HHI Trip Report!

[TXMommy]

Well, we are back from HHI, altho I did NOT want to leave! Here's what we did - any questions are welcome! We are not DVC owners - we were there as guests this time - but now we are looking into buying in!

We drove from Texas (Houston/Galveston area) - went to Pensacola the first day, then to HHI the second. Our party consisted of myself, DH, 8 y.o. DD, 5 y.o. DS, and my Mom & Dad. We arrived at the resort at about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28. We were immediately impressed with the beauty of the island and the DVC! Upon checking in, we were told that due to an overbooking of 2 BR units (which we had reserved), we were being upgraded to a Grand Villa at no extra charge! WOW! We were totally awestruck (the thing is bigger than my house!). We had more than enough room - I was grateful that I didn't have to share a bedroom with my snoring DS! After unloading and ogling a bit, we walked across the bridge to Shelter Cove and ate at Scott's Fish Market, which was good, and window shopped at some of the shops, which were closed by then. Then back to The Villa to relax the rest of the evening.

On Wednesday, May 29, my parents drove over to Beaufort, and the rest of us explored. We found the pool, pier, Broad Creek Mercantile, Tide Me Over, etc. We played a little shuffleboard and tossed horseshoes at the pit behind our villa, then we headed for the beach! It was a pretty day, a little breezy, with some good waves. I thought the water was pretty cold, but my DH and DD got right in and "surfed" on the boogie board. My DS and I spent more time building sand castles in the sun! We are spoiled to our bath-water-temp Gulf of Mexico!! Still we had a blast. When we got hungry we took a quick dip in the Beach House pool, then went back to the DVC to Tide Me Over for a picnic lunch - those grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches are yummy! Then we swam in the pool there, and had great fun. The slide is great!! We had a 5:00 reservation for the Dolphin Discovery Tour - Captain Amy was our guide and we 4 were her only passengers. We saw a LOT of dolphin, including a mommy and baby! They came close, but not close enough to touch. Captain Amy even let my kiddos drive the boat on the way back in! It was a great experience that I recommend to anyone - we will definitely do it when we go back! After our cruise we met up w/ my parents at the campfire, which was also a lot of fun, then retired to The Villa for the rest of the evening.

Thursday, May 30 we went to Savannah. We took a horse-drawn carriage tour, which was very good, and had a DELICIOUS lunch at Lady & Sons. We did some walking around on our own, drove to some spots we didn't feel like walking to, and even drove out to Tybee Island to see the lighthouse. We got back to HHI at about 6:00, and went swimming before a snack-supper in our Villa.

Friday, May 31, my DH played golf at Indigo Run. The rest of us either went walking or shopping at the Shelter Cove shops. We all met back up for lunch (at Tide Me Over again!), then swimming, then my kiddos went to the Unbirthday Party (they had a GREAT time!). That evening was our Private Affair. I can not say enough great things about this!! Chef Gordon is WONDERFUL, the food was WONDERFUL, the atmosphere is WONDERFUL. It was the best meal we had the whole time and we would not hesitate to do it again next time. Thank you, Chef Gordon, for a magical evening!

Saturday, June 1 my dad took my DS to play miniature golf while the rest of us went to Lawton Fields Stables for horseback riding thru the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. That was beautiful and interesting - our guide told us some fascinating facts about the area. After our ride, we went back to the DVC to pick up Dad and DS, then back to Sea Pines (good thing that $5 pass is good for all day!) to Harbour Town for a lite lunch and shopping. We also checked out South Beach. Back to the DVC to clean up (and swim one last time) before dinner at The Old Oyster Factory - I got so many recommendations on this one, and it really was good. We had a nice view of the marsh, as well. That evening DH and I took the kids to B'Lou Crabbe's magic show, which the kids LOVED.

Sunday, June 2, we had to leave but before we did I took the kids on Tommy's Treasure Hunt - our quest was successful and the kids were thrilled to find the pirate's gold! We took only 1 - thank you, Tommy! As soon as the van and car were loaded, we hit the road. We had such a wonderful trip and I was really not ready to leave yet! We can't wait to go back (of course, now we are spoiled to the Grand Villa, and will have to have that every time! ).

Any questions/comments are welcome! Many, many thanks to everyone on this board who helped me out in planning this trip. It would not have been the same without your experiences and input!

 

[cgcw]

TXMommy,

I knew you would love HH!! It sounds as if you had a fabulous trip. I've been looking forward to hearing about it. You opted to do the dolphin tour over the beach combing?? We are still torn as to whether we'll choose the one over the other. Was the dolphin tour still $30 per person?? We'll be there in 5 weeks and I know our week will go fast. We added on after our first trip there last July so that we could enjoy it ever summer. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[LUVDVC]

Sounds like heaven. We'll be there on the 30th. CAN'T WAIT!

 

[TXMommy]

cgcw -

Yes, the Dolphin Tour was $30 per person, altho we did it on Member Day and they gave us the Member Rate of $25 per person (lucky us!). It was great! I still want to try the Beachcombing Outing, too - we just didn't find time to fit it in!!! Next time......

 

[VMS]

I was looking forward to hearing about your trip. What luck with the Grand Villa! When we went in the water at the beach in mid-April we could not get over how WARM it was compared to what were are used to in the northeast, much warmer than even the end of the summer up here!

One question -- did you have Chef Gordon's crabcakes? If so, weren't they incredible?

 

[scootert]

TXMommy, Oh I know just what you mean about those water temperatures!!! We were there last year in early May. While everyone else seemed to be very comfortable, I was freezing -- but still had fun.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'd love to know your DH's opinion of the golf course. We're hoping to go to HH next spring, and DH is a BIG golfer. Was there at DVC Discount at the course? How challenging was it? In good condition? Very far?

 

[TXMommy]

VMS - we DID have the crabcakes, and they were divine! Chef Gordon even gave us his recipe, and I am going to try making them at home (luckily living where I do I have easy access to fresh crabmeat!).

Simba's Mom - DH played the Golden Bear course at Indigo Run - not very far from the DVC (a 5-10 minute drive?). I believe there was a DVC discount. He says the course was in marginal condition - not that greatly maintained in his opinion. But he had a nice time playing and enjoyed the game (as he always does!). There are SO many golf courses to choose from in the area! I don't know why DH chose the one he did, but when we checked in they gave us a Golf Guide that tells you a little about each one.

Any other questions/comments are welcome!!!

 

[TXMommy]

For those of you going to HHI soon:

Something else they gave us at check-in was an Island Restaurant Guide - it has the menus of almost every restaurant on the island inside!! That was very helpful and fun to look at, too!

 

[JudithM]

When we checked into Hilton Head last month, the CM gave us the island restaurant guide. She told us if we saw something we liked to call the front desk & ask them to make the reservation. That way she said we would not be charged for a local call. Nice CM!

 

[sueg]

I'm so glad that you enjoyed "A private affair" I can't wait until our Aug. trip & our APA. But I don't understand the over-booking of a 2 BD. Is Disney like the airlines!? I thought that once the 2 BD were all taken, you were just out-of-luck. I'm also shocked that a GV was available. I always feel somewhat decadent w/ a family of 4 in a 2 BD, but a GV! Sounds like a magical trip.

 

[TXMommy]

I don't understand it, either, sueg, but it sure was cool!!

That's just what they told us - that they overbooked and we had been given a complimentary upgrade! I made my ressies way back in January, so who knows? Disney Magic at its best!

 

[RobDoc]

At a certain point, I suspect the resort has the ability to use the inventory in this fashion.

They know they aren't likely to rent (cash or points) a GV if it's available a few days prior, so they just accept another reservation for a 2BR and offer the GV to one of the 2BR ressies. If you had turned it down, the next 2BR to check in would have gotten the same offer! It's a win-win situation- all of the villas were filled and you got to enjoy a nice surprise!

I think it's pretty smart resource utilization. If someone had requested the GV at the last minute- they would have been told No Availability.

Thanks for the report!!

 

[Luv2Dream]

I'm sorry that I didn't get to meet up with you at HH. My 5yo DD was at the unbirthday party also. We were in a 1BR in the Lodge and we had a top floor view of the marsh/cove. We absolutely enjoyed our whole trip and we definitely plan on going back again. We found the CM's at this resort were very friendly and liked to have fun. We had a great trip and I'm glad that you did also. We really loved campfire. On Sunday we were "peter pan" and on Wednesday, we were "esmarelda".

 

[TXMommy]

We were at Wednesday's campfire, too! We were Quasimodo! I bet I saw you and didn't even know it! Our family is still doing the "Chickey Chickey" dance! My son was the one who told the "Why did the bubble gum cross the road?" joke, and my mom was the one who got serenaded by all those cute lifeguards!! We had such a great time! Glad you did, too!!