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I Guess Hilton Head Island isn't for Everyone?

sandytoes

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jd2601,

The bike path near Barony are go though different areas then near Sea Pines. At Sea Pines you are going though residential areas. Near Barony you still need to ride though a lot of pretty winding paths under canopies of live oaks over looking golf courses but at Barony, once you leave Port Royal it is to explore. There is a lot happening on this end. I love to just pick a direction and go, taking the path least traveled. At some point we come upon an interesting looking restaurant and usually stop for an out door lunch. This is a great way for learning the island and make it easier at night to find those hidden places.

If you are coming during peak times the "heel' area of the boot where Barony is located has beached that are way less crowded then done near the toe where Sea Pines it location. When we head for the beach we turn North and after a short distance it is not unusual not to see anyone in close proximity. WE usually walk up and around the heel. At time we are the only people on the beach in that area. Doesn't get much better.
 

Wolfpacker

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We were there in Surfwatch checking in on 4/15. Our 10th visit there and own at GO and Monarch. like many, we like the dark and all the trees. For the OP, try Myrtle for mile after mile of cheap tee shirt stores, glitz and bling. Actually though, the Oceanwatch resort is in a great, secluded location. But its the fact the HHI is soooo dif from Myrtle that is its draw to us.
 

MOXJO7282

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We were there in Surfwatch checking in on 4/15. Our 10th visit there and own at GO and Monarch. like many, we like the dark and all the trees. For the OP, try Myrtle for mile after mile of cheap tee shirt stores, glitz and bling. Actually though, the Oceanwatch resort is in a great, secluded location. But its the fact the HHI is soooo dif from Myrtle that is its draw to us.

Agreed MB is night and day to HHI. As much as I love our Oceanwatch unit and the beachfront its on, we don't think much of the surrounding MB area.

Now HHI is much different because of the lighting and limited signage. And the Sea Pines makes for a great nature preserve/beachfront location that maintains a small town feel.

Maui will always be my family's favorite, but GO and HHI is a close second. I'll let everyone know if that changes after our next and fourth trip to the GO in August
 
L

laurac260

Dioxide/Moxjo: Good to know (HI feedback and GO). Because kids+dad love the beach, but my wife needs the minimum of civilization (i.e. pool, mall, etc. like in Orlando/Florida coasts).

Question: when is it too hot to go to Florida beaches (vs. Hilton Island)? I can read the weather.com charts, but would like to understand (if July/August is not too hot). HHI is famous during summer months, is that because weather/temp are better than Florida?

I would say, its never "too hot" to go to a beach, but yes, Florida beaches (and florida in general), is much hotter in July/Aug, save for the panhandle. When we lived in Tampa, we typically stayed indoors in the summer, unless we were at the pool/beach, and even then we did not go to the pool/beach between 11-2pm, the sun's just too intense.

I personally don't find HHI that much hotter/humid than say, Cincinnati, where we live. Yes, it is hotter, but here at home I'm typically in shorts/capris and tee-shirt. In HHI we are mostly at the beach in bathing suits, or at the pool, in bathing suits, so to me I just don't see much of a difference. Biking gets kind of hot, but there's so much shade that it's not a problem. I am not a huge fan of extreme temps, which is why we no longer live in Buffalo OR Tampa. HHI would be perfect for me all year round.
 

pwrshift

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Over the years I've been to Fort Lauderdale about 10 times in summer and have found the constant onshore ocean breezes quite refreshing compared to other parts of FL ... inland Orlando can be beastly with no breeze and high humidity. Also, didn't find the off shore breezes on Gulf Coast as refreshing as Ft. Laud. I would assume that Singer Island FL would be somewhat like Ft. Laud.

On the other hand, I find Hilton Head summer heat and humidity unbearable in summer ... same with Williamsburg, VA. We rented a VRBO house in HH early Sept last year and it had a private pool -- but the 110 degree temps combined with humidity made the pool very refreshing - don't know what I would have done without the pool (which didn't need a heater).

I live in Toronto where the summers are really quite nice and winter isn't my fav time of year, but better than Buffalo! :) I escape for 5 weeks to Fort Lauderdale mid Feb to March and don't miss that part of winter at all.


I would say, its never "too hot" to go to a beach, but yes, Florida beaches (and florida in general), is much hotter in July/Aug, save for the panhandle. .
 

MOXJO7282

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We rented a VRBO house in HH early Sept last year and it had a private pool -- but the 110 degree temps combined with humidity made the pool very refreshing - don't know what I would have done without the pool (which didn't need a heater).


Perhaps you went during a late summer heatwave? We go to HHi late Aug and early Sept, and we've never find it quite that hot. I do hear the early summer months are tough but Late Aug, Sept in our 4 trips have been very pleasant weather wise.

To us the fall gold season is perfect in HHI for us. We look forward to the day when my wife and I can spend multiple weeks in HHI in Sept.
 

downhill

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We were there in Surfwatch checking in on 4/15. Our 10th visit there and own at GO and Monarch. like many, we like the dark and all the trees. For the OP, try Myrtle for mile after mile of cheap tee shirt stores, glitz and bling. Actually though, the Oceanwatch resort is in a great, secluded location. But its the fact the HHI is soooo dif from Myrtle that is its draw to us.

Have you stayed at Monarch recently? We have been at Palmeto Dunes (The Villages) for the past several Aprils but thought we would try a different spot in 2012. Traded our Platinum ski week in Breckinridge and got Monarch for the end of April ... was that a good trade?
 

sandytoes

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I love Monarch. The resort is smaller and so are the units then manu of the other Hilton Head Marriotts. But, it is the closest Marriott Resort to the beach, very quaint and within Sea Pines so you have access to some great bike trails. I think you did well. If you were going with another couple ot a large family this might not be the best. Going as a couple is perfect.
 

MOXJO7282

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Location, location, location. I've never seen any unit interiors but it can't be beat for location within Sea Pines and on a great stretch of beach.
 

pedro47

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Have you stayed at Monarch recently? We have been at Palmeto Dunes (The Villages) for the past several Aprils but thought we would try a different spot in 2012. Traded our Platinum ski week in Breckinridge and got Monarch for the end of April ... was that a good trade?

Are the villas at Palmeto Dunes (The Villages) nice? The Monarch villas are small but very nice and the walking area to the beach is very relaxing and give you that Caribbean feel.
 

downhill

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Are the villas at Palmeto Dunes (The Villages) nice? The Monarch villas are small but very nice and the walking area to the beach is very relaxing and give you that Caribbean feel.

The Village has undergone extensive renovations in the units as well as the grounds. The townhouses have pleanty of space for 4 people and a couple of kids. They have a view of the golf course or the lagoon. The other units are not as spacious, but the 2 bedroom is ok. The one bedroom is small, but might be ok for 2...would not consider the efficiency. The Village is an easy walk or bike ride to the beach. We have been able to trade a non Marriott week to get here in April for the past several years. While it is not up to Marriott standards we have enjoyed it here and have a request in for a week prior to our Monarch stay in April.

Looks like Monarch will be perfect for the 2 of us, we bike and will enjoy the beach ...
 

NboroGirl

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We just spent 4 days in Hilton Head, my first time there. I used my 800 Plus Points for 4 nights at Heritage Club. That was not enough time to fairly review the location, and I'll admit we really didn't see much of the island, but I'm kind of with you, Dioxide45... I didn't see what all the fuss is about.

Since the main purpose of our visit was golf, I decided on the Heritage Club resort (I didn't have enough points to stay on the beach). Heritage Club is small without many amenities, but the units were nice and roomy. The lobby was being painted while we were there. The pool area is small, but uncrowded. One of my favorite things to do on vacation is to go down to the hot tub at night for a relaxing soak. But Heritage Club had what my brother said were cockroaches scurrying all around the pool area, including on the chaise lounges. :eek: (My brother lives in VA so I figured he'd know, but my dentist, who goes to HHI almost every year and stayed at Heritage Club, called them something else - I forget what, but not roaches - and said they are bigger than cockroaches). Well, they looked like cockroaches and I refused to go down at night. We also saw a bat hanging upside-down on a railing in the pool area one night.

We did not seem to have any trouble finding our way around at night. We had our GPS system with us. I found the signs in the Sea Pines area to be easy to read at night. Then again, we didn't have far to go once we got off the highway.

I did not notice bugs, but on the two days we golfed, the next day I noticed bug bites on my legs and I'm assuming I got them golfing. We did see a family of bald eagles (and the nest, which was perched on top of a cell phone tower), so that was cool!

The weather was hot, but not unbearably so, when we were there (last week of September) - temps were around 87 during the day and 70 at night - but the humidity was really bad. My brother from VA kept complaining about it. :rolleyes: I like hot and humid, so I wasn't bothered, except when I was golfing, when I never sweat so much in my life. I'm talking drenching sweat... just-got-out-of-the-shower wet. Yuck! I can't imagine how bad it must be in the summer.

We golfed 2 days and spent a day in Savannah, (and a night doing a ghost tour in Savannah in a hearse!!) so we didn't see much of the island. I would have loved to skip a golf day and rent a bike and gone biking... maybe next time if we go back.

Harbor Town didn't seem like anything special... just a bunch of specialty shops and a couple of restaurants. It was pretty, though, and made for some nice photos.

Oyster Reef Golf Course was nice. It's located on the north side of the island and was about a 15-20 minute ride to get there. The Shipyard courses were so-so. They were crowded the day we were there and we were backed up quite a bit so we had to wait to tee off on almost every hole. It smelled bad, too - not sure what it was but I think it was the smell of rotting grass clippings.

My husband said he liked Myrtle Beach better because he didn't like all the trees with the Spanish moss. He said it made it seem gloomy. I thought the trees were nice. We both would like to return, for a full week though, and see the rest of the island.
 

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We traded our Plat Aruba Surf Club lockoff studio for a 2-br at Harbour Club at Shelter Cove in March. Our first reaction upon driving onto HHI was "So what." 12 hours later we were in love with the place. We are not beach people but love hiking and biking and golfing. Bluffton was a nice excursion as we visited the smallish "old town" section and discovered the fabulous Cottage restaurant. It was so outstanding that we made a special trip to have breakfast there the next day. We also enjoyed playing tourist and walking around Harbourtown one day. Heck, any place is great the first time but the beauty and outdoor activities really appealed to us.

Later in the week we made a trip to the beautiful Palmetto Cliffs and got a round in on the magnificent May River golf course (#3 ranked in SC). Palmetto Dunes golf courses were running a 2 for 1 special so we got acquainted with the Jones and Hills courses there too. During the evenings we enjoyed a number of above average restaurants.

Shelter Cove is hugely under rated in our view. Looking out at the ocean and seeing blue for as far as the eye can see is nice... however, being treated to the changing colors of the marsh grasses on Broad Creek throughout the day is something else all together. Wow! The fact that we can drive there in 4 1/2 hours is an added bonus. Mark us down as fans.

BTW, did I mention we just bought a week there? :)
 

LisaRex

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bicycles (whether on paths or coming in from the beach) are not exempt.

Neither are walkers/joggers.

True story: About 15 years ago, my husband and brother-in-law decided to take us on a nature walk/picnic with our 1 year old daughter to St. Mary Lake inside Sea Pines Nature Preserves. I'm not too keen on alligators or mosquitoes, but reluctantly agreed. We parked at one of the Nature Preserve parking lots and hiked in what was supposed to be 20 minute walk with all of our picnic gear. We ended up getting lost several times, and it took us an hour and a half to get there. The mosquitoes were eating my poor daughter alive, and I was pregnant with my second daughter, and very unhappy with my husband, who kept insisting that the posted wooded signs directing us to the lake were wrong. We finally arrived at the lake, sweaty and miserable.

Then, out of nowhere, a storm cloud popped up. And as we were sitting down, lamenting how our luck couldn't get any worse, a van drove up and parked. Turns out that there was an access road that you could use to just drive in!

My husband, realizing that he was already in hot water, offered to jog to the van and drive it in. But, of course, he got lost (because he wouldn't read the SIGNS) and when he finally exited, he was outside of SeaPines. He jogged right on by. The guard ordered him to stop but my husband, ever the renegade, hollered, "Shoot me if you need to, but I'm more scared of my pregnant wife."
 

LisaRex

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My first visit to HHI was on my honeymoon over 20 years ago. It was April, and I fell in love with the island. It was laid back with tons of outdoor things to do, such as biking, hiking, kayaking, swimming, body surfing, boating, etc.

I love the darkness of the island because you can see the stars, and it helps the turtles not become confused. I love the no neon sign and no highrise restrictions. I love the wood signs and houses that blend in with the landscape. I love the bike trails. I love the Sea Pines trolley. I love the miles and miles of flat beaches that are great for walking. I love the harbors that give me access to tons of water sports. I love the tennis courts.

I don't love how overdeveloped it's become. I don't love the toll or the traffic or the chain restaurants. I don't love the jelly fish. I especially don't love the sting rays that caused me the worst pain I've ever felt in my life.
 

suenmike32

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I'm still in HHI and had a lovely time this past week. The golf was great, the weather outstanding and not really very crowded. We stayed in SeaPines (in a private condo) for 5 days. We are now at Harbour Club for a couple days... and I'm not overly impressed.
I guess as the old saying goes "you get what you pay for" applies here. The rooms are lovely, newly refurbished and very spacious.
The resort is a dud. Come here to rest, sleep or visit other places. There are virtually no amenities to speak of....but I'm not going to go into great detail.
One of the things that is very annoying are the phone charges.
Bring your cellphone....because you do not want to pay for a long distance call from here.
I can understand the .75 directory assistance, however...read your phone card in the room!
There is a long distance surcharge markup of 55%
There is a $2.95 operator assistance surcharge.
and there is a .55 connection fee with a .55 per-minute charge plus 6% tax.
All can be avoided by using your cell, but if someone else is using it, have patience.....do not use your room phone.
I truly like HHI (now that I'm used to the darkness, hidden malls and the poor signage) and will comeback next year. I'm just not staying here!
 

chunkygal

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What I like about people who don't "get" Hilton Head...more for me! And you can have anywhere there is snow.
 

Egret1986

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Palmetto Bugs are what your dentist was talking about

....,. But Heritage Club had what my brother said were cockroaches scurrying all around the pool area, including on the chaise lounges. :eek: (My brother lives in VA so I figured he'd know, but my dentist, who goes to HHI almost every year and stayed at Heritage Club, called them something else - I forget what, but not roaches - and said they are bigger than cockroaches).

I would have loved to skip a golf day and rent a bike and gone biking... maybe next time if we go back.

My husband said he liked Myrtle Beach better because he didn't like all the trees with the Spanish moss. He said it made it seem gloomy. I thought the trees were nice.

One of my favorite things in Hilton Head is the bike trails all over the island. We rent bikes for the week and bike every day. The enjoyable part is all the trees with the Spanish moss. Biking on the beach at low tide is also a blast.
 

CapriciousC

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[*]Bugs. Every night at dusk small insects would come out and BITE. These were not easy to see and were rather irritating. I know other places have these also but they were especially bad in HHI. One night in Harbour Town it was horrible. Perhaps it was also the time of year.

Sadly, there are some sort of irritating bugs present about 7 or 8 months of the year. Even when it feels cool outside, the gnats are still out. The bug stuff that works for mosquitos doesn't work for the gnats. There is a locally produced product called No Natz (sp?) that works wonderfully. Here in Savannah they sell it at the ACE Hardware store - I've never looked for it in Hilton Head.
 

CapriciousC

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My husband said he liked Myrtle Beach better because he didn't like all the trees with the Spanish moss. He said it made it seem gloomy. I thought the trees were nice. We both would like to return, for a full week though, and see the rest of the island.

Early in the morning when it's foggy and the sun's not completely up, I can see his point about the moss making things gloomy. There are mornings when my backyard looks like a scene for a horror movie :)
 
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