May River Manor: A Six-Suite Inn and Event Venue in Bluffton

• Suites: six, each with its own bathroom
• Included: breakfast, afternoon refreshments, Wi-Fi and parking
• On site: a guests-only saltwater pool and wide porches
• Events: groups of 10 to 40, with the grounds to themselves
• Guests: 16 and over, no pets

May River Manor is a small luxury inn in a big white-columned house on five and a half acres of lawn and pine woods off Old Miller Road, a few miles west of Old Town Bluffton near Hampton Lake. The house has 6,000 square feet inside and deep porches front and back, and it runs as an inn with six suites and as a venue for small events.

The house was given to USC Beaufort before it was bought in 2022 and renovated into the inn. Local art hangs throughout, including work by the Lowcountry artist Amiri Farris. For the rest of the town, see our Bluffton guide.

The Six Suites

Each suite is named for a Lowcountry river. Downstairs are the Edisto, the only one that sleeps four (two full beds), and the May River Suite, a two-room king suite with a freestanding soaking tub and its own patio. Upstairs, the Santee and Morgan River suites (both kings with soaking tubs) open onto a shared covered porch over the pool, the Okatie Suite (a king) has the only private front porch, and the Chechessee is a cozy full-bed room with its own covered porch. All have hardwood floors, walk-in tiled showers, robes, flat-screen TVs and keyless entry, and coffee or tea can be brought to the room in the morning.

Breakfast and Afternoon Refreshments

Breakfast is cooked to order in the manor’s kitchen and served in the breakfast room or out on the patio: baked goods, local jams and honey, fruit and yogurt, and a choice of hot dishes such as waffles, pancakes, omelets or grain bowls. In the afternoon there are small plates and drinks. The inn asks for 72 hours’ notice for special diets, and it can arrange private dinners, cooking classes and mixology sessions.

Weddings and Events at May River Manor

Events are a big part of what May River Manor does. For groups of 10 to 40, the inn offers exclusive use of the house and grounds: the pool deck, a paved area for cocktails or dancing, the porches and the balconies. It hosts elopements and small weddings with packages, small receptions, cocktail parties, brunches and dinners, business retreats, and golf groups, whose tee times the staff will book. It is an intimate venue rather than a ballroom; for bigger weddings, see our Hilton Head weddings guide.

Good to Know Before You Book

May River Manor is an adult-oriented inn: guests must be 16 or older and with an adult, though exceptions are made for event groups. Pets are not allowed, apart from service animals. Weekends need a two-night minimum (three on holiday and event weekends). Check-in is from 4 to 7 pm (call if you will be later) and check-out is by 11 am. Overnight guests can charge an electric car for free.

May River Manor Reviews

Guests write about the hosts first: a personal welcome with a snack board, staff who ask what you need each time you come and go, and an early breakfast made for guests with a dawn start. They also praise the made-to-order breakfasts, the spacious, spotless suites, the pool and the porches over the woods, and some say it is the best place they have stayed in Bluffton.