HHI in top 5

[vkhome]

On the Today Show yesterday, Hilton Head Island was ranked 5th for healthiest beaches and vacation destination in US. They noted not only the gorgeous beaches, but the bike trails, the water sports, the restaurants and family oriented activities. Nearby Tybee Island, GA, ranked #1.

[Beverley]

And I love it there! We are enroute right now. I am not surprised it rated so highly. I guess this trip I will try to get over to Tybee and take a look at No. One.

Thanks for the info.

Beverley

[stevedmatt]

Just checked in Saturday to Shipyard at Spinnaker in HHI. This is my first visit and so far I am impressed. I haven't had a chance to tour the island yet, but the beach close by is amazing and the units here, while a little dated, are fabulous.

[ecwinch]

HHI is a great place - especially bike riding at Sea Pines.

[laurac260]

Originally Posted by vkhome

On the Today Show yesterday, Hilton Head Island was ranked 5th for healthiest beaches and vacation destination in US. They noted not only the gorgeous beaches, but the bike trails, the water sports, the restaurants and family oriented activities. Nearby Tybee Island, GA, ranked #1.

I absolutely love HHI. That being said, I thought the beach area was somewhat dirty, compared, for instance, to Clearwater Beach. CB combs their sand EVERYDAY (or atleast they did before the economy crashed--don't know if that is the same now), HHI does not, atleast not where we were (Barony Beach Club). I know that HHI is into being natural, so perhaps the reason they do not clean up all the dead reeds and grasses is it takes away from that naturalness, but I thought it just looked dirty.

That really is my only complaint about HHI, but it does not make for a good first impression of the beach area. Just my opinion.

[stevedmatt]

Originally Posted by laurac260

I know that HHI is into being natural, so perhaps the reason they do not clean up all the dead reeds and grasses is it takes away from that naturalness, but I thought it just looked dirty.

I'm accustomed to NJ beaches, and in comparison to those, HHI beaches (especially Coligny Beach) are immaculate. I saw almost no trash on the beach. I particularly liked the shower and changing facilities that were just off the beach. The fountain for the kids was also a nice feature.

[LisaRex]

Originally Posted by laurac260

I know that HHI is into being natural, so perhaps the reason they do not clean up all the dead reeds and grasses is it takes away from that naturalness, but I thought it just looked dirty.

Dirty? I've never thought that on HHI. And they can't rake the sand lest they disturb turtle nests!

[laurac260]

Originally Posted by LisaRex

Dirty? I've never thought that on HHI. And they can't rake the sand lest they disturb turtle nests!

Clearwater does not rake where the turtles nest either. That area is well protected.

Anyway, that was just my observation. I am sure there are beaches that appear much dirtier. Atleas people seem to be very observant of cleaning up their trash. It is the "natural stuff" that collects, and give the beach it's dirty appearance, atleast compared to other places I have been.

[RumpleMom]

Our first trip to HHI was to Disney's HHI Resort. We fell in love with HHI.
And we thought HHI was only for golfers- boy were we wrong.

You won't have the crystal clear water like the Gulf, but the things you see on the beach are natural, no trash.

The crowd is very family oriented.

[jme]

Originally Posted by laurac260

I absolutely love HHI. That being said, I thought the beach area was somewhat dirty, compared, for instance, to Clearwater Beach. CB combs their sand EVERYDAY (or atleast they did before the economy crashed--don't know if that is the same now), HHI does not, atleast not where we were (Barony Beach Club). I know that HHI is into being natural, so perhaps the reason they do not clean up all the dead reeds and grasses is it takes away from that naturalness, but I thought it just looked dirty.

That really is my only complaint about HHI, but it does not make for a good first impression of the beach area. Just my opinion.

The dead reeds and grasses are usually not there at all.....we were there for our usual 3 consecutive weeks in June, and this year the reeds were present following a large storm... last year the beach was completely devoid of those (and throughout the rest of the year, as we are there often).

Hilton Head's beaches are "natural", and the dunes are indeed protected, so what you see is what you get, but imho, the grasses/reeds are very pretty, and this year it gave it a beautiful look.......it's not really dirty, as such.

one thing I like about HH beach is that it does look a bit different each trip.....there are sometimes huge tide pools, sometimes very minimal tide pools, and most often none, and these conditions can vary within the same week or two. Most of the time, the entire beach is totally "clean" and flat.....don't let the grayish color of the sand fool you.....it's just as clean.......after all, it's just a color, and it extends all the way up to Canada and beyond, and down past mid-Florida. (How they connected all those beaches way back then, I don't know, but it was brilliant. )

BTW, Clearwater,Fl beaches are beautiful, no doubt........but the beach there is much narrower, and the slope is more severe (def not flat), and the waves are different, if at all, being the gulf side. *Nature is a beautiful thing*, and different around every corner......and none of it is inherently bad. (West coasters would say, "where did all the rocks go?") As for the beaches themselves, WE are the only ones who can sometimes mess it up, but what is there, wherever that is, is always paradise.

jme

[Twinkstarr]

Originally Posted by LisaRex

Dirty? I've never thought that on HHI. And they can't rake the sand lest they disturb turtle nests!

While not the big HHI fan, I've never thought that either. That's what a beach is supposed to look like.


I think a lot of the Gulf of Mexico beaches in FL tend to get raked a lot more to present a more "like a picture in the brochure" to not disappoint visitors.