Hilton Head questions

[SusanDonJ]

We are considering a trip to Hilton Head late May/early June and would like to compare Disney's property with others, as well as get basic information of the area. "We" are me, dh, 20yo ds, 18yo dd, and a friend each.

Obviously we want at least a 2br unit, and if we choose Disney I will try to rent points. (We did this for a trip to OKW in October and it worked perfectly - thanks Karen!) I also will keep my fingers crossed for a Disney Visa discount.

What is the airport option for Hilton Head, flying in from Logan in Boston or TFGreen in Providence? What are the transportation options (other than car rental) from the airport to Disney's HH resort? How far does the property sit from the airport?

How is Disney's property situated on the island - is there direct beachfront? I understand that there are several buildings and all of them do not sit on the beach, but I want to know if the property does abut.

Does Disney provide golfing options/packages or would we need to do our own investigating and tee-time scheduling?

We girls want to shop! Are there any not-to-be-missed shopping experiences?

I know this one is tough because I have the same Disney bug that you all do, but realistically, if you were looking for a relaxing week on the beach with a few days set aside for golf/shopping/recreation, would you look beyond Disney's HH property to other villa options for better value?

Thank you all so much for any answers or other info you can give me.

 

[quentina]

Hi,

First let me say...You will LOVE HH!!

Flying in....We go into the Savannah Georgia Airport. It is about 45 minutes from the resort. I highly recommend a rental car, however, Disney does have round trip transportation to and from the airport. The cost is quite high, it is either 50 or 75 per person round trip, With the amount of people in your party, it will probably be cheaper to do the car.

The resort is on the bay side. The ocean is about 5 minutes away. They have a shuttle or you can drive, take a bike etc. They have a private beach house for us that has a pool, small takeout restraunt, video games etc. HH beach is one of the nicest I have ever been too. It is wide, clean and smooth.

When we first made our plans for HH, I was concerned about not being beach front. They really did a nice job with all of the activities for the kids, the heated pool etc to make me not mind. You can also walk across the bridge to some restraunts and shopping.

Personally, I would not go without a car. I know many people do, I however, like to explore.

I don't think you can go wrong here. My son who is 7 prefers HH to WDW (not sure what is up with him )

Hope I got most of your qusetions.

Kim

 

[WolfpackFan]

Wow - Lot's of questions. We've only been to HHI twice, but I'll take a stab at what I know.

> What is the airport option for Hilton Head, flying in from Logan in Boston or
> TFGreen in Providence? What are the transportation options (other than
> car rental) from the airport to Disney's HH resort? How far does the
> property sit from the airport?

You will need to fly into Savannah airport, which is about 45 minutes away. You will need to rent a car to get to HH I would think.

> How is Disney's property situated on the island - is there direct
> beachfront? I understand that there are several buildings and all of them
> do not sit on the beach, but I want to know if the property does abut.

The Disney resort itself is not on the ocean, it is on the sound/intracoastal waterway side. Disney does have a beach house though that you can either drive/walk/bike/shuttle to that has a very nice pool, a snack bar, etc. and is right on the ocean. Plus there is a pool over at the resort itself. There is also activities to do all over the result. I played foosball for the first time in 30 years while there and beat my DW and DD25. Great fun.

> Does Disney provide golfing options/packages or would we need to do our
> own investigating and tee-time scheduling?

Disney does have arrangements with some courses for discounts, but you will need to make your own tee-times. If you get a golfer at the front desk he/she may be able to give you some advice on course OR search this message board, there are previous threads that discuss the courses (one is going on right now).

> We girls want to shop! Are there any not-to-be-missed shopping
> experiences?

There are two outlet malls on the mainland portion - Tangier Outlet I and II. Plus many other shops and boutiquettes all over the place. Pay the $5 to get into Harbour Town and they have some neat shops and restaurants there also, as well as the lighthouse and marina.

> I know this one is tough because I have the same Disney bug that you all
> do, but realistically, if you were looking for a relaxing week on the beach
> with a few days set aside for golf/shopping/recreation, would you look
> beyond Disney's HH property to other villa options for better value?

No. We absolutely love the HHI Disney resort. It is so peacefull and quite. It is right next to a real neat marina/restaurant/shopping complex. It has great views of the sound with a neat fishing pier. It has easy access to the beach. The units are first class and the staff go out of their way to be helpfull. What else would you need?

Also, go into Savannah one day. It is my new favorite city. If you do this, read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" first, it will make siteseeing Savannah so much more fun.

We love HHI so much, we bought an add-on there in addition to our VWL points and plan to go back at least once a year from now on, until we need walkers .

Hope this helps.

 

[poohj80]

Also, go into Savannah one day. It is my new favorite city. If you do this, read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" first, it will make siteseeing Savannah so much more fun.

I'll second that suggestion, but would recommend renting the Midnight movie over reading the book as it will give you a general overview of the city and it's always fun to go find the places you saw in the movies. We took Ron's Hollywood Tour and it was a LOT of fun but a LOT of walking!

 

[Cora]

With regard to Logan or Providence, we have done both. I have found more options out of Logan. This year we are flying from Logan to Savannah. We have also flown into Jacksonville (2 1/2 hr drive). Seems long but the difference in car rental and airfare was close to $750 for 5 of us.

Hilton Head is our favorite. We absolutely love it.

 

[CherCrazy]

You all got me so excited!! We will be going to HH for our first time this June!! I can't wait!!

 

[spiceycat]

of the timeshare properties on HH - I like Marriott's Grande Ocean much better - it is on the ocean - and Marriott gives you a free pass to that Island.

however for shopping disney is great - you can walk to a shopping areas from Disney's HH.

the ocean beach is about a mile away. you can walk it, bike it, drive it or take their shuttle. for Disney's HH.

for Marriott you are on the beach.

both are beautiful resorts!!!

 

[JMC]

If you don't mind I'd like to tap into the HHI experts too.

Do the Studio units at HHI also have balconies with the picnic tables and rockers?

Thanks

 

[Doctor P]

I do recall at least one rocker on our balcony, but there was no picnic table.

 

[teo403]

We are driving to HHI this summer from the Boston area. We plan to split the drive over two days. Has anyone done this road trip and if so, where have you stopped overnight? We would like to make it a little over half way on the first day. Thanks for your help!

 

[Macnjac87]

Teo-
We've driven to HH twice from Southampton NY- eastern end of Long Island. We usually leave around 5 am and stop in Santee, South Carolina (about 11 hours from our house) The next morning it's about a 2 - 3 hour drive to Hilton Head depending on the traffic. I think if you stopped around Emporia Virginia that may be more of a halfway mark.

 

[Ratpack]

We just booked a two night stay for April, since it is only about 2 hours from us, figured we would try it out. Our kids love the beach area, so that is no problem, but what about HH will be "Disney" like? I know when I tell them it is a Disney resort, they will be looking for things we see in WDW. I know those things aren't there, but what might they see to remind them of Disney?

Thanks!!

 

[poohj80]

what about HH will be "Disney" like? I know when I tell them it is a Disney resort, they will be looking for things we see in WDW.

Disney's HHI resort has very subtle Disney touches. There are Bambi topiaries at the Welcome Home sign, door handles at the lodge are Mickey shaped, etc. In our 2 BR, there was a bench near the entrance that had WD carved into it as well as Mickey + Minnie inside a heart. So, it's subtle but it's there.

 

[SusanDonJ]

Thanks for all the responses. Now we know which airport to watch for sale fares, and can plan our car rental options too.

It's too bad Disney's HH isn't right on the beach because that's what we were really hoping for. The Marriott Grande Ocean looks like it would be a better fit for us except it only has 2br options and we prefer 3 (with all those 18-21 yo kids along, we'll want to find some peace!)

Does anybody know anything about the villas at the Westin Hotel? >>www.westinhiltonhead.com/villas/<< It seems to be exactly what we want but the web info isn't clear on whether or not the villas sit beachfront as the hotel does. (I know this is a Disney board so you can feel free to yell at me if I'm doing something wrong here.)

Again, thanks for all the help.

 

[buzz5985]

We drove from Boston last summer. We ended up staying overnight in Dillon SC. At the Econo Lodge. It was a dump and the town was a dump. Just goes to show you not to trust pictures on the internet. But I was trying to get as close to HH as I could in a place that allowed pets. We needed to get my dog to the kennel on HH before noon the following day. We left Boston at 2 am and drove to Dillon arrived around 5 pm. Hit some traffic around Richmond. In the morning we were only a couple of hours from HH, dropped the dog off, went to breakfast, checked in at the resort at 10 am, and our GV and Studio were both ready!!! We enjoyed HH a lot more than Cape Cod. A lot less congested, beaches are nicer.

I was also called home on an emergency, so I flew out of Savanah Airport. I made my reservations at 1:45 pm for a 3:30 pm flight. Paid $89 one way. Nice little airport. Janis

 

[Disneyaholic]

Thanks for all the responses. Now we know which airport to watch for sale fares, and can plan our car rental options too.

It's too bad Disney's HH isn't right on the beach because that's what we were really hoping for. The Marriott Grande Ocean looks like it would be a better fit for us except it only has 2br options and we prefer 3 (with all those 18-21 yo kids along, we'll want to find some peace!)

This may help you make your decision. There are only 5 Grand Villas (3BR) at the Disney resort. While you might be able to book them on Friday and Saturday nights (because of the high points required), I have serious doubts that you would be able to book it this close to when you want to go. It never hurts to try, but definitely check availability before you commit to renting points!

 

[RatherBeGolfing]

We're considering a trip to HH last week of August, but can't get a decent timed flight into Savannah on Sunday, so am planning on flying in Saturday night. We want a 1BR, but don't want to spend 67 points to do it.

I'm thinking either paying cash for the night at the resort or just finding a Hilton or something between the airport and HH.

Does anyone know what a cash rate might be for late August for any of the room types at the resort? Or, has anyone else done the same thing and found a nice hotel along the way from Savannah to HH?

Thanks in advance

 

[Disneyaholic]

Does anyone know what a cash rate might be for late August for any of the room types at the resort? Or, has anyone else done the same thing and found a nice hotel along the way from Savannah to HH?

I would guess that the cash rate is probably around $350 or so. We have rented a 2BR on a Saturday night and it's over $400 for the night! But it's still a "bargain" compared to the 99 points it would cost!

Do a search on Travelocity or Expedia for hotels/motels on Hilton Head. You will have your choice of many, from luxury to economy (if there is such thing as economy on HH Island during the summer. ) There are several very close to the resort -- or you could spend the night in Savannah and get a taste of that city before you get to HH!

 

[poohj80]

It will depend on time of year. We only paid $124/night for a 2 BR but it was in November.

 

[CarolA]

I know this one is tough because I have the same Disney bug that you all
> do, but realistically, if you were looking for a relaxing week on the beach
> with a few days set aside for golf/shopping/recreation, would you look
> beyond Disney's HH property to other villa options for better value

I am the disenter here. I love HH. I would not buy DVC for the HH location. Go with Marriott. I dislike the fact that DVC is not on or even within walking distance of the beach. DVC is also not within any of the plantations. I like being in the gate community with much less traffic.

My feeling is that DVC came in too late and did not get a primo land choice here. I have 50 HH points, but have never used them there and probably won't. I stayed there one time on a cash deal. It was beautiful, but I go to HH for the beach and I don't want to have to drive or take a shuttle.