The Vendue

Charleston's self-styled "art hotel" earns the name — the walls of its two French Quarter buildings turn over rotating collections, so the lobby reads more gallery than check-in desk. Rooms run snug and characterful rather than sprawling, the right trade this close to the water: you're a block from Waterfront Park and its pineapple fountain, and a flat, shaded walk from King Street and the East Bay restaurant row. The rooftop bar is the quiet ace — locals come for the harbor sunset, which tells you something.