Just back from HHI--It was AWESOME

dizneeluvr

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May 28, 2001
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I'm going to start this off with a recommendation. If you haven't made it to Hilton Head...you NEED to.

We just got home (after a 16 hour drive) and what a beautiful resort Disney has at Hilton Head. We stayed in a studio (building 16) and arrived on Saturday March 30. We checked out on Friday, April 5 (without the assistance of a housekeeping phone call).

At first it seemed odd (although we were expecting it) that the beach house was separate from the resort, but within a day it grew on both of us and we thought it was a neat idea. The resort itself is incredibly peaceful and relaxing. Picture big plantation trees everywhere overhanging the countless pathways that meander from building to building and around the grounds. Hammocks and chairs are placed in places that just call your name to jump in and relax (though when we would our DDs 3 and 7 would jump in too).

The beach house was beautiful and peaceful in a whole different way.

The activities they had at the resort were awesome for the kids and for us too. They had an egg hunt with a big goody bag for each kid on Easter Sunday. The girls did the unbirthday party (though our oldest told us it was really for Shadow the resident mascot), Goofy Bingo, an awesome magic show, a bedtime storytime complete with cookies and milk, and more.

I could easily see how a trip to that resort could become a wonderful family tradition. The CM's were all great with a few standing out even more. Brian (the naturalist) was GREAT. He was at the campfire one night and was really into the whole thing which made it more fun for everyone else. Paul (he did a bunch of different things) but took us under his wing when he found out we had ordered the big Easter meal and were in a studio. He sent housekeeping over with real plates and silverware and even heated our meal just prior to delivery all on his own. Very nice man!

B'Lou Crabbe's magic show was great (he even gave a deck of his cards to my DH who loves card tricks) and he brought shadow to a story telling event much to the delight of all the kids. We all got pictures with this prized dog!

We went on the Dolphin Discovery Cruise thru the resort and had an AWESOME captain--Scott. Lots of fun to talk to, very knowledgeable about the dolphins and did a great job with the kids too!!!!!!!!! That is a must do!

We went on Tommy's treasure Hunt (THANK YOU TOMMY) and it was great fun for the girls and for us. Both of our little girls had binoculars around their necks to add to the fun. Weren't they thrilled when we found "gold". We got the last one and replaced it with some Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort stretch pennies.

I know that there is a ton more I wanted to mention but after that drive my brain is a little mushy. But I can see why Doc and Tommy love this resort so much!!!!!!!!! We will be back...often!!!!

Laura

p.s. oh, if you decide to ride bikes on the beach on a windy day and enjoy the leisurely and easy ride along the sand and looking at the ocean and all the pretty houses....remember you have to get back (against the wind). Translation...you might want to start out against the wind so you don't die of exhaustion on the one hour "ride" back!
 
Ohhhh, thanks so much for this mini report...it makes me even more excited for my first trip in May! :cool:
 
Glad you had a great time! We made our first trip this past February, and I'm sure we will be going back every year! I actually love the idea of the beach house being separate from the resort, I feel it gives us the best of both worlds! We plan on going back next year at Easter, it sounds like a great time to visit.
 
We will be there in just one week and I can't wait! Thanks for the report.

:earsboy: :earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsboy: :earsgirl:
 

We're going in August and can't wait!! Thanks so much for posting your report!!
 
11 more weeks for us!! Thanks so much for posting about your wonderful experience!
Two of our kids are the same age as yours so I was wondering if you have any great restaurant recommendations?

Thanks,
Denise
 
Denise,

You are going to love it and so are your kids!!! As for restaurants...we ate Easter dinner in the room, we did Longhorn one night cuz we were all craving a steak, the Hilton Head Diner had lots of options for kids and didn't have a huge line like everything else which was nice for the kids, did pizza one night and Fudd Ruckers another. We're not big seafood eaters so can't help you there. I heard that someplace called Crabby Nick's is great for kids (magician at dinner I think).

ENJOY!!

Laura
 
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You captured the word for Hilton Head -- Awesome. We fell in love with it last July and since added on to make it our family summer vacation tradition. I was just daydreaming of our upcoming summer trip today so your post kind of brought me "home". Glad you had such a great trip. Thanks for sharing!!
 
Thanks for the wonderful report on the resort. It really is a hidden treasure- just like Tommy's!

The "tip" about riding on the beach also applies to walking on the beach when it's breezy! Thanks for the reminder.


We have 12 more weeks! :)
 
Originally posted by baileybrad
And the best part of HH is no park passes required. 5 weeks from tomorrow.

I will double that......We added on twice at HH and were so happy after our first stay in Jan (if you can brave the cooler temps, winter at HH was wonderful). We had the resort to ourselves, I couldn't believe it!!! We can't wait to return to a GV at TG this year. I really like the off-sites as an affordable alternative to WDW. HH is the best!!:D
 
Thanks, That is great to hear. We will be going in Augest:) Can't wait!!!
 
Thanks so much for your delightful information. We will check in on May 26th , we can't wait to go there this summer. Again thank you for your information and very glad to know you have great time.
 
How was the weather this time of year? We want to do HH in 2003 and are deciding between mid-April (school vacation) and summer time.
 
Jenn,

The weather was awesome!!!!!! It only rained on Easter night (after dark so it wasn't an issue). Four of our six full days were high 70's, 80. The last two dropped to upper 60's but it was still pleasant and it was part of some jet flow that was bringing cooler air everywhere apparently.


Another observation about HH that I wanted to mention. Apparently the entire resort was booked solid while we were there and you NEVER got the feeling that it was booked. It was really kind of neat how there was no crowds anywhere.

And another interesting thought since we had never been there before. There are very little ways for Disney to get your money once you are there. No on-site sit down restaurants, most of the activities are free. I'm surprised that they haven't put in a full-service restaurant just as a way to get more income there. Not complaining about giving them money one way or the other...we hand it over MORE THAN willingly at VWL, but I just found it interesting that they have this gorgeous resort and once you are there you pretty much have to go off-site to spend your money.

Laura
 
Actually restaurants in resorts generally lose money, in Disney's case they decided it would be more profitable to use the land for extra units. With the large numbers of restaurants nearby and the fact that a large portion of the units are one bedroom and bigger, with cooking facilities, I think they made the correct choice.
 
OKW is our 1st home-away & HH is our 2nd home-away. We bought HH sight unseen. We were looking to get more pts., & our guide suggested HH for its lower monthly maintenance. It was before I was into these Bds. & before I fully understood 11/7 month windows. We sort of bought, in ignorance, thinking it was a wise way to extend our WDW trip. But our first trip to HH totally changed our minds. Our HH pts. are for HH & we bless the 11 Mo. window for our Aug. vacation. We skipped last Aug., to go to California, but we are anxious to return to HH at the end of this Aug. That about 3 1/2 mos. away!
 
I am soooooo excited to hear that you enjoyed you trip and the resort so much. I have not been there yet but just added on points at Hilton Head this year. So I'm hoping my first stay will be next Easter.
 
So glad to see the first timers that enjoy HH. We have been going there practically since they opened - the landscaping wasn't even done yet. We had to "use or lose" points and figured, let's give the place a try. Needless to say, we have now added on twice there and can't get enough of it. It's an annual family trip that we look forward to as much as our OKW trips. How true about it always seeming uncrowded. I go in the summer when it's usually booked solid (this year-4th of july) and you never really feel the presence of crowds there. It really is (or used to be, lol) disney's best kept secret. I just love relaxing and doing nothing, surrounded by the disney atmosphere and the charm of the island itself. Can't wait til july!
 
We leave for HH on May 25th to arrive Sunday May 26th. I can't wait based on everyone's comments. I'm ready to add-on site unseen. I hope it is good as everyone says.
 



















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