HHI @ Thanksgiving

[antnyh]

Who out there has been to HHI during Thanksgiving? I was curious if there was anything to do.

 

[Candace]

Who out there has been to HHI during Thanksgiving? I was curious if there was anything to do.

Haven't been before at T'giving, but we are going this year. I would guess there's not alot to do, but I love being there anyway. the pool is heated, so some may swim, and I think I have heard about a flag football game on the beach. I am really looking forward to taking my husband there for the first time this year at Thanksgiving! Will we see you there?

 

[Simba's Mom]

Who out there has been to HHI during Thanksgiving? I was curious if there was anything to do.

We've got reservations there this year for our 5th consecutive Thanksgiving. There's the option of a fully cooked dinner delivered to your villa on Thanksgiving day. But there really isn't much to do-no lines to stand in for dinner, no traffic jams, no looking for a parking place when you go to the Beach house. Lots of things missing. Though, honestly, there's no fireworks in Shelter Cove off-season, but it's definitely worth it for us.

 

[antnyh]

Thanks for the responses. I will not be there this year. Too bad I would have looked you two up. We are planners and are thinking about next year.

 

[hmansure]

We've got reservations there this year for our 5th consecutive Thanksgiving. There's the option of a fully cooked dinner delivered to your villa on Thanksgiving day. But there really isn't much to do-no lines to stand in for dinner, no traffic jams, no looking for a parking place when you go to the Beach house. Lots of things missing. Though, honestly, there's no fireworks in Shelter Cove off-season, but it's definitely worth it for us.

Do they contact you (via mail/phone) prior to Thanksgiving regarding the dinner order? Do you recall any specifics on the menu/prices, etc? Thx.

We are headed down for Thanksgiving this year - really looking forward to it!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Do they contact you (via mail/phone) prior to Thanksgiving regarding the dinner order? Do you recall any specifics on the menu/prices, etc? Thx.

We are headed down for Thanksgiving this year - really looking forward to it!

They sent us a sheet by mail about a month in advance. I don't remember anything about it, since we order elsewhere, but I'll bet I have a copy from some year. I'll look in the morning.

 

[hmansure]

They sent us a sheet by mail about a month in advance. I don't remember anything about it, since we order elsewhere, but I'll bet I have a copy from some year. I'll look in the morning.

Very cool - thx. Where do you usually order from?

 

[Simba's Mom]

Very cool - thx. Where do you usually order from?

We've ordered from Piggly Wiggly and from Signe's Bakery. Signe's is really good, but their dinners are for two people, and they have just turkey slices, not a whole turkey. So for DH and me, it works fine, but not so much for a family. I think a couple other places have full meals-Salty Dog did two years ago, but I don't remember if they did last year. And I think you can order from Fresh Market. Check "The Island Packet" newspaper for all the choices.

 

[hmansure]

Received a mailing from the resort today which included a listing of Thanksgiving activities and a dinner menu.

They are offering 3 packages:

All packages include a choice of roast turkey, deep-fried turkey or ham; choice of sweet potato souffle, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese; choice of pumpkin or apple pie...

For 2 people ($70.00+tax) - 2lbs. stuffing, 1lb. green beans, 0.5lb cranberry relish, 1 lb. gravy, 1 stick of butter, 6 rolls.

For 4-6 people ($130.00+tax) - double the amounts above.

For 8-12 people ($230.00+tax) - 2 turkeys, 4 lbs mashed potatoes, sweet potato souffle.. the stuffing, gravy, green beans, and cranberries (double the amounts above), 24 rolls, and 2 pies.

Most of the stuff is able to be ordered in extra quantities as well.

Turkey sizes are 12-14 lbs.
Ham - 12-16 lbs.

 

[hmansure]

We've ordered from Piggly Wiggly and from Signe's Bakery. Signe's is really good, but their dinners are for two people, and they have just turkey slices, not a whole turkey. So for DH and me, it works fine, but not so much for a family. I think a couple other places have full meals-Salty Dog did two years ago, but I don't remember if they did last year. And I think you can order from Fresh Market. Check "The Island Packet" newspaper for all the choices.

Signe's 2010 menu does include a whole turkey option this year

 

[Simba's Mom]

Signe's 2010 menu does include a whole turkey option this year

They said there was going to be something new this year. I guess that's it. That 2 person option at the resort is a pretty good price. The only problem that used to be (I don't know if it still is) was that when it says "delivery between 8:00 and 1:00", they can deliver anytime in that time range so you have to be there for that whole period of time. And since DH is doing the Piggly Wiggly Turkey Trot at 8:00, meaning we won't be back until after 10:00, or so. I'm going to ask them, though, if it's still that way. If you can schedule the time, we might consider that one next year.

 

[hmansure]

They said there was going to be something new this year. I guess that's it. That 2 person option at the resort is a pretty good price. The only problem that used to be (I don't know if it still is) was that when it says "delivery between 8:00 and 1:00", they can deliver anytime in that time range so you have to be there for that whole period of time. And since DH is doing the Piggly Wiggly Turkey Trot at 8:00, meaning we won't be back until after 10:00, or so. I'm going to ask them, though, if it's still that way. If you can schedule the time, we might consider that one next year.

Fortunately for us our DS(16) will be there while we are at the Turkey Trot.

I was wondering if you had to actually be there or not? I recall when HH first opened they would deliver groceries to your villa and put them away for you - even while you weren't there. I guess there's pros and cons to that though. The grocery list included things like a complete shrimp boil dinner and some other stuff, too.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Fortunately for us our DS(16) will be there while we are at the Turkey Trot.

I was wondering if you had to actually be there or not? I recall when HH first opened they would deliver groceries to your villa and put them away for you - even while you weren't there. I guess there's pros and cons to that though. The grocery list included things like a complete shrimp boil dinner and some other stuff, too.

That was my understanding from a few years ago, but maybe the person who said that was mistaken (it was another guest). I'll be interested to double-check for future years.

 

[SusieBea]

They said there was going to be something new this year. I guess that's it. That 2 person option at the resort is a pretty good price. The only problem that used to be (I don't know if it still is) was that when it says "delivery between 8:00 and 1:00", they can deliver anytime in that time range so you have to be there for that whole period of time. And since DH is doing the Piggly Wiggly Turkey Trot at 8:00, meaning we won't be back until after 10:00, or so. I'm going to ask them, though, if it's still that way. If you can schedule the time, we might consider that one next year.

The one year we ordered, we weren't in the unit when the meal was delivered. They just left everything. And it was very good.

 

[twoehr]

For those that stayed this year I'd like to hear how it went. How many days did you stay for? Did you get the Disney dinner? What else did you do? What is the Turkey Trot? I'm thinking about going next year.

 

[Candace]

For those that stayed this year I'd like to hear how it went. How many days did you stay for? Did you get the Disney dinner? What else did you do? What is the Turkey Trot? I'm thinking about going next year.

We arrived on Sunday before Thanksgiving and left the Saturday after. The weather was perfect all week as in 75-80 degrees everyday. I did not go in the ocean as it felt very cold, but I walked the beach every day and it was glorious. The resort was full, but it didn't feel crowded. We did very little except relax on the porch in the rocking chairs, and my husband, of course, watched football all week. We were in a three bedroom beach cottage (or whatever they are called at the HH resort). Climbing all those stairs to get up there was tough with luggage, groceries, etc. I had forgotten that they are all on the top floors. My mom is 90, but she made it! I think if we go again, I will request a two bedroom and a studio in the lodge building, since my husband is about to have knee surgery as well as my mom being so old. We did not get the meal from the resort; I got it from Piggly Wiggly and picked it up the day before, and it was very good. I hope we get to go back at Thanksgiving again sometime. This was the first time I had been there in the fall and it was just wonderful.

 

[hmansure]

For those that stayed this year I'd like to hear how it went. How many days did you stay for? Did you get the Disney dinner? What else did you do? What is the Turkey Trot? I'm thinking about going next year.

Eventually I will get around to doing an actual trip report! Not enough hours in a day!

We arrived Tuesday and left the Sunday after Thanksgiving. As candace pointed out the resort was full, but really didn't feel that way (unless looking for a parking spot!). The temps were unseasonably warm (near 80) so we did a lot of swimming - at times we had the pools virtually to ourselves. Still a tad chilly getting out!!

The resort mails out a list of activities and pre-order menu for Thanksgiving dinner. The list of activities was really nothing more than they usually do there - though the list made it seem like so much more was happening. Not a complaint - the activities are fine - just don't expect anything extraordinary for this holiday. On Thanksgiving itself the activities are really limited (a treasure hunt, beach football, and a campfire). The campfire was not Thanksgiving "themed" as advertised - just the standard campfire (again - no issues for us, but some people may be looking for something else...). The Turkey Bowl was advertised as football on the beach, face-painting, and "more". I didn't see any face-painting or "more" - just the game (which was fun!). Someone else there noted that in years past the kids had their faces painted for the game and all kinds of other stuff. The CMs doing the football didn't seem overly enthusiastic or anything - just the basic stuff. Warning - if you want to play football, just note that some people come like they are there to play in the actual Super Bowl!! We had fun, but a few others seemed to be giving the CM a hard time about the rules and so forth. Also - if you wanted a t-shirt for the game it was $5.00.

The Turkey Trot is a 5K/10K/2 mile fun walk sponsored by the Island Rec Center. That was excellent - 1500 runners on a fairly mild morning running through Hilton Head Plantation. Nice little party afterwards as well.

We ordered the Disney dinner, but supplemented some from Piggly Wiggly. The Disney dinner arrived exactly on time (you can schedule the time). The turkeys were fried over by the campfire area. As for the food: most of it was pretty good with perhaps the exception of the mashed potatoes and the cheap little dinner rolls they give you. The "stick" of butter they give you was actually like a brick of some margarine product as well - weird. All-in-all - it was pretty good. The Piggly Wiggly dinner package was definitely less expensive and I'm sure was of decent quality as well.

Hope that answers some of your questions! It was a great time - we love HH. We did have a mousekeeping issue that went unresolved. Other than that it was an excellent trip - with the benefit of some great weather.

 

[Simba's Mom]

We arrived on Sunday before Thanksgiving and left the Saturday after. The weather was perfect all week as in 75-80 degrees everyday. I did not go in the ocean as it felt very cold, but I walked the beach every day and it was glorious. The resort was full, but it didn't feel crowded. We did very little except relax on the porch in the rocking chairs, and my husband, of course, watched football all week. We were in a three bedroom beach cottage (or whatever they are called at the HH resort). Climbing all those stairs to get up there was tough with luggage, groceries, etc. I had forgotten that they are all on the top floors. My mom is 90, but she made it! I think if we go again, I will request a two bedroom and a studio in the lodge building, since my husband is about to have knee surgery as well as my mom being so old. We did not get the meal from the resort; I got it from Piggly Wiggly and picked it up the day before, and it was very good. I hope we get to go back at Thanksgiving again sometime. This was the first time I had been there in the fall and it was just wonderful.

OMG, and to think we never met you. We arrived the Saturday before Thanksgiving and stayed until the Saturday afterwards. I agree that the weather was perfect, I went into the hot tub several times, but it's not like that every year. Not hardly! This was our 5th Thanksgiving at the resort and it was easily 10-20 degrees warmer than any other year. One year it was so cold that even DH, who LOVES golf, didn't golf one day. Now that's when it's cold! And several mornings he encountered frost delays at the golf course. The Turkey Trot isn't a resort event, it's an island running race held on Thanksgiving morning. The day before we left for HHI, we bought 100 more points there, so if you go next year, we'll definitely be there. As far as getting your meal from the resort, my disappoinment this year was that in previous years, they had a big tent set up, under which they roasted turkeys and assembled meals. You could smell the turkey everywhere around the resort. This year side dishes were done beforehand and there was one guy, near the recreation window, deep frying a turkey. I let the front desk know of my disappointment. Here's a picture of the (hopefully temporary) missing event-

We got our pre-cooked Thanksgiving dinner at Signe's, but I remember that Salty Dog cafe was open and in previous years, they also have had premade dinners.