My introduction to Palmetto Bluff in the Lowcountry is a pleasant enough one. I find a concealed right turn off the main county road that runs through Bluffton, and just beyond an open gate and a bend in the road is a new wood hut on a center island, looking a lot like a toll booth in which a carpenter has taken great pride. A gregarious woman smiles at me as I pull up, like she’s been awaiting my arrival all day.

“Welcome!” she beams.

After a pleasant exchange, she provides me with directions to the Inn, though I have to ask again, because I’m convinced she misspoke.

“Five miles?!”

“Five miles, dear, you can’t miss it. Have a wonderful stay.”

I shift back into gear and pass through the gates, and large, neat rows of palmettos and oaks narrow around a road that gently curves under an arch from their foliage, as if I’m in a car commercial. And the drive is five miles, taking several minutes at a good pace, to pass through 20,000+ acres of pristine wilderness and pull up to the stop sign at the edge of this tiny colonial resort town.

On what was once Indian land, and in the 19^th century, site of a collection of cotton plantations and personal land holdings, Palmetto Bluff as a real estate asset was consolidated and sold to a wealthy banker from New York City, whose son promptly began construction on the grandiose ‘Palmetto Lodge,’ a backcountry family retreat. The deed to Palmetto Bluff changed hands a couple of times in the first half of the century, and the original Lodge was destroyed by fire in 1926, but when manufacturing conglomerate Union Camp bought the land in the war era, they rebuilt the lodge as an exclusive hunting retreat for executives and international sportsmen. The setting, and abundance of wildlife, set the perfect atmosphere for a relaxed vacation, and when Crescent Resources, a real estate development arm of Duke Energy, purchased the land in 2000, they saw the opportunity to develop an extraordinary project, in the spirit of backcountry community living, on one of the last unspoiled oceanfront locations. Today, Palmetto Bluff is just beginning to realize this potential.

Squeezed onto an isthmus of ancient maritime forest along the Atlantic shoreline just north of Savannah beside the May River delta, the Inn at Palmetto Bluff is only accessed by the gated road that brings me to the Inn’s front drive. Here, a retro-colonial town is rising up in the Lowcountry, based around the gloriously classic inn, built adjacent to the foundation of the original hunting lodge. Across a small footbridge to a small peninsula squeezed between the salt marshes and an inland lagoon lie 50 luxury cottages, arranged in an almost camp-like style amid towering silver oaks, palmettos, palms, and unobtrusive Lowcountry landscaping. Each features the most luxurious modern amenities contained within small buildings that reflect the region’s architectural heritage; pine floors, vaulted ceilings, and verandas with stunning views of the May River delta are the cornerstone of these unique private hideaways.

Within the ‘town,’ if a single block can be described as such, there is a cobble driveway, a classic café, a bookstore, and little else in what could best be described as the town square. Guests mill about peacefully, at a pace that seems to roll with the long summer days and languid tides of the nearby waterway. Keeping with the natural pace of Palmetto Bluff, the Inn offers bicycles complimentary to guests, allowing them to explore the pristine environment and sensitive developments on the property. Canoeing, kayaking, and fishing along the inland waterways is a popular activity as well, either for the pure pleasure of unmotorized travel in the wilderness, or on an informative, guided tour of Palmetto Bluff’s history and archaeological ruins. Guests hoping for a spiritual journey somewhat less taxing can find refuge at the spa, set in the verdant, sprawling countryside, and easily capable of lulling one into a peaceful state of mind, body, and heart.

Within, there are (unconventionally) no rooms. Instead, the main floor and terrace is home to the reception area and the River House dining room, where the finest ingredients of the region are fused into classic and elegant takes on the local cuisine. Among the starters, a bisque with lump crab appears standard until it is served with tableside with sherry. Oysters are paired with creamed collards and spinach, diver scallops with corn pudding and a light herb salad. Among mains, the lump crab cakes, like the endorsement they receive from the attentive staff, are dazzling, set over a summer succotash and herb butter. Beef fillet and beautifully robust lamb and pork chops are treated right, cooked to perfection and garnished with sides that pair wonderfully with the meat. With an extensive international wine list and a knowledgeable staff, a proper pairing is ensured, and the atmosphere of watching the setting sun colour the fat oaks, marshlands and flower beds guarantees a second-to-none dining experience. At a time like that, settling into the Palmetto Bluff oceanfront community is a welcome rite of passage. The sensation of being lost in a wildlife refuge is incomparable—even if, in the back of your mind, you know the rest of the world is just five miles away.