Charleston in top 10

Readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine know a good thing when they see it – or read about it.

For the ninth consecutive year, they voted Charleston as a Top 10 travel destination in North America. The story is in the magazine’s November edition.

Charleston came in No. 5, passing Boston and other popular U.S. destinations – Honolulu; Santa Fe; Washington, D.C.; and Savannah.

San Francisco, New York City, New Orleans and Chicago were the top four spots.

Out of the top five U.S. cities, Charleston and San Francisco tied with having the most large and small hotels being cited.

Woodlands Resort & Inn made the list of the Top 20 U.S. small hotels for the second time, ranking No. 8 this year. It also was the only U.S. property rating 100 for food – the only perfect score earned by any hotel in 2001. The John Rutledge House Inn ranked No. 12 in the same category.

Charleston Place Hotel came in at No. 16 in the Top 50 North American hotels category. The Planters Inn placed No. 22.

“We are thrilled with Charleston’s outstanding ranking as a Top 10 U.S. city, which shows that our diverse destination continues to please millions of visitors each year, especially the readers of Conde Nast Traveler,” said Robert L. Freeman, chairman of the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.