Pink of Perfection: Camellias Bar in Charleston

Shimmering like the inside of a Fabergé egg, Camellias, a champagne and caviar bar at Hotel Bennett in Charleston, pays homage to the venerable bloom it’s named after
The pink, lavish interior of Camellias Bar at Hotel Bennet in Charleston, SC
Camellias Bar (Courtesy of Hotel Bennett)

It’s camellia season, and there is perhaps no better place to enjoy it than Charleston, South Carolina. The city is home to one of the world’s most the extensive collections of the flowering shrub—as well as Camellias, a champagne and caviar bar at Hotel Bennett, which pays homage to the blooms in its opulent pink-on-pink decor.

Camellias in Charleston
The signature Camellias Cake (Courtesy of Hotel Bennett)

Opening in 2019, Hotel Bennett may be new, but its architecture and interiors, created by Design Continuum Inc. of Atlanta, fit seamlessly into the historic city.

Camellias, in particular, takes its cue from the French Art Deco and French Art Modern design styles of the 1930s and ’40s. Plaster banana palms encircle the bar, while an etched-mirror ceiling inset with a pink dome frames a cascading crystal chandelier. At the bar and on the tabletops, soft pink marble nods to the location’s history (it was reclaimed from the library that once stood in the hotel’s place overlooking Marion Square). Altogether, the scene shimmers like the inside of a Fabergé egg-shaped jewel box.

Along with champagne and caviar pairings and champagne-inspired cocktails, the bar at Camellias serves delectable desserts and afternoon tea. Don’t miss the signature Camellias Cake, which is almost as pretty as the bar itself.

Enjoying Camellia Flowers in Charleston

camellia varietiesMore than 20,000 camellias thrive at Charleston’s Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, including over 1,000 cultivars of Japonica, which blooms mid-January through March.

To enjoy prized camellias from around the area, plan a trip timed to coincide with the America Camellia Society Coastal Carolina Chapter’s annual flower show in January, a tradition of more that 70 years.


By Terri Robertson | Photography courtesy of Hotel Bennett

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