*HHI Owners and Beach Lovers Group Thread*

[eticketplease]

Here's an interesting little tidbit. The two places we had the most disappointing meals at featured the same issues: mediocre service and food that looked as though it had been "dialed in." And both of those restaurants fall under the same restaurant management group: CRAB. Further, though we didn't hit Crazy Crab, I've never had an exciting meal at either restaurant--it's been off my rotation for some time now. . .it, too, is a CRAB restaurant. Coincidence? I'm thinking not.

We tend to stick to the SERG restaurants as @hhisc16 mentioned.

Certainly pricer but we like our discounts and they seem to be excellent quality for food & service.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Here's an interesting little tidbit. The two places we had the most disappointing meals at featured the same issues: mediocre service and food that looked as though it had been "dialed in." And both of those restaurants fall under the same restaurant management group: CRAB. Further, though we didn't hit Crazy Crab, I've never had an exciting meal at either restaurant--it's been off my rotation for some time now. . .it, too, is a CRAB restaurant. Coincidence? I'm thinking not.

That is interesting. We've been to Crazy Crab at Jarvis Creek several times, but last year, I was less than impressed. And we've found that there are so many restaurants that DO impress, we won't mind missing it this year.

 

[sleepydog25]

That is interesting. We've been to Crazy Crab at Jarvis Creek several times, but last year, I was less than impressed. And we've found that there are so many restaurants that DO impress, we won't mind missing it this year.

Exactly! This trip was more about finding places that seemed to offer good choices for everyone's palate plus the ambiance that our two friends (who'd never been to HHI) would enjoy. Left to my own devices, I'd have still done Hudson's (good) and Fishcamp (mediocre). Still, I had some marvelous food while there and, with the exception of the steakhouse, superb views. Speaking of views, here are a few from our villa in Shelter Cove.

Monday night--fireworks were spectacular from our balcony on Tuesday evening


Saw this 6-footer and another smaller one all week long down around the kayak launch


Friday morning

 

[LoveMickey]

Just made my first reservation for early next year

Can I request a particular building? Near pool, etc?

And if yes, what building would you suggest and how do I do this? I went into ma babe reservation and did not see how to get there. (I’ve previously made requests for WDW DVC resorts with no issues finding it)

 

[muppets3d]

Just made my first reservation for early next year

Can I request a particular building? Near pool, etc?

And if yes, what building would you suggest and how do I do this? I went into ma babe reservation and did not see how to get there. (I’ve previously made requests for WDW DVC resorts with no issues finding it)

What kind of room did you book? The resort is not large so none of the rooms are really far from the pool.

 

[hhisc16]

Exactly! This trip was more about finding places that seemed to offer good choices for everyone's palate plus the ambiance that our two friends (who'd never been to HHI) would enjoy. Left to my own devices, I'd have still done Hudson's (good) and Fishcamp (mediocre). Still, I had some marvelous food while there and, with the exception of the steakhouse, superb views. Speaking of views, here are a few from our villa in Shelter Cove.

Monday night--fireworks were spectacular from our balcony on Tuesday evening
View attachment 985933

Saw this 6-footer and another smaller one all week long down around the kayak launch
View attachment 985934

Friday morning
View attachment 985935

Great Plan B for when DHHIR is full!
Nice pictures!

 

[LoveMickey]

Booked a 2
Bedroom

 

[muppets3d]

Booked a 2
Bedroom

I am not sure which buildings have or don't have 2 bedroom villas. My guess is most of the buildings have 2 bedroom villas since that is the most common villa type at the resort. Here is a map of the resort i found online. You can call member services to submit a request for a particular building etc.

https://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/HHMap.pdf

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

I am not sure which buildings have or don't have 2 bedroom villas. My guess is most of the buildings have 2 bedroom villas since that is the most common villa type at the resort. Here is a map of the resort i found online. You can call member services to submit a request for a particular building etc.

https://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/HHMap.pdf

All of the buildings have 2-BRs except Buildings 11 and 12.

 

[sleepydog25]

Just made my first reservation for early next year

Can I request a particular building? Near pool, etc?

And if yes, what building would you suggest and how do I do this? I went into ma babe reservation and did not see how to get there. (I’ve previously made requests for WDW DVC resorts with no issues finding it)

You can request a particular building through DVC member services, or you can call the resort direct and talk to someone there to make the request. Further, when you get within a couple of weeks of your reservation, I highly recommend you call the resort and reiterate your request. They have CMs in the front office who work on the reservations daily, and calling one to two weeks out will help them plan short term as the reservations are constantly in flux.

Yes, most of the buildings have 2BRs. As DisneyStarWisher mentions, only 11 and 12 do not. That leaves nineteen other buildings that house four 2BRs each. There are no bad views. Some have balconies that overlook the interior of the resort, but even those are peaceful and relaxing and great for people and small animal watching. Below is a breakdown of the building locations of some of the more popular requests--you can use that map link above from muppets3d for reference.
WATER VIEWS: 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 22, 24, 27, 29, 31
- 13 may be the quietest building on property and is often overlooked. It's close to the main lodge (11) and shuttle pickup for the Beach House. It's the farthest from the pool, but with it being such a small resort, it's still only a 7-8 minute walk from Big Dipper and Tide Me Over.
- 14/15 have the largest balconies and they overlook the short boardwalk that connects the front of the resort to the middle of it. They sit the farthest back from the water, but when the tide comes in the water can come up close to the boardwalk. King tides will bring the water under the boardwalk!
- 17 has a peek-a-boo view of the water and the boardwalk
- 18 possesses a GV, so it also has a 1BR and studio in the building, along with four 2BRs. As you can see in the map, it's located roughly halfway between the main lodge and the pool.
- 22/24 are close to the pool and offer good views of the water, though I give 24 a slight edge in that the balconies don't look over the kids' play area as much as does bldg 22.
- 27/29 are on the other side of Big Dipper/TMO and both offer good water views, and they are close to the pool, as well.
- 31 is likely the most requested location because it has gorgeous water views--it sits at the mouth of the deep water opening to the Shelter Cove Marina, thus you can see all manner of boats, kayaks, paddle boards, et. al. coming and going throughout the day. Plus, it has superb views of the Tuesday night fireworks (during the summer months only). It's the farthest building from the main lodge, but even that is less than a 10-minute walk through luscious landscaping.
- Side note: The map may look as though other buildings have water views (e.g., 28 and 30) but they do not as the balconies all face inward. From the entrance stoop of those buildings, you can only see the marina through trees.
POOL LOCATION: 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
- 23, 25, & 26 have balconies that face the pool, though the views from 25 are somewhat obstructed by the water slide.
- The remaining buildings are all quite close to the pool. There are four entrances to the pool: front main entrance, side entrance near 24, and two back entrances off either side of 25.
- Keep in mind, however, that the entire resort is small and very walkable, and your walk largely will be in the shade of huge oak and pine trees.

Finally, I would strongly advise you ask for a top floor room unless you have mobility issues. With the top floor, you won't have anyone above you running around, and the sound barriers in these buildings are not strong. In fact, I would make the top floor a priority over water views though I'm sure many would disagree.

 

[LoveMickey]

Thank you all for your thoughts.