Live from HHI - June 1

[WolfpackFan]

We checked into HH this morning and boy did we luck out in the room assignment. We got a 1BR on the 1st floor of the lodge with a great view of the marsh and water. We've had this unit before and it is in a great location and the view is terrific. We checked in around 9:15 this morning and the unit was all ready for us.

But before I go any further, let me back up to yesterday. We did something different this trip. We live in Cary, NC (a suburb of Raleigh) and the drive takes us about 5 1/2 hours door to door. We decided a ways back to drive down yesterday and we spent the night at the Hampton Inn at Sun City. I had enough Hilton Honors points for this to be a free night's stay. We left home yesterday around 9:15 and stopped at the Cracker Barrel at Lake Marion for lunch (great chicken and rice). After checking into the Hampton Inn, we rested up some and then drove over to Savannah. We had dinner last night at Uncle Bubba's Oyster House out towards Tybee Island. It was absolutely delicious. For those that don't know, Uncle Bubba is Paula Deen's brother. I had shrimp and grits which were great and DW had steamed shrimp which were very good also. After eating we then drove out to Tybee Island and looked around there. Then drove back through Savannah, across the bridge, down 170 and back to the Hampton. We finished the night off with a cup of ice cream at a little ice cream shop right next to the Hampton.

I got up early this morning (6:30 - I can never sleep good in hotels) and went down and got coffee and let DW sleep to 8:15 or so. After breakfast, we then head on out to the island. I was amazed we were able to get into our unit so early. We then took a tour around the resort, but didn't see anything really new from last year.

After unpacking, we drove over to the Beach House and checked out the ocean. But boy is it HOT. It is 90 but feels hotter. Even DW who loves to just bake out on the beach said it was too hot for her. So we left there and drove down to the Piggly Wiggly and stocked up on groceries for the week. We plan on cooking out on the grill tomorrow night, so we went ahead and got what we needed for that, plus stuff for breakfast each morning and sandwiches for lunch.

So that bring us to now. DW is out on porch reading and watching the fish jump out of the water. She is hoping to see some dolphins, but it is low tide and the water is very, very low. Lower than I've ever seen it here. I just walked over to the marina and checked it out. There looks like there is a new restaurant next to Scott's - Bistro 17. It looked like they serve, sandwiches, salads, quiche, etc. Shortly we plan to head down to pool and then tonight we plan to eat at San Miguels (we love their nachos). I'm already on island time and on my second cold brewski .

Oh, BTW - I have wifi in our unit. I'm sure it's the feed from Big Murggies Den and it is a low signal, but it is usable. It will be interesting to see how long I keep it before it looses strength. But heck, Big Murgies Den is only a few steps down the hallway anyway.

If anyone has any questions, I'll be glad to answer or get an answer for you. I've already taken some pictures and will upload them to Google Photos, if the wifi strength holds up.

I'll check back later.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Thanks for reporting in. Sounds like you're off to a good start. Have a great week.

 

[jekjones1558]

Enjoy, WolfpackFan. We just left HHI yesterday and my heart is still there. I also got free wi-fi from the Mercantile because we had a poolside room. We ate at San Miguel and loved it. Also loved Scot's. Tried to get into Sea Shack (down on Pope) on Friday about 6:00. Fat chance. We'll know to go for lunch or right at 5:00 next time. Have a cold one for me!

 

[BWV Dreamin]

What kind of porch furniture do you have? I hope its not those plastic chairs. I was wondering if people bring comfortable chairs for the porch...my DH loves a porch, so I would have to bring a comfy chair!

 

[jekjones1558]

Our 2 bedroom had a picnic table and 2 rocking chairs. Love the rocking chairs and the picnic table with attached benches was great for kid projects.

 

[WolfpackFan]

Pictures posted - http://picasaweb.google.com/wolfpackfan/200806HiltonHeadIsland

Since we have wifi in our room, I'll try to upload pictures as the week goes by. Just keep checking the link above for new pictures.

6:00 update. We decided to go over to the beach rather than the pool. It was really nice and there was a breeze to keep things from getting too hot. One thing - has anyone figured out how to keep beach umbrellas from blowing all over the place. I seem to wrestle with this every year. I have to stay in the shade because of skin cancer problems, but do like to go out to the beach. So I have to use an umbrella. This year I got one of those screw things that you screw into the sand and then you put your umbrella into the tube. Well I still had problems with the umbrella wanting to fly all over the place. I basically have to sit in my chair and hold onto the umbrella at all times. If anyone has any better solutions, I sure would like to hear about it.

It's high tide now and the water outside our unit is just gorgeous. We keep seeing all kinds of birds out on the marsh area. It is really neat.

I haven't seen any problems with our 1BR so far. It seems to be in very good shape. No repairs to report or anything like that. The only real problem I've observed so far is sometimes it sounds like the people above us are playing football. I keep hearing running and banging. I hope this isn't a permanent problem for the week.

Anyway, getting ready to head over to San Miguels. We had planned on cooking on the grill tomorrow night, but have decided to do it Tuesday night instead because DW said she saw where they are having the first of the fireworks this Tuesday. I remember year before last going out to eat when they have the fireworks and having problems getting back in traffic wise. So we figure we'll just eat in that night and watch the fireworks. We'll probably do Salty Dog tomorrow night instead.

Later.

PS - regarding our porch furniture, two rockers, picnic table and 1 large and 2 small picnic benches.

 

[disney1474]

WolfpackFan
We were there the first week of May and we were on the 3rd floor directly above you. It's a great view. Keep looking out in the water. We saw dolphins swimming by a couple of days!! Have fun

 

[TenThousandVolts]

What kind of porch furniture do you have? I hope its not those plastic chairs. I was wondering if people bring comfortable chairs for the porch...my DH loves a porch, so I would have to bring a comfy chair!

Just like jekjones1558 we had 2 nice wooden rockers and a picnic table. We sat out there for meals and the kids had bubbles and coloring books on the picnic table all week- it was really nice usable space.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Just like jekjones1558 we had 2 nice wooden rockers and a picnic table. We sat out there for meals and the kids had bubbles and coloring books on the picnic table all week- it was really nice usable space.

Would you get rockers if you ressie a studio? Even the studios look like they have really big porches.

 

[dvcfamily41801]

Thanks for the report so far!!! Can't wait for more!!! Seems like quite a few DIS'ers are there this week!! Hoping to get some more trip reports! Have a fantastic time!!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Beautiful pictures-thanks! I agree that you have a wonderful view. Guests in various units in the lodge have reported getting a wi-fi signal, even on the third floor. Unfortunately,we've never been so lucky in #1137.
If you get that new resturaunt, Bistro 17,please let us know how it is.

 

[Laurabearz]

Great pictures!! Have a wonderful time.

Say... if you dont mind, could you measure the door width, and if your able Height... We are looking at portable screens for next year and I forgot to measure.

Maybe use a dollar bill, as I can't imagine you have a tape measure with you

 

[buzz5985]

Great pictures.

Umbrella help. Those screw things don't work. Get on your hands and knees and dig a hole about 2 feet deep. You have to go deep. Fill in the hole and stamp around the pole. You will have to duck to get under the umbrella - but it isn't going anywhere. I love my beach umbrella!!

We check in 60 days from today - Can't Wait!!!! My DS and her family are joining us this year. Did I mention I can't wait??

 

[tidefan]

Just missed you. My DW, DD, and In-laws are still there. They traded an II week for a week at Marriott's Heritage Club at Sea Pines. Checked in on Friday. Unfortunately, I had to come back today due to work. However, I did get around the island a bit and got to play Harbour Town on Saturday morning. Heritage Club gets you 2 free rounds of golf per day (thanks for this tip, Dean, if you are reading...).

We did check out the Disney resort as we were nearby and this was the first time I had ever been to HHI. The resort was very nice. I have to say though, that I really enjoyed being in Sea Pines with all of the bike trails. Loved all of the golf courses. Didn't get a chance to eat out much. Tried a place called Jump and Phils and it was OK at best...

One thing that really disappointed me was the beach. I have gotten use to the powdery white sand northern gulf beaches (Gulf Shores/ Orange Beach/ Destin/ Seaside (this was the town in "The Truman Show")/ Panama City). I remember a thread a bit ago of someone trading into Club Intrawest at SanDestin. I think that Sandestin would be a perfect place for DVC as HHI reminded me of Sandestin and the whole 30-A area.

Anyway, I digress. Liked HHI, but don't know if I'd want to spend a week there unless I were a serious golfer (which I am). I do think that it would be a good 3-4 day locale...

Have a great time!

 

[alldiz]

Thanks for posting those awesome pics....HHI looks beautiful

OP....BTW...looking at those marshes makes me think of mosquitos......Are there a ton of bugs there?
Thanks
Kerri

 

[WolfpackFan]

OP....BTW...looking at those marshes makes me think of mosquitos......Are there a ton of bugs there?

I haven't noticed any bugs or mosquitos so far this trip.

 

[WolfpackFan]

Monday, 1:30 update -

I've added some additional pictures to my photos (see previous post for link). I took some photos of beach and also Beach House.

We got up kind of late this morning and I cooked us breakfast. BTW - for folks who like to cook eggs, bring a good frying pan and spatula with you. The frying pan and spatula here leave a lot to be desired. Also, bring some dish towels with you. They don't have any in the kitchen. For some reason they've been having some water problems here at the resort. Last evening and again this morning we've lost water. The front desk called and left a message both times that it would only be out a short time. We've been lucky both times, nobody was in the middle of a shower or anything.

After breakfast and while DW showered, I wandered over to the marina. I just love to look at all the boats docked there and dream what it would be like to live on one of them.

It was really overcast this morning, so we headed over to the beach knowing it would be cooler. It was really nice. Not hot at all. The tide was out and you could walk a long way out before you got to the water and the ocean was about as calm as I've ever seen it. It was almost like being on a lake except it was the Atlantic Ocean. We stayed down there about 3 hours and it looked like it was going to start to storm, so we packed up and came on back to the resort. DW is now watching the Bold and the Beautiful while I type this. It is really, really nice having wifi in our room.

The plan for the afternoon is to veg out here a little more then head to the pool. Tonight, I'm thinking we might try the Big Bamboo Cafe at Coligny. We've never eaten there but since I really like the WW II era I've always wanted to check it out.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

How are the crowds this week? Do you have any day trips planned? Do you think driving to Charleston for the day would be too far from the resort? I was thinking of planning a trip for first week of Nov. '09. Do you think the weather would be nice enough around the marina, beach? Not planning on swimming.

 

[WolfpackFan]

The crowds are not bad at all. As far as the resort, I heard a CM say they were 80% booked this week. Traffic has not been bad at all. As far as Charleston, sure you could do a day trip, we've done it before. We don't have any day trips planned this trip, but may drive over to Savannah towards the end of the week. As far as weather in November, it will definitely be cooler. We've never been then but it might would compare with March, when we have been, and the weather can be warm or cold (plus rainy and windy).

 

[nickmom]

Hello. We also checked in on Jun1. Beautiful resort. This is our first trip here. Yesterday we did a bit of everything...went to the Big Dipper pool, the beach, the Piggly Wiggly shopping, Giuseppi's Pizza for dinner, rode our bike and made smores by the campfire. Busy, busy.
We were out during the water problem last night and it didn't bother us this morning. We have the Wi-Fi connection in our room on the 3rd floor main bldg. Guess I pick it up from the Den too. We had a light out and the toaster broke, but they are really quick about getting them fixed.
They closed the pool due to thunder about 1pm. We are planning to go to the beach a little later.
We signed up for activities today. DS 6 is looking forward to the shark tooth necklace making tomorrow afternoon. We also signed up for the BBQ tomorrow night and the lowcountryboil Thurs night. Food list sounds great for both.
Weather is hot here. At home in PA weather was still cold.
We have 2 rockers on our balcony..the wooden one doesn't rock that great anymore, but the other is nice. Our view is of trees. Still haven't decided where to eat for dinner tonight.
Well gotta go DS is ready for the beach. Lovin Hilton Head so far.

Carla