by RACHEL HAHN
video by MIKA ALTSKAN AND MATVEY FIKS
Families receive a five-star welcome
at this Palmetto Bluff retreat
An All-Ages Escape to
Bluffton, South Carolina
“You can tell I love my job, can’t you?” That’s what Captain Boo tells visitors as he revs his Carolina Skiff boat to take hairpin turns through the salt water of the May River. As the sun kisses passengers’ faces, he encourages children aboard to holler “Giddy-up!”
“You got it,” Captain Boo calls back to them.
This is true Lowcountry living: on a boat on a blue-sky day, dolphin-spotting as the Spanish moss sways along the shore in the distance. It’s a vista provided by the five-star Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina. Thanks to the resort’s thoughtful concierge service, family-friendly atmosphere, and commitment to conservation, this magical marshland is easy for guests to enjoy—a true gift for a family longing for a South Carolina adventure.
The welcome begins long before anyone has buttoned a life jacket or boarded a boat. At the oak-lined entrance to the 20,000-acre property, a cheerful gatehouse greeter offers helpful tips for a great visit. Check-in strategically coincides with “Porching,” an amusing term for the 3:30 p.m. trolley delivery of gourmet cookies and sweet teas to the lobby of Montage Palmetto Bluff. Kids and adults are encouraged to “Go ahead, take two”—a preview of the forthcoming days of
five-star accommodations.
An air of family-friendly luxury continues in the guest rooms. A lagoon-view cottage, for example, comfortably accommodates two adults and two children on a hide-a-bed, and it comes with all the creature comforts for a leisurely stay: a Sub-Zero freezer to store snacks and drinks, gas fireplaces for cozy bedtime reading, deep soaking tubs to wash away a day of exploring.
This magical marshland
is easy for guests to enjoy–
a true gift for a family
longing for a South
Carolina adventure.
—Thomas Rhett
Learn more about this Lowcountry escape at
VisitBluffton.org
For more ways to enhance your outdoor space, visit GardenandGun.Trex.com
The Spirit of the Outdoors
Whether on the dock or at a tailgate,
Dos Primos tequila is crafted for outdoor sipping
Pecan shelling and playing sold-out venues across the country are great ways to make a living, but for Jeff Worn and Thomas Rhett, the real payoff comes after hours, when the cousins get to catch up by a campfire over glasses of Dos Primos Tequila.
The president and CEO of South Georgia Pecan Company and the country-music chart-topper, respectively, discovered their shared love of tequila three years ago at a tasting in Telluride, Colorado. Inspired by the complexity of the blue agave spirit they were sampling, the duo decided to dive head first into the distillation process and launched Dos Primos—Spanish for “two cousins”—with outdoor lifestyles in mind.
“We believe there’s no spirit more closely tied to the land than tequila,” says Thomas Rhett, an avid hunter and fisherman. “The outdoors have always been a huge part of our lives, and we carried that into the Dos Primos brand.”
They started by tapping master distiller Rodolfo González, a third-generation tequila producer in Jalisco, Mexico, to develop their bold, earthy premium blanco. As the owner of a family-run tequila company, González was an ideal fit for the cousins’ family operation. But the brand’s connection to Mexico wouldn’t end there.
Since launching last year, first with a blanco and more recently with a reposado, Dos Primos has extended its mission to giving back by partnering with the Nature Conservancy. “A lot of our favorite memories were made outdoors,” Jeff says. “Once we started talking to the Nature Conservancy, it was clear that we had an opportunity to do some real good.” Dos Primos pledged $50,000 to support the organization’s land restoration and water conservation work in Mexico’s Tehuacán Valley.
Keeping Dos Primos’ philanthropic efforts in mind makes the brand’s latest offering taste all the smoother with subtle notes of oak and baking spice. “I love the Dos and Soda, and honestly it works just as well with the reposado,” Thomas Rhett says. “A little soda water and lime juice go a long way in bringing out that agave flavor, but you still get that great barrel character.” Jeff prefers to enjoy Dos Primos Reposado on the rocks with an orange slice “as I would a bourbon or scotch,” he says.
The cousins hope tequila fans—and those on the fence about this particular liquor—will give their spirits a try. “I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘You know, I don’t normally like tequila, but I really love Dos Primos.’ That’s really awesome, because we put so much time and effort into building our flavor profile,” Jeff says.
Even better: When Dos Primos fans share that they’ve enjoyed the brand while gathered outside with friends. “I love hearing stories of people bringing it to their bonfires, tailgates, or wherever. I’m just glad it’s bringing people together,” Thomas Rhett says. “That’s what it’s all about.”
At Montage Palmetto Bluff, children are not just pampered with delicious desserts. The award-winning resort is known for showing the same warmth and attention to young guests as to adults. While the grown-ups shoot clays on the property’s twelve-station course or hit the links at the May River Golf Club, kids can join Paintbox, the on-site children’s program, for a half day or full day of fun. Experienced childcare providers lead escapades like climbing a five-story treehouse, playing horseshoes, spotting fiddler crabs, and getting creative with arts and crafts.
One activity that’s a must for any guest, young or old, is the nature walk with Cassie Beato, the site’s environmental manager. As the naturalist for Montage Palmetto Bluff (in partnership with the Palmetto Bluff Conservancy), Beato says the expansive resort isn’t just a luxury playground for celebrities like Justin Bieber, who hosted his wedding here in 2019. It’s a vital ecosystem for Lowcountry flora and fauna. Her job is not only to teach guests about the Bluffton ecosystem and its inhabitants, including roseate spoonbills, white-tailed deer, and manatees, but to protect such wildlife—a mission shared by Palmetto Bluff’s year-round residents (that's right, you can own here too, if you want to make your vacation more permanent). When an eagle’s nest was found on a newly purchased homesite last year, the conservancy gently told the owner to rethink the blueprints; birds trump dream homes every time.
That commitment to conservation is what makes Montage Palmetto Bluff so extraordinary. As guests lounge by the pool, blue herons fly overhead. While early risers sip coffee on cottage lanais (or at Buzz, Montage Palmetto Bluff’s darling coffee shop), fox squirrels dash up palmetto trees—a sight sure to rival any Internet clip of a cute furball.
A visit to Montage Palmetto Bluff isn’t complete without a detour to Bluffton’s historic district. A quick twenty-minute drive away, Bluffton is full of coastal character. If the kids are in tow, drop by the quaint Storybook Shoppe or by DuBois Park, where they can climb on a shrimp-boat play structure. For post-playground fuel, FARM offers delicious Southern sustenance along with craft cocktails like the Boo! Berry, a rum drink perfect for the salt-tinged scenery.
Whether you’re exploring the Old Town Bluffton Historic District or you’re back at Montage Palmetto Bluff on an Adirondack chair, plan to be outdoors (with a refreshing beverage in hand) come sunset. Dusk along the May River is a catch-your-breath light show where the glow of the fuchsia horizon fights for supremacy over the tidal estuary sparkling below.
It would be tempting to never leave that brilliant view if not for pending reservations at the River House restaurant. Palmetto Bluff has many dining options, but for a formal occasion, this stunning space—with floor-to-ceiling window views of the May River—is where to go. The hostess hands out Etch A Sketch pads to the youngest diners, a priceless distraction that allows grown-ups to focus on the bounty at hand: tiny amuse-bouches of puff pastry, lobster bisque artfully served in a teapot, briny oysters, flawless filets, and decadent chocolate cake topped with gold leaf.
It’s a stunning and unforgettable family vacation.
