What's a good number of days to stay at HHI with a 4 yr old and 7 yr old? We've never been to HHI, the kids are more used to busy beach vacations (went to Myrtle Beach 3 times), but now that we are
DVC members, we want to experience Disney's Hilton Head.
There is a completely different vibe between Myrtle Beach and HHI--in short, HHI has a much more laid back feeling, what it commonly called the "low country" vibe. There is very little rushing around HHI, as the idea is to relax, unwind, and soak in the experience.
The beaches at HHI are not built up like hotel row at other destinations, such as Myrtle Beach. There is no main drag that is nothing but block after block of hotels, shops, and restaurants. The city leaders established building codes many years ago to ensure the island didn't look like one large hunk of concrete and asphalt. Buildings generally don't front a street--they're set back, often behind landscaping and other natural barriers (which can make driving HHI a little tough the first time). Signage is muted and more organic to the environment. Don't get me wrong: HHI is a full-on resort destination (Marriott alone has something like 8 resorts on HHI), but they largely blend into the natural beauty of the area.
To help get around HHI, there is something like 100-120 miles of bike paths, and they are very popular. In fact, I highly recommend renting bikes to get around and, yes, you can rent tag-a-longs or kids' bikes for your entire stay at a fairly modest cost--there are several reputable companies on the island (or you can rent from the Disney resort). These are not paths in the street, but rather standalone paths that parallel the main streets and take you to the beach, restaurants, miniature golf, shopping...virtually anywhere on the island. These paths take you among the trees and landscaping, too. All of that to say, while there is plenty of traffic and tourists at HHI, especially from late spring to late summer, it isn't just bumper to bumper cars, steel, and concrete.
As for the original question of how long, I'd say give yourself at least 5 nights in order to explore and appreciate the beauty of the area. There is plenty to do at the resort itself, daily activities that you can do, most of which are geared toward kids and kids at heart. There have been some weekly guide sheets posted on this thread, I believe, so if you go back, you can find one which will give you an idea. The activities can change from week to week, and some involve a nominal fee, but they are worth it. There is the main pool area and they have pool activities there, too. There are yard games scattered throughout the resort: horseshoes, corn hole, a putting green, bocce ball, giant checkers, and a basketball court. You can fish from the pier at the resort--no license needed. There are excursions you can book such as a dolphin cruise, or you can rent a kayak from the marina and head out and perhaps see dolphins that way.
Of course, there is the beach, located 1.5 miles from the resort, accessible via the free Disney shuttle that runs every 20-25 minutes, your car (limited parking during busy times of the day), biking, or walking. The beach is gorgeous and not usually anywhere near as crowded as Myrtle Beach. At the beach, Disney has its own Beach House which has a second pool, games such as corn hole, pool, foosball, and pingpong, and a grill that serves mostly finger foods and sandwiches, along with adult beverages for those who so choose. The Beach House has access to the public beach, so you can take your towels from there, go to the beach for a time, then come back and leave those towels at the Beach House.
Food? There are simply too many good places to eat to name, and everyone has his or her favorites. Almost everyone of them would be great for young kids, too. All of them allow children, of course, but a handful might be a bit too "nice" for a young child to appreciate it (OMBRA Cucina, Michael Anthony's, and Le Etoile Cafe among them). Unlike at Disney World, where you pay heavily inflated prices for increasingly lower quality food, most places at HHI are good to excellent. The resort itself only has a quick service at the main pool (Tide Me Over) and then the Surfman's Sand Bar (the grill at the Beach House), and they have limited hours. I think TMO is something like 8 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m., for example.
And this brings me to my last point. At the Disney resort, most rooms have kitchens where you can cook your own meals. The majority of rooms at the resort (70 out of 120, roughly), are 2BRs which have said kitchen. Of the remaining rooms, 21 are 1BRs, also with a full kitchen, and 5 Grand Villas which have a huge kitchen. Only 21 rooms are studios. So, you can hop over to a nearby grocery store or fish monger, and you can buy what you wish and make it in the room. That way, you can sit out on your deck and have lovely views of nature, the landscaping at the resort, perhaps a pool view, or if you can swing it, a marsh view.
The key to a good HHI vacation is to turn off the phones. Put down the tablets. Power down the laptops. It's a family-oriented vacation where you do activities together, where you don't have to rush to get to the next park, and where all you see is other people in cars driving down endless blocks of high-rise resorts and rentals. The magic at DHHIR is with the CMs, the service, the low country vibe, and within yourselves.
