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Grand Ocean - July 2019

Steve A

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I would fly into Savannah. It may be a little bit more expensive than JAX or ATL but it’s only an hour or so to the Grand Ocean from SAV. You really don’t want to drive up to 4 hours to start your vacation especially with the time differential when flying east.

Because American is now using larger planes, they are only three flights a day in and out of HHH. The times may not be convenient for you. See if you can get to SAV through DFW. Going through CLT requires walking to another terminal, which could be hard with three kids. In DFW you can take the train to get to the SAV flight.

We’ll be flying into SLC to spend a week at the Summit Watch 9.7. We really like Park City and September can be quite hot here in HHI. We also like visiting the Sundance outlet store in downtown.
 
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hangloose

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StevenTing

Hilton Head Island is fantastic. If you are a beach and pool family, you will have a great time in the summer. In addition, HHI has plenty of restaurants and outdoor activities (golf, biking, tennis, boating, dolphin cruises, etc).

Yes, the weather will be hot, humid, and it could rain most afternoons. But, we still love HHI in summer.

One note. While I do not generally purchase Vacation Insurance, you may want to think about it for HHI in the middle of hurricane season. We've been evacuated once due to a hurricane, rained out twice due to tropical storms, and succeeded with fantastic weather a few other trips. Hit or miss is our luck.

I would suggest flying into Savannah. It's a reasonable trip into HHI.

Enjoy!
 

lweverett

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Request a unit in the south end of the resort and you will be looking over the pool for the children, the north end common area is wooded with an adult pool.
 

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We're tied to school calendar as well. Both mine and the kids as I teach a college class during the summer.



I thought about extending to Waikoloa but I'm not allowed to be away from work for more than 2 weeks at a time.
Steve,
Since we live in the Midwest and enjoy getting away from the heat and humidity during the summer, we prefer mountain trips to Park City or Vail. Have you considered Vail? The Ritz Residence Club is fantastic and point requirements are fairly reasonable during the summer (especially if you avoid weekends). There are several restaurants, hiking and bike trails within walking distance and many other things to do within a short drive. Although your children are a little young for hiking/biking right now, this may be something to consider in the future.
 

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As for car rentals, if you do wind up flying through Savannah, Budget generally has the best rates (definitely use FastBreak, as the area will be jam packed). My average over the last four trips to HHI, all in mid-July, was $188 for a standard size car - everything from a Chrysler 200 to a Prius (zero acceleration, but I only had to fill up on the drive back to the airport).

Don't compare June humidity in Hawaii to summer humidity in the southeastern US. No comparison. You ain't felt REAL humidity until you've been down here in the mid-to-late summer! :)
Truer words have never been spoken. Hawaii is tame in comparison on terms of humidity.
 

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I broke the news to my wife last night. She wants me to see if there is availability in August 2019. So, I'll be doing another search in a couple of weeks. She's not opposed to going to HHI. Her main concern is the time between our trip to Maui. #firstworldproblems.

Steve,
Since we live in the Midwest and enjoy getting away from the heat and humidity during the summer, we prefer mountain trips to Park City or Vail. Have you considered Vail? The Ritz Residence Club is fantastic and point requirements are fairly reasonable during the summer (especially if you avoid weekends). There are several restaurants, hiking and bike trails within walking distance and many other things to do within a short drive. Although your children are a little young for hiking/biking right now, this may be something to consider in the future.

I've wanted to go to Vail but my wife doesn't have any interest. Her family has a small cabin up in Ouray that we visit frequently. It's just an hour from Telluride so all other ski towns are kind of downers for her. I'm trying to get her to do more Park City day trips with the family since it's only an hour away for us. We spent two weekends there this past mud season and it was lots of fun in the pool.
 

csalter2

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I'll look into it. I just booked a work trip from SLC to ATL. I was thinking Delta would be cheaper since they're both hubs. Delta was $1183 while United was $363. I'll see what things look like when I can check actual prices.

Steve,

I find that the airlines' rates have no rhyme or reason. I would look at kayak.com then look at their cheapest off season rates for October and then when you look at the dates that you want, you can see what are bargains or not. I do that for Hawaii all the time and it lets me know if I am getting a deal or not. Also with kayak you are able to compare airlines' rates with or without stops.
 

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We own in Hawaii and generally go there once or twice a year. We have been to HHI 3 times in the last 5 years and absolutely love it! It’s a cheaper alternative to Hawaii. Food, gas, activities etc are cheaper. We would go even if the cost was the same as Hawaii. It’s a totally different experience than Hawaii. Not tropical, more coastal with a southern flavor. Grande Ocean has complementary access to Sea Pines which IMHO is the best location on HHI. We have stayed at Disney, Grande Ocean and most recently we rented a beachfront house near the Salty Dog through VRBO. The different areas of the island were plantations. May-early June are ideal times to go. The weather is warm, the water is warming up and the humidity is lower. The crowds are lower too. Keep in mind that August is the early part of hurricane season.

There are so many activities to do as a family or a couple. We have done boat trips, kayaking, biking, beach. (Then there is always the resort pool area.) There is a nature preserve with activities specifically for children. The salt marshes are ecological treasure troves to visit at low tide. There are plantation ruins to visit on the island. Then there are also Savannah and Charleston for even more experiences.

Southwest has decently priced flights from SLC to Charleston. From Charleston to HHI is 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours depending on time of day. Last May I flew from SLC to Savannah for less than $500 RT. It took under an hour to get to HHI from Savannah.
 

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Is there a nice time in fall when the humidity is lower, and out of hurricane season?
 

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Is there a nice time in fall when the humidity is lower, and out of hurricane season?
No, the Hurricane season technically runs June through December. The risk for a given trip is minimal. Over a 150 year span the area had 64 Hurricanes or Tropical storms hit within a 50 mile radius of which 18 were a direct hit. If the heat and humidity are an issues and trying to avoid the hurricane season I'd say early June or before would be best. Late April to early June is an excellent time to visit the area when it's less crowded and tend to be great but variable weather.
 

JIMinNC

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While hurricane season technically runs from June 1 through November 30, the hurricane risk on the southeast coast is minimal in June and July and November. The risk starts to pick up a bit in mid-August, but it’s not really until the month of September and the first half or so of October when the risk is the highest.

Based on my many years of traveling to the coast in the fall, I can say with some authority that it is pretty likely that you’ll be “watching the tropics” in September. While Dean is correct that the risk for any given trip is low, many weeks in September do have a storm or two somewhere out there in the Atlantic or Caribbean that could potentially threaten the SE coast. Most of the time they stay away, but they are frequently out there somewhere in Sept, so you have to be aware.
 

Big Matt

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Here are some things to consider. Hilton Head is really, really hot and humid in July. The second half of August starts to cool off some since the days are shorter. Hilton Head has been hit by hurricanes twice in the last few years, but really hasn't been hit very often before that. The beach is about 200 yards from the walkway of GO to the water at low tide. You can walk out really far and still be up to your waist. It is a huge sand bar. Because of this there really aren't large waves unless it is storming. Perfect for kids. Good kids club offerings also. As for flying, you have a big family so it's going to cost a lot regardless. I am not a fan of connecting flights, especially in the summer and winter when storms can derail the schedules. Given that I would either fly into HHH as a connection (on American through Charlotte) or look for other options. Places like Columbia, SC, Augusta, GA, Charleston, JAX are very reasonable drives as trade offs. Also, you are going to need an SUV or minivan and they could be expensive in places like Charleston. Look at the entire cost of the trip including the headache factor when you make this decision.
 

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The good news about flying CLT-HHH is that you’re no longer on a Dash-8. The bad news is that you’re going to be on an Embraer 175.
 

pedro47

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We loved GO and are they giving free parking access to Sea Pines Harbour?
 

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We loved GO and are they giving free parking access to Sea Pines Harbour?
They historically have for cars and for bikes you rent through them. Sometimes you can get a bike pass from them even if you don't rent through them.
 

AlmostRetired

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Been going to HHI in the summer since my kids were 2 and 5. They are 27 and 30. We guestmated we have been there 15 times. All but 1 in the summer and of those in the summer, 90 percent in July.
The biggest difference between July and August is not the weather but the crowds. Most of the south goes back to school Aug 1st. We have a big preference for Sea Pines. It has a very large bike trail that is shaded from the sun. You can bike to both Harbor Town and South Beach. The GO gives a bike and car pass to get onto Sea Pines. Harbor Town has climbing trees your kids could enjoy for hours. You can buy string, wire baskets and chicken wings and spend hours crabbing with your kids on the piers at Harbor Town. The beaches are family friendly. The sand is wet enough to ride bikes on and large enough to play beach games on. The water is calm enough and warm enough to be in for long stretches of time. While my kids look at the water now and cant believe how calm it is, they spent many hours with boogie boards having fun. There are a ton of tennis courts and we gave them lessons a few times. Early evening we took them to play miniature golf.

When our kids were young, we enjoyed the Monarch where we own because it has less concrete, more trees providing shade, much smaller and on Sea Pines. The pools are much smaller but one has an area that is 8 feet and my kids loved diving into the water. The units are smaller and sleep only 6. If you are a pool family or you love the Marriott blueprint look and feel the GO is the place to go. Now that my kids are adults, if we don't occupy our fixed week 4th floor oceanfront or ocean view units and we go to HHI, we trade into the GO.

Is it hot and humid....absolutely. It has never stopped us from being active when my kids were young and I never heard my kids complain. Of course my view now at 63 is much different. I just got back from the GO this past Friday. I am more mindful of the heat and humidity so I do not bike (on Sea Pines) between 1 and 6, and I bring lots of water. If we golf, I do so early. If I jog or walk along the beach, I do so before 10. I am still tied to a school schedule but if I wasn't I might go in June now that I am 63 but would never have thought about it 10 years ago.

We live in Long Island and appreciate waves and water temperature differences. This is not HHI. Our kids have been to Hawaii and we loved it. If you want Hawaii, you will not get it in HHI.

kid friendly, the answer for HHI is 100 percent yes. Would I go often if I was on the west coast with my kids, no. No different for me than going to Hawaii from the east coast. If staying away from HHI was an answer to "younger families" asking about the heat and humidity, HHI wouldn't be so busy in the summer.
 
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JIMinNC

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The biggest difference between July and August is not the weather but the crowds. Most of the south goes back to school Aug 1st.

Most of the south goes back to school in August, but not as early as August 1. In the Carolinas, it's generally around the third week of August, and I think most everywhere else I'm aware of is after the 15th. In NC, there is a state law that says school systems can't start before about August 25. That law was backed by the resort industry that had seen school systems slipping their start dates earlier and earlier, compressing the vacation season.
 

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Steven,

Enjoy your trip to HHI, I’m sure you will find space at the 12 month mark. Grande Ocean is as lovely as described and it was a memorable family vacation for us. Bike riding on the beach and through Sea Pines is a special memory. I think your going to have a great 2019!

Best,

Greg
 

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Most of the south goes back to school in August, but not as early as August 1. In the Carolinas, it's generally around the third week of August, and I think most everywhere else I'm aware of is after the 15th. In NC, there is a state law that says school systems can't start before about August 25. That law was backed by the resort industry that had seen school systems slipping their start dates earlier and earlier, compressing the vacation season.

I stand corrected...
 

Dean

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Most of the south goes back to school in August, but not as early as August 1. In the Carolinas, it's generally around the third week of August, and I think most everywhere else I'm aware of is after the 15th. In NC, there is a state law that says school systems can't start before about August 25. That law was backed by the resort industry that had seen school systems slipping their start dates earlier and earlier, compressing the vacation season.
Part of AL is 7 August this year, that's about a week earlier than most of the schools in our area tend to start (N. FL). One locally starts the 10th this year (Friday), I'm not sure the date of the other school systems.
 

JIMinNC

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Going through CLT requires walking to another terminal, which could be hard with three kids. In DFW you can take the train to get to the SAV flight.

One slight clarification on the HHI flights through our airport here in Charlotte. The HHI flights didn't actually operate out of another terminal - Charlotte has only one main terminal - but it has five concourses A though E. Most American Eagle flights depart from concourse E, and you are correct in your basic premise that can be quite a hike if you arrive on concourse B or A (not quite as bad if you come from C or D.) Concourse E is where the old Dash 8 HHI flights left from.

However, now that American Eagle has switched Hilton Head to the larger Embraer 175 jets, those American Eagle flights depart from and arrive to the same main concourses where the American Airlines mainline jets operate from. I just looked at the AA.com flight status pages for the Hilton Head flights for Wednesday, June 25 and they were all scheduled to depart from either C7 or C9. Virtually all the mainline jets that Steven would use from SLC also come into concourse C or B. So, to connect in Charlotte now to HHI will not require that long walk out to concourse E and doesn't require the trains you might need to ride if your gates are far apart at the much larger DFW airport. I would think that the walk from gate to gate in CLT would probably be shorter than most any major connecting hub, as DFW, ATL, ORD, DEN, and the other big hubs are much larger airports.
 

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We used to fly through CLT all the time, and I can honestly say that we never had an issue getting to our gate with a small child (in a car seat, carried by myself). It's not a terribly large airport.
 

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We used to fly through CLT all the time, and I can honestly say that we never had an issue getting to our gate with a small child (in a car seat, carried by myself). It's not a terribly large airport.

We transferred planes there a few times with Don's mom who uses a wheelchair when traveling - no problems at all!

The convenience of flying into the Hilton Head airport is great and flying out is even better, but it still doesn't beat the convenience of the non-stop Boston-Savannah route. Generally connecting itineraries into/out of the island run $100 more than into/out of Savannah but we'll seriously consider it if we're not able to get the direct flights into Savannah. (Now that JetBlue has added another Savannah-direct flight to the daily schedule, not sure we'll ever be using the HHI airport again.)
 

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Rental cars are much cheaper on the island than the other airports in this discussion. Very, very convenient...you walk in get your keys go to the car and leave
 

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Went to Hilton Head last year for the first time for July 4th week. HOT AND HUMID, wholly cow. It was 95-100 degrees the entire week with 90% humidity on top of those temps! The ocean was warmer than bath water. We had an enjoyable week, but just be prepared for the heat and humidity.
 
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