HHI Kid friendly help -Royal Dunes or Waterside at Spinnaker - Timeshare Users Group Online Community Forums

bull2671 · July 26, 2009, 08:22 PM

Good afternoon,

In the near future we will be traveling with four families and a total of 13 children and are considering the Royal Dunes or Waterside at Spinnaker in HHI. I would appreciate any information regarding the resort as it pertains to the children's activities and the proximity to the beach. The children range from 1- 15 years old.

Thank you very much.

DianneL · July 26, 2009, 10:27 PM

We own at Royal Dunes and I can give you information on it. I would say that it is kid friendly. There are two pools (rather small, not large free-form pools). There is also shuffleboard. The walk to the beach is ten minutes or less. Plus the resort runs a little golf cart to the beach to drop you off if you like. I have never been there during the summer months when several children are there and don't know if they have organized activities for kids. There are bike paths all over the island. You can rent your bikes from vendors and they will deliver them to the property and pick them up at the end of your stay. All Royal Dunes units are three bedrooms, however, I believe the maximum occupancy is 8 per unit. The two master bedrooms have king beds and the third bedroom has twin beds. Hopefully someone on the board will have detailed info on Waterside. I have never stayed there.

bull2671 · July 26, 2009, 11:04 PM

DianneL,

Thank you very much for the information. At this point I am leaning towards the Waterside due to the information I found from the older posts. Since we have 4 toddlers the zero entry pool at that resort seems more appropriate, although a closer walk to the beach would have been nice.

Thanks again.

senorak · July 27, 2009, 09:58 AM

We have traded into both resorts. Our kids are now 12, 14 and 19.....and enjoyed both resorts. Both have very spacious units---we had 3 BRs in both, and a short walk to the beach, (10 minutes or less). However.....if they had to choose between the two, Waterside would be their choice. Pools are larger, more activities, (not that my kids participated in many, but there were more available at Waterside), and the close proximity to Coligny Plaza. As the kids got older, they liked having the "freedom" to "get away" from Mom & Dad and explore on their own. Coligny has lots of shops, cafes, movie theater, etc. Depending on which building you are in, it's either a 5 or 10 minute walk to the beach....or you can take the shuttle. Bike trails are also all around Waterside and the nearby area, as well as several grocery stores, excellent restaurants and shops.

While Royal Dunes is spacious, it is more "secluded" than Waterside. I remember my kids commented that "we feel like we are in the middle of nowhere". We had to bike quite a distance just to get out of the resort area, (shares w/ Port Royal), or drive several miles to go grocery shopping. If it's seclusion you are looking for....choose Royal Dunes. The Waterside area will be much more crowded....but we prefer to be in that area.

DEB

bull2671 · July 29, 2009, 12:46 AM

Senorak:

Thank you for all that information. It really helped me to confirm my decision with the Waterside units, especially given that we have a few little ones. As we have had more children the vacations have become more geared to the availability of pools and activities for them. The Waterside seems to be most in line with all our needs.

Once again, thank you very much.

elaine · July 29, 2009, 10:19 AM

after trading a few times to Waterside and other Gold Crown HHI properties, we bought (resale) Waterside--b/c we just liked it the best. The units are large and fairly new, great gas grills by each pool, and table if you want to eat al fresco. I love the large zero entry pool with a HUGE umbrella that shades 1/2 of the shallow end and 1/2 of the pool deck (so I could sit in lounge chair and watch kids play in shallow and be in the shade in July).
Since you decided on Waterside, some beach tips. There is a shuttle bus to/from Colingy beach every hour, but a 15 minute walk (with stroller) down the back road to a nice, residential beach (go straight--you'll see a gate--that is gate to a condo pool, when you get there, you'll see small opening left of gate for the beach)--never crowded, even 4th of July week. We tend to use the shuttle in AM and come back for lunch on the shuttle, then walk in the afternoon to the other beach. have fun. Elaine

jstapleton · July 29, 2009, 11:04 AM

We also purchased Waterside and love it! We purchased resale too.
One of the reasons we purchased was just like Eliane pointed out.
We figured as the kids got older, they could walk to Coligny Plaza and not have to be with us 24/7. My oldest is 15 and it is working out just as we planned. Also, it is nice not to always have to get in the car for dinner. We walk over there to eat on some nights and have a nice stroll back.
We will be there on August 8 and can't wait!
Enjoy your time at Waterside!

bull2671 · July 30, 2009, 12:50 AM

Elaine & Jstapleton:

After all the great information, I can't wait to stay there. We will be staying at the Cottages the first week and the Waterside the second. I know the children will enjoy the pools and we will enjoy the restaurants.

Again, thank you...who knows that may be my next resale.

jstapleton · July 30, 2009, 03:17 PM

Enjoy!
I really enjoy not having to always get in our car to get to dinner.
Although some of the week we do venture out, sometimes it is just nice to go back, get ready and walk to dinner.
Also, the grills always look very clean although we never have used them.
There are also "theme" nights where one night is Sunday night (ice cream), pizza or pasta night, etc., right by the pool and crafts too.
We haven't done this either but it is also an option.
Enjoy!

July 26, 2009, 08:22 PM	#1
bull2671 TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 20, 07 Location: New York Posts: 23 Resorts: Westgate Towers, The Coconut Palms Resort DR, Rayburn Country Club (RCI pts), Blue Ridge Village, Palaceview South @Spi	HHI Kid friendly help -Royal Dunes or Waterside at Spinnaker Good afternoon, In the near future we will be traveling with four families and a total of 13 children and are considering the Royal Dunes or Waterside at Spinnaker in HHI. I would appreciate any information regarding the resort as it pertains to the children's activities and the proximity to the beach. The children range from 1- 15 years old. Thank you very much.

July 26, 2009, 10:27 PM	#2
DianneL TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 14, 05 Location: Brentwood, TN Posts: 373 Resorts: Tree Tops Gatlinburg, Holiday Beach Resort in Destin, Royal Dunes HHI, Holiday Beach Resort Phase II Destin	Royal Dunes We own at Royal Dunes and I can give you information on it. I would say that it is kid friendly. There are two pools (rather small, not large free-form pools). There is also shuffleboard. The walk to the beach is ten minutes or less. Plus the resort runs a little golf cart to the beach to drop you off if you like. I have never been there during the summer months when several children are there and don't know if they have organized activities for kids. There are bike paths all over the island. You can rent your bikes from vendors and they will deliver them to the property and pick them up at the end of your stay. All Royal Dunes units are three bedrooms, however, I believe the maximum occupancy is 8 per unit. The two master bedrooms have king beds and the third bedroom has twin beds. Hopefully someone on the board will have detailed info on Waterside. I have never stayed there.

July 29, 2009, 10:19 AM	#6
elaine TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 8, 05 Posts: 1,442	we bought at Waterside b/c of pools/location after trading a few times to Waterside and other Gold Crown HHI properties, we bought (resale) Waterside--b/c we just liked it the best. The units are large and fairly new, great gas grills by each pool, and table if you want to eat al fresco. I love the large zero entry pool with a HUGE umbrella that shades 1/2 of the shallow end and 1/2 of the pool deck (so I could sit in lounge chair and watch kids play in shallow and be in the shade in July). Since you decided on Waterside, some beach tips. There is a shuttle bus to/from Colingy beach every hour, but a 15 minute walk (with stroller) down the back road to a nice, residential beach (go straight--you'll see a gate--that is gate to a condo pool, when you get there, you'll see small opening left of gate for the beach)--never crowded, even 4th of July week. We tend to use the shuttle in AM and come back for lunch on the shuttle, then walk in the afternoon to the other beach. have fun. Elaine

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July 26, 2009, 11:04 PM	#3
bull2671 TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 20, 07 Location: New York Posts: 23 Resorts: Westgate Towers, The Coconut Palms Resort DR, Rayburn Country Club (RCI pts), Blue Ridge Village, Palaceview South @Spi	DianneL, Thank you very much for the information. At this point I am leaning towards the Waterside due to the information I found from the older posts. Since we have 4 toddlers the zero entry pool at that resort seems more appropriate, although a closer walk to the beach would have been nice. Thanks again.

July 27, 2009, 09:58 AM	#4
senorak TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 6, 05 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 478 Resorts: Shawnee River Village II Sand Pebbles Dikhololo Sea Crest Surf & Racquet	We have traded into both resorts. Our kids are now 12, 14 and 19.....and enjoyed both resorts. Both have very spacious units---we had 3 BRs in both, and a short walk to the beach, (10 minutes or less). However.....if they had to choose between the two, Waterside would be their choice. Pools are larger, more activities, (not that my kids participated in many, but there were more available at Waterside), and the close proximity to Coligny Plaza. As the kids got older, they liked having the "freedom" to "get away" from Mom & Dad and explore on their own. Coligny has lots of shops, cafes, movie theater, etc. Depending on which building you are in, it's either a 5 or 10 minute walk to the beach....or you can take the shuttle. Bike trails are also all around Waterside and the nearby area, as well as several grocery stores, excellent restaurants and shops. While Royal Dunes is spacious, it is more "secluded" than Waterside. I remember my kids commented that "we feel like we are in the middle of nowhere". We had to bike quite a distance just to get out of the resort area, (shares w/ Port Royal), or drive several miles to go grocery shopping. If it's seclusion you are looking for....choose Royal Dunes. The Waterside area will be much more crowded....but we prefer to be in that area. DEB

July 29, 2009, 12:46 AM	#5
bull2671 TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 20, 07 Location: New York Posts: 23 Resorts: Westgate Towers, The Coconut Palms Resort DR, Rayburn Country Club (RCI pts), Blue Ridge Village, Palaceview South @Spi	Senorak: Thank you for all that information. It really helped me to confirm my decision with the Waterside units, especially given that we have a few little ones. As we have had more children the vacations have become more geared to the availability of pools and activities for them. The Waterside seems to be most in line with all our needs. Once again, thank you very much.

July 29, 2009, 11:04 AM	#7
jstapleton TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Mar 8, 07 Posts: 171	We also purchased Waterside and love it! We purchased resale too. One of the reasons we purchased was just like Eliane pointed out. We figured as the kids got older, they could walk to Coligny Plaza and not have to be with us 24/7. My oldest is 15 and it is working out just as we planned. Also, it is nice not to always have to get in the car for dinner. We walk over there to eat on some nights and have a nice stroll back. We will be there on August 8 and can't wait! Enjoy your time at Waterside!

July 30, 2009, 12:50 AM	#8
bull2671 TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 20, 07 Location: New York Posts: 23 Resorts: Westgate Towers, The Coconut Palms Resort DR, Rayburn Country Club (RCI pts), Blue Ridge Village, Palaceview South @Spi	Elaine & Jstapleton: After all the great information, I can't wait to stay there. We will be staying at the Cottages the first week and the Waterside the second. I know the children will enjoy the pools and we will enjoy the restaurants. Again, thank you...who knows that may be my next resale.

July 30, 2009, 03:17 PM	#9
jstapleton TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Mar 8, 07 Posts: 171	Enjoy! I really enjoy not having to always get in our car to get to dinner. Although some of the week we do venture out, sometimes it is just nice to go back, get ready and walk to dinner. Also, the grills always look very clean although we never have used them. There are also "theme" nights where one night is Sunday night (ice cream), pizza or pasta night, etc., right by the pool and crafts too. We haven't done this either but it is also an option. Enjoy!