel’s signature leather-seated bicycles, to wander the grid of quiet little streets leading down to the Historic Market, as you ogle the plantings and architecture. Within easy walking distance of the hotel are two excellent museums for a deep-dive into local history. The International African American Museum was built on the site of the historic wharf of Revolutionary War general Christopher Gadsden, who once owned the raw land on which the Zero George residences sit. The nearby Charleston Museum is a great anchor point as well—they even have some delicate silk embroidery textiles in their private collection that were created by one of Zero George’s earliest residents, Isabella Elizabeth Safford Deas, whose father, Captain John Safford, bought the corner dwelling house in 1813.
Worth it?
Yes—this cluster of beautifully restored houses from the early and mid-1800s constitutes its own little fiefdom. Integrated by a maze of gardens designed by one of Charleston’s grande dames of landscape architecture, Sheila Wertimer, it’s an intimate space. It doesn’t get more Charlestonian than this.
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