SOUTHERN DRAW Montage Palmetto Bluff Written by Bridget Williams Spanish moss languidly dangling from majestic live oak trees, waiting for a passing breeze to break its stupor. A sinuous flame endlessly shimmying within a gas lantern. The rhythmic ticking of a fan as it whirls away beneath its mount on porch ceiling painted Haint blue. These sleepy and sultry keepers of the cadence of the deep South are utterly intoxicating to me; their charms persist even as the pace slows even more at the height of summer, when the humidity hangs around your shoulders like a wet, warm blanket and the best antidote is a glass of sweet tea. Epitomizing an idealized version of genteel Lowcountry is Palmetto Bluff, a 20,000-acre development within the historic community of Bluffton, South Carolina. At its heart is Wilson Village, a mixed-use city center whose architecture—including tidy cottages and larger estates disguised as a cluster of smaller dwellings—belies the fact that many of the structures are just over a decade old. Miles and miles of hiking and walking paths meander like the many tributaries of the nearby May, Cooper, and New Rivers. Prominently yet comfortably nestled into this utopia is the Montage Palmetto Bluff, the first East Coast outpost of Montage Hotels & Resorts. Surrounded by 32 miles of riverfront, the resort is comprised of guest cottages, Montage-branded residences 36 slmag.net
and a 74-room Inn that debuted in 2016. With its vast front porch supported by grand columns, the architecture of the Inn pays homage to a storied mansion that stood nearby in the early 1900s . Inside, the elegant coastal-inspired interiors are sprinkled with heirloom-quality fine art (including pieces by notable local artists) and antiques that lend a feeling of residential realness to the graciously proportioned rooms. Arriving at lunchtime, I gladly whiled away the hour before my room was ready by tucking into one of the tastiest cobb salads I've ever had at the Inn's Jessamine Restaurant. The tang of the salad's pimento ranch dressing mixed with the sweetness of candied pecans was divine. Guests of the Inn have access to all seven restaurants spread out over two villages in Palmetto Bluff. The heartiness of Southern cuisine is legendary, and people in living in this region have eaten well for generations. Archaeologists say that ancient shell middens located on high bluffs next to local waterways are remnants of oyster roasts by the Altamaha and Yamassee Native American tribes. Appetites have remained consistent according to Executive Chef Nathan Beriau who said the restaurants under his charge can go through ten-thousands oysters on a holiday weekend.
