Hits, Misses & Hot Takes: Vol. 81

• A hotel with vibes and amenities so perfect that you never leave the property

• This price point for the same look as the Doen version I currently own

• A family back to school dinner but ordering pizza and serving on cute paper plates because no one needs to do dishes the night before school starts

• The details on this pair

• ACOTAR fan art videos, but only when they match the vision in my head

• This non-boring basic to pair with shorts now and jeans into Fall

• Having every single rug, throw pillow and upholstered piece of furniture professionally sanitized post summer

• Sleeping in these to protect my extensions and cut down my morning uglies

• Putting these in everything, right at the table

• Crescent City book 2 and book 2 only

• Taking back to school photos before meet the teacher, not the actual morning of the first day

• Spending an entire girl’s weekend discussing these stems

• The design skills of every single SEC sorority girl who is in charge of house banners during rush

• Wrapping a ribbon around this

• These but with a white tee and neutral sandal

• Dressing in a cute outfit for meet the teacher, knowing I’ll look like a goblin for the rest of the school year

• Metallics for the school day

• A Princess Diaries without Julie Andrews

• Whatever in the nightmare Disney princess is happening here

• Forgetting to pack this for my weekend trip

• Everything Heidi Klum is wearing on this season of Project Runway. Can’t Law help a girl out?

• This dress being sold out because I want it so bad

• Whatever happened between Neutrogena and Hayden Panettiere

• After school emotional regulation/restraint collapse

• Setting my alarm for any time before 7am

• Forgetting to order locker magnetic wallpaper for my 3rd grader until 48 hours before school starts. No, I didn’t know that existed either.

• When your dreams are so realistic you wake up in a panic wondering if it actually happened

• Trying to find the balance between homework, after school activities, decompression time and being a big kid

• The symptoms of OCD being confused for anxiety in women more often than not

• Tiramisu

I had so, so many questions about my opinions on the two Charleston area hotels from our girl’s trip so I thought I would do an in-depth review in one place. None of this is sponsored and we all paid full price, with our own money.

The Cooper:

The Cooper is located on the water in Charleston, truly right next to the famous fountain on the waterfront, just past the port, steps from downtown. The pool deck is stunning, an infinity pool overlooking the water, with an amazing bar and service. We had a day bed one day and lounge chairs another, thought the food at the bar was so well presented and the cocktails were perfect. The service will be what I compare any other hotel to going forward. Everyone went out of their way to be accommodating, always filling waters, bringing us endless towels, maneuvering umbrellas and truly justifying the room rate (which is high).

The hotel itself is brand new. One of the restaurants on site is actually not even open yet and there were always people working but it never interrupted our stay. Each room comes with a private concierge who checks you in, walks you through the property and is on call via text.

The spa is small but mighty, very sleek and has lots of additional perks - same with the gym. The recovery beds, red light therapy and spa snacks alone were worth our time.

The resort style is supposed to remind you of a private yacht and it absolutely did. The in-room snacks and drinks were abundant and included, the valets ask you to give them a few extra minutes to make sure they can cool your car completely before you get into it and even brought us cups of ice for our canned drinks as we were leaving. Dinner was amazing, most diners were actually not staying on property, and it was a hard reservation to get, so you know it’s good. We sat by the bar and loved it.

I would not take my kids there, although there were children, it just felt like a place for grown-ups to relax. I would absolutely take Justin there for a getaway and would happily return for a girl’s trip.

After The Cooper we headed towards Kiawah to stay at The Dunlin.

The vibes are very different, almost a “chic Southern aunt’s lake house” decor. Not Grandmillinial but also very Southern with an emphasis on nature. The rooms were absolutely perfect for a girl’s weekend and had gorgeous screened in balcony porches.

The property is large and has houses that can be owned/rented, but the resort itself gives a smaller, more charming vibe. If you are on a girl’s trip or wanting to relax, I would use the hotel guests only pool. It’s smaller but the vibes are chic and the frozen Paloma is worth it. Children and families are allowed in that pool, and it gets a bit crowded before nap time. The other pool on property is bigger and is open to homeowners, so it has more of a neighborhood pool vibe. Personally, if I took my family, we would hang out at the bigger pool and leave the little pool for the relaxers.

The main dining on site, Linnette’s, was amazing for dinner and breakfast - the dinner crowd was so fun and the cocktails were amazing. The crab fried rice has been called a “dish of a lifetime” amongst our friends so absolutely order it when you go.

The spa was an interesting set up for me. It is pricey with extremely high-end products, the facial was one of the best I’ve ever had, but the spa facility itself was a big miss. The locker room is extremely small. As we checked in, our attendant said many times that it was “a full house” and she “hoped they had available lockers”. At that price point, a locker to put our clothes in should be the bare minimum amenity. Considering the entire property is just a few years old, the lounge at the spa was also a big surprise. It only has sitting room for 4 with an additional round bench in the center of the room. Many women were standing or milling about in our robes, which was a bit awkward.

I would return to The Dunlin for a girl’s trip but would not make a couples weekend of it. I would also take my family but would stick to the bigger pool for splashing.