Heading to Hilton Head for first time (end of October)

[lvdis]

I'm trying to make plans to go to Hilton Head for the first time this October. It'll be just me and my husband to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. I have a few questions I'm hoping someone can help me with!

1. Should we drive or fly? The drive would be a long one, about 12 1/2 hours plus breaks. But, the only decent price I can get for a flight has us driving to an airport 3 hours from home and flying into Savannah, so another approx. hour drive once we fly in to get to the resort. At least it's a nonstop flight.
2. I'm wondering if we should we go with a studio since it's just the two of us, or get a one bedroom villa? This would be a cash reservation and it looks like it would be about $59 more a night (planning to stay 4 nights).
3. Have you been to Hilton Head Island at the end of October? Good time to go?

Thanks for any insight you can provide!

 

[MEFacct]

I love Hilton Head. We live in SC so it's very convenient for us to drive. Sorry I can't help you there.
If you had a kitchen would you cook? If so, the one bedroom is the way to go. This could very easily make up the difference in price. Also, there are no "sit-down" restaurants on property - only window service. There are plenty within walking distance.
I don't think we have been in October, but we have been pretty much throughout the year. October should be nice - mild temperatures and I imagine it wouldn't be terribly crowded (unless there is some sort of golf event).

On a side note, please be prepared to see alligators and plenty of other wildlife on the island. They work very hard to keep it looking as natural as possible - sometimes makes navigation a little tricky as all the signs are low to the ground.

Hope this helps some.

 

[pogopossum]

Not sure where you're driving from, but we have driven to and from hhi several times from dfw and we will drive there probably every time we go. It's a pretty enjoyable drive for us. And it allows us to carry our beach stuff with us. I agree that a one br is probably a good choice if you plan to cook, but we enjoy the extra room, even though we don't cook much while there.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Our first trip to HHI was with a cash reservation and included Halloween. We had a good time riding bikes, swimming and enjoying good food!

We had a studio for us, a couple. We flew into Savannah, got there early enough to take a trolley tour of the city, then headed out to the resort. Now we are both retired, so I think we will always drive. In May, we stopped there for 5 nights before heading home to Ohio from WDW. We usually stop around the Great Smoky Mountain NP, or in Dollywood (we have season passes).

 

[lvdis]

Thanks for sharing all your thoughts! I think I've got my sights set on the 1 bedroom! I'm still deciding on flying or driving. The flights are only $128 RT per person, so I'm tempted to go that route to cut down on the driving.

I'm hoping a lot of things will still be going on in Hilton Head during the last week of October. Does anyone know if all or most of the activities will still be available and the restaurants in the area?

 

[bobbiwoz]

There was definitely a campfire, storytelling night in October. On Halloween there was trick or treating around the resort. We took a dolphin tour and saw plenty of them.

 

[Guyton dis lover]

I don't live in Hilton Head ,I live on the Georgia, S.C. line and we spend a great deal of our off time in Hilton Head. We are vacation club memebers and although we have never stayed at the resort we do go over at Christmas to check out the Christmas Decorations. There is allot to do in the area. Savannah and Beaufort have tours and great food. Also take a dolphin tour you will enjoy it. The Port Royal Sound area is very nice. The Crazy Crab in Hilton Head has some great seafood at a good price.

 

[DonnaL]

We just had our first trip to HH in May ....we've been DVC members since 2001! We loved it! We had 3 couples and stayed in one of the grand villas (Bldg 18...facing the marsh....the views of wildlife were incredible). I would go with a one bedroom in order to have a full kitchen... since food options onsite are limited. We did have dinner out every evening, but, for breakfast and lunch it was nice to have full size frig and the dishwasher even if just for snack plates and glassware. HH is about a 13 hr drive for us and also no easy airport to get there with minimal effort. We ended up driving 3 hrs to Baltimore and flying nonstop to Charleston. We stayed overnight in Charleston and did a carriage tour in the morning and then made the 2 hr drive to HH......so 5 hrs of driving vs 13 hrs...plus the added side trip to Charleston. On the return we left HH about 8:00 a.m. for our 12:30 p.m. flight back to Baltimore and then the 3 hr drive home......so pretty much same amount of time (12 hrs...with a stop for early dinner) but the driving portion was only 5 hrs.

 

[gracelrm]

We have gone to HH several times in early to mid October and it has always been perfect weather for us. Not too hot, not too cool. The island isn't too crowded at that time of the year. My DH and I would always prefer a 1BR over a studio. My husband is early to bed, early to rise and I'm the opposite. When we have a 1 BR, one can sleep and the other be up and busy without bothering the other. Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Everyone's different, but we've always gotten a 1 BR for just DH and me. That is, all but once. I still don't know why I reserved a studio. Once there, I spent most of the week B----ing and Moaning about how I missed the 1 BR. I missed the full size kitchen, especially the refrigerator, the cute little bench area with the Minnie and Mickey carvings as you enter, the washer/dryer, etc. Kind of spoiled, I know, but I learned about myself-get a 1 BR. And about weather, we don't go the end of October but in November and the weather varies widely from year to year. One Thanksgiving it was literally freezing-ice and snow. Another year it was in the 80s and we were in the hot tub.