2013 Hilton Head lovers thread

[MarkyMouse]

Just booked thanksgiving at hhi!! Turkey bowl here I come!!!!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Just booked thanksgiving at hhi!! Turkey bowl here I come!!!!

See ya there (at DHHI, but not at the Turkey Bowl). I'll be the one with the binnocculars, always looking up. Thanksgiving at HHI is a long-standing tradition for us. Have you been before?

 

[MarkyMouse]

See ya there (at DHHI, but not at the Turkey Bowl). I'll be the one with the binnocculars, always looking up. Thanksgiving at HHI is a long-standing tradition for us. Have you been before?

I have been to DHHI many times and have been there for thanksgiving once! We had a Great time.

 

[jerseygal]

We were at Vero Beach and if we wanted to swim by a lifeguard we
walked down as there was not one directly in front of the resort...

Is the beach lifeguarded at HHI?

THANKS! "Thinking of a May, 2015 vaca at HHI"... Seems AWESOME!

 

[MarkyMouse]

I can't compare to many other beaches but the lifeguard presence at hhi is as good as I have seen. There are lifeguards every 100 - 200 yards.

 

[jerseygal]

THANKS! GOOD TO HEAR!

 

[TIMLEO007]

what is going on at HHI around Thanksgiving?

 

[Simba's Mom]

what is going on at HHI around Thanksgiving?

The one thing I remember is the Thanksgiving morning Turkey Trot (used to be called the Piggly Wiggly Turkey Trot) and free beer at the finish line. At the resort, there's a football game on the beach with team t-shirts. And of course, nice fall weather and NO CROWDS at restaurants. They used to wait until after Thanksgiving to put up the Christmas decorations, but in the spirit of rushing the season as everywhere else does, the resort now has its Christmas decorations up, Christmas carols playing, etc. Oh-and if you're there thru the weekend, Santa arrives near the Salty Dog Restaurant Friday evening.

 

[okw2012]

We were at Vero Beach and if we wanted to swim by a lifeguard we
walked down as there was not one directly in front of the resort...

Is the beach lifeguarded at HHI?

THANKS! "Thinking of a May, 2015 vaca at HHI"... Seems AWESOME!

There are lifeguards on duty in all designated swimming areas. The waves are much more gentle than at VB, surf conditions at HHI are generally associated with a storm because the island is protected by an offshore sand bar. One reason to swim near a lifeguard is for easy access to hot water in case you get stung by a stingray. Great beach for small kids!

 

[kristenrice]

We may be going to HHI next spring break, but we will be forced to stay in a studio. (Long story...don't ask). Our plan when we bought points at HHI was to do a 1BR for our 5-night spring break. For our two previous visits, we stayed in a 1BR and a 2BR, but never a studio. We are a family of 4 with 2 daughters. One of the reasons we love HHI is that we never feel rushed or obligated to be going from dawn 'til dusk. Cooking in the room and enjoying meals together is the highlight of our trips. Due to work schedules at home, we typically eat out (or grab take out) 3-4 times A WEEK so eating IN is a novelty.

I'm very nervous about the idea of staying in a studio and not having the kitchen or the eating space. I am a pretty decent cook with a microwave and a crock-pot, but I'm not sure how we will manage in a studio for 5 nights. Is it that bad? Will we be tripping over each other? Where does a family of 4 sit down to eat? Is the table big enough? I am assuming that the studios don't have the nice picnic tables out on the balcony, correct?

We may not even go, but in order to secure a studio for 2015, I will have to book in a few weeks. If RunDisney announces a race next May, then we will probably be going to WDW. I would have to use the HHI points for that trip either way so I will have until September to decide if we will be sticking with HHI or switching to WDW. We don't have a problem with a studio at WDW since we are always out of the room anyways. HHI is so different in that we really enjoy lounging around the room, watching videos, playing games, etc.

 

[Simba's Mom]

We may be going to HHI next spring break, but we will be forced to stay in a studio. (Long story...don't ask). Our plan when we bought points at HHI was to do a 1BR for our 5-night spring break. For our two previous visits, we stayed in a 1BR and a 2BR, but never a studio. We are a family of 4 with 2 daughters. One of the reasons we love HHI is that we never feel rushed or obligated to be going from dawn 'til dusk. Cooking in the room and enjoying meals together is the highlight of our trips. Due to work schedules at home, we typically eat out (or grab take out) 3-4 times A WEEK so eating IN is a novelty.

I'm very nervous about the idea of staying in a studio and not having the kitchen or the eating space. I am a pretty decent cook with a microwave and a crock-pot, but I'm not sure how we will manage in a studio for 5 nights. Is it that bad? Will we be tripping over each other? Where does a family of 4 sit down to eat? Is the table big enough? I am assuming that the studios don't have the nice picnic tables out on the balcony, correct?

We may not even go, but in order to secure a studio for 2015, I will have to book in a few weeks. If RunDisney announces a race next May, then we will probably be going to WDW. I would have to use the HHI points for that trip either way so I will have until September to decide if we will be sticking with HHI or switching to WDW. We don't have a problem with a studio at WDW since we are always out of the room anyways. HHI is so different in that we really enjoy lounging around the room, watching videos, playing games, etc.

Oh, kristenrice, I do hope you're experience at HHI being in a studio is different from ours. Like you, we'd always gotten a 1 BR, then for some inexplicable reason, we tried a studio on one stay. I spent the whole stay, complaining about how I missed the 1 BR and so decided I hated the studio. What did help my mood was that another DISer was staying in a big unit (I wish I could remember her name so I could thank her for saving my emotions), and teased me about how she didn't know what to do with all the extra space. She really helped lighten my mood-otherwise I probably would have hated my studio and gone on strike, sitting in the hall until they put me in a 1 BR. I missed my refrigerator with the ice, my washer/dryer, and especially the cute little front entry-



So I wish you luck!

 

[mazoo77]

Hello - Anyone have a recent experience with Christmas time at DHHI. I'm thinking of trying it between the week of Christmas and New Year's but unsure if there will be alot to do at the resort. Do they maintain the same level of activities at the resort that they do in summer?

I have 2 girls, 14 and 11, we love to bike, walk the beach and play tennis so I'm sure we could keep ourselves busy but wanted to get other's opinions.

Thanks!

 

[Pattiwig]

Hello - Anyone have a recent experience with Christmas time at DHHI. I'm thinking of trying it between the week of Christmas and New Year's but unsure if there will be alot to do at the resort. Do they maintain the same level of activities at the resort that they do in summer?

I have 2 girls, 14 and 11, we love to bike, walk the beach and play tennis so I'm sure we could keep ourselves busy but wanted to get other's opinions.

Thanks!

we were there this past Christmas, and it was wonderful. Cool...no pool or beach...but lovely. All activities are in full swing. The beach house was dead, but you could walk on the beach. We did a lot of biking, Zip Line Hilton Head, and went to the movies. There is a great movie house that only charges $6.00 and they have the best recliner chairs with cup coolers.

The resort had lots of Christmas crafts, campfires, movies nite, etc.

 

[okw2012]

We may be going to HHI next spring break, but we will be forced to stay in a studio. (Long story...don't ask). Our plan when we bought points at HHI was to do a 1BR for our 5-night spring break. For our two previous visits, we stayed in a 1BR and a 2BR, but never a studio. We are a family of 4 with 2 daughters. One of the reasons we love HHI is that we never feel rushed or obligated to be going from dawn 'til dusk. Cooking in the room and enjoying meals together is the highlight of our trips. Due to work schedules at home, we typically eat out (or grab take out) 3-4 times A WEEK so eating IN is a novelty.

I'm very nervous about the idea of staying in a studio and not having the kitchen or the eating space. I am a pretty decent cook with a microwave and a crock-pot, but I'm not sure how we will manage in a studio for 5 nights. Is it that bad? Will we be tripping over each other? Where does a family of 4 sit down to eat? Is the table big enough? I am assuming that the studios don't have the nice picnic tables out on the balcony, correct?

We may not even go, but in order to secure a studio for 2015, I will have to book in a few weeks. If RunDisney announces a race next May, then we will probably be going to WDW. I would have to use the HHI points for that trip either way so I will have until September to decide if we will be sticking with HHI or switching to WDW. We don't have a problem with a studio at WDW since we are always out of the room anyways. HHI is so different in that we really enjoy lounging around the room, watching videos, playing games, etc.

My feeling is you'll miss the extra space quite a bit. If I have to rent a studio, I'll go to Vero Beach instead, as there are options for eating out at the resort in the evening. VB also has nice Inn rooms with two beds like OKW instead of a bed and a couch.

 

[mazoo77]

we were there this past Christmas, and it was wonderful. Cool...no pool or beach...but lovely. All activities are in full swing. The beach house was dead, but you could walk on the beach. We did a lot of biking, Zip Line Hilton Head, and went to the movies. There is a great movie house that only charges $6.00 and they have the best recliner chairs with cup coolers.

The resort had lots of Christmas crafts, campfires, movies nite, etc.

Thank you Patti and it sounds like you had a wonderful time. As far as cool, it can't be any cooler than it would be in my town. I checked out the zip line website and it looks like a lot of fun, I think the kids would enjoy it. As long as things are in full swing, I think we may just give it a try.

Thanks again for your reply.

 

[SC Minnie]

Thank you Patti and it sounds like you had a wonderful time. As far as cool, it can't be any cooler than it would be in my town. I checked out the zip line website and it looks like a lot of fun, I think the kids would enjoy it. As long as things are in full swing, I think we may just give it a try.

Thanks again for your reply.

All activities at the resort are in full swing during Christmas week. The resort is typically sold out that week so they have everything going on.

 

[SaphyBelle]

All activities at the resort are in full swing during Christmas week. The resort is typically sold out that week so they have everything going on.

First off I see your location- I'm right over the boarder in SW Charlotte (The Palisades)

Second- We're hoping to get a 2 bd. at HHI a few days after Christmas, but we can't book until end of May/beginning of June as our 7 month out. What do you think are our chances of getting a room. We're fairly new to DVC.

Thanks,

 

[MinnieGi]

Just got back yesterday from our first spring break trip to HHI. Until this trip we have always visited HHI during the summer months but because of our kids summer schedules of sports tournaments it has become increasingly difficult to schedule so I decided to try spring break. We were booked from April 19th to April 26th, so day before Easter through Easter week.

This post is inspired by Simba's Mom who asked for a recap of the differences between the seasons! Hope you get to read Simba's Mom!!

Overall we loved HHI over spring break! The weather can be a little more iffy however during that time. We came in on Saturday to rain and Easter Sunday started out chilly, overcast and a little drizzly, however it started brighting up that afternoon and we had fairly consistently nice weather the rest of the week with high 70's to low 80's mostly sunny days. Nights were cooler. We lucked out the week before when there were also many spring breakers we heard it was rainy all week.

Now we usually spend loads of time on their beach during the summer - love, love their beach!! And during spring break we were also on their beach everyday, however the downer was the water was too cold to swim in. Well for all of us except our 9yo DS! He did boogy boarding and skim boarding every day, but couldn't stay in as long as normal and came out with goose bumps and chivering! Water temp was 63! Its usually in the 80's during summer even when we go in mid-June! So that was kind of a bummer as we all enjoy cooling off in the gentle waves. However having our toes in the sand was awesome! Love HHI's long beach with tide pools during low tide so much fun to see and inspect some small sea critters. We found hermit crabs, snails, sand dollars, sand crabs, small sting rays, starfish, and jelly fish.

The beach definitely had less people than summer, but not deserted. As a side note, I never truly find HHI's beach crowded even in the height of summer. If you've ever vacationed in Rehoboth Beach, DE you will know what crowded really is!! LOL!

Loads of people though were at the beach house pool though! Most of the chairs around the pool were always taken but the table seating (in the shade) was always open. We only came up for lunch and a quick dip in the pool, we prefer the sand. However from the looks of the crowd - more people preferred the beach house! LOL! Pool was heated. The small bar was only open on the weekends, however Signals lunch counter also served alcohol drinks.

The resort pool was also hopping and heated! We swam here occasionally in the late afternoon or a quick evening swim and slide for DS. Oh that was the cool thing that was new for us at HHI - the slide now stays open till 10:00 PM every night!!! Woohoo!!! (for those that havent been, it used to close at 5:00 everyday, even in the summer well except for the Tues. night party that had slide hours).

Also the resort itself was not full to capacity as is usually the case in summer. I'd estimate 3/4 full? Now by looking at the amount of people at the pools and walking around it didn't seem under full, however I could tell by the amount of empty parking spots especially around the back side of the resort!!

The island was not full either. You could really tell by the lack of crowds on the marina side in the evening. Usually during the summer there can be long waits at the restaurants and there are many people walking around. It was kind of eery with so few people! However getting into any restaurant was easy and required no reservations!! We did miss hearing Shannon Tanner doing his nightly singing shows. The shops were all having sales on winter merchandise like sweat shirts and long sleeved t's so bought some of those. It was also less car traffic too on the roads which was nice.

What we all really enjoyed about spring break is that because it wasn't so hot and humid we could do lots of biking! The kids loved riding around the resort and we took family trips riding on all the wonderful bike paths. Plus riding on the beach which I just love to do!! Several of us would ride to the beach house while either DH or I would drive our van with our chairs, etc... Oh that was also pleasant we could always get a great parking spot under the beach house! Their lot never approached full as so often the case during summer.

We also visited Zip Line Hilton Head twice! We did their new Aerial Adventure course each time. The kids loved it, they begged to go back!! Two hours of climbing and obstacles while tethered with a harness on cable. They had courses for all different levels and heights. The greens were the easiest and worked up to double black which is only for 16 plus. The kid got a thrill watching their dear old dad complete the double black!! This in the summer would have been so sweaty hot to do, however in these spring temps it was very pleasant.

My DD also did a riding lesson at Moss Creek Equestrian Center which was also is very pleasant temps! We were going to do a trail ride at Lawton Stables too but ran out of time - something to do for next time.

If you are there over Easter they have a fun filled day of activities so be sure not to miss it! They start with an Easter Egg Hunt that loaded up the kids with a basket/bag FULL to the top of candy - the kids loved it! They separate it into age groups which is nice and go up through teens.

We did their Easter Brunch at the Beach House which was very nice even though it was not the greatest weather wise - cloudy and light drizzles. But they had all the tables under cover as well as the activities. The activities were over by the games tables and included arts and crafts, bubbles, punch balls, tattoos etc... The buffet was yummy too - the highlights included a mashed potato bar with topping, yogurt and oatmeal bar with toppings, omelet station, plus the usual pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, chicken tenders, mac n cheese, ham, veggies etc.. And also a drink station. They have a table reserved for you for the whole time so you can leisurely eat and enjoy the activities and then eat lunch and dessert! It lasted from 10:00 to 1:00. And of course the cm's were fantastic there and throughout the resort.

They also had fun Easter activities in the afternoon by the resort pool including a scavenger hunt throughout the resort. It was a wonderful Easter with all their activities, we truly enjoyed!

Also did the Marsh Walk on another day. Very worthwhile to go out to the marsh and learn and see about the critters and vegetation.

Like I said before the restaurants were not crowded which was fantastic! We walked right into Old Oyster Factory and Crazy Crab and had awesome seats right at dinner time. Also must tell you about our new find - Bullies BBQ! OMG, fantastic!!! Now its a small dine in place that is certainly not fancy, but we did it take out and ate it on our deck. Sooo good, we did it twice during our week! The weather was so nice to eat out on our deck too, not too hot and humid, just perfect.

All in all I have to say spring break was fantastic on HHI!!! Loved the temps, low crowds, and able to do more activity without overheating, LOL! The only thing we really missed was the warm ocean temps of summer. I think we'll be back for spring break!!!

 

[SC Minnie]

First off I see your location- I'm right over the boarder in SW Charlotte (The Palisades)

Second- We're hoping to get a 2 bd. at HHI a few days after Christmas, but we can't book until end of May/beginning of June as our 7 month out. What do you think are our chances of getting a room. We're fairly new to DVC.

Thanks,

Hi neighbor!

DD works at the resort. She said that the resort really thinned out after new years. It doesn't hurt to try to book it. You may be put on the waitlist, if so take it. We had booked NYE on cash last year and had to cancel a month out. 2BR units are the most available so you may have more luck than if you were wanting a studio.

Also, if you are staying for new years they have a big NYE party for kids. You have to sign up for it because they can only take a limited amount of kids.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Just got back yesterday from our first spring break trip to HHI. Until this trip we have always visited HHI during the summer months but because of our kids summer schedules of sports tournaments it has become increasingly difficult to schedule so I decided to try spring break. We were booked from April 19th to April 26th, so day before Easter through Easter week.

This post is inspired by Simba's Mom who asked for a recap of the differences between the seasons! Hope you get to read Simba's Mom!!

Overall we loved HHI over spring break! The weather can be a little more iffy however during that time. We came in on Saturday to rain and Easter Sunday started out chilly, overcast and a little drizzly, however it started brighting up that afternoon and we had fairly consistently nice weather the rest of the week with high 70's to low 80's mostly sunny days. Nights were cooler. We lucked out the week before when there were also many spring breakers we heard it was rainy all week.

Now we usually spend loads of time on their beach during the summer - love, love their beach!! And during spring break we were also on their beach everyday, however the downer was the water was too cold to swim in. Well for all of us except our 9yo DS! He did boogy boarding and skim boarding every day, but couldn't stay in as long as normal and came out with goose bumps and chivering! Water temp was 63! Its usually in the 80's during summer even when we go in mid-June! So that was kind of a bummer as we all enjoy cooling off in the gentle waves. However having our toes in the sand was awesome! Love HHI's long beach with tide pools during low tide so much fun to see and inspect some small sea critters. We found hermit crabs, snails, sand dollars, sand crabs, small sting rays, starfish, and jelly fish.

The beach definitely had less people than summer, but not deserted. As a side note, I never truly find HHI's beach crowded even in the height of summer. If you've ever vacationed in Rehoboth Beach, DE you will know what crowded really is!! LOL!

Loads of people though were at the beach house pool though! Most of the chairs around the pool were always taken but the table seating (in the shade) was always open. We only came up for lunch and a quick dip in the pool, we prefer the sand. However from the looks of the crowd - more people preferred the beach house! LOL! Pool was heated. The small bar was only open on the weekends, however Signals lunch counter also served alcohol drinks.

The resort pool was also hopping and heated! We swam here occasionally in the late afternoon or a quick evening swim and slide for DS. Oh that was the cool thing that was new for us at HHI - the slide now stays open till 10:00 PM every night!!! Woohoo!!! (for those that havent been, it used to close at 5:00 everyday, even in the summer well except for the Tues. night party that had slide hours).

Also the resort itself was not full to capacity as is usually the case in summer. I'd estimate 3/4 full? Now by looking at the amount of people at the pools and walking around it didn't seem under full, however I could tell by the amount of empty parking spots especially around the back side of the resort!!

The island was not full either. You could really tell by the lack of crowds on the marina side in the evening. Usually during the summer there can be long waits at the restaurants and there are many people walking around. It was kind of eery with so few people! However getting into any restaurant was easy and required no reservations!! We did miss hearing Shannon Tanner doing his nightly singing shows. The shops were all having sales on winter merchandise like sweat shirts and long sleeved t's so bought some of those. It was also less car traffic too on the roads which was nice.

What we all really enjoyed about spring break is that because it wasn't so hot and humid we could do lots of biking! The kids loved riding around the resort and we took family trips riding on all the wonderful bike paths. Plus riding on the beach which I just love to do!! Several of us would ride to the beach house while either DH or I would drive our van with our chairs, etc... Oh that was also pleasant we could always get a great parking spot under the beach house! Their lot never approached full as so often the case during summer.

We also visited Zip Line Hilton Head twice! We did their new Aerial Adventure course each time. The kids loved it, they begged to go back!! Two hours of climbing and obstacles while tethered with a harness on cable. They had courses for all different levels and heights. The greens were the easiest and worked up to double black which is only for 16 plus. The kid got a thrill watching their dear old dad complete the double black!! This in the summer would have been so sweaty hot to do, however in these spring temps it was very pleasant.

My DD also did a riding lesson at Moss Creek Equestrian Center which was also is very pleasant temps! We were going to do a trail ride at Lawton Stables too but ran out of time - something to do for next time.

If you are there over Easter they have a fun filled day of activities so be sure not to miss it! They start with an Easter Egg Hunt that loaded up the kids with a basket/bag FULL to the top of candy - the kids loved it! They separate it into age groups which is nice and go up through teens.

We did their Easter Brunch at the Beach House which was very nice even though it was not the greatest weather wise - cloudy and light drizzles. But they had all the tables under cover as well as the activities. The activities were over by the games tables and included arts and crafts, bubbles, punch balls, tattoos etc... The buffet was yummy too - the highlights included a mashed potato bar with topping, yogurt and oatmeal bar with toppings, omelet station, plus the usual pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, chicken tenders, mac n cheese, ham, veggies etc.. And also a drink station. They have a table reserved for you for the whole time so you can leisurely eat and enjoy the activities and then eat lunch and dessert! It lasted from 10:00 to 1:00. And of course the cm's were fantastic there and throughout the resort.

They also had fun Easter activities in the afternoon by the resort pool including a scavenger hunt throughout the resort. It was a wonderful Easter with all their activities, we truly enjoyed!

Also did the Marsh Walk on another day. Very worthwhile to go out to the marsh and learn and see about the critters and vegetation.

Like I said before the restaurants were not crowded which was fantastic! We walked right into Old Oyster Factory and Crazy Crab and had awesome seats right at dinner time. Also must tell you about our new find - Bullies BBQ! OMG, fantastic!!! Now its a small dine in place that is certainly not fancy, but we did it take out and ate it on our deck. Sooo good, we did it twice during our week! The weather was so nice to eat out on our deck too, not too hot and humid, just perfect.

All in all I have to say spring break was fantastic on HHI!!! Loved the temps, low crowds, and able to do more activity without overheating, LOL! The only thing we really missed was the warm ocean temps of summer. I think we'll be back for spring break!!!

MinnieGi, that ws very interesting, thanks. I had to laugh to myself at the thought of it seeming "eerey" with so few people, relative to what you're used to seeing! Trail ride at Lawton's, that sounds like fun. And if DH doesn't want to do it, maybe I could schedule it some day while he's golfing.