Hilton Head lovers....

My kids love Mike (CM). When they talk about what their favorite thing is about HH, part of the list includes Mike. They are the official Mike Fan Club. Has anyone seen Mike recently? And Crystal, too! Reading this thread has made me very homesick. August just won't come soon enough! :sunny:
 
We got home Thursday night and I'm sorry to say I don't remember a Mike or a Crystal.
 
Thanks for posting a thread for newbie HHI first-timers like me! We can't wait until our August trip!

Also -- Laurabearz -- I'm stealing shamelessly from your June/July HHI thread and making the Aug/Sept thread roughly match it (listing who's going when, for how long, and also posting quick connects to this thread and your June/July thread too!)

And now for a few questions for you season HHI vets -- We have a very nice beach umbrella (the canvas and wood type) that we keep at my inlaws (they live in De. at the beach). Is it worth it to bring it along? I could see us wanting that shade -- but if the beach is in close enough proximity to the beach house, on the other hand, we might not need it. With 3 kids, we tend to be pretty active on the beach and only use the umbrella for respite now and again -- would the pool area at the beach house provide that? I really don't wanna lug down chairs, and I think renting would be kinda silly, given that we wouldn't sit for very long! We can make do with a big beach "blanket" I have, and the umbrella. If the umbrella is worth it, we will pick it up from the inlaws when we visit over the July 4th. If not -- one less thing to pack!

And for crabbing -- are we talking just strings, necks and nets? (And what do folks do with the crabs they catch? Catch and release?)

Is there usually a particular night that is "kid's night out" during the week?

Thanks -- I know I'll come up with more ??? as the time draws near! :teeth:
 
Simba's Mom said:
We got home Thursday night and I'm sorry to say I don't remember a Mike or a Crystal.

Crystal is a college student, so during the school year, she's only there on some weekends. I think she was there when we were there over New Years. Her younger sister also was working in the recreation department the last time we were there! I wouldn't be surprised if Crystal is back full-time for the summer.

Is Mike the young-ish CM that all the teenage girls hang around? If he's who I think he is, he certainly does have his own fan club! ;)
 


Mike is tall, thin, brown hair, and really super with the kids!
 
gopherit said:
And now for a few questions for you season HHI vets -- We have a very nice beach umbrella (the canvas and wood type) that we keep at my inlaws (they live in De. at the beach). Is it worth it to bring it along? I could see us wanting that shade -- but if the beach is in close enough proximity to the beach house, on the other hand, we might not need it. With 3 kids, we tend to be pretty active on the beach and only use the umbrella for respite now and again -- would the pool area at the beach house provide that? I really don't wanna lug down chairs, and I think renting would be kinda silly, given that we wouldn't sit for very long! We can make do with a big beach "blanket" I have, and the umbrella. If the umbrella is worth it, we will pick it up from the inlaws when we visit over the July 4th. If not -- one less thing to pack!

I guess it's a personal decision. We tried to put on into the sand the first trip and it didn't work. The beach can be breezy and we found it was more work than it was worse. We didn't have a nice umbrella, just one we bought at WalMart in HH. I'm sure there are many different types but I know the lifeguards who set up and rent the chairs & umbrellas use some type of pole to set the hole before the umbrella goes into it. Does that help any? By the way, the beachhouse is a little bit away from the beach itself. I wouldn't say it a quick dash up there and back just for shade (IMHO). We find that we spend time at the beach and then a couple of hours at the beach house.

gopherit said:
And for crabbing -- are we talking just strings, necks and nets? (And what do folks do with the crabs they catch? Catch and release?)

The nets they sell are wire formed into a circle. Inside of that circle is a string netting which is where the crabs actually get pulled up from. The entire wire is attached to a long string which is thrown over the railing into the water. It's very easy to do. Chicken necks are what we heard were the best bair (from Captain Scott) although thighs work well too.

We've always released what the kids caught. I believe females have to be released. Males have a underside which is shaped like the washington monument marking on their underside.

A lot of people cook the crabs they catch.


I thought of another thing my kids love to do. I pick up a couple of small fish nets at WalMart and bring them along. When the tide is out, my kids enjoy trying to catch Fiddler crabs. They are really tiny -- about the size of a quarter/half dollar and are around the area where the fishing pier is at the resort. Once we saw them on the beach too but it depends on the moon/tide cycles as to whether they will be at the beach or not. It's certainly a challenge to try and catch the Fiddler crabs because they are very fast and can dash into a hole in a split second. It seems if you turn your back on them, they will peek back out at you, always saying :laughing: :laughing: try to catch me.

The resort has these black muck boots they will willingly let people borrow who want to venture out into the low tide area. Be careful not to go too far, my DS got stuck one year. The ground can be really soft the closer you get to the water and my DS ended up having to walk out of his boots to get out of the quicksandish muck. Made a great picture opprotunity! :teeth:
 
If I did this right, there should be a picture of my DS fishing with his crab net at HH in my signature now. ;)

Sorry, I had to take the picture out. DS said he looked "fat". I'll try to find another one. I think I have one of just the net somewhere.
 


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The girls painting a crab catcher. The net you rent is better, but the crab portion of this is used as a measurer... if the crab is bigger than the opening and a male you may eat it.

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Here is a photo of PART of the large playground I was talking about earlier...

and lastly the sunset over the marsh...
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Trying again.

This is just the net with a couple of crabs. I think the nets are $5.00 at the rental window.

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Here's my little guy with the net. I know he won't say he's "fat".
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Laurabearz, awesome sunset you caught there!
 
We absolutley love:

1) The Beach!

2) Both pools

3) Pickney Island

4) Dolphin Cruises

5) Relaxing in the beautiful surroundings! :earboy2:
 
Thanks for a great thread. This will be our first trip to HHI May 27-June 2. We are not DVC's yet, hubby wanted a "real" vacation away from the parks, I wanted someplace warm, a quality villa and lots of activites ON-SITE for the kids to do, rather than hunt everyday for activities. We compromised and decided to try Disney's HHI. We are staying in a 1 BR and intend on cooking in the room most of the time. Husband is stressing over the room charges and wanted to know if there would be enough activies to keep the kids busy (ages 12 and 3) that wouldn't cost extra (like bike rentals, fishing pole rentals, etc...). He's afraid we'll spend an extra $500 or more on activities. It sounds like we should spend the extra money for a dolphin cruise. We have NEVER been to the beach before (I am an inland girl from KY) and haven't the slightest idea what to do at the beach, when to go, dangers to watch out for, etc....... Any helpful advice would be SO APPRECIATED.

Hubby also wanted to know if we joined DVC, would we get more than 6 nights/year out of our membership. WDW is still our favorite place to be, he just needed a break from the parks.
 
bethyg said:
He's afraid we'll spend an extra $500 or more on activities. It sounds like we should spend the extra money for a dolphin cruise. We have NEVER been to the beach before (I am an inland girl from KY) and haven't the slightest idea what to do at the beach, when to go, dangers to watch out for, etc....... Any helpful advice would be SO APPRECIATED.

Hubby also wanted to know if we joined DVC, would we get more than 6 nights/year out of our membership. WDW is still our favorite place to be, he just needed a break from the parks.

All good concerns and you should do some more research and planning, because some of the activities are fee-based, but not all. We do many of the free activities and that seems like enough to keep us busy, These include the three nature excursions with the staff naturalist, a morning marsh walk, a morning beach walk and a star gazing evening. We also get a big kick out of Tuesday's All-American Pool Games at the beach pool, followed by a campfire, fireworks and evening pool games back at the main resort.

If you drive and can bring bikes, poles, etc., do so. If you are flying, bike rentals can be daily or weekly, though not sure of the price. We have never rented bikes, though you will see that HHI offers great biking and rollerblading opportunities. A boat trip can cost $35 per person on-site and will be just your family in a private boat for about 2 hours. It is a great way to see Broad Creek and the wildlife. The other water excursion we like is kayaking in Broad Creek, also 2 hours and about $30/person. We pick one of these to do each year.

Crabbing and fishing is free if you own your own stuff. On site rentals and/or purchases of equipment is not expensive ($5-$10), though a few dollars more than at the WalMart just down the street. We do not keep our catches but give them to the other fisherman. There are plenty of people who make a meal out of the crabs they catch, however.

Spending time at the beach is the main reason we go, and yes that fits the budget for sure. Do not go to the beach without sunblock. Many will also have an umbrella and/or hat and cover-up. Getting horribly sunburned is a sure way to ruin a vacation. So what do we do there? Nothing! And that is the whole idea! Well, yes, we do something, we swim, walk, play catch, build sand castles, read, nap, look for shells and wildlife, etc. Let me also suggest an evening beach walk, after 7pm, when the beach is empty. This is a must for us, we get takeout and head to the beach when it is emoty, a bit cooler, and the setting sun turns the sand to gold and the waves deep shades of purple and dolphins feed very close to shore. Last summer we had a full moon rise over the ocean just as the sun was setting and even the kids just sat in awe at the scene.

Now, how many days can you get? Well that is a different thread and there is plenty of point charts to read through.

Good luck and let us know how it goes. My bet says you'll be buying through resale before you pack to go home.
 
TW1, I have to tell you that your post nearly moved me to tears! :cloud9: :love:
 
TW1- thanks for the great advice! I've had a friend warn me about stingrays and jellyfish at the beach, do you have to worry about those in HH?
 
bethyg said:
I've had a friend warn me about stingrays and jellyfish at the beach, do you have to worry about those in HH?

There are jellyfish at the beach. The lifeguards are prepared with a solution of vinegar and salt water. Fortunately for us, we have yet to be stung. I've talked to many people who have and say it hurts for a couple of hours after the bite.

There are also stingrays. We have seen them dead along the beach -- usually thrown up in the higher part of the beach by a fisher person. :confused3

My DS caught a couple different kinds of rays when we were deep sea fishing not far from the shore in Broad Creek. But that was a different experience.

I think any time people swim in the ocean, there needs to be caution taken. After all, it is their territory.

I try not to worry about it. :) :sunny:
 
We have visited DVC/HHI several times & if it would have been available back when we purchased OKW, it may have been a difficult decision on the two. We just purchased at Marriott's new (under construction) Surf Watch on HHI
 
Can anyone tell me how to mark a thread so I can keep track of it even if I don't have anything to add? We'd like to go to HH next year.
 
Lizardbeth61 said:
Can anyone tell me how to mark a thread so I can keep track of it even if I don't have anything to add? We'd like to go to HH next year.

There is an option on the toolbar line "user cp". Click on that and then the option "edit options". Within that, there is a messaging & notification section. You first need to select the option which will allow you to receive email notifications. Under the "Default thread subscription notice" you need to allow the option which will allow you to receive email notifications. Make sure to "save" your changes at the bottom of the screen.

Once the change to your profile is made, if you respond to a thread, you should receive an email telling you a reply was made. If you just want to know if someone else responded without replying yourself, while viewing the thread, on the top toolbar there is an option "thread tools". Click on that and the bottom option is "subscribe to this thread". You need to click on that.

In order to un-subscribe, you need to go to the thread and again click on "thread tools" and "unsubscribe". Or you could do this from the User PC option and remove subscription that way.

Hope that helps. Feel free to PM me if you need more help.

Cindy
 
We are going to HH from May 22-27.... Beth - we just miss you!
I know you can rent beach chairs and umbrellas at the beach.... Does anyone know the price?... I heard it is costly.... Any suggestions - since we are flying, I am not bringing chairs and a umbrella with me!.... ;)

Thanks a bunch!
Tanya

Oh - PS.... what is your favorite restaurant?
And - that kids playground looks great!
 
Hey Laura...

I see you said you make a day out of it at Sea Pines... the playground looks great... I have a 5 and 2 year old. What suggestions do you have as far as restaurants for dinner over there?...

Thanks!
 

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