Any tips for Hilton Head stay??

[islandbeachnut]

We will be staying at Hilton Head this July for the first time. Any tips/ comments would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[CHEBJO]

You will have so much fun! We love HH! Last summer we went on the dolphin cruise and it was awesome. The boat was small and it was just our family. We were so close to the dolphins. Definitely worth the money. The resort is fun, lifeguards are the cast members and they are great. When we go we basically go back and forth between the beach and the pool. There are so many restaurants that picking a place for dinner each evening seems to be one of the great adventures. Biking, crabbing, mini-golf choices abound. I hope you have a great time!

 

[islandbeachnut]

You will have so much fun! We love HH! Last summer we went on the dolphin cruise and it was awesome. The boat was small and it was just our family. We were so close to the dolphins. Definitely worth the money. The resort is fun, lifeguards are the cast members and they are great. When we go we basically go back and forth between the beach and the pool. There are so many restaurants that picking a place for dinner each evening seems to be one of the great adventures. Biking, crabbing, mini-golf choices abound. I hope you have a great time!

Thanks for the info. Do you think I need to make dining ressies before we go, or is there usually availability?

 

[jonestavern]

Take advantage of all the scheduled activities, just register as soon as you arrive. I loved the Hidden Mickeys tour with Connie, we liked the nature walks & kayaking- Reserve bikes & beach umbrellas, too.

You can have birthdays, anniversaries scheduled to run on the resort's channel, call the desk before you arrive-

Take advantage of the Meet & Greet with the resort's canine mascot, Shadow.

We liked doing the tour of Savannah. Get printed directions at the desk. We took a bus tour--very nice & convenient. If you want to eat lunch at The Lady & sons (Paula Deen's restaurant) be prepared to line up at 9 am.
Mrs Wilkes' is another great spot for lunch--just get there early to line up.
Girl Scout founder, Juliet Gordon Low's house is in Savannah, also.

You're gonna have a super trip!

Jean & Chris

 

[dis-happy]

Thanks for the info. Do you think I need to make dining ressies before we go, or is there usually availability?

Most places don't take reservations, and July is a very busy month. If you can, try to go out to eat early (especially if dining with kids). The dining guide that is available free at HH has an entire section devoted to Early Bird Dining (usually 5-6 pm). Not only will you miss the crowds, you'll save tons of money too! Places like pizza or Fuddruckers are a little easier to do at any time in the evening. Just remember you could have a 1 to 2 hr. wait at a lot of sit-down places if you try to show up around 7.

 

[Harley-Mouse]

Book the BBQ that the resort host. This was a good time for the hole family. Also try to get to the resot eary if you are going on Sunday. Thay have a welcome home party at the pool fun for the kids. You can call on the Friday before you go and thay will fax you all the thing you can do when you are ther. When we were ther you had to book one day ahead like something on Monday you booked on Sunday. This way hou will know for the week what you would like to do. some thing sell you. My kids loved going on the trip with oter kids and CM no mommy & daddy.
If you have time one night go to Harbo town to see Russel sing under the old oak tree this is great fun for all. I think he starts at 8:00pm You can look if up on the web sight Harbor town. Peopple have done this for years and we can't wait to go back again.
Have a great time HH is Fun Fun FUN.

 

[DisneyTarheel]

1. Bring a GPS system. HH takes appearance zoning to the extreme, which is partly why it is such a beautiful place. BUT, good luck finding certain things unless u already know where they are. Heck, we were *in* the Walmart complex and still had trouble figuring out where the dang store was. It gets especially difficult at night.

2. Hit the restaurants early -- 4-5ish, if possible. Should help cut your waits down and give you some time to stroll around afterwards in places like Shelter Cove and Harbor Town.

3. IMHO, especially with kids, try to request a room close to the pool area.

 

[islandbeachnut]

Thanks for the tips everyone , we're really looking forward to it!!

 

[DisneyTarheel]

Glad to help. We were there last week and had a fantastic, relaxing time.

Another tip: If you are looking for a "surf" type shop, check out the Kickn Gator on Pope Ave. We were looking for rashguard shirts for our boys and wasted our time in lots of stores until we found this place.

 

[pogopossum]

we're returning july 23 for the first time since we bought in aug 98. i'm glad to see that they brought back the picnic and fireworks, we really enjoyed that, hope they still do the southern snowball fight, and capture the flag. we did the dolphin tour and hope to do it again. lots of great golf courses, with discounts available through the front desk. and our dw, who was 4 then, really enjoyed the kids activities. it was such fun and very relaxing, can't wait to get there, and hit the rocker on the balcony, or maybe my portable hammock put up on the beach, so many choices...

btw did i read that there are now storage places at the beachhouse, if so are they large enough for umbrella, hammock/frame, chairs, etc.?

 

[DVCLiz]

Hi, pogo, we'll be there the same week - do you have a 12 year old? Boy or girl? My daughter is 12, too, so I expect we'll be doing some of the same activities. I'm really looking forward to it - HH is a WONDERFUL vacation!!!

 

[flowrida]

We stayed at HH in May and we had a wonderful time - the beach is awesome! The campfire singsong is a must - an absolute hoot! Enjoy!

 

[JimMIA]

Not trying to hijack your thread, but we're unable to start new threads and I wanted to let folks know that the first Tropical Depression of the season has formed and will probably affect WDW on Monday and HHI on Tuesday.

Tropical Depression One formed between the Yucatan Peninsula and the western tip of Cuba. The current forecast calls for it to develop into a tropical storm tonight and then come ashore well north of Tampa on Monday. If it holds to that track, it should generate nothing more than a wet day at WDW on Monday.

However, if the current path holds, it will have more effect on HHI on Tuesday. It's not currently projected to reach hurricane status, but it should make Tuesday a windy, rainy day all along the Georgia and Carolina coasts.

Nothing to worry about, but certainly something that can make for a messy day.

 

[pogopossum]

hi liz, i'll pm my dd's email address so that they can communicate in the meantime. we are so looking forward to the trip, except for the gas prices, but it won't dampen our spirits. we are stopping off to go to 6 flags ga on both ends of our trip, those season passes are really handy. got two mights free in atlanta courtesy of marriott points from the superbowl worked for fox and 22 nights in jax last year, the job that keeps on giving.

 

[DVCLiz]

hi liz, i'll pm my dd's email address so that they can communicate in the meantime. we are so looking forward to the trip, except for the gas prices, but it won't dampen our spirits. we are stopping off to go to 6 flags ga on both ends of our trip, those season passes are really handy. got two mights free in atlanta courtesy of marriott points from the superbowl worked for fox and 22 nights in jax last year, the job that keeps on giving.

Duh, I read the pm first, so ignore the questions there!!!! Hope we don't run into any storms the week we are there!!!

Your trip sounds like fun - we are going straight to HH and back home, but will be at WDW for a week later in August (I know, shoot me now!) Got to love that DVC membership!!!

 

[kocar]

How far in advance can/should you book your bike, kayak and/or dolphin excursion reservations? Where do I call?

Thanks for starting this thread. We will be there Sun. June 25-June 30. First trip "home"!

 

[pogopossum]

when we were there in 98, bike rentals were plentiful and i din't have a problem waiting til we got there, we booked the dolphin excursion after check in as well, but i don't know if demand has changednce we for that. i would imagine that kayaks are like bikes and there are probably enough for you to wait. the bike rental was cool, because they delivered them to your door and picked them after leaving, we are bringing our own this time, and we'll bring our own chairs and beach umbrellas, depending on price we may buy another one at walmart once we get there, have to check out what shape ours are in. lots of people buy them and leave them on the beach when they leave, maybe we can pick up a new one that way.

 

[Doug Wolfe]

We went to Hilton Head in 2005. We also did the dolphin cruise available through the resort at Disney.

Bring your Disney Vacation Club membership card. When you check in, the resort will give you a list of restaurants that will honor your card for some nice discounts on lunch & dinner.

 

[mtdsnylvr]

We just returned from HH yesterday. We just loved it! As far as tips, if you are going to be spending much time on the beach, rent the beach chairs/umbrellas for your length of stay. It is $28 the first day, $17 per day after that, if you rent all up front. The Beach House parking lot was usually full early, so don't count on parking there.
We rented bikes for the stay, which I highly recommend. Disney's were all gone. Another company rented to us for the same price, delivered them and picked them up. No worries. We booked our dolphin cruise through Disney that morning. We noticed that Fri. and Sat. were particularly quiet.
We enjoyed grilling and eating in far more than going out and battling the crowds. (There is a Piggly Wiggly with a great deli just 3 blocks from the resort.) We did really enjoy a restaurant right across from Shelter Cove called the Sante Fe Grill. They take reservations. Request the outdoor seating. It is a great place for adults. Our kids are 13 and 10. Next time I would leave them home. Have Fun!

 

[Dizma]

Does anyone know if there are safes in the rooms? We are headed down soon. Thanks for all the great tips!!