Marriott Hilton Head Timeshares

[JT62]

My parents would like to give us a week at a marriott resort. We are thinking of Hilton head, since dd and I will be in Savannah next July for a competition. There are SO many Marriotts!! Any suggestions on which one to request, or does it matter?

I'd like tohave easy access to a nice beach. A 2 bedroom unit is necessary.

Here are the resorts:
Marriott's Barony Beach Club
Marriott's Grande Ocean
Marriott's Harbour Club
Marriott's Harbour Point
Marriott's Heritage Club
Marriott's Monarch
Marriott's Sunset Pointe
Marriott's SurfWatch

Thanks

JT

[MULTIZ321]

JT,

See this Tug Thread


Richard

[DianneL]

We have friends that own Marriott and have stayed in several of the properties on Hilton Head. Their favorite is Grande Ocean.

[jme]

You won't regret Hilton Head as your choice.

Try these, and definitely in this order:

1. Grande Ocean
2. Grande Ocean
3. Grande Ocean
4. Barony
5. Surfwatch
6. Monarch
7. Harbour Club (in Harbour Town/Sea Pines, not oceanfront, nice marsh view)

after you're in, come back for restaurant list

jme

[normab]

After staying at several of the Marriotts, I would make my list as follows:

Surfwatch- newest and a best overall amenities, located closer to top of island
Grande Ocean -very large, close to Sea Pines, well maintained for its age
Monarch -smaller and older but in Sea Pines

We did not like Barony and we are not interested in the others as they are not on the beach.

You might want to read the reviews--we all have our favorites based on what we like to do on vacation--your ideas might differ from ours!!

[ecwinch]

Originally Posted by normab

After staying at several of the Marriotts, I would make my list as follows:

Surfwatch- newest and a best overall amenities, located closer to top of island
Grande Ocean -very large, close to Sea Pines, well maintained for its age
Monarch -smaller and older but in Sea Pines

We did not like Barony and we are not interested in the others as they are not on the beach.

You might want to read the reviews--we all have our favorites based on what we like to do on vacation--your ideas might differ from ours!!

Where does the top of the island place in relation to the sights, restaurants, and shopping? As opposed to Grande Ocean and Monarch?

[MULTIZ321]

Eric,

The northern end of Hilton Head Island does have it's mertits - Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn Plantation - - Coastal Discovery Museum Location

Remains of Fort Mitchel, are located in Hilton Head Plantation, next to the Old Fort Pub. An earthwork fortification constructed in 1862 as a battery to protect Skull Creek from Confederate attacks. It was named for General Ormsby Mitchel, a well liked leader, who died of malaria that year. Hilton Head Island became headquarters for the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Eventually, Union Forces reached 50,000 on the island. General Mitchel was known in the Union Army as "Old Stars", he is best known for ordering the raid that became famous as the Great Locomotive Chase during the Civil War.

- Earthwork Remains

- Earthwork Remains and Moat

- 24pdr Howitzer, 2 mi. range


Fort Mitchel Interpretive Marker


Earthworks Interpretive Marker


The Old Fort Pub & Fort Mitchel Marker


Gen. Ormsby Mitchel also set up the town of Mitchelville to house the island's first freedman's village. Mitchelville residents elected their own officials, passed their own laws, and established the first compulsory education law in the state. The Mitchelville community was built along modern-day Beach City Road, surrounding the intersections of Beach City and Bay Gall Roads; includes St. James Baptist Church and Cherry Hill School Building – among the first one- and two-room classrooms built for island Blacks in 1937. Ft. Howell, located in a fenced in area off of Beach City Road in historic Mitchellville, the fort was named for Union General Joshua Howell in 1864; the 32nd U.S. Colored Troops constructed the fort.
See this link from Wikipedia for more information on Michelville

The Daufuskie Island Ferry Company is located at 421 Squire Pope Road near the back entrance to Hilton Head Plantation.

Hudson's Seafood House - Docks - http://www.hudsonsonthedocks.com/

The Old Fort Pub - http://www.oldfortpub.com/ - Go to the Old Fort Pub for a special mea and be sure to make your reservations near sunset for the spectacular Skull Creek sunset views.

Another highly rated Hilton Head Island Restaurant on the northern portion of the island - also with spectacular Skull Creek sunset views.
Sunset Grille
43 Jenkins Island Rd
Hilton Head Island, SC 29926
(843) 689-6744


Richard

[pedro47]

Originally Posted by jme

You won't regret Hilton Head as your choice.

Try these, and definitely in this order:

1. Grande Ocean
2. Grande Ocean
3. Grande Ocean
4. Barony
5. Surfwatch
6. Monarch
7. Harbour Club (in Harbour Town/Sea Pines, not oceanfront, nice marsh view)

after you're in, come back for restaurant list

jme

I also second these suggestion.!!!

[pcgirl54]

Hilton Head is shaped like a high top sneaker. The toe is Sea Pines (best bike paths) where Monarch is located and just a bit from Monarch but outside the SP gate is Grande Ocean(8-9bldgs) on a nice beach. GO is favored by many for the proximity to Coligny Circle and Pope Ave. Restaurants and grocers nearby.This is the south end of the island.


Monarch-older Marriott,on the beach, recent refurb,super SP location, nice lap pool, Units are 1000 sq ft give or take compared to others that are 1100-1300.Near the famous SP golf courses. Very freindly staff.

Surfwatch-larger acreage but the building itself are further from the beach than some others and the location is mid to North end of the island. Cabanas and pool next to the beach with a bar area. There are also fishing ponds. Newest Marriott on the island. Rooms are very nice I previewed in May.

My favorite is Barony at the North End of the island or the heel. 4 bldgs on the main complex and two graden blgds across the street next to the Westin.
There is a spa and an indoor pool and two outdoor pools. Nice lobby with concierge. Garden Villas have 2 master suites and are a 5 minute walk to the beach.

Harbor Club at Harbour Town is in Sea Pines, small pool, nice lobby, no activites, but 1400 sq ft units right across from the Lighthouse in SP. .

Harbour Pointe in Shelter Cove has the marshview and is mid island-great marina, shops ,restaurants across from Disney. Marsh view is here. Units are 900-1100sq ft. Recent refurb. Beach access is at Palmetto Dunes a car or bike rode away. In the summer there is a shuttle, Recently redone shares the same property as Sunset Pointe.

Having said all this the island is only 12x5 so everything is close. I have stayed at most of them except Hertiage,Surfwatch and Sunset Pointe.

Since this is your first time I would also suggest GO as the first choice then Barony,Monarch or Surfwatch.

William Hilton Pkwy is the main drag and loops around the island- access from 95 to business route/north end or come in over the Cross Island Pkwy(toll$1) to the South End Sea Pines area.

[gmarine]

Request as many as possible. A two bedroom unit in July is a difficult trade to get. The more choices, the better chance of getting a confirmation.

[MULTIZ321]

Eric,

I forgot to add Charley's Crab Restaurant to the restaurants I mentioned on the northern end of the island - it's near the intersection of Hudson Road and Squire Pope Road.

Charley's Crab
2 Hudson Road
Hilton Head Island
Phone: (843)342-9066

I also forgot to mention some other historical points including Fort Walker the Steam Cannon and the Baynard Mausoleum, the oldest intact structure on HHI (built in 1846).

Fort Walker was a Confederate fort in what is now Port Royal Plantation (in Civil War days, Hilton Head Island was called Port Royal). The fort, built in 1861 was a station for Confederate troops and its guns helped protect the 2-mile (3 km) wide entrance to Port Royal Sound, which is fed by two slow moving and navigable rivers, the Broad River and the Beaufort River. It was vital to the Sea Island Cotton trade and the southern economy. On October 29, 1861, the largest fleet ever assembled in North America moved South to seize it. In the Battle of Port Royal, the fort came under attack by the U.S. Navy, and on November 7, 1861, it fell to over 12,000 Union troops. The fort would be renamed Fort Welles, in honor of Gideon Welles, the Secretary of the Navy. Hilton Head Island would have tremendous significance in the Civil War, becoming an important base of operations for the Union blockade of the Southern ports, particularly Savannah and Charleston. The Union would also build a military hospital on Hilton Head Island with a 1,200-foot (370 m) frontage and a floor area of 60,000 square feet (6,000 m2).

Hundreds of ex-slaves flocked to Hilton Head Island, where they could buy land, go to school, live in government housing, and serve in what was called the First Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers (although in the beginning, many were "recruited" at the point of a bayonet). A community called Mitchelville (in honor of General Ormsby M. Mitchel) was constructed on the north end of the island to house them.

Fort Walker Historical Marker. This site also has links to 8 other markers that are within walking distance of the Fort Walker Marker and maps to their locations.

- Fort Walker, Battle of Port Royal, November 7, 1961

- Dock buillt by Union Troops on Hilton Head Island. April 1862

- U.S. General Hospital, HHI. March 23, 1863

- Mitchelville 'refugee quarters' 1864

An experimental steam cannon guarding Port Royal Sound was built around 1900 in what is now Port Royal Plantation. The cannon was fixed but its propulsion system allowed for long range shots for the time. The Hilton Head Steamgun was the last of 13 produced - 8 land based and 5 ship borne. The 50 foot long, 15-inch diameter barrel propelled a 7 foot long, dynamite loaded projectile up to 3 .25 miles. Two steam engines powered an electric generator and two air compressors to feed air at 2,000 PSI through the dune to two sides of the gun. The Hilton Head gun was fired more than 100 times in late 1901 and early 1902. It was dissembled in 1902.

- HHI Steam Gun Marker

In 1788, a small Episcopal church called the Zion Chapel of Ease was constructed for plantation owners. The old cemetery, located near the corner of William Hilton Parkway and Mathews Drive (Folly Field), is all that remains. Charles Davant, a prominent island planter during the Revolutionary War, is buried there. It is also home to the oldest intact structure on Hilton Head Island, the Baynard Mausoleum, which was built in 1846.

- Baynard Mausoleum, oldest intact structure on Hilton Head Island.
If you're interested in HHI history, also visit the Stoney-Baynard Ruins, in Sea Pines Plantation, which are the remains of an antebellum plantation home built 1793 - 1820 by Cpt. John "Saucy Jack" Stoney. Acquired by William Baynard in 1837 after the Stoney family declared bankruptcy. Along with the remains of the main house are the remains of the slaves quarters. There are informational plaques positioned around the ruins to give more detailed information. Easily reached if you're doing a bike ride in Sea Pines but can also be accessed by car.

Enjoy your trip to Hilton Head.

Richard

[bobcat]

Originally Posted by pcgirl54

Hilton Head is shaped like a high top sneaker. The toe is Sea Pines (best bike paths) where Monarch is located and just a bit from Monarch but outside the SP gate is Grande Ocean(8-9bldgs) on a nice beach. GO is favored by many for the proximity to Coligny Circle and Pope Ave. Restaurants and grocers nearby.This is the south end of the island.


Monarch-older Marriott,on the beach, recent refurb,super SP location, nice lap pool, Units are 1000 sq ft give or take compared to others that are 1100-1300.Near the famous SP golf courses. Very freindly staff.

Surfwatch-larger acreage but the building itself are further from the beach than some others and the location is mid to North end of the island. Cabanas and pool next to the beach with a bar area. There are also fishing ponds. Newest Marriott on the island. Rooms are very nice I previewed in May.

My favorite is Barony at the North End of the island or the heel. 4 bldgs on the main complex and two graden blgds across the street next to the Westin.
There is a spa and an indoor pool and two outdoor pools. Nice lobby with concierge. Garden Villas have 2 master suites and are a 5 minute walk to the beach.

Harbor Club at Harbour Town is in Sea Pines, small pool, nice lobby, no activites, but 1400 sq ft units right across from the Lighthouse in SP. .

Harbour Pointe in Shelter Cove has the marshview and is mid island-great marina, shops ,restaurants across from Disney. Marsh view is here. Units are 900-1100sq ft. Recent refurb. Beach access is at Palmetto Dunes a car or bike rode away. In the summer there is a shuttle, Recently redone shares the same property as Sunset Pointe.

Having said all this the island is only 12x5 so everything is close. I have stayed at most of them except Hertiage,Surfwatch and Sunset Pointe.

Since this is your first time I would also suggest GO as the first choice then Barony,Monarch or Surfwatch.

William Hilton Pkwy is the main drag and loops around the island- access from 95 to business route/north end or come in over the Cross Island Pkwy(toll$1) to the South End Sea Pines area.

We have stayed at several Marriott's on H H. We purchased at BARONY. We like it the best. We have a gold oceanside. Will be ther Labor Day week. My wife loves the spa there. Resort is not large and the is great.

[jme]

Originally Posted by gmarine

Request as many as possible. A two bedroom unit in July is a difficult trade to get. The more choices, the better chance of getting a confirmation.

IMHO, if you request as "many as possible", you'll get the least desirable (if there's such a thing in that list, which is doubtful, as they're all wonderful), NOT the concensus "best". It just works out that way, because the least desirable will inevitably come up first, and they'll confirm it right away, and you're committed.

later on, if your best choice hasn't come thru yet, and you're getting antsy, THEN amend the request to include more choices, with ample time left-----but don't wait toooooo late.

You may even have TWO or THREE "first choices", then add more later. If you're OK with the possibility of receiving something other than your first or second choice, then fine....submit the whole list. The best way to get the trade is to request early, early, early....chances are you'll get it if you're a year out.....And I might add, the experience of a week at any of the top three will not be vastly different ......jme

[laurac260]

Originally Posted by normab

After staying at several of the Marriotts, I would make my list as follows:

Surfwatch- newest and a best overall amenities, located closer to top of island
Grande Ocean -very large, close to Sea Pines, well maintained for its age
Monarch -smaller and older but in Sea Pines

We did not like Barony and we are not interested in the others as they are not on the beach.

You might want to read the reviews--we all have our favorites based on what we like to do on vacation--your ideas might differ from ours!!

wondering why you didn't like the Barony?? We loved it. Saw pics of Surfwatch, with small kids the long walk across the tide pool to get to the beach was a big turnoff for us. We go platinum,was told grande ocean is very large, and therefore very crowded, during platinum.

[Kenrabs]

I like the Grande Ocean and gives you access to Sea Pines.

[Whirl]

Originally Posted by laurac260

wondering why you didn't like the Barony?? We loved it. Saw pics of Surfwatch, with small kids the long walk across the tide pool to get to the beach was a big turnoff for us. We go platinum,was told grande ocean is very large, and therefore very crowded, during platinum.

WE own at Barony, too. I think Monarch and Barony are the best with small kids.

Grande Ocean ( never stayed there, so this is only a visitor's walk through opinion) seemed big and spread out.

We have very young children, too, so the long walk over bridge at Surf Wathc was unanpealling as well. I think we would LOVE it when the kids are older, but for now...it's just too much. WE would ONLY buy ocean Front ( or View I guess it is) there for sure and even those are questionably far away.

Barony, OceanSIDE or better yet ( oceanfront) works great for us. Like the updated amenities...spa etc, over Monarch. We own Oceanside, but wish we had OF. Wish I could give more detail on Grande Ocean, but people do seem to adore it. Again, I suppose what building/view you won could matter in terms of getting around.


Oh, my biggest thing I like about Barony is that the beach is far less crowded than down in Sea Pines...that was big factor....

Oh, and Good luck with your purchase! Go for Oceanfront!

[Beverley]

What will your parents be using for a trade? Or, will they be renting.

If renting then the "top three" (Barony, Grande Ocean, Surf Watch)or four (Monarch) are all on the beach and might be your best choice.

If they are trading in then it may have a lot to do with what they are trading with and which month they are looking to go. If trading into summer with a platinum Marriott resort then they can likely secure a week at Barony, Grande Ocean, or Surf Watch.

If they are not using a platinum Marriott week then they might need to add and be willing to accept Harbor Club and Monarch to their reservation. Harbor Club is not on the beach but it is in Harbor Town and within about 500 yards of a pier and beach that boat rides/ kayaks can be arranged, but no sun bathing. Harbor Club beach goers usually ride the bikes to Monarch or the Sea Pines Beach Club for a day at the beach.

Harbor Point and Sunset Point are at Shelter Cove and again not a beach resort. You would have to take the shuttle to the public beach access in Palmetto Dunes in order to go to the beach. Also, Harbor Club and Harbor Point/ Sunset Point are much smaller resorts and less hubbub.

Beverley

[london]

For an all around resort, I would go with Barony.

[LisaRex]

I'd go with GO, then Monarch, then Barony, then SurfWatch.

I say this because we love biking. SeaPines has the best bike trails I've ever found. They are flat, shaded, lighted and tons of fun with the kids. HHI wouldn't be the same without those bike trails.

[JT62]

Thanks for all of the replies. I have been so busy, I haven't done as much as I should and need to get going on this.

What will your parents be using for a trade? Or, will they be renting.

If renting then the "top three" (Barony, Grande Ocean, Surf Watch)or four (Monarch) are all on the beach and might be your best choice.

If they are trading in then it may have a lot to do with what they are trading with and which month they are looking to go. If trading into summer with a platinum Marriott resort then they can likely secure a week at Barony, Grande Ocean, or Surf Watch.

If they are not using a platinum Marriott week then they might need to add and be willing to accept Harbor Club and Monarch to their reservation. Harbor Club is not on the beach but it is in Harbor Town and within about 500 yards of a pier and beach that boat rides/ kayaks can be arranged, but no sun bathing. Harbor Club beach goers usually ride the bikes to Monarch or the Sea Pines Beach Club for a day at the beach.

My parents are using a week at Newport Villas, not sure of the level. This same week got us a week in Mytle Beach a couple of years ago (a trade I was told was difficult), so believe we have a chance.

Our real difficulty is that we need a specific check in weekend in July, as my daughter and I will be in Savannah at a competition. So, we want a week that coincides with the end of our time there.

Thanks, for all the info

JT