Charleston: The No 1 City in the World?

This year, the readers of the highly respected Travel + Leisure magazine voted the city of Charleston in South Carolina the No. 1 City in the United States and Canada in the magazine's World's Best Awards 2013 survey. It was a slight drop on the travel ladder – in 2012 readers of rival magazine Condé Nast Traveler voted Charleston the No. 1 City in the World. 

I don't know about the No. 1 in the World – places like Bellagio (Lake Como), Paris, Nice, and Sydney are also pretty gorgeous – but it would certainly be one of the most beautiful destinations in the world. And its sister city Savannah is just as lovely. Spectacular architecture, quietly glamorous interiors, extraordinary antiques (and amazing antique stores), and immaculate manners... What's not to love about this part of the world? 

To make things more irresistible, both cities are becoming creative hotspots, with Charleston being touted as The New San Francisco (lots of tech companies are moving there) and Savannah churning out talent from the renowned Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs and Anthropologie have all recently opened stores in Savannah. (The cocktail party for the Kate Spade opening was fab.) Here's proof why you should put these two beauties on your List of Places to Visit.

{The Spanish Moss is everywhere, dangling from Oaks and other grand old trees such as these here in Savannah's famous Bonaventure Cemetery, made famous in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.}

{Incredible private gardens}

[A delightful restaurant called The Pink House in Savannah: beautiful period rooms and equally lovely service}

{An antiques store in a grand old three-story mansion in Savannah; every floor was filled with amazing pieces but the real appeal was the building}

[The beautiful Gryphon Tea Room in Savannah, where books line the walls and a leopard-print carpet offers a dramatic backdrop to the lime green silk chairs}

{The Paris Market and Brocante store in Savannah – incredible interior and gorgeous products}