Photos by Katherine Ives

Montage Palmetto Bluff Review:  Family

Back in the summer of 2019, I went to Montage Palmetto Bluff with Draper James.  I immediately fell in love with the property, and knew the family had to come back one day.  I was excited when the property invited us to stay earlier this year, and today I’m diving in for a full review of Montage Palmetto Bluff.

The property is unlike any other!  It is just so beautiful and expansive.  Set on the May River, with views of the marshland, Hilton Head peeking through in the distance, live oaks all around, and just the cutest town you’ve ever seen.  It’s the dreamiest!

Where is Montage Palmetto Bluff Located

You are about 45 minutes from the Savannah airport.  In the other direction you are about 40 minutes to Hilton Head Island.  You can see Hilton Head from the property!   It’s located just outside of the adorable town of Bluffton, South Carolina.

How to get to the Montage Palmetto Bluff

You can certainly drive to the property.  But you can also fly into Savannah and have the Montage arrange transportation or grab an uber.  It’s a 45 minute drive to the property.  Once you are on property you really don’t use a car at all.  You ride bikes, call a golf cart, or use a shuttle to go to Moreland or the shooting range.  We road bikes nearly everywhere except to the shooting range when we grabbed a shuttle.  They also have a partnership with Cadillac, where you can use their escalades to head into town or Hilton Head.  Such a nice feature, especially if you’re staying a long time!

Options on Where to Stay at Montage Palmetto Bluff

You have a lot of options!  I’ve tried a few.  When I first went to Palmetto Bluff I was coming from Spain so I stayed inside the inn to get over some jet lag.  That tub and the sheets cured my jet lag.  We then switched over to a house which would be great with a big group.  We stayed at the River Cottage this time, and I LOVED it.

River Cottage at Montage Palmetto Bluff

I believe there are 60 cottages.  Some are on the may river, and some have a lagoon view.  Some are connected to another cottage, while some stand alone.  It’s perfect for a family of four.  River Cottage #60 is a dream.  You have a view of the May River and a view of the lagoon.  We put the boys to sleep in the living room on the fold out couch, which connects to the King bedroom.  There’s also a fireplace that flips on, and it gave the coziest vibes.  We loved hanging in there.  The bathroom is gorgeous, and my favorite thing was the steam shower.  I did a steam shower twice a day, and now I’m plotting to re do our bathroom (:  The best part though is the huge screened in porch.  We loved watching both the sunrise and sunset from there.  Coffee in the morning, and a glass of wine in the evening.  The location of the cottages is perfect for kids to run around and have fun outdoors.  You don’t have to worry about cars since it’s just golf carts and bikes that are allowed in the area.  They have swings dotted all around too.

Restaurants at Montage Palmetto Bluff

Octagon:  This one is located right inside the main inn.  We had breakfast there every day and I so enjoyed the Vegetable Hash and the immunity boost.  We also had to try the Hot Honey Sandwich after many people recommended it.  SO GOOD!  We had dinner one night there and really enjoyed it too.  They kept the kids busy toward the end by giving them Rubik’s cubes to solve.  Highly suggest the Verdita cocktail too!

River house restaurant:  This was one of the best meals we’ve had in such a long time!  Everything was incredible.  Duck Confit, the chateaubriand to share, cream corn with truffles, and the burrata and mozzarella salad!  All so good!  The boys didn’t come with us as they were on an adventure in the kids club.  But I did see families there.  It’s not as laid back as Octagon, but kids are certainly welcome.

HUSH:  Their new speakeasy!  This was such a fun after dinner treat.  You enter in the basement below Riverhouse through a mirror.  Such a great vibe with live music, and fun drinks.

Coles:  We had dinner there the last night.  I love it because you can play bowling before or after.  Just make sure to get there on the earlier side as it’s first come first serve.  They also have a game room.  Great casual spot for dinner!

Canoe Club:  We didn’t get a chance to visit but it looks fantastic!  This is their high end restaurant.  So maybe the perfect spot to book for a special anniversary or birthday.

Buffalo’s:  It’s getting renovated right now but a great spot right by the May river and the church.  I remember last time having some really wonderful pasta!

Melt:  Cutest ice cream spot!  Boys loved the birthday cake cone with birthday cake ice cream.

Buzz:  great coffee spot!  Love the porch to enjoy it on.

The Paintbox

The kids club at Montage Palmetto Bluff is awesome!  My kids gave it a thousand thumbs up.  They did the kids night out program which was a secret agent theme where they went all around the property to solve a mystery.  I was so impressed with the email I received prior to them going to Kids night out.  Where they asked about what the boys enjoy to do, their hobbies and interests.  As they said they could tailor the night to adjust according to that.  They have a half day program, afternoon/morning, or a full day.  And then kids night out on certain days.  You can see all of their offerings and the prices here.  What I think is so cool about it is that the whole kids club is designed to have you experience the Low Country.  So you’re doing fun activities the whole time.  Like archery, smore’s or heading to the stables, etc.  After the night was over the next day we even got a text with pictures of the boys adventure.

Montage Merits

Inside the inn you’ll find where you can book all of your activities and everything they have to offer.  They have a big map so you can see just where everything is, and all there is to do. Which is a lot!  They also have bike trail information, the house dog, and employees who can help you book your activities.  This is where you can also get your badges for your montage merits.  Which was my boys favorite thing!  We were going in and out of there every day all day to get new badges.  And somehow they completed it all!

Wes is in Prodoh – one of my favorite boys clothing shops!  Perfect for outdoor lifestyle!  My code is Sarah for 10% off.

What all is there to do at Montage Palmetto Bluff

As you can probably tell, the options are limitless!  Horseback riding, shooting club, archery, fishing, boat rides, Smore’s, bike trails, tree house exploring, multiple pools (adult and kids), great restaurants, shopping, Veuve Clicquot picnics, a speak easy, bocce ball, basketball/pickleball/tennis courts, amazing golf, dolphin discovery tours, conservancy guided tours, paddle boarding, crabbing excursions … seriously so much and I’m probably missing a few!

Our Itinerary over a 3 day weekend while we were there.

 Some of these were planned, but many we fit in.  Especially since the boys had to earn their montage merits (:  As you can see it’s active, but that’s life with two boys 7 and 9 – and how we love it!

Day One:  

-Check in, and do some porching.  They have cookies, lemonade, and tea out on the porch just off Octagon on the Carolina Porch.  A great spot to sit and relax after a drive or flight.

– Went and got the boys fitted for their bikes at the recreation center and picked up some fishing poles.

-Went to the 3 story treehouse

– Dinner at Octagon – seasonally inspired with lots of southern hospitality!  So many fresh, locally sourced ingredients too.

-Smore’s !!  We did this every night!

-It was still somewhat early so we casted Andor on the TV and watched the latest episode snuggled up by the fire as a fam.

Day two:  

-Breakfast at Octagon

-Tour of the May River with Captain Boo.  He was phenomenal.  The whole experience was so educational too.  He taught us the history of Bluffton, culture, and all about wildlife while we were on the boat.  We got to see baby dolphins swimming with their mamas, watch locals shuck oysters, hold blue crabs, and see lots of other wildlife.

– Grabbed sandwiches at Rt’s Market.  I love their curry chicken sandwich!

-Biked to Moreland Village.  This takes probably 2.5 hours round trip.  It’s a beautiful shaded bike ride with oaks all around you.  At the end you get to climb a 5 story tree house.  The top has incredible views of Palmetto Bluff and the May river!

– We all got ready for dinner, dropped the kids off at the Paintbox for kids night out

-Dinner at River House and a night cap at HUSH *jackets are recommended here.  Business casual is the dress code at this spot.

-road our bikes to pick up the boys and then headed for one Smore before bed.

Day 3:

-After breakfast we met up with the resident Naturalist Cassie who did a nature walk with us around the property.  She was engaging, educational, and fun for the kids.

-Went fishing in the lagoon

-Played some Bocce ball

-Had Katherine Ives come and take some quick family photos.  Believe it or not I haven’t done Christmas pics, so we did them then!

-We then had a shuttle take us to the Palmetto Bluff shooting club.  We had Dustin teach us all about archery and the boys were able to do some air rifle.  All with safety in mind and Dustin teaching us!

– We enjoyed a cocktail at our River Cottage before we headed to Cole’s for dinner.  We did some Bowling, enjoyed dinner and then headed back for one last Smore.

Day 4:

After sleeping in, and breakfast we were sad to head home.  But it was such a wonderful trip and we’re looking forward to going back!

General tips when visiting Montage Palmetto Bluff

-This is definitely a place where you want to plan your trip.  Make your dinner reservations first, then activities.

-Book Captain Boo!  His real name is Andrew but he goes by Boo.  He is fantastic and your family will have so much fun with him.

-This itinerary is for a family trip.  But you could easily do a super romantic trip, girls weekend, or extended family trip here.  They have something for everyone.  I kept trying to squeeze in some time at their gorgeous spa, but that will have to wait for another trip!

-As you can see we LOVED our trip here.  The family memories were just so special.  We will remember them forever!

{Thank you to Montage Palmetto Bluff for hosting us!  And thank you to all of you who trust my travel recommendations.  I still can never believe I get to do this as my job!}