anyone not like HHI?

[minnieluvzmickey]

I have a trip planned for HHI for May 31-June 5. I have 4 boys (7, 11, 13 and 15) who love the outdoors, riding bikes, canoeing, beach, etc... so I thought they would love it there.

HOWEVER, my dh doesn't want to go. We are from Alabama and we always go to gulf shores. He loves it there and thinks HHI will be boring and expensive.

I like to try new places and feel like we will all have a good time.....I just don't want to get there and everyone be miserable and him say, "told ya"......are there any negatives to going to HHI?

 

[Simba's Mom]

There are a few people who don't love HHI-it's not for everyone. There are no resturants at the resort (although there are some within walking distance). The pool slide, general store, etc. seem to close early for some people. If you go out at night, it's a real struggle to try to find your way around-HHI has some very strict zoning laws that mean signs are very difficult to read-no neon, bright colors, and it seems as if everything is behind trees (even Walmart). Oh, and some people don't like the type of sand on the beach (do they say it's too hard? I'm not a beach person, so I'm not sure). I must say, though, I'm not one of those few people. I LOVE HHI, peobably at least as much as WDW (but in a different way). But I've never been to Alabama. DH has, though (golfs there often) and he also loves HHI.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

I have a trip planned for HHI for May 31-June 5. I have 4 boys (7, 11, 13 and 15) who love the outdoors, riding bikes, canoeing, beach, etc... so I thought they would love it there.

HOWEVER, my dh doesn't want to go. We are from Alabama and we always go to gulf shores. He loves it there and thinks HHI will be boring and expensive.

I like to try new places and feel like we will all have a good time.....I just don't want to get there and everyone be miserable and him say, "told ya"......are there any negatives to going to HHI?

We live in Alabama, but rarely venture to Gulf Shores. I'm just not a beach person. My sisters go to either Gulf Shores or Gatlinburg every year. I've not been to GS since Ivan or any of the other recent hurricanes.

First of all, the sand is A LOT different. At HHI, the sand is more soft and BROWN. Its not at all like the white sugar at Gulf Shores. The other difference is that the environment is much more natural at Hilton Head. That is especially true at Disney. Gulf Shores seems much more dominated with development.

Dh and I don't golf or tennis, so we spent a lot of time in Savannah. I don't think boys would get a whole lot out of Savannah. There is a little bit of putt putt at Hilton Head, but not much.

As for expense, please remind your dh that Gulf Shores can be very expensive. Just like anywhere else, you can find cheap or expensive restaurants at Hilton Head. In a way, a HH trip can be a lot less expensive because the trip is so relaxed you may find yourself wanting to cook.

I guess overall, its just best to remember that visiting HHI can be as much or more enjoyable than Gulf Shores, but it is a completely different type of trip. I might would even sell it as being more like a trip to the mountains or glamarous camping than a trip to the beach.

I hope this helps. For perspective, I'm originally from Northwest Alabama, but have lived in Montgomery for several years. I'll try to answer any questions you have.

 

[Dean]

While we're not a big fan of DVC HH, we love HHI. IMO the mix of greenery, bike paths, restaurants and other amenities is the best anywhere. They have great restaurants and with a little planning, we find HH relatively cheap to eat with a LOT of good early bird specials and a lot of Marriott and DVC discount options. If being on the Beach is important, DVC HH may not thrill him and he might do better at say one of the Marriott's.

 

[CarolA]

I LOVE Hilton Head. That said I am not a big fan of the Disney resort. If your DH is used to "walk out and be at the beach" this may be an issue too.
Bike Riding etc is better then then Gulf Shores IMHO. And there are always the "put putt" type places.

My niece and nephew who are about the same age as your two middle kids love it too!

 

[quentina]

The first time my husband and I went in 2001, we swore we would never go back. Although we found the resort beautiful, we were just all around bored.

Fast forward a few years and 3 kids.....we were spending thousands of dollars to go on a beach vacation. After a grueling and expensive day at the boardwalk in Maryland, I made the decision that next year we were going to HHI. The main reason was no boardwalk.....which would save a few hundred bucks.

So, off we go.

I am not sure what happened or how it changed but when we have the kids with us, we absolutley love it. It is the best summer vacation.

There is nothing like sitting on the rocking chair, looking at the trees, marsh and wildlife.

My kids actually choose it over WDW on the years we are limited to one vacation.

We have been able to bring friends and family with us (we own at HHI) and they have all loved it.

There is alot to do and Disney goes out of their way to put on alot of activities.

The beach is just a little bit away.....I know many people like the oceanfront view and believe me, we were one of them, however I love the quiet, solitude and quaintness of HHI.

Give it a try, worst that can happen is you don't do it again.

Kim

 

[KiminChicago]

We bought our DVC points last year and our very first vacation using our points was to HHI. The kids thought we were nuts -- spend all this money on DVC and go somewhere other than WDW, horrors!

Then we actually went on our vacation and now the kids are asking when we can go back again. There were lots of activities set up for the kids to do -- the whole family made Mickey tie-dye t-shirts, the kids painted crab catchers, then went fishing for crabs. There is a dolphin tour (but it seemed pretty pricey to us) and kayaking. If you do go, be sure to catch B'Lou Crabbe's magic show or his ghost stories (family friendly of course!).

 

[buzz5985]

If I were to ask my DS 12 where he would rather go - DW or HHI - he will pick HHi every time. Last summer he bought a crab net and went fishing, he loves the campfires, the tuesday night party around the pool. He meets a lot of other kids. He went out on the movie night with the CM's had a great time.

We do a lot of BBQ at the resort on the charcoal grills. Enjoy.

Janis

 

[La2kw]

HHI is a nice resort, but we have no desire to ever go back. We love spending time on the beach, especially on the gulf. We also live in L.A. and have access to some pretty good beaches in California. As far as DVC, we prefer Vero as it is actually located on the beach. HHI is not on the beach. We didn't like having to drive or shuttle bus to the beach, or having to dodge all the bicycles on the beach either. There's no restaurant on site, the beach is nothing compared to the beaches in Florida or California, and the resort feels like it's in the middle of nowhere. That may appeal to some folks, but not to us. I'm glad we tried it once, but we'll save our points for WDW, and stick to Florida and California beaches.

 

[nezy]

We love DVC @HHI, even though it is not on the beach. I AM a beach person-love the beach-DVC @HHI is a bit like having the woods near the beach. It is a relaxing time-the kids liked the freedom and having the bikes. We rode the bikes to the beach. The sand is hard-so you can ride bikes on the beach. The beach is a nice beach-big-not like Vero. The sand is Atlantic Ocean sand-not Gulf sand so it is different.

The resort itself is a get up early kind of place-getup, ride bikes, fish, do a dolphin excursion-there is lots to explore for kids and some educational stuff that they enjoyed(although they didn't think it was educational-just fun) It is very family oriented-we like the campfire time and other on site activities-there is a great staff

The restaurants at Shelter Cove are a brief stroll away-or again get on the bike and ride there. We shopped and cooked a bit for breakfast and lunch-or we ate at the on site counter service type of places. We also ate out at local places. There are many good restarants on the island. I never found them too expensive. Prices of things to do did not seem to be high either-just typical. We did play mini-golf-we are not golfers. The kids liked fishing off the dock at the marshes of the DVC resort and riding bikes the best.

There are building codes for the island which is why there are no big signs-it keeps it nice and clean looking-not flashy, adding to the relaxed feeling.
Enjoy.

 

[UConnJack]

We love HHI and the DVC resort. I love itfor what a truly relaxing vacation it is. The resort is isolated, but close to everything, good food to be had on the island, bike paths, and they run a lot of activites for the kids. HHI feels nice and laid back, and I love that the development on the island is not in your face. Plus I play golf, so I naturally love HHI.

My wife loves the beach, but is not obsessed about being on the beach, and I really could take or leave it, so the location doesn't bother me. In fact, I think it's a plus. When we are in the mood for a day at the beach, we drive or bike over to the beach house and spend the day there. I really think its the best of both worlds.

I have never been in the summer, so I may not like HHI as much when its crowded and hot, but it's great for a fall, winter, or spring trip.

 

[Mamadis]

We will be there the same week. I have 3 kids 6,9, and 11 ( the oldest and youngest are boys). We're looking forward to it.

 

[JVL1018]

We will be there the same week. I have 3 kids 6,9, and 11 ( the oldest and youngest are boys). We're looking forward to it.

We, too will be there the same week-I have a 7 year old boy and a 9 year old girl-maybe they'll meet up with your two youngest at the pool.

As for negatives-I can;t think of anything except for the resort not being on the beach, but that's not a negative for us-I couldn't care less. I LOVE where the resort is located.
This past year we rode bikes to the beach house one morning..and we took the beach nature walk and that was the only time we spent at the beach.

My kids like HHI more than WDW and they adore WDW. It's so relaxing and fun.

 

[Mamadis]

Sounds great. It is always more fun to have friends to hang out with. We need a nice relaxing break and can't wait to get there.