Well I recently got home from my summer vacation on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, and I have to say.. wow! I finally get it!
I will be honest with you all, I went in with very low expectations. As a kid growing up in Jersey and spending countless weeks at Jersey Shore (LBI, Seaside, etc...) summer beach vacations had kind of lost thier luster on me. I was so used to the crowds and the drunks and the cold water and short eroded beaches and the New Yorkers (no offense to the Bennies) and the dirty water and the broken glass and cigarette covered sand, that I had very little interest in going to a beach to use my points, especially since they are just as good at WDW. But, after three WDW trips within a a year, my wife and I felt it was time to try something different.
This board is chock full of HHI lovers, I read here how people love the island, I hear from people I know at home, how beautiful it is, never have I heard a bad thing about it from a family vacation destinantion. So I figure there must be something to it, it must be different and we decided to try it out, and boy am I glad we did. It is 180 degrees oposite of any beach/shore destinations I have ever been to.
Booked a summer week in July at 7 months no problem. I didn't even call day by day, I kinda forgot. I did one call for the first 3 days and a second call for the other 4. Booked a 2BR for the week. I also booked the first Saturday night and following Friday nights on cash with member discount at 7 months. (99 points for Sat. night is killer and $346.50 didn't seem so bad). Linked the reservation and prepared for the 15 hour drive from Jersey to the south of South Carolina.
About 5 months before the trip, the kind sales folks at Marriott called me to go look at thier newest property in HHI (the 127th Marriott property in HHI). they told me, if I did thier 90 minute sales presentation at Surfwatch, they would put me up for 4 days and 3 nights. I got a 2BR at Barony Beach Club Saturday-Tues for $400 and trip to Surfwatch. watching thos points float back into my account was very nice.
I have to say, as a kid I drove to Orlando with my two sisters and my parents in an Oldmobile sedan... and I have no idea how we made it alive, save for the South of the Border signs and Georgia peanut fights. My family trip consisted of 6 of us in the Ford Expedition, my two daughters (5 & 3) and my 7YO niece watched DVDs and my wife and I listened to Sirius and my BIL slept in the 3rd row buried under luggage. (note for next trip: external luggage carrier). Not very exciting but it worked well for 15 hours.
By the way, I 95 has to be the most boring drive ever... 2 lanes and trees.. for ever. Left the house at 4AM, thinking the kids would sleep till around 9.. that did not happen. Problem with travelling with 3 kids, and folks with 3 kids tell me if this is true or not, but the problem is at best only 2 of the kids are always being good at any given time, which leads to chaos rather quickly.
Reading another post on this forum reminded of my next HHI tip. Don't use Mapquest to get directions. Mapquest thinks the road into Barony Beach Club through the Port Royal Plantation is called Coggin's Bluff Road, apparently this information is exclusive to Mapquest and has not been shared with anyone in, on or around HHI. They all just seem to know where everything is. It seems everyone on HHI knows it becasue they have all been coming there forever, nobody new.. except me. Tip for future first timers, arrive in daytime. the signs to the resorts, disneys included are small, brown treecovered and unlit, in fact, everything is along 278 is small, brown treecovered and unlit, even the taco bell. Makes for a beautiful drive and beatiful scenery, but terrible for directions. I still hear the locals cursing my Jersey plates as I drove all night trying to find the piggly wiggly.
First stop, Marriott's Barony Beach Club, where the kind folks at Marriott set my crew up in an oceanfront 2BR villa (sweet... They must really want me to buy Surfwatch) Even the front desk people were surprised, as marketing guests usually stay at the gardenview buildings, which I believe are actually reside in Bluffton (the place has an odd layout). Anyway, we have a great room overlooking the beach and the pool. and spend a some qualtiy time there.
Tuesday we check out and move over to Disney. By now I almost knew my way around and actually found the resort easily. Checked in, room was not ready, so we just walked around and went to the pool. Now, my wife and kids are not nature people... they don't camp or hike, they tend to scream loudly when any kind of insect comes near them.. city people. and they loved the peacefulness of the resort. It was so nice. The place was 100% booked and you could walk around total silence. I think the pool/beach house setup really splits the crowds up nicely. We were in building 29 Marshy/Tree view. I loved sitting on my back porch every morning and evening in my rocking chair, watched the Fireworks from our porch on Tuesday night.
The room had some problems, but nothing terrible. Some of shadows famous tiles were cracked, and the dryer was on loan from satan, but nothing major. One thing that was odd, while we were checking in, there were CMs moving the other guests stuff out, and they kept asking me if I noticed an odd smell. I didn't smell anything but Lysol..as my wife always dumps a can of it into any room we check into. but I was a little concerned that I moved into a room that people moved out of becasue of the smell and I did not smell anything. I either am not as sensative to this particular smell, or maybe my nose is broke.
We did loads of activities and pool/beach. Low Country Boil was good, great gumbo. and the music of Mr. Crabbe. Who I was able to chat with for a while.. real nice guy. My niece and daughter got into birdwatching, after doing an activity. We made birdfeeders and hung them in the trees behind our villa. My daughter was amazed that I could knew how to make up the name of evey bird that flew by.. "Why that is the 'South Carolina Chirping Robin Woodpecker Jay Cardinal!', of course" Aren't 5 year olds great? I rode a bike for the first time in about 12 years. I remembered! Tip for bike riders. If you ride your bike on the beach and the wind is at your back, pay attention to how far you go... becasue when you turn around and have to ride into the wind... it is a little teeny bit harder to travel.
Anyway, it was a great trip and I will definately return to Disney's HHI resort in the future.. maybe even next summer.
This has gone on way too long. but I hope you find useful information in my HHI experience.
I will be honest with you all, I went in with very low expectations. As a kid growing up in Jersey and spending countless weeks at Jersey Shore (LBI, Seaside, etc...) summer beach vacations had kind of lost thier luster on me. I was so used to the crowds and the drunks and the cold water and short eroded beaches and the New Yorkers (no offense to the Bennies) and the dirty water and the broken glass and cigarette covered sand, that I had very little interest in going to a beach to use my points, especially since they are just as good at WDW. But, after three WDW trips within a a year, my wife and I felt it was time to try something different.
This board is chock full of HHI lovers, I read here how people love the island, I hear from people I know at home, how beautiful it is, never have I heard a bad thing about it from a family vacation destinantion. So I figure there must be something to it, it must be different and we decided to try it out, and boy am I glad we did. It is 180 degrees oposite of any beach/shore destinations I have ever been to.
Booked a summer week in July at 7 months no problem. I didn't even call day by day, I kinda forgot. I did one call for the first 3 days and a second call for the other 4. Booked a 2BR for the week. I also booked the first Saturday night and following Friday nights on cash with member discount at 7 months. (99 points for Sat. night is killer and $346.50 didn't seem so bad). Linked the reservation and prepared for the 15 hour drive from Jersey to the south of South Carolina.
About 5 months before the trip, the kind sales folks at Marriott called me to go look at thier newest property in HHI (the 127th Marriott property in HHI). they told me, if I did thier 90 minute sales presentation at Surfwatch, they would put me up for 4 days and 3 nights. I got a 2BR at Barony Beach Club Saturday-Tues for $400 and trip to Surfwatch. watching thos points float back into my account was very nice.
I have to say, as a kid I drove to Orlando with my two sisters and my parents in an Oldmobile sedan... and I have no idea how we made it alive, save for the South of the Border signs and Georgia peanut fights. My family trip consisted of 6 of us in the Ford Expedition, my two daughters (5 & 3) and my 7YO niece watched DVDs and my wife and I listened to Sirius and my BIL slept in the 3rd row buried under luggage. (note for next trip: external luggage carrier). Not very exciting but it worked well for 15 hours.
By the way, I 95 has to be the most boring drive ever... 2 lanes and trees.. for ever. Left the house at 4AM, thinking the kids would sleep till around 9.. that did not happen. Problem with travelling with 3 kids, and folks with 3 kids tell me if this is true or not, but the problem is at best only 2 of the kids are always being good at any given time, which leads to chaos rather quickly.
Reading another post on this forum reminded of my next HHI tip. Don't use Mapquest to get directions. Mapquest thinks the road into Barony Beach Club through the Port Royal Plantation is called Coggin's Bluff Road, apparently this information is exclusive to Mapquest and has not been shared with anyone in, on or around HHI. They all just seem to know where everything is. It seems everyone on HHI knows it becasue they have all been coming there forever, nobody new.. except me. Tip for future first timers, arrive in daytime. the signs to the resorts, disneys included are small, brown treecovered and unlit, in fact, everything is along 278 is small, brown treecovered and unlit, even the taco bell. Makes for a beautiful drive and beatiful scenery, but terrible for directions. I still hear the locals cursing my Jersey plates as I drove all night trying to find the piggly wiggly.
First stop, Marriott's Barony Beach Club, where the kind folks at Marriott set my crew up in an oceanfront 2BR villa (sweet... They must really want me to buy Surfwatch) Even the front desk people were surprised, as marketing guests usually stay at the gardenview buildings, which I believe are actually reside in Bluffton (the place has an odd layout). Anyway, we have a great room overlooking the beach and the pool. and spend a some qualtiy time there.
Tuesday we check out and move over to Disney. By now I almost knew my way around and actually found the resort easily. Checked in, room was not ready, so we just walked around and went to the pool. Now, my wife and kids are not nature people... they don't camp or hike, they tend to scream loudly when any kind of insect comes near them.. city people. and they loved the peacefulness of the resort. It was so nice. The place was 100% booked and you could walk around total silence. I think the pool/beach house setup really splits the crowds up nicely. We were in building 29 Marshy/Tree view. I loved sitting on my back porch every morning and evening in my rocking chair, watched the Fireworks from our porch on Tuesday night.
The room had some problems, but nothing terrible. Some of shadows famous tiles were cracked, and the dryer was on loan from satan, but nothing major. One thing that was odd, while we were checking in, there were CMs moving the other guests stuff out, and they kept asking me if I noticed an odd smell. I didn't smell anything but Lysol..as my wife always dumps a can of it into any room we check into. but I was a little concerned that I moved into a room that people moved out of becasue of the smell and I did not smell anything. I either am not as sensative to this particular smell, or maybe my nose is broke.
We did loads of activities and pool/beach. Low Country Boil was good, great gumbo. and the music of Mr. Crabbe. Who I was able to chat with for a while.. real nice guy. My niece and daughter got into birdwatching, after doing an activity. We made birdfeeders and hung them in the trees behind our villa. My daughter was amazed that I could knew how to make up the name of evey bird that flew by.. "Why that is the 'South Carolina Chirping Robin Woodpecker Jay Cardinal!', of course" Aren't 5 year olds great? I rode a bike for the first time in about 12 years. I remembered! Tip for bike riders. If you ride your bike on the beach and the wind is at your back, pay attention to how far you go... becasue when you turn around and have to ride into the wind... it is a little teeny bit harder to travel.
Anyway, it was a great trip and I will definately return to Disney's HHI resort in the future.. maybe even next summer.
This has gone on way too long. but I hope you find useful information in my HHI experience.
