Hotel Spotlight: The Dunlin, Auberge's Family-First Lowcountry Resort

We flew in from Dallas—me visibly pregnant, my husband and toddler in tow. My sister and her family flew down from NYC. The six of us converged on a Friday and didn’t leave the property in any meaningful way until Monday.

What I want to tell you about The Dunlin first is what I didn’t expect, which is the rhythm of staying put. The property is designed for it. Mornings began at The Willet Room—the lobby bar with its coffered teal ceilings and wicker armchairs—for coffee and pastries with whichever toddler was awake first. From there, the days flowed into whatever the property was already offering: a sunrise yoga class on the lawn, a shuttle out to The Goatery at Kiawah River where my son lost his small mind over the goats, long walks out to the marsh boardwalks to watch the tides, and mid-afternoon rain naps in cottages cool and quiet enough to actually rest in. By evening, the lawn turned into a string-lit gathering space, with white Adirondack rocking chairs facing the water and s’mores delivered as if by some kind of resort magic. Nothing required a car. Nothing required a plan. The property just kept producing the next thing.

The dining-on-property story at The Dunlin runs through two very different rooms, and I think it’s worth setting expectations on both. Along with coffee and pastries from 6 a.m. in the Willet Room, the lobby bar also serves small bites and a serious cocktail program through the afternoon, and wood-fire-grilled oysters and Charleston Swizzles into the evening. It quietly became the de facto living room of the trip. But Linnette’s is where we actually ate, and ate, and ate again—multiple meals over multiple days, kids and all. The menu reads like a love letter to the Lowcountry: the Riverhouse bread service alone is worth the trip, the roasted oysters are some of the best I’ve had, and the strawberries with stracciatella is the dish I keep replaying when I want to remember how this trip tasted. The green-and-white checker floors and the rattan-and-sage chairs make Linnette’s the kind of room you’d happily come back to for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and we did.

This is the property I now recommend to a very specific kind of client: families who want to be together—actually together, across generations and time zones, with babies and toddlers and the parents trying to keep up with them, without having to plan out every detail of the trip themselves. The Dunlin understands that the math of a multi-generational reunion isn’t about packing in attractions; it’s about removing every logistical friction that pulls people apart. Cribs already in the rooms. Snacks on the lawn. A goatery shuttle that runs on a schedule. If you’re planning a sister-meets-sister reunion, a grandparents-with-the-grandkids weekend, or simply the kind of long stretch where everyone gets to do their own thing and still eat dinner together, this is the resort I’d send you to. We’ll be back.

Getting there

Closest major airport is Charleston (CHS), about 45 minutes by car. We flew in from Dallas; my sister flew direct from JFK. The property arranges car service from CHS that you can request at the time of booking.

For families with little kids

Cribs are pre-stocked in the rooms (you can see ours pulled up next to the canopy bed). High chairs are available at every venue on property. The Goatery at Kiawah River is the headline kid activity; the lawn s’mores in the Adirondack rockers is a close second. Most days won’t require leaving the property.

For travelers visiting pregnant

I went visibly pregnant and the property was unusually thoughtful about it—non-alcoholic options across every bar menu, comfortable cabana setups for resting, gentle yoga options on the lawn. The Charleston-area medical infrastructure is excellent if you need it, which is reassuring for third-trimester travel.

What to pack

Lowcountry means breezy linen by day, a light layer for evenings on the lawn, and bug spray. Bring swimsuits for the pool, and at least one outfit you’d want to be photographed in on the boardwalk at sunset.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our South Carolina page.