The Dunlin, Auberge Collection

Property was beautiful. It was peaceful and offered plenty of experiences and amenities. Staff was kind and attentive. They went above and beyond.

Our three nights at The Dunlin were very relaxing, and the whole stay exceeded our expectations. We stayed in Room 60, a Riverfront Suite the Plover building: it was a Saltgrass Suite or a Seabrook Suite. Excellent daily housekeeping and nightly turndown service. The gas fireplace worked well - we used it every night as we were there during a cold spell. Great water pressure in the shower. The Plover building is a short walk from the main building that houses Linnette’s and The Willet Room (where we got coffee in the morning). We ate two dinners at Linnette’s and both meals were really good. My first night’s entree was the duck confit, and the second night I had the beefcheeks. For dessert, we had the spiced apple cobbler and the spiced chai panna cotta. The Plover building does not have an elevator, but other buildings do. Just something to be aware of, if you don’t like stairs. The property has lovely grounds and bikes for easy exploring. The Aster Spa is lovely and I had a terrific deep tissue massage with Marie. We would definitely go back in warmer weather to enjoy the bike trails and pools.

We use to live in the area so we were excited to visit The Dunlin. Overall the physical setting for the resort is great with fantastic views of the marsh. The staff is well trained in how to deliver high level hospitality. Several comments: 1. We stayed in # 6 on the third floor. This building and many of the buildings do not have elevators. 2. Our room was very comfortable and well appointed. The master bath had an unusual sink that was more like a utility sink. There was minimal room to place toiletries next to the sink. The sink was very narrow which made it more of a nuisance to use. Great shower. 3. Had to request twice to get ice for the room. 4. We use the spa and the services were excellent. Was recommended by the Spa to be there 30 min ahead of time to utilize the outdoor sauna however the sauna was not turned on. Nice locker rooms however the water was barely warm for the shower 5. We had both dinner and breakfast at Linnette’s. The dinner menu was somewhat limited. The server was attentive however it was a slow meal. We had cocktails prior to the meal. My wife’s drink was so bitter she could not drink it. The bar was out of Dewars and did not have Johnnie Walker Black. The only scotch option started at a very high price per drink. 6. There were multiple outdoor experiences available however it was too cold to enjoy. The resort does not have a golf relationship with any of the area golf courses which is probably a mistake. The Dunlin is a very new Auberge resort and has a great future. It still has a few things to smooth out.

Beautiful venue! Gorgeous hotel! The rooms are so cozy and warm I didn’t want to leave!! Spotless! Exquisite wedding venue!! The staff are very friendly and welcoming. The location is spectacular. Very relaxing. The hotel restaurant, Linnette’s was amazing! Ten stars!!

amazing staff. amazing environment. could have been built eco friendly with much smaller footprint and had greater appeal, but it was great.

An absolute joy of a stay! From the initial greeting to the room accommodation, this resort was everything we were looking for to wind down and relax. The bed was perfect and comfortable, the linens perfection, the shower for steam and seat, divine! The valet, welcome staff, luggage, room service, turn down staff, and everyone on site were friendly and remembered our names. 100% recommend for the perfect relaxing getaway. One area for improvement is the dining staff. This is a new property and they are not quite at 100% communication and effectiveness yet, but they will be soon. We will be back.

not a traditional hotel building- its a series of condo like buildings. Lower floors are exposed you noise from above floors ( footsteps on wooden floors) - Staff positive and friendly- Restaurant- good service Alina- Bad food- good fitness center- sunset boat ride was fun and educational with a good guide- Bikes are not s good choice for the dirt trails - Best suited for a “girls trip”- Pretty good but a bad value at the price point - At that price The Sanctuary a way better choice

This was the perfect getaway for anyone looking to relax and unwind. The staff at the Dunlin is incredible. They greet you warmly and seem to enjoy what they are doing. The setting, back on the Kiawah River, is great. Our room was suite with a porch overlooking the marsh. The sunset view was amazing. The room was very well appointed and spacious. The Dunlin offers a number of excursions and while not inexpensive are worth it. We took a morning guided kayak tour follow by a wonderful breakfast out on the river. We also took cocktail class which was both extremely fun and educational. Linnettes has excellent low country food. There is a down stairs bar that has some food, but most meals are at Linnettes. There are also restaurants close by at Freshfield Village, which is only a couple of miles away. And of course you can always head to Charleston. There is a very nice well equipped gym and bikes are available for your use. We took advantage of both. The pool overlooks the river. They serve food and drinks so we just sat out there one afternoon and enjoyed the view. There is also a spa but we did not get the chance to use it. The is a great place for couples or friends wanting to spend time together.

The service was terrific at this hotel and each staff member did wonderful job addressing our needs and making us feel special during our stay. We had so much to celebrate during our stay and they really made us feel like we were on top of the world. Our itinerary designer Reese was incredible and did a terrific job planning our overall stay including a special intimate picnic for me and my husband. The front desk team was personable (a special thanks to Megan and Jackson - plus the other team members ) and our tour guide around the grounds on Day 1 was super friendly, patient and knowledgable (thank you Gregg). Robin at valet and Jessica at the pool were also excellent. The two employees who really stood out to us above and beyond the rest was John who oversaw the in-room dining service and Megan at the front desk. John went above and beyond every day and evening during our visit and made us feel so special!!! He exemplifies all the qualities that define a 5 star resort. In addition to his amazing service, we loved the custom note and mocktail set / cookies/hordeuvres him, Reese and the team left for us in our room, and the complimentary chocolate cake he dropped off for us on second night to help us celebrate our anniversary!!! We received a complimentary upgrade to a river facing suite upon our arrival with our Amex Platinum card which was splendid. So many details were considered when they decorated and designed the room - lots of storage space and closet space which is nice. Bed is extremely comfortable, pillows are hypoallergenic, elegant fixtures and decor, etc….fire place was also a nice added touch. Place felt like it came right out of Southern Living Magazine, Town & Country magazine or a Ballard Designs ad. We also loved our outdoor patio and thought the added patio screens did a great job keeping the bugs away. The only place that did not live up to expectations or resemble 5 star service was the night we dined at Linettes (the restaurant on site) but I think they might just be working through the kinks. The food there was great and the restaurant decor was ON POINT, however I think they need some additional training of their wait staff. The hostess was good but some of the wait staff in front of house seemed to lack experience. I don’t think any of them in the front of the house have worked in fine dining before, which is fine, but for the price of the meal I would’ve expected a little more experience in service. We thought it was strange when we arrived at our table and asked if we could order bread right away, we were politely told “no” by the waiter and that they have a strict policy where all food must be ordered at once. Immediately after our waiter told us her favorite dishes, we told her we were ready to order right away and she said “ok give me one minute” and then walked away for 5-10 minutes - we watched her address three other tables first before coming back to us to take our order (we watched her clear plates at one table, pour glasses of wine at another table, and check in on another table before coming back to us)…just seemed a bit awkward, but perhaps she was just having an off day or was doing it for a valid reason like trying to not overwhelm the kitchen staff with our table order but forgot to communicate it to us. Despite the room for growth/improvement at Linettes, the Willette Room on the first floor of the Linettes restaurant had INCREDIBLE waiting / bar staff. Finn and Jay especially stood out by providing exceptional service in the mornings - they made our coffee/pastry service an absolute delight! We attended the social on Saturday night and had a great time…during the social, the staff walked around handing out complimentary alcohol spritz drinks which was cool. We also attended the complimentary crabbing event which was a blast, and did kayaking with Abby at Coastal Expeditions next door which was fun (she was an excellent teacher too). This is one of the first luxury resorts we’ve stayed at where we felt like we truly got something out of the resort fee. We also took advantage of the complimentary bikes and pickleball courts on site. Overall, great experience. Thank you again to the amazing staff!!! We can’t wait to come back again one day!

Pros: - aesthetically beautiful property and interiors - high quality details and elements - wonderfully comfortable beds and bedding Cons: - $1,150 a night for a suite was very overpriced - one pullout fridge drawer in the room filled with mixed variety of drinks to be purchased and NO COLD FREE WATER - we like to stay hydrated and would have preferred an unlimited supply of free water - we ended up purchasing water at the local CVS and removing the excess drinks from our beverage drawer and adding the water in - beverage /coffee bar in the room was small and crammed - We spent a lot of money to stay here because of the walking and biking trails and this was THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT - The trails were absolutely awful, the BIKES are junky and not made for the trails here. The trails were sandy, muddy, bumpy, and unmarked. The cruiser bikes on these trails Were AWFUL!!!!!! - walking the trails would also be confusing because there are no signs, and you need terrain shoes. - FORGET walking early in the morning or later in the evening because there are alligators . We were not told this upon our arrival and went for a walk at 6:30 pm and saw signs for alligators well into our walk and retreated quickly back, - Overall the place is beautiful and picturesque but extremely overpriced and not at all ready with full amenities. For 3 nights at over $3,300 we expected a good experience with accessible trails and at least access to free cold water. - the place is new and working things out and notable items::::: : no full length mirror in the bedroom/bathroom : no chair in the bedroom : no free breakfast or coffee (espresso in room) : no cold water in the rooms : terrible bikes, (some were damaged, some gears didn’t work, some handle bars bent, terrible tires, very uncomfortable) : not very much complimentary, not all inclusive for 1,150 a night : only place for a women to get ready was a small oval mirror in the bathroom and crowded vanity