HH Advice

[LisaR]

We are planning a trip to HH in May. We have never been before. Can someone help me decide how long to stay? We went to VB this past May. While we loved the resort, we all felt 6 nights was way too long. Here are the details:

1. We did not like the fact that there weren't any restaurants close to VB. It sounds like HH has more selection closer to the resort.

2. We didn't find a whole lot to do in the Vero Beach area. I am not sure if HH is any different.

3. We have a 7 and 5 year old who loved the VB pool and ocean and I am sure they will love it at HH as well.

4. We love to bike and hike and it sounds like HH had some good places to do both.

Now here is the problem. Airfare isn't cheap. I don't want to spend $250 each for four people and only go for 3 days. That is a waste. Our options:

1. Stay the whole week at HH and go sightseeing to Savanah and other points of interest. Our kids are actually pretty big history buffs for being young.

2. Only spend 3 or 4 nights at HH and then 3 nights in another area.

3. Skip the whole idea and do VB for 3 nights followed by WDW. We really do want to try HH though.

Any thoughts, ideas, opinions? I really would appreciate some feedback. Thanks!

Lisa

 

[TIdoublegaER]

There is tons of stuff to do at HH and at other places (Savannah, Charleston) in close proximity. We generally spend 5 days at HH and still feel as if we haven't done all we wanted to do. There are several restaurants within walking distance of the resort, although I would not be at HH without a car. The beach house is about a mile down the road. Savannah is about 45 minutes by car or boat, while Charleston is several hours away. There are plantations, civil war sites, nature areas right around the island. The resort also offers activities such as kayaking, horseback riding, dolphin cruises, crabbing excursions, plus different activities for the kids. The resort will also setup tee times at the various golf courses as well.

 

[PADVCmember@OKW]

Our "typical" length of stay at HH is 5 nights. We find that is usually not enough. For us, the attraction to HH is the laid back atmosphere with plenty to do if one chooses to.

 

[sgtpet]

I will tell you that 4 nights is perfect. I stayed at HH this past June for 5 nights and was itching to go home towards the end. I find it somewhat boring and nothing to different than what I can do elsewhere. I think the activities are great but 4 nights is the way to go.

 

[Laurabearz]

I stayed 5 nights and wanted more..... LOL SO I guess everyone is different! (but then again it rained for 3 days!)

The kids activities are GREAT! Sign up early! The beach house is wonderful... the grounds are wonderful.... Lots to do in town, even though we never left the resort! LOL

I think at least 4 nights..... 5 would be great......

Next time we go it will be for a whole week.... if not longer. It was truely a relaxing fun fill vacation!

 

[LisaR]

Thanks to everyone for their opinions. I guess I am never going to know how much is too much until I try it myself. What I am really curious about is if HH is pretty much just like VB? We loved VB but 6 nights was just too much. I am kind of getting the idea that HH has more to do then VB. If that is the case, I would like to do 5 or 6 nights there.

Lisa

 

[Disneyaholic]

We've stayed at HH for as many as 10 consecutive nights and it STILL wasn't enough!

We absolutely love the place. We've been to Vero once, but it was several years ago. We also had our first visit to HH later that same year. For our family, HH was far better, hands down.

Thanksgiving will be our third trip there this year!

 

[Candace]

Although I really enjoy Vero Beach, I feel like there is a lot more to do at HH. Both resorts are small, and I like that, but HH just has more available - kids programs, water programs for kids and adults, restaurants (with live music) just right across the bridge which you walk across. I have never stayed over 4 nights at VB, and I have stayed only 6 in a row at HH, but those 6 are usually not enough. If you don't mind driving a bit, Savannah is beautiful and very historic, as is Beaufort, SC, which is about 1 hour away. Charleston, which has tons to do, is about a 2 hour drive. Enjoy!

 

[DeeDeeDis]

Visited HH in August for the first time. Its beautiful, very quite and relaxing. If your renting a car from Savanah (airport) you could drive to WDW for a few days, its only 5 hours from HH to WDW, all highway we did that in august. For 250 a person i'd want to stay longer than 4 days. Have a great trip.

 

[sumessefui]

You will love HH. We find that 3 nights at VB is more than enough, but at HH we stay 6 nights and have more to do than time to do it. The resort pool is nice and there is another pool at the beach house, and the beach is better than at VB. If you love to bike and hike there are paths throughout the island. There are also lots of historical sights to see. While we have found many good places to eat at VB, there are many more easy to get to places at HH. You do need to have a car.

 

[sgtpet]

Just curious as to those who spent 7 plus days at HH and thought there was more to do, what else was there? I think it is a great resort, well designed and kept. I just became a little stir crazy being there. In fact my car got 4 dings because the spots are so close to each other that when you open the door, BAM. I have never seen that mentioned here. I think I need to call Billy what's his name and get the DING KING.

 

[Disneyaholic]

We tend to think of Hilton Head as "down time", so we're not necessarily always doing something.

We enjoy the pools and beach, of course. DH and DS have to get in a couple rounds of golf; DD and I have to get in a couple rounds of shopping.

We take advantage of some of the resort activities, but mostly just enjoy being there! One summer, we had record rains while we were there (Savannah experienced major flooding). We spent several hours one day at Barnes & Nobel, browsing, reading, listening to music, and buying, LOL!! That's something we'd probably never do at home.

I guess I'm just trying t say that for our family, whatever we do, we'd rather be doing it at HH!

 

[sgtpet]

I just think it is an upscale Jersey shore type location. The ocean isn't as beautiful as it is in Florida. It is murky like Maryland and Jersey. I just felt outside the resort it wasn't so magnificient. I clearly know that I am in the minority on this. I know I will stay there again in the future.

 

[LisaR]

Well, we took the plunge and did it in a big way! I just booked EIGHT nights at HH in MARCH! Went from a few nights in May to a lot of nights in March. Go figure! The points are cheaper and airfare was MUCH cheaper. We love to hike and bike but only in cooler weather which meant May would have been too hot for us, probably. We also plan on touring the different historical areas and relaxing. It sounds like there is much more to do in the surrounding areas then VB. Plus, the activities at HH sound wonderful. It will be spring break time so the activities should be numerous. We have never been disappointed in any DVC vacation as of yet and I know we won't this time. We are excited!! Thanks to everyone for all the help.

Lisa

 

[canda]

Alot of people forget about the arts center across the street from the resort at shelter cove. The resort has speacial tickets availible for the plays and off-broadway shows that are showing while you are there. We always seem to miss the shows we would like to see by one or two days. If someone has the number to the center or call the resort, you could get a show sched.

 

[cgcw]

LisaR,
What an exciting trip to look forward to!
I'll bet you and your family will love it there. Our kids were 2 and 7 last summer when we went. Our older DS prefers HH to WDW. Your kids may enjoy climbing the lighthouse at Harbour Town. And, the Salty Dog Restaurant out at South Point (is that right) was a hit with our kids too.
We tend to find time to really relax and then it's over and time to come back to reality. We find for our family 6 nights is not enough but what we'll settle for now. DH would like to spend 2 solid weeks there but we don't have enough points to do that in July. Maybe we'll have to try another time of year.
Anyway, have fun. It's a great resort!