Hilton Head in 3 weeks...a few questions?

[3kidz4dis]

Hello,

First time to Hilton Head and I have a few questions:

If we are renting bikes for the stay, is there a place to keep them secure near or in our villas? Is this a preferred way to go to the beach? (assuming we want to bring all of our things that way?) I am sure there are places that will rent less than DVC but is renting through DVC a more convenient option?

Day Trip ideas? Is Charleston too far for a day trip?

We are looking at a excursion of some kind...should we book that on our own? (husband gets seasick easy so options are limited.)

Restaurant ideas for dinner? Italian, Seafood, Southern, BBQ?

2 bedroom location requests? it looks like 27-31 would be a good location to request?

Thanks so much!

 

[southerngirl528]

Hello,

First time to Hilton Head and I have a few questions:

If we are renting bikes for the stay, is there a place to keep them secure near or in our villas? Is this a preferred way to go to the beach? (assuming we want to bring all of our things that way?) I am sure there are places that will rent less than DVC but is renting through DVC a more convenient option?

Day Trip ideas? Is Charleston too far for a day trip?

We are looking at a excursion of some kind...should we book that on our own? (husband gets seasick easy so options are limited.)

Restaurant ideas for dinner? Italian, Seafood, Southern, BBQ?

2 bedroom location requests? it looks like 27-31 would be a good location to request?

Thanks so much!

Okay, I can't answer all your questions, but Charleston is about an hour's drive from DVC's Hilton Head location. Savannah is about 30 minutes.

I do not know about the bikes question, but I do know they have a shuttle that can take you from the main resort to the Beach House part of the resort.

Should be lots of folks here that can recommend some great restaurants for you! If you don't get answers in the next day, bump your thread to bring it up again. Have fun!

 

[Hammer22]

I don’t know the specific answer to the bike question, but can say bikes are quite popular, what with over 60 miles of paved public paths and about another 60 miles of connecting trails. There’s a plethora of bike rental companies, most of which will deliver direct to the unit, I just don’t know if dvc allows the outside companies access to the property for delivery if they happen to have their own rental program.

I live in the area and a more accurate time is 1.5-2 hours to Charleston and 45 minutes to Savannah. My preference is for Savannah, but both drives are nice.

There’s also Bluffton, the town on the mainland side of the bridge to HHI. Neat little town with some history:
1) “old town”- historic part of town with some local artisan shops & restaurants.
2) there’s also the nearly obligatory stops at the Tanger outlets
For the history buffs:
3) “church of the cross”- church sitting on the bluffs of the May river. Story goes that in his march to the sea, Sherman specifically pointed to this church and instructed his lieutenants NOT to burn it
4) “Secession oak”- under the eaves of this tree, a town hall meeting was held during which it was first uttered that perhaps South Carolina should secede from the union

Depending on what you mean by 3 weeks from now, you might be here during the Beaufort water festival, a week long festival in our county seat of Beaufort. Nightly concerts, riverfront airshow, dancing, food, drinks, crafts, etc. google it. About 30-45 minutes away

For an excursion, a few that immediately come to mind & don’t include water:

1) zip line Hilton Head.
2) Gullah history tour
3) Segway tours

Restaurants...what appeals to you?

Italian: il carpaccio (HHI)

Seafood: HHI: Hudson’s, The Skull Creek Boathouse, Dockside, Red Fish ( this last one more upscale, other 3 are Island casual)
Bluffton: Bluffton Oyster Company Restaurant, May River Grill

Southern: Ruby Lee’s (HHI), The Cottage (Bluffton), Old Town Dispensary (Bluffton)

BBQ: smokehouse (hhi), bullies bbq (hhi), Jim n nicks( Bluffton...cheese biscuits are to die for)

 

[3kidz4dis]

Thank you so much for your response! Very Helpful. We will be there the week of July 25th. Is the water festival going on then?

Also, are there any water excursions, dolphin sighting cruises that would be a possibility for a seasick husband? He does ok with being out on the water like in a ferry but once it starts rocking, that is a different story.

What would you suggest for a segway tour? Thanks so much for your help!

 

[wed100105]

We love HHI.

There are plenty of bike racks. We've used two different bike companies, and for the life of me I can't remember which one we liked better. Search for coupons...we found the best rate was to just rent for a week. They will deliver them and give you your lock passcode. Easy-peasy.

I LOVE the French bakery in the HHI shopping center near Kroger. We prefer breakfast there, but you can't go wrong for lunch either. We've also had Salty Dog, Hudsons, and the Crusty Crab. We always stay in a condo, so most of our meals are picnic lunches at the beach and supper grilled out at the resort. We have little kids though, so dining out isn't as much fun as it is with adults.

One of our most favorite activities is going crabbing with May River Excursions out of Bluffton. I've always used a groupon which makes it incredibly economical for our family.

My favorite day trip is Savannah, which is really easy to drive. We love watching the cargo ships come in, light shopping, and lunch out.

Enjoy your trip. It's a beautiful area!

 

[sleepydog25]

Bikes: There are bike racks so you can lock them. However, unless you feel like hauling gear in a tag-a-long to the beach (about 1.5 miles give or take), then the shuttle is extremely convenient and runs every 15 minutes or so. If you do a 2BR, there would be room to store your bikes in there overnight.
Restaurants: There are so many places, most of them good to very good, that you could type up 2 pages' worth of recommendations. Though we don't live nearby, we visit often, so here are a few notes.
- Skull Creek Boathouse has good seafood selections with perhaps the best restaurant boil in town--my wife has tried several. They do not take reservations so either dine early or expect to wait.
- The Black Marlin has a pleasurable dining area and solid food.
- OMBRA Cucina Rustica is a topnotch Italian spot not too far from the resort. It sits in a rather unassuming strip mall (though an upscale one) and often wins Best Of awards when it comes to HHI dining. While kids are welcome, it's more of a couples' spot and boasts excellent versions of many Italian dishes. Wine list is superb. Heading there next week, in fact, to celebrate our anniversary.

I'm not much help on excursions since we haven't done any in a few years. Kayaking is popular and fun and relatively inexpensive. Fishing off the dock is also fun.

 

[southerngirl528]

I live in the area and a more accurate time is 1.5-2 hours to Charleston and 45 minutes to Savannah.

WOW. Thank you for clarifying that, Hammer22! Long ago, I worked MS and the time frames I gave are the very ones we gave our members booking at HH. As I recall those times were for the airports in those cities.....

 

[jenhelgren]

We love HHI.



One of our most favorite activities is going crabbing with May River Excursions out of Bluffton. I've always used a groupon which makes it incredibly economical for our family.

I was looking at May River on Groupon for our trip this fall! I couldn't tell from their website if the tours are year round or seasonal. Can you tell me a little about the excursion? My kids will be 11 and 17 and I don't know if its something we would enjoy or not but it seems like a fun experience!

 

[KristiMc]

There are bike racks in front of every building. We rent through the resort. If you are DVC there is a small discount. Locks are provided. We do bike to the beach house but if you are bringing lots of gear you can drive or take the shuttle.

Bullies BBQ is great. Tried Skull Creek Boathouse this last trip and loved it - though we had a very long wait.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

As far as building locations, we have been in 2-BRs in Buildings 29 and 31 and love both of these buildings. Our new favorite restaurant is Poseidon. We also love Skull Creek Boathouse and Alexander's. For BBQ, you can't beat One Hot Mamma's. Enjoy your trip!

 

[pogopossum]

Been there 3 times and we love The Sea Shack for seafood. Good food and good prices. Definitely worth the wait. We have also eaten seafood at the Old Oyster Company and enjoyed it as well. We also enjoyed eating at A Lowcountry Backyard Restaurant for southern style cooking, a fun different experience.

 

[pogopossum]

As to building location, you can't go wrong with 13. Great for marsh watching and convenience.

 

[wed100105]

I was looking at May River on Groupon for our trip this fall! I couldn't tell from their website if the tours are year round or seasonal. Can you tell me a little about the excursion? My kids will be 11 and 17 and I don't know if its something we would enjoy or not but it seems like a fun experience![/QUOTE

We loved it. All ages. You board their boat at a dock in Bluffton and they take you out on the tranquil May River and go crabbing with raw chicken pieces on string tied to the side of the boat. It's just a wonderful time. If you're looking for big adventure, this probably isn't the right thing for you. If you like just a simple pontoon boat ride with some fun catching crabs, it's perfect.

 

[bbn1122]

We will be at HHI for the second time in 6 weeks. So, I love hearing all the advice. It’s great.

The last time we were there was in late August, we just drove up to the Beach House. We also realized if you get there early you can park under the building, keeps the car cool. My DH came up later and took the shuttle. Both ways are very easy. But I think parking is tough early afternoon like by 1-2pm.

We enjoyed a trip to Harourtown and the Lighthouse. We also went to the end of Sea Pines and had a great lunch outdoors at the Salty Dog. We also played mini golf one day.

Our last trip was 4 nights, so we did not venture off the island. This time we could only get 3 nights before we head down to WDW and VGF. So, again, we will not leave the island.

As others said, bikes are easy. Bike racks at every Villa, combo locks come with bikes.
You can rent them length of stay, or by they day.

Have a great time.

 

[whitepicketfence]

HHI is our home resort and we have been going there since 2000. Our kids were early elementary-aged when we started and now they are out living their own lives. You don't say how old your kids are but we have a great time each and every time we go. When they were younger, the activities at the resort and beach house were enough to keep them busy. They loved the campfires, the "kids night out" and the games by the pool. They loved crabbing (get chicken necks at the grocery store) and still usually crab even as young adults. As they got older, we tried different things. I know you said your husband gets seasick. My kids would likely leave dad behind to go out on a shark fishing excursion! We get a boat to ourselves and it really is more than fishing as you will see dolphins, amazing real estate as well as catching sharks. The boat captain always let the kids drive for a bit. Another favorite was beach combing on Daufuskie Island which we did in conjunction with a fishing trip.

We have also done horseback riding on the beach and zip lining. We have been to Savannah and Charleston on other trips so can't really comment on spending a HH day in one of those cities. Be aware they will be hot and humid this time of year as is HH. I don't like Savannah or Charleston in the summer months. But if it is your one chance to see one, personally I would pick Charleston.

We rent bikes from Disney solely because I have been too lazy or busy to do otherwise. Bikes are usually in okay shape. I usually request top floor with marsh view. That means a lot of stairs, but quieter than the first floor. The resort is compact...not like many DVC resorts at WDW. It does not take long to walk from one end to the other.

So much has changed at HH since we started going. Last time we were there, we found a couple of restaurants we really enjoyed. Pomodori was excellent. We had reservations and were glad we did as it is small and was full when we were there. Kind of quiet if you have young kids. We had great pizza at Local Pie and if it isn't too hot, the outdoor area is lovely. To be honest, if we go during the summer high season (not in years), we would do Publix subs, take out etc as the waits could be long. Maybe if I was better at making reservations! FYI-Publix has an app so you can order ahead and not wait in the often lengthy deli line.

I hope you love it as much as our family! It can be a truly relaxing vacation. Climb into a hammock, sit on your balcony with a book or walk the beach in the late afternoon. Have a great time!

 

[lovin'fl]

There is a tunnel to bike under highway to go to beach house. Can rent bikes at resort and get small DVC discount. Can do kayak tour and other tours and activities for fee. In the shelter cove area is a Kroger and a bunch of cute shops and decent restaurants. Here is link... http://www.welcometosheltercove.com/
Many restaurants in Shelter Cove and nearby area give a DVC discount. The desk will give you a list at check in.



We have stayed in buildings 11, 12, 13, 18 and 25. And 13 was my fave. Great views of the marsh. Can park under the parking garage and short walk to room. Short walk from room to lobby/desk area. Also shorter walk over to marina for dining. 18 had a great view but is way back in from parking and you have to haul your luggage in a ways. 25 was very noisy in that it overlooked the pool (slide was right by balcony). DH had to work that trip and it was almost impossible with the noise.

 

[Halle]

We love Michael Anthony's, more of a local's place.

 

[lovin'fl]

I've been to a bunch of restaurants there and sometimes they are good and sometimes they are not...all of them. It is hit or miss. Except the one staple that is what you expect every time is Frosty Frog in Coligny plaza. Good frozen drinks like at Fat Tuesday and pub food.

 

[dosekies]

I've been to a bunch of restaurants there and sometimes they are good and sometimes they are not...all of them. It is hit or miss. Except the one staple that is what you expect every time is Frosty Frog in Coligny plaza. Good frozen drinks like at Fat Tuesday and pub food.

Please go to Frosty Frog! The drinks are so good and you can get gallons of them to go. It. is. heaven!

 

[lovin'fl]

Please go to Frosty Frog! The drinks are so good and you can get gallons of them to go. It. is. heaven!

And I got shrimp tacos that were soooo good. It's very low key casual there too and has TVs for sports viewing.

http://frostyfrog.com/