Quite a lot of the appeal of the American South lies in its attachment to history and tradition. But there’s room for a little creativity. While other Southern mansion hotels feel dry and airless, preserved in amber, the Mansion on Forsyth Park, in Savannah, Georgia, is a fantasy — behind the walls of this very authentic 19th-century Victorian mansion is a boutique hotel that’s more about contemporary Old South romance than it is about pure historical correctness.
There’s a thread of European sophistication about the place as well, and it’s practically overflowing with art from the owner’s private collection. The hundred-odd rooms are located not in the original house, but in an addition next door, one that adheres remarkably closely to the style of the red-brick mansion. As a result they’re spacious, and laid out like modern luxury boutique hotel rooms, oversized baths and all.
The slightly overstated opulence of the décor makes these bedrooms a good deal more seductive than you’d expect from a proper Southern mansion, and the same goes for the public spaces — from the spa to the pool deck to the 700 Drayton restaurant and especially Casimir’s, the rooftop lounge with a view of the picturesque Forsyth Park.
author watson@mouselink.net, source www.tablethotels.com