Lowcountry Gem
Auberge stakes its claim in South Carolina’s idyllic Sea Islands
A wicker birdcage bar defines the sunny room at in-house restaurant Linette’s.
Set in a gardener’s paradise, the subtropical landscape surrounding THE DUNLIN is dominated by vivid greens and blues. It’s only natural, then, that the 72-room hotel, located directly on the banks of the Kiawah River, is similarly steeped in the colors of sky, marsh grass, and water. A maze of winding paths edged by towering oaks helps this new property from Auberge blend in with its environs.
The 2,000-acre waterfront retreat in the idyllic Sea Islands—about 20 minutes from Charleston—opened in summer 2024, one of just 27 Auberge portfolio properties in the United States. This expansion into South Carolina Lowcountry called for an entirely unique resort, and interior designer Amanda Lindroth delivered in spades. Lindroth grew up in Florida in the 1970s and went on to work in publicity for Gucci, so her ability to channel old-world glamour and Deep South mysticism is unparalleled.
The whimsical palette of azure, seafoam, and turquoise is a defining feature of The Dunlin, whose name is taken from a local shorebird. Wicker furniture upholstered in batik, gingham, and linen abound in the rooms and outdoor spaces of the cottage-style property. Omnipresent blue-greens add brightness to the coffered ceilings of the Willet Room, a quaint lobby bar and lounge that offers coffee and pastries in the morning before swapping in savory Southern snacks and Caribbean-tinged swizzles and shrubs later on. At the signature restaurant, Linette’s, a magnificent rattan back bar houses rare whiskeys and other fine spirits, while the riverfront pool evokes old-world swim clubs, complete with scalloped green umbrellas and bamboo lounge chairs.
aubergeresorts.com/the-dunlin
