basic info. hilton head.

Thinking of bringing large family get together to Hilton head. I';ve heard tons of info. from fabulous to horrible. So, if area experts could respond I would be thankful. Ages 2, 7,12,14 to 50%26#39;s. 2 week vacation begining of july 2008. We frequent Myrtle Beach and Florida. Never to HHI. I%26#39;ve gotten mixed messages. So could you compare beach, roughness, sand, experiance, activities, and restaurants. Especially for the children. I%26#39;m told few activities, rough water, not nice beaches and not well maintained beaches. Then I%26#39;ve recently had someone say it was wonderful. Most timeshares we%26#39;ve looked at aren%26#39;t on the beach. I%26#39;m not sure why. If someone knows of a few really nice ones that would be great too. I%26#39;ve been very lucky to receive very informative and accurate info. here before, so I thank you in advance.

basic info. hilton head.

You will find our beach to be much nicer, cleaner and more accessable than either Myrtle Beach or the Florida Atlantic Coast Beaches. The reason is mainly there is less erosion due to hurricane activity. there is also an active renourishment program. The beaches were redone last year. the only beaches I have found on the east coast comparable are in the Panhandle area.

there is a large reef off shore which tends to lessen the wave action, so most days it%26#39;s quite calm. So the bad things you%26#39;ve heard about the beach is not true.

Hilton Head is a laid back resort, so some of the more honky donk things you find at a beach resort are missing. NO Carnivals, NO Boardwalk, NO Beachside stands that sell french fries, Funnel Cakes, etc, No fancy Theatrical Shows.

you can find shops that sell souvenirs, mini golf and other more typical beach items, but not as numerous or loud as in other resorts. the developers of our island wanted to create a world class resort without losing the environmental and historical atmosphere of the low country.

The only oceanfront timeshares are some of those run by the Marriott Corporation. You will find some information about those by searching further on this website. Like most Marriott properties these are topnotch.

Most people who come here with a large group usually rent houses. If you are looking for a house on the water, then you will find them at Palmetto Dunes, SeaPines or North Forest Beach. there are a few other places mid island that you will find ocean front houses. My recommendation is that you look to some of our commercial companies for rentals.

While VRBO or HomeAway are great rental sites for private rentals you may find that some of the offerings are not what you expect, and may be disappointing in reality. When you rent with a commercial company, you have someone who can rectify a problem.

Stan (hhiguy)

basic info. hilton head.

Thank you very much for clearing up some miss information. I have alot more to go on now.

We went to MB this year and found it to be over crowded and tacky-very much unlike HH. We rent a house (a great way to go for a family) in Palmetto Dunes (2nd row) close enough to hear the ocean but w/o the high price tag. I think the beaches are very well maintained (unlike MB which is littered w/ firework remnants and occasional trash) and are not crowded. Perhaps if you stayed in a resort, you may find the beaches to be more crowded but in Palmetto Dunes, they are not even close to being crowded. There are a bunch of great places to eat on any budget. A few of our favorites are Alexanders (always 1st night as it is in PD) Oliviers, Old Fort Pub. There are standard beach activites (putt-putt, etc) but there isn%26#39;t any huge amusement parks, so if thats what you need, you may be disappointed. My son has never been bored while in HH. If you have your own house, you more than likely will have your own pool, so that will give the kids something to do and renting bikes is always a fun idea. Its a great way to get to know your surroundings. Rent your bikes asap as they sell out early. There is a weekly fireworks display (not the best I%26#39;ve seen, but still fun) Take a blanket and some snacks and enjoy! We think HH is a great family vacation destination w/o the tacky flashing lights and crushing crowds, but some folks enjoy that kind of thing, but we go on vacation to get away from it. Have fun if you go!

We have stayed at the Island Club for the last 15 years and have always had a great time. We are usually there the 1st and 2nd weeks of August as we have two timehsare units there. I have never had a bad time while being there. We are a very beach oriented family so we spend most of our time there. The walk to the beach, if you are not oceanfront is just across the parking lot.

I%26#39;m not an expert by any means but have taken many beach vacations over my life, so here are some things from just my own experiences. Sorry so long-winded!

We just returned from HHI, staying in Shipyard but not right on the beach. (Port O Call in Shipyard--accommodations were fine, but beach too far away to suit us.) If we go back, we%26#39;ll definitely get someplace on the beach or just not go--but we are beach-lovers. Like you, we couldn%26#39;t find a timeshare exchange in HH ON the beach--we only needed a 1BR or studio. We%26#39;d love to know of some of those, too!

We did not have any children with us and so weren%26#39;t really looking, but other than riding bikes or playing tennis or playing in the pool or on the beach, we didn%26#39;t see much for kids (Not that that wouldn%26#39;t be enough to keep kids happy--depends on what the kids like and expect, I guess.) There was a putt-putt on William Hilton Pkwy, I think. As said, we weren%26#39;t on the beach--went to beach only one day because our beach access wasn%26#39;t that great. Almost all the beaches on HH are private.

HHI is very natural and lovely, but there isn%26#39;t as much ';stuff'; as in most Flordia beach areas. This may be an advantage or disadvantage depending on tastes and needs. There are some shops and restaurants, of course, but it%26#39;s very peaceful-looking in most areas that we saw. We thought the marshes were lovely. In the shopping center/movie areas parking can be a problem, also at some of the restaurants. The beach was wide and the sand was soft, but the Atlantic water in any place I%26#39;ve ever been including HH just isn%26#39;t nearly as pretty as that of the Gulf. Maybe it%26#39;s personal preference, but that%26#39;s mine. The Atlantic is usually a little rougher, too, in my experience. If you want to ride waves, maybe that%26#39;s good--but I like calm water. The beach (on that one day) was clean and a little crowded, but not bad for an Atlantic beach.

Maybe I%26#39;m just spoiled, but other than going to the Caribbean, IMO there are no beaches as pretty as those on the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida panhandle areas. Most of these areas are very built-up and congested, but there%26#39;s a reason: those lovely beaches and water--usually very clear and blue/green and mostly calm, very soft pure white sand. (Although as anywhere, there can occasionally be seaweed, etc. Most of the times we%26#39;ve been, the water has been absolutely beautiful.) Some areas might still have some hurricane damage, but I think most are back to normal now. We%26#39;ve been to Destin, Panama City Beach, and also Gulf Shores/Orange Beach in Alabama several times each place. Never been to Myrtle Beach, but from what I%26#39;ve heard and read, don%26#39;t want to. Have been to Clearwater farther down on the Gulf once but panhandle is much closer for us.

You might be able to find a beach house in the panhandle area that%26#39;s not as congested--we%26#39;ve never stayed at a beach house but would love to go with the whole family to one someday. For the past 10 years, we have mostly exchanged through our Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare (which goes through RCI) for our vacations, and we LOVE doing that! Get great vacations. There are a good many beachfront timeshare condos in the panhandle area and we always get beachfront, which means right on the beach there, as you probably already know.

Most of the areas of HH that we saw are just a totally different atmosphere from the Florida beach areas. Tennis %26amp; golf %26amp; bike trails and oaks with Spanish moss, and little ponds, marshes. You%26#39;d need to stay ON the beach to get to it easily IMO. Good luck finding a suitable timeshare there if you decide on HHI, and let the rest of us timesharers know!

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