Hilton Head at Christmas. A day by day trip report.

[LJC1861]

Well, we arrived here at the resort at 1:30 p.m. to find our lovely one BR unit ready and waiting for us. We are in 1216 which overlooks the boardwalk and the marsh. It is perfectly quiet and just wonderful.

We have been to the Mercantile and I have sent good wishes from everyone here at the DIS to Gordon, who is back from his vacation.

Lisa and I are looking forward to enjoying some of the activities here at the resort in the next few days, including Christmas Caroling around the resort tomorrow afternoon.

Today before we checked in we had lunch at Signe's and in just a little while we are headed out to get in line at the Sea Shack for dinner. These are two of our favorite places and we wanted to make sure we were able to eat there.

Tomorrow we are headed to Dye's Gullah Fixin's for lunch.

I will post more day by day.

Linda

[Simba's Mom]

Thanks so much for this trip report. I'm right there with you in spirit. What was good for lunch at Signe's today? We've eaten breakfast there, but never lunch. We've always meant to try lunch, but haven't-yet! And how was the Sea Shack? Last time we went there, it was too crowded. But I really enjoy it there. Please, keep reporting!

[LJC1861]

Lunch at Signe's for me today was their chicken pot pie. It was solid chicken, mushrooms and veggies and seasoned with an unusual spice that was SO unbelievably good. It was accompanied by a fresh garden salad and multi grain bread.

Dinner at the Sea Shack was fried flounder accompanied by mac and cheese (not so good) and a green salad. We also had a cup of she crab soup as an appetizer. The soup was delicious but SPICY. My portion of flounder was easily a full pound.....2 large pieces. Lisa had popcorn shrimp and it was an equally large portion. When we mentioned that the mac and cheese was on the cold side they brought us out another side of our choice, in this case french fries that were VERY hot and fresh. We generally get there right at opening, and tonight were among the first people seated. With the Sea Shack it is best to get there before opening, even in slower times. By the time we were done, there were no tables left. I love this restaurant because the food is good and fresh. They hand bread the seafood as you order it and that is impressive. It is not fancy, and you MUST follow the rules.....be ready to order, know how you want your fish cooked, know what sides you want, do NOT sit before ordering and stand to wait where it is suggested you do so. You will eat on plastic plates with plastic tableware, but the prices are several dollars cheaper than any other seafood place in town.

After dinner we braved the Tanger Outlets. In all honesty, there was not much there that we had to have, and when we asked there will not be much more on sale the day after Christmas than there was tonight. So, we now have that crossed off our list and will enjoy the resort and the beach the day after Christmas.

Tomorrow we are going to have lunch at Dye's Gullah Fixin's. In the afternoon we will be Christmas Caroling here at the resort. There are more fun Christmas themed activities on Christmas day as well.

So far we are LOVING our HHI Christmas and are talking about making it an annual tradition.

Linda

[mickeywho?]

We'll be there next week! How's the weather? We're trying to figure out what to pack!

[LJC1861]

Today was a bit on the cool side, with cloudy skies. Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit warmer....60 ish, but cloudy. Christmas Day is going to be rainy and warm. Saturday and Sunday brightly sunny and cooler....mid 50's.

For us, coming from Asheville NC where we had 12+ inches of snow and 20-30 degree temperatures, this is heaven!!!

Linda

[jamie@dvcstore]

Hi LJC1861,
Thank you very much for sharing your live trip report. It sounds like you are having a great time. I will look forward to more updates.
Happy Holidays! :santa:
________
Nasty_flowerxxx (http://www.girlcamfriend.com/cam/nasty_flowerxxx/)

[LJC1861]

Lunch today was Dye's Gullah Fixins. RUN....don't walk to this marvelous little restaurant!!!!!

On the buffet today was fried chicken, fried pork chops, smoked sausage, rice, fried okra, sweet potatoes, black eyed peas, collard greens, mac and cheese, corn bread and for dessert warm sweet potato pound cake. This was truly one of the BEST meals I have ever had.

All the food is made from scratch, from Dye's grandmother's recipes. You can taste the love in every bite. She was saying that she has lots of catering orders and that even though she had time earlier in the week, she "don't do it that way" and likes everything to be REALLY fresh. So, she was in the middle of mixing up yeast rolls and several more sweet potato pound cakes today so they would be really really fresh for a pick up this evening.

We liked it so much we are going back on Saturday for dinner.

Weather is sunny and cool and right now I am off to go Christmas Caroling around the resort with the CM's and other guests.

Linda

[WolfpackFan]

We love Dye's also. That is the kind of food I was raised on. We've only done the lunch buffet. I want to try dinner our next visit. When we were there we were the only ones in the restaurant.

[LJC1861]

We were the only ones in the restaurant as well today for most of our meal. It was heavenly! We are going back for dinner on Saturday night to order off the menu. Dye was telling us that everything she serves is made from scratch, every day. Nothing canned or frozen is used. She was then telling us that she is doing lots of catering orders and even though she had time to do some things earlier in the week, she is making most everything today so that her customers will get it up to the minute fresh. She even waited until lunch time to make yeast rolls that will be served later tonight....so that they will be fresh.

The sweet potato pound cake that she served for dessert was still warm from the oven when we ate it and was melt in your mouth good. I would kill for the recipe.

I have also just gotten back from Christmas Caroling. It was SO much fun! The activities staff does such a great job with everything and both kids and adults had a great time.

Linda

[WebmasterDoc]

Thanks for the report(s)! We won't get back to HH until late February so your comments offer something to look forward to! :)

[Simba's Mom]

Christmas Carrolling sounds like such fun! And it sounds like you're picking such great places to eat. Where's this Dye's? We'll look forward to trying it AFTER chicken pot pie at Signe's. I love chicken pot pie, I get it every time at 50s Prime Time.

[LJC1861]

Dye's is in Pineland Station....a smallish strip mall just a few miles back down 278 from the resort. You have to walk through the open section of the mall, past the little duck pond to find the restaurant. It is charming! The decor is very old school, with lots of knick knacks all over. There is oilcloth on the tables and lots of good old comfort all around. Reservations are a must...even at lunch as she has been known to turn walk ups away, even when there is no one else in the restaurant. This is because there are some days when she only does a lunch buffet and she makes everything from scratch every day, and I imagine she does not want to make food that people are not going to eat.

Try it, you won't be disappointed. I will let you know what we got and how we liked it when we order off the menu on Saturday night.

Linda

[LJC1861]

Merry Christmas fro Hilton Head Island.

It is blissfully quiet here this morning. There are lights and garland on many of the balconies and Christmas Tree lights twinkling from Christmas trees placed in windows. It is also rainy and windy, with a tornado warning for most of the morning. I should also add that it is 65 degrees here this morning and will get up to 70 ish later on. We hope to go swimming if the weather clears.

Right now, it is time for pumpkin pancakes and bacon then on to presents.

Linda

[mickeywho?]

Loving your report! We leave here tomorrow and can't wait to get there!!!!

[LJC1861]

I am now completely spoiled. I LOVE being in a one bedroom unit. It is so nice to be able to cook, do laundry when needed, and spread out a bit.

Tonight we had a standing rib roast, baked potatoes, broccoli, our favorite wine and cheesecake for dessert. Can't do that in a studio! The bigger balcony is also nice, and the table would be great to use in warmer weather.

Before dinner, just as the sun set we took a walk around the resort. There were families enjoying Christmas dinners all over the resort. Many of the balconies are decorated with lights, garland and the occasional inflatable Mickey. Everyone we passed wished us a Merry Christmas and we did the same in return.

We are now settled in for the night with some good Christmas movies on TV.

Tomorrow we are hoping to hit the beach for a long walk in the morning and maybe do some biking in the afternoon.

Linda

[SamSam]

Thanks so much for your wonderful trip reports. We have never stayed at HH, but would definitely like to. Your report makes me want to stay there even more than I had before.

[Doctor P]

We get to HH from WDW this afternoon (we will check into the DVC resort tomorrow). Thanks for the trip report to get our appetites whetted for our return to one of our favorite places!

[SLM]

Merry Christmas and thank you for the great trip report. I am writing your restaurant choices down for our trip in June. We were there for a week in Sept 2008 and found some great places, but missed both of these. Does Dye do dinners or only lunch?

[LJC1861]

Dye's does both lunch and dinner. About half the week she does a lunch buffet, and the other half you can order off the menu. I will get the specific days when we go back tonight.

She also sent us a menu. I will post some of it later.

Right now, it is off to the beach!!!!!!

Linda

[5forDiz]

Enjoying your TR. Our family :love: HHI too and hope to get back there this summer. We have yet to try Dye's and hope we will be able to do that then.

What a lovely place to spend Christmas :santa:

Best wishes for Happy Holidays & New Year :goodvibes

[LJC1861]

We just got back from a LOONNGG walk on the beach. It is brilliantly sunny with very soft breezes, temperature around 59 today.

Up next, a hammock with my book to read.


Linda

[podsnel]

Your holiday vacation in HHI sounds absolutely magical! I LOVE reading about it! Thanks so much for posting- I hope you'll put up some pics, too! :)

[LJC1861]

I will get some pictures up in a day or so. Lisa, the geek in the family is busy creating a website for Dye, to help her promote her restaurant and some of her products.

This evening we had yet another WONDERFUL meal at Dye's. We wanted to go back to order off the menu, and try it out for dinner. We were SO glad we did.

We started with garlicy/spicy steamed shrimp. I am embarrassed to say that I licked my fingers up to the middle knuckle. We also had some cornbread with sugar cane syrup ( which tastes like molasses) It was accompanied by about a gallon of some of the best sweet tea on the planet.

Our entrees were fried chicken for Lisa and crab cakes for me. Lisa ordered white meat and she received 2 huge breasts and one wing. My crab cakes were the size of the palm of my hand, which is about 3.5 inches across. Each entree was joined by 2 sides, sweet potato casserole and mac and cheese for me and lima beans and mac and cheese for Lisa. The mac and cheese was creamy and cheesy and perfectly cooked. The limas were flavored with country ham, and perfectly seasoned. There is no need to reach for the salt and pepper at all in this restaurant, the food is so perfectly seasoned.

We did not have dessert, but if we had it was a choice of pecan pie, sweet potato pie and blackberry "dump" which is a cobbler like dessert. Most of the food is cooked to order, like the fried chicken. It is so hot and fresh it is steaming as it comes out of the kitchen. Dye herself described serving it this way as "coming from a beatin' " She explained that her Daddy liked it piping hot, and he expected it to come out of the pan as he was sitting down for his meal. To this day this is the way she likes her chicken served, as it tastes best that way. The breading is so light and there is not a hint of grease anywhere at all in it. I may never eat fried chicken anywhere else again!

Dye is a force to be reckoned with. She describes herself as "dirt poor" and her parents worked in the fields to support her and her 9 siblings. This restaurant and preserving the Gullah culture is her passion. Her sisters work with her. She is developing some other products such as spices and seasonings and is also writing a cookbook. This restaurant is a tribute to her parents and grandparents and all they taught her and gave her.

If you want one of the BEST meals you will ever have run to Dye's. You will find a comfortable place, nothing fancy with food that will leave you wanting more. Even more than that you will find a woman of faith and passion who wants to leave you with a little bit of Gullah. Try it, you WILL like it.

Linda

[LindaBabe]

Your report is great! Thank you! We stayed at HH once, and hated it, but after reading your report - especially about the food - I might be enticed into trying it one more time.

[LJC1861]

LindaBabe,

Hilton Head is a VERY different experience from any other Disney resort, with the possible exception of Vero Beach. With the WDW resorts the lure of the parks is there...complete with instant stimulation and fun. Hilton Head is the exact opposite with very little in your face stimulation. There are activities to do, especially if you have children and there is fun you can make yourself if you choose to. What I love about this resort is the opportunity to completely RELAX....something I do not generally get the chance to do at home. Even though I am still cooking, doing laundry, and playing on the computer I am also walking miles, sitting on my balcony reading, biking, and looking out my window at a beautiful salt marsh.

Obviously, from my report I also love dining out here. We have found some fantastic restaurants and enjoy trying new ones. We don't eat out much at home so this is a splurge for us.

We can't wait to come back, but for us it probably won't be until September ish.

Linda

[Simba's Mom]

I can't wait to try Dye's. Have you tried Kenny B's? That's another one we liked. DH loves cajun food, and I don't like it. We went there and he could get his cajun food while I had seafood. It's as casual as the Sea SHack, an atmosphere I love.

[famsen]

I will get some pictures up in a day or so. Lisa, the geek in the family is busy creating a website for Dye, to help her promote her restaurant and some of her products.

This evening we had yet another WONDERFUL meal at Dye's. We wanted to go back to order off the menu, and try it out for dinner. We were SO glad we did.

We started with garlicy/spicy steamed shrimp. I am embarrassed to say that I licked my fingers up to the middle knuckle. We also had some cornbread with sugar cane syrup ( which tastes like molasses) It was accompanied by about a gallon of some of the best sweet tea on the planet.

Our entrees were fried chicken for Lisa and crab cakes for me. Lisa ordered white meat and she received 2 huge breasts and one wing. My crab cakes were the size of the palm of my hand, which is about 3.5 inches across. Each entree was joined by 2 sides, sweet potato casserole and mac and cheese for me and lima beans and mac and cheese for Lisa. The mac and cheese was creamy and cheesy and perfectly cooked. The limas were flavored with country ham, and perfectly seasoned. There is no need to reach for the salt and pepper at all in this restaurant, the food is so perfectly seasoned.

We did not have dessert, but if we had it was a choice of pecan pie, sweet potato pie and blackberry "dump" which is a cobbler like dessert. Most of the food is cooked to order, like the fried chicken. It is so hot and fresh it is steaming as it comes out of the kitchen. Dye herself described serving it this way as "coming from a beatin' " She explained that her Daddy liked it piping hot, and he expected it to come out of the pan as he was sitting down for his meal. To this day this is the way she likes her chicken served, as it tastes best that way. The breading is so light and there is not a hint of grease anywhere at all in it. I may never eat fried chicken anywhere else again!

Dye is a force to be reckoned with. She describes herself as "dirt poor" and her parents worked in the fields to support her and her 9 siblings. This restaurant and preserving the Gullah culture is her passion. Her sisters work with her. She is developing some other products such as spices and seasonings and is also writing a cookbook. This restaurant is a tribute to her parents and grandparents and all they taught her and gave her.

If you want one of the BEST meals you will ever have run to Dye's. You will find a comfortable place, nothing fancy with food that will leave you wanting more. Even more than that you will find a woman of faith and passion who wants to leave you with a little bit of Gullah. Try it, you WILL like it.

Linda

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your trip report of HHI.
I really would like to stay there sometime in 2010. I must ask you a question about Dye's. There are some negative comments on some review sites saying that at times Dye is not the most hospitable person. Is this just the way she is or do you think these reports were flukes?
I would love to try the restaurant but I am a rather sensitive person and if I got the impression that the owner was being put out or annoyed by me being there, I would be very annoyed and leave. The rave reviews I have read about the food are really, really great but the negative ones are really, really bad pertaining to the service.
Thanks, again.

[lsutigger2]

Well, your reports are certainly giving me something to think about. My DH and I are thinking about going away for Christmas next year and HH just might be the place. We've been there three times and really do enjoy our stays.

Thanks for getting my vacation planning wheels turning - and I know DH will appreciate it also :lmao::lmao:

[LJC1861]

Today was another wonderfully relaxing day at this beautiful resort. I puttered around out room this morning as we had our tea, breakfast and CBS Sunday morning. I then went for a long walk around the resort and shelter cove before lunch.

Lisa was busy working on a website for Dye, of Dye's Gullah Fixin's. As we were at dinner last night Lisa said that she really wanted to help and see her venture succeed. As she doesn't have a site, she figured it was something she could do. She spent most of the evening last night and most of the day today working on it. She mentioned it to Dye at dinner last night and she was SO excited. Dye invited us to lunch today, on the house, as a thank you.

We had a lovely lunch and then sat down with Dye to show her the new website. She got all teary eyed as she looked at it. We should go live with it next week. On the site she will be able to advertise the restaurant, promote the Gullah culture, advertise upcoming events and sell her products.

This afternoon I visited with Gordon at the General Store for awhile, showing him pictures of my gingerbread house. Then I took another LONG walk on the beach.

Now we are cleaning up, packing up and getting ready to leave this wonderful piece of heaven.

I already miss it and can't wait to come back next Christmas.

Linda

[bobbiwoz]

What a great report. I loved the short trip we took to Disney's HHI resort this past year, and look forward to getting there again, and trying some of the places you suggest. DH and I enjoyed Sea Shack so much, we ate there twice in one weekend.

Bobbi:goodvibes

[marynvince]

we are definitely going to try Dye's in June on our next trip.

[edk35]

Thanks for the trip report. Sounds like you have had a wonderful time. Have you seen many families with teens there during your stay? I wonder how our children would like the off peak time there. Our dd is 19, son 16 and youngest son 11. Thanks for any advice. :goodvibes

[LJC1861]

In all honesty, there were more families with smaller children seen around the resort. There WERE teens present, but the smaller children seemed to be more present.

I would have to say, that many of the activities seem to be geared more towards kids 13 and younger. I did see teens at some of the more family oriented events however.

Linda

[LJC1861]

As our trip winds down I had some final thoughts about this fabulous resort. Some are positive, and some not so much.

1. We are now totally spoiled. A 1 BR unit is the way to go. Having the kitchen, washer/drier and jacuzzi tub are SO worth it. It saved us a ton of money being able to cook in our unit, especially for breakfast. We both like a hot breakfast and it just is not so easy in a studio.

2. The activities are great and really good for families. I wish there were more lower cost activities geared for teens/adults. I was made to feel welcome at those I did participate in, but it would have been more fun if I had kids to join in. The activities staff are great and obviously love their jobs.

3. It would be great if bike rental were available by the hour as well as by the day and week.

4. A sit down restaurant would be a really nice addition to this resort.

5. The kitchens are well stocked with necessary items. Everything is in really good condition and it is obvious that items are replaced as necessary. While we were there someone from the housekeeping department came in to ensure that items she wanted replaced had been and that all tags and things had been removed.

6. The couch in the living room was REALLY uncomfortable to sit on. I know it is the pull out, but the fabric is plasticy and the cushions made sitting comfortably for long periods of time almost impossible. We were much more comfortable removing the back cushions and using the extra pillows found in the closet as the back cushion on the couch.

7. The dishwasher and washer/drier are REALLY loud. When we had them both running and the TV on it was almost noise overload. I apologize if you were staying in unit 1226, right above us.........

8. The location of the resort couldn't be better. There are shops and restaurants within walking distance and there is much to do, see and eat within a short driving distance.

9. This resort is perfect for total relaxation. The balconies are well designed and roomy, and the views are wonderful, especially if you have a marsh view. It is quiet and restful.

I can't wait to come back.

Linda

[Simba's Mom]

I agree with #6. As someone here called it, an "ejecto-couch".

If you see Gordon again,tell him Guy and Dorothy wonder how his tripwas. He recently took a 3 week trip to Antarctica.

Sounds like it's lucky we weren't in 1226 this year-we've had that one before. How was the noise from overhead? We've heard lots of complaints of elephant feet from above from the first floor units at HHI.

[LJC1861]

Simba's Mom,

We were actually in 1216..directly below 1226. We were making so much noise with the dishwasher, clothes washer and the TV with the sound cranked so we could hear it over the machines that I thought we were disturbing THEM! As for elephant feet....sadly that was a bit of a problem on this trip. There were lots of kid feet running across the floor of 1226 all week. We don't get too freaked by that kind of noise as we lived in an apartment in NYC for a long time. Talk about noise from upstairs.

Gordon DID mention his trip and said that it was life changing. He is a really interesting man and I loved getting to know him on this trip.

Linda

[Debs Hill]

Can't wait to see some photos!
Debsx;)

[ryrysmom14]

I've really enjoyed reading your report and I am so glad you had a wonderful trip!! We were there in November for 4 nights and my 2 kids and I were just discussing making this our new tradition and going for part of Jersey week every year. We absolutely loved the CM's there and they really made the trip special- greeting the kids by name and taking the time to make them feel special. My kids esp loved Jessie and Rich(he is a manager but played ball with the kids in the pool everyday- he stayed on dry land)- they were so great!

I had to laugh at the couch comment!! I kept saying to my dh that it was the most uncomfortable couch ever- it was like the part you sat on was too short to sit comfortably- glad it just wasn't my big ole butt! The other thing I really took notice of there was how diligent the lifeguards are. I have never seen ones walk back and forth the WHOLE time- I'm surprised there aren't permanent footprints in the concrete!

What a great story about Dye and how wonderful of you all to help her. We went there one night of our trip and she was so lovely. She was there alone and told us how her sister usually helps. My son (age 8) absolutely loved her fried chicken and I could see how proud and happy that made her. To the poster that mentioned about the reviews, I had read those also, but that was absolutely not our experience at all- she was completely gracious. Now, the Sea Shack rules are scaring me- reminds me of Seinfeld's Soup Nazi!

We can't wait to go back as well!!!

[Debs Hill]

Can anyone who has been in December tell me whether it is warm enough to go on fishing/dolphin trips? Are the pools heated?
Thanks
Debsx:goodvibes

[LJC1861]

Debs,

The pools are heated, I believe to 80+ degrees. As for the fishing/dolphin trips....there was one day where it was pushing 65 outside and perhaps that day would have been okay, but with the wind on any other day it might have been chilly. The resort WAS still running the trips and the kayak excursions, but it didn't seem as if there were too many takers for any of them.

Linda

[bcvdreamer]

LJC1861,

I loved your trip report. We're at HHI right now, and I agree with your comments, especially the couch and elephant feet! I just told my ds, that I hope the elephants go to bed early tonight! :)

I want to try Dye's tomorrow. Do you have a link to her website that you created.

HHI is a great resort.

[LJC1861]

bcvdreamer,

I wish I could post the link, but the site has not gone live yet. Lisa is just now putting the finishing touches on it. We should go live in a week or so.

If you do try Dyes, make a reservation. On buffet days it is essential. For your first visit, I would almost recommend going when you can order off the menu and share amongst yourselves. Either one, you will have a great dining experience.

To the poster who mentioned the Sea Shack rules...yes, they can be a bit much, but when they have a crowd the rules are essential. They have so few tables that they cannot have people sitting and holding tables while there might be people needing to sit when their food is ready. They have it down to a science.....and the system DOES work. If you do try it, go and get on line early...before opening, or wait a bit so that the first wave has passed. You will not be sorry, the food is really good, except for the mac and cheese. Get that at Dye's.

Linda

[Sand]

In all honesty, there were more families with smaller children seen around the resort. There WERE teens present, but the smaller children seemed to be more present.

I would have to say, that many of the activities seem to be geared more towards kids 13 and younger. I did see teens at some of the more family oriented events however.

Linda

Then I am sure you saw or heard :rotfl: our girls (DD2 and DD3)! The only time we saw teens was at the campfire singing the 12 days of Disney Christmas, hilarious! We too had the most memorable Christmas at HHIR. We were there from 25-28. SO much to do and see, loved the lights on the balconies. Many families checked in on the 26th. Thanks for letting us know about Dye's! I was craving Shrimp and Grits. Savannah-HHI has THE BEST shrimp in the US!! We did stop by Hudson's and picked up a few pounds. Yep, 1 or 2 bedroom is the way to go, need that washer and dryer with 2 little ones. Our girls thought the jacuzzi was their personal pool. We look forward to returning when our girls are just a little bit older when they can really appreciate all the wonderful activities. Only disappointment, we didn't see Shadow.

[LJC1861]

Sand,

I wish I had known you were there! I love meeting other DIS members.

We are already planning on some time at Hilton Head next Christmas.

Linda