HHI - a poor excuse

[Conan the Librarian]

After discussing this thread with the 'Boss' (my wife) we decided to to book a couple of nights at HHI in January.

Its only a 50 mile drive for us and only 12 points for a studio....why Not?!?

Won't be swimming, but, then again, the beaches are better on the Georgia side.


A quick get-away between our December WDW and our February WDW

 

[hoopsrob]

3. Incredibly noisy rooms - our girls were unable to take afternoon naps due to the constant noise from people climbing the stairs outside, or from the cell phone ringing in the neighbor's room. or the vacuum in the room above, or the neighbor's conversations in their room. It was amazing. I suspect that if I had tried a little harder I could have heard both ends of the cell phone conversation in the next room.

Darn those people making noise and having a good time IN THE AFTERNOON while they are on vacation.

 

[WolfpackFan]

Regarding the $5 charge for Sea Pines. It doesn't bother me at all. It is hard enough to find parking as it is. Think how crowded it would be if they didn't charge the $5. I look at it as a day long parking pass rather than as an entry fee. As far as snooty, we've eaten at both the Salty Dog and Crazy Crab and I would never describe either place as being snooty. I had a great conversation with the bartender at the Crazy Crab last time we were there and I'm sure he would get a laugh at being called snooty. Personally I think the OP had a chip on their shoulder to start with and found things to find fault with. It started when they didn't get a Welcome Home like they were expecting and then when they didn't see Mickey Mouse standing at the front door, everything went downhill from there. But hey, if it discourages folks from booking HHI that's great. It's hard enough to get ressies as it is, especially 7 months during summer in a studio or 1BR (which is what we want these days). Like I said before we have 150 pts. at VWL and 80 at HHI BUT wish all 230 were at HHI.

 

[Disneyaholic]

It started when they didn't get a Welcome Home like they were expecting and then when they didn't see Mickey Mouse standing at the front door, everything went downhill from there.

Well if they missed the beautiful statue of Mickey across from the check-in desk, they definitely had other things on their minds!

I'm with the rest of you who say it's perfectly OK for the OP to not worry about vacationing at HH in the future. There are plenty of other people who love the resort and will be more than happy to use our points there!

 

[Jynohn]

I didn't care for HH either, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that we went in November, the week after Thanksgiving, and the resort was almost completely empty when we got there. I would honestly be surprised if there were more than 10 or 15 other families staying there. At WDW that would have been a dream come true, but at HH it just gave the place a desolate kind of feel. Add in the fact that many of the area shops and restaurants were closed for the season, and there were very few activities going on at the resort due to weather and lack of crowds, and it made for a very underwhelming vacation.

I'm the kind of person who likes a lot of activities and entertainment when I'm on vacation. I feel like I can watch tv or read a book at home any time I want, when I'm away I like to try new and interesting things. So while our vacation was certainly relaxing, it definitely wasn't what I was looking for. What made matters a lot worse for me was those darn signs indicating how many miles to the other DVC's. So close, yet so far! I kept begging DH to pack up the car and take me to WDW instead, but he wasn't up for the additional 5 hours or so of driving

All that said, we had no problems with the resort itself. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful, our room was nice and in good repair, and the surroundings were beautiful. We may give it another try in the future, but next time it will be a day or two pitstop on the way to WDW!

 

[Mahusky]

We just returned from Hilton Head for our 6th summer. HH is so unlike WDW which is what makes it so appealing to my family.

Much the same can be said for VB and that is EXACTLY why we bought there after staying there the very first time. I mean we LOVE WDW but to have a "High Quality" experience that you can get with Disney is what makes HHI and VB unique.

Please stay away from my precious VB... less competition for rooms there!

Kidding of course.....

 

[dis-happy]

Sea Pines (HT Links, lighthouse, etc) was purchased by Bill Goodwin and his company a couple of summers ago. (same guy who owns the Kiawah Resort and it trying to turn the resort there into 5 star---really, everything he does is first class). The price to tour the lighthouse went up this summer from $1.50 to $2., kind of annoying, but not like you are forced to go up there. But I always encourage visitors to do it at least once. Didn't you enjoy the great view from there?

The $5. gate fee is to off-set the cost of the transportation trolley, public beach access, bike paths. There are tons of visitors to HH every year...can you imagine what it would be like if there were no controls to stop everyone and his brother from driving through? Many companies will offer to refund the gate fee if you book a reservation with them. I think the only reason SP even offers entry with a gate fee is because they must due to public beach access. Many plantations on island don't allow you to visit at all. Greg Russell also does a children's show in SP every night but Sat. night---he's the original, pre-dates Shannon Tanner. Like parking at WDW theme parks, your pass to enter is good for the entire day, sorry if you didn't get a chance to come back to listen to it. Did your children enjoy the HT playground at least?

When staying at BCV we usually walk to Epcot/WS to eat. The walk from HH-Disney to Shelter Cove to eat isn't any longer than that, just a few minutes long.

My very best advice as an experienced mom of 3: when you travel bring a white noise machine!

Can honestly say that everyone I've ever met here over the years (resident and tourist) have not had any snob issues. Not sure what you meant by that. Most people are happy to have a relaxing, enjoyable beach vacation in a family atmosphere. Sorry it wasn't your cup of tea.....

 

[HUFF590]

HHI has become one of my families favorite places to get away when not at WDW we love it, and though you dont see alot of (Disney) there ,I have always felt like I was at a Disney resort. I hope they keep it much the way it is now IMOP its great.

 

[Judique]

Sorry you didn't enjoy my favorite resort. It's obviously not a perfect fit for everyone. For me, I've never felt any attraction for the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge.

(Secretly-thanks for writing this!!!! - There are just to to many people who absolutely have fallen in love with Hilton Head and it's getting too difficult to book there. Maybe this will make a few stay home!)

Yes....that's right folks! It's a horrible snooty stodgy place- don't go! Especially over July 4th next year........

 

[TCPluto]

Yep, the Shelter Cove Marina was there long before Disney purchased Longview Island. We've been going to HH for over 25 years and purchased an add-on there in 1995. During the "tour" (there were no models at that time- but we were taken to the near side of the marina next to the Harbourmaster to see the foundations being poured) we took in March, 1995 the marina was definitely already there and filled with boats.

According to the tour that DVC gives, the marina had slips for about a dozen small boats before Disney. Disney dredged and built up up the area increasing the number of slips ten fold.

I'm only relying on the information from the Disney folks.

 

[canda]

I am from Greensboro too, where the OP is from. Most of the several hundred of us who are members of DVC, love HHI.

To the OP, I would like to know which side of town you live on. Because your snootyville remark was funny to me. I would like to know if you live in Greensboro's "snootyville" or not.

 

[KirstenB]

DH and I love HH. We've been there alone 3 trips, and waited until dd1 was 4 to bring her. WDW is amazingly accomodating for families with babies/small children. Frankly, I've gotten very spoiled there over the years.

I think HH is better for kids 4 and older.

1. The rooms can be noisy. It's tough enough to get your baby to settle down away from home without the added noise factor.

2. DD2 is 11 months old. If we took her back to HH, restaurants within walking distance like Scotts and Kingfisher wouldn't be of use to us. With a baby/small child, it can be hard to eat out anyway. So for now, we'd need to drive to an Applebee's, or fast food. Yes, the OP could have cooked back in her room, but don't we all try to escape from cooking at least a couple nights on vacation?

3. If I didn't see highchairs at the resort, I might not think to ask for them.

Having been there several times, we know all of the above. But a first visit might have been disappointing.

And of course the closet door thing would have been irritating. Constantly having to keep the baby away from the closet wouldn't have been magical to me either.

 

[sigillaria]

We love the resort and the Island.
The off site dining was a condition of the resort being built in the first place. The marina didn't exist until Disney developed the property. The only way Disney was allowed to proceed with the construction was the marina development and the contigency of no onsite restaurants, because the area restaurants would be negatively affected.

This is absolutely correct-we bought pre-constuction and our guide informed us of this little known fact.
At first there was NO food at the resort, only burgers etc at the beach house.

It was a major victory for Disney to buy the little island in the middle of Broad Creek. People had been wanting it for eons but the owners would not sell.

 

[snarfieca]

We went to HHI in March on our way home from WDW. We were there for 3 nights. We really enjoyed it there. The CMs were very friendly. They gave us directions to a Publix for groceries. We were in a 1br and we used the kitchen for meals so we didn't miss any on-sight restaurants. The resort was full when we were there but we hardly heard any noise. We really liked the fridge with its water/ice dispenser.

Brenda
from MB

 

[gmboy95]

I think this post is great, because it sparks conversation...I like HH because I like golf, and i like the beach...I have played golf there and spend quite a bit of time at the golf course. For those who like the beach, the beach house is great and both the pools are cool as well....i guess it depends on what your expecations are. if you hate golf and the beach you may have trouble with the place...but i must say, i do like Harbourtown!

 

[StevieD]

Well, we just returned from a trip to HHI as well, so here is my 2 cents:

We have been visiting HHI for the last 7 years - its one of our favourite places to vist. We have one daughter (now 10), and she has spent a week of almost every summer of her life at HH. Its a great family beach environment - good restaurants, great beaches, great resorts, lots of entertainment options and outdoor activities. We've never found it to be "snooty", but its not a cheap vacation destination. All that said, HHI DVC may not be the best place to stay for a HHI vacation. As mentioned by Dean, there are better places to stay for that real beach atmosphere at HHI. My opinion is this - if you own DVC and want a break from Disney one year, HHI may be a good alternative. However, I wouldn't buy DVC to primarily use at HHI. The Marriott resorts are, in my opinion, better situated and nicer (at least Barony or Grande Ocean). Another alternative (which we usually do) is to rent a villa/condo/townhome in Palmetto Dunes, Sea Pines, or one of the other resort developments. We usually select units which are not right on the beach, but within a 2-3 minute walk (we can recommend Abington/Huntington in Palmetto Dunes, Turtle Lane Club in Sea Pines) and with a pool. Our normal routine is beach in the morning, pool in the afternoon/beach walks in evening. Having the beach within a short walk is a huge advantage to us (and literally makes the vacation for us).

On this trip, we had a few extra days on either end of our Sat-to-Sat villa stay so we opted to use some of our DVC points to try out the HHI DVC property. We found the accomodations very nice, certainly up to Disney standards (we own DVC at BCV where we usually stay, although we also very much like VWL). The property itself is fairly conveniently located, but for us, being so far from the beach is a real disadvantage. For a few days not a problem, but not for an entire week. The Beach House itself was nice, although the pool is a bit small. We stayed on 7/28 then 8/5. The pools were not very crowded, but we did notice that the pools were extremely warm (not very refreshing - especially the feature pool at the resort - anyone know why?). We did notice that the beach house access from the beach was not very secure - not sure if this was being exploited, but if you wanted to use the Disney beach pool, it wouldn't be hard to do. We also thought that it was a shame they shut down the pool slide so early - 5pm. We were told it was to keep costs down as they didn't want to employ lifeguards in the late afternoon/early evening. It would seem to be only a marginal cost, and 5pm in the summer comes awfully early - they should consider changing this.

As for lack of food options - we didn't see this as a problem at all. Heck, half the fun on HHI is trying out all the good restaurants and ice cream joints. A couple of our favourites - Rita's Italian Ice (wouldn't be an HHI trip without at least one stop), Signe's for breakfast/lunch, Sea Shack for lunch/dinner, Crazy Crab or Hudsons occasionally; we are split on Giussepes at Shelter Cover (I hate it but my wife and daughter love it).

So - its hard not to have fun on HHI no matter where you might stay. If you make it a regular destination, consider something closer to the beach than DVC. However if its just a break from WDW, the HHI DVC property is still a nice place to stay (you just have to work a little harder to work in the beach logistics).

 

[MycatlovesEeyore]

As it has been most prolifically stated, I am in the minority.

As one poster said, I was very "underwhelmed" by the vacation. The resort offered no more than I could get at any other beach resort and much less than many IMO.

I have seen the best Disney has to offer and this resort fell well short. To all of you who enjoy it, so be it. Enjoy yourselves and have fun. It is just not my cup of tea and I will admit that.

I promise, I will stay in Florida, if you guys all stay in South Carolina

 

[HUFF590]

As it has been most prolifically stated, I am in the minority.

As one poster said, I was very "underwhelmed" by the vacation. The resort offered no more than I could get at any other beach resort and much less than many IMO.

I have seen the best Disney has to offer and this resort fell well short. To all of you who enjoy it, so be it. Enjoy yourselves and have fun. It is just not my cup of tea and I will admit that.

I promise, I will stay in Florida, if you guys all stay in South Carolina

It offers a free stay to DVC members.

 

[mbhoxsie]

The OP is certainly entitled to his own opinion... I, for one, can understand how someone could go to an offsite DVC resort expecting the same type of Disney experience as they would get at an onsite one...

Let's face it though... Offsite resorts are not for everyone... Isn't that why DVD has only built two so far?? (Much to my dismay. ) In the past, we've heard similar comments before about both HHI and VB...

My take... I love the offsite resorts because they are different.. They generally run at a slower pace.. The tend to turn over CM's less and you see the same faces year after year... Most CM's really try and compensate for the lack of complete Disney immersion by offering a more personal touch... (Maybe the OP's first CM impression was of someone having less than a stellar day..)

We have stayed at HHI twice, and plan to stay there again.. We love that place... Do we wish that they offered some sort of sit down restaurant like VB with later hours?? Sure?? But they don't, and so we compensate by ordering food in or by getting a 1BR and by cooking in the room..

Do we wish they had characters at the resort?? I don't think so... None of the DVC resorts have character visits except VB with their weekly character b-fast with Goofy? B'lou Crabbie and Shadow are good alternatives and certainly keep the kids entertained and help keep the theming.. IMO, having Mickey or Donald at the resort would over commercialize Disney's presence and ditract from the resort. (Now maybe B'riar Bear, B'rair Fox, or B'rair Rabbit. .) Staying in a Studio, the OP missed a few touches... Shadow's footprints in the tiles by the entryway... Mickey's and Minnie's and Walt's initials carved in the mudroom bench, etc...

To get the full effect of any offsite resort, you almost need to be an active participant in some of the activities... You need to go to the campfires, funny bunny hunts, Star Spangled Thursday's, Unbirthday parties, and etc... This is not something most people go to an onsite DVC resort looking for... (Two of the DVC resorts don't even have Community Halls as a central hub for activities..) Some guests show up at the resort and expect for the magic automatically to kick in, and with how Disney immerses themselves into the very fabric of WDW, this is the only experience those guests know... At offsite resorts, you do have to look a bit harder and be a cocontributor...

MycatlovesEeyore: I am sorry you did not get the experience you were looking for at HHI, and I would encourage you not to forever discount the offsite resorts, and maybe try HHI or VB again at a different time under different circumstances..

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Like I have said before, HHI is not our home, but after a few stays we will continue to go there. HHI offers a very unique look at wildlife... I am sorry you had a bad experience. Above all resort locations, HHI is more about wildlife than all the others I think. We haven't had the bad experiences you did. Again, I am sorry your experience wasn't up to standards, but please don't judge the resort on one stay. I hope you're next stay meets your needs. DVC is the best decision.