HHI Primer Needed

[buckeyejennifer]

We are going to HHI for the first time in a few weeks. My DH and I will be taking our 3-year old DD and DH's 76 yo (very healthy and active) father with us. We are staying in a 2-bedroom and paying cash for this stay. None of us have ever been to HHI before. We are flying into Savannah and driving in for a Thursday-Sunday stay (September 16-19). We are planning a day trip on Friday to Parris Island (my husband's Dad was a Marine during the Korean War and did his basic training there--he is SUPER excited about our visit).

Having never been there before, can you give us some ideas of appropriate activities? Is the resort within walking distance to other things--shops, restaurants? Is the island difficult to navigate? I read on here about the dolphin watch tours and I'm hoping to call tomorrow and get reservations for that for one day.

Also, my husband and his Dad both love seafood. Can you recommend a casual, family-friendly seafood restaurant with some character? Maybe something on the water that is an easy drive from the resort? Sorry for all the questions!!!

Oh, and one more--is there a villa location we should request when we check in?

Thanks for you help!

 

[katdocnorf]

HHI is great. I have been there a couple of times now and actually wanted to go back this year but couldn't get the dates I wanted so we will be heading to VB in April.

We were in HHI Last September for about 4 days. We love the relaxation. I believe we were in Bldg 12 (I will check this if I can and repost if it is different) which is a short distance to the pool, overlooks the water (incoastal waterway) and you can see the playground. Loved that I could see playground as I could send 9 yo and 3yo and could watch them from the porch.

There is many activities to do. Fishing excursions, kayaking and childs activities. We did the nature walk this trip, watched the magic show and did the campfire, which were all great. I shuttle takes you to Disney's Beach house (ocean side) as this is a good distance away; however, one trip we did ride the rental bikes to it.

If you want to be able to get around at greater distances I would suggest renting bikes (you can get a bicycle seat for your 3 yo), but there are restaurants in some of the hotels across the marina from Disney's resort. I have not ate at any of them but if you do a search on Yahoo local for Hilton Head you can find some of them and get some reviews. Kingfishers Seafood and Steakhouse is the closest and then there is Ocean Grill which is a short walk, both seem to have good reviews.

You are welcome to look at my photos on my MySpace from out last trip. www.myspace.com/katdocnorf. It was my (at the time) 13 yo DS and 3 yo DD birthdays at the time and I let them know before arriving and they had balloons and birthday cards waiting in the room when we arrived. We also drove down as we are only 8 hours away so the first couple of pics were at some rest stops.

 

[Mfgs]

Will you be renting a car? HHI is not big (12 miles long) but things are a bit spread out. Hudson's Seafood and the Boathouse II, both on Squire Pope Rd, are family friendly restaurants and have great seafood. Also Redfish and Alexander's are wonderful, but somewhat more upscale.

You can catch a dolphin cruise from both Shelter Cove and South Beach Marina. Shelter Cove is within walking distance from the DVC resort and South Beach (where the Salty Dog is located) is in Sea Pines. To enter Sea Pines you need to pay $5.00 for a gate pass but there are many fun places to visit. You can go horseback riding at Lawton Stables and there is also a petting zoo. Harbortown and South Beach have many wonderful shops and restaurants. You can also rent bikes at South Beach and there are a lot of paths that wind through the community and golf courses. We usually bike from South Beach over to Harbortown for lunch and shopping and then bike back to the Salty Dog for a ice cream cone.

Enjoy you vacation. HHI is beautiful in Sept. Much less crowded and the weather is usually perfect.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Yes, for seafood at a casual resturant on the water I'd also recommend Salty Dog. Not on the water but VERY casual, the Sea Shack has its own quirky character. We also like Hudson's for seafood on the water, but don't find it too easy/quick to get to.