The drive from downtown Charleston to the Dunlin, an Auberge Resorts Collection hotel on nearby Johns Island, winds beneath live oaks and past fields, forests, and farm stands. While the getaway, which opens this summer as a collaboration between Auberge and the Kiawah River development, takes on the air of a refined river house, it maintains a close connection to the surroundings. The interiors, for instance, designed by Amanda Lindroth, find inspiration in water views. “There are mint-green, coral, and hydrangea-blue fabrics and linens mixed with sisal and wicker accents,” says Kemper Hyers, Auberge’s chief creative officer. “In our early conversations, we wanted the design to look and feel like an incredible summer home.” In addition to kayaking excursions and fishing trips, guests can join in clam-harvesting workshops, cheese-making classes at the nearby “Goatery,” and community Lowcountry boils—or simply head to one of the three on-site restaurants where seafood arrives straight from the Atlantic, and fresh produce comes courtesy of the farmers down the road.
Southern Agenda