looking for HHI owners

[twebber55]

im thinking about buying points at HHI and was wondering why you bought there....im looking at it because i love golf and relaxation...my wife loves the beach...still want to go to WDW but not every year....will travel in JUne so im guessing its tought to get a 2 BR in June there at the7 month window.....i like that i can buy about 200 points here for what i would spend on 160 or so points at SSR or BWV (the otheres that im considering)..realize the mf are higher ....looking for your thoughts on HHI

 

[RobDoc]

We purchased at HH because we love the area and have travelled there annually since 1979. If you want to go there during the summer, owning at the DVC resort would be a good idea - even though 2BRs are often available at 7 months.


The resort itself is great - themed as a 1940's fishing lodge. It sits on it's own private island within Broad Creek - a tidal marsh area within Hilton Head island.

The DVC resort has a wonderful recreational staff with lots of great programming for all ages - including adults.

While the resort is not on the ocean, it does have an ocean front Beach House with pool, parking and snack bar right on the Atlantic Ocean. Transportation is provided for the one-mile trip to that facility.

There is no onsite full service restaurant, but there is a snack-bar at the pool area ... and there are about 6 full service restaurants within walking distance at Shelter Cove - the marina area shared by the resort.

If you plan to travel there during the summer months, ownership at the resort is a great idea - and reservations at WDW are available within 7 months for most times of the year.

Enjoy!

 

[dvcnewgirl]

We bought HHI sight unseen..Why because it fit our budget. We have gone there only one time but we LOVED it and are very happy with our purchase. I am getting ready to make my thanksgiving reservations for HHI next month. Good Luck!

 

[tiggercrew]

We bought HH after thinking about DVC for several years. We love the resort and decided that if we ever grow tired of WDW (hasn't happened yet, though) we would still be happy vacationing in Hilton Head. We also thought that booking for summer would be easier if we owned there.

I must admit that we later added on at SSR because we wanted more points...this time we chose a WDW resort just in case we started having issues booking there at 7 months.

 

[Disneyaholic]

Our family can pretty much echo what Doc said. We absolutely love Hilton Head and the Disney Resort there.

Our first trip to Hilton Head Island was in the summer of 1996, which coincidentally was the first summer the resort was open. We immediately fell in love with the place. On our first stay, I called member services to add on a couple of nights!

We go there at least twice a year and are very much looking forward to our trip over Thanksgiving this year.

I really don't think you can go wrong. Seeing that the number of DVC members is increasing in leaps and bounds, reserving at the 7 month window for a peak time like June will certainly not get any easier.

 

[cgcw]

We tried HH as we had just bought into DVC and didn't want to return back to WDW with the points we had to use.

At the time my kids were 17 months & 6. We had such a great time there that we ended up adding on HH points before our week was out. We figured we'd return in a couple of years, only to find that once we got back home, we couldn't wait to go again. Borrowing more points, we booked the following summer, and added on again the week we were there. We then owned enough to book a 1 bedroom during the summer months. Returning the next year, we decided that we wanted a two bedroom, so we added on yet again.

Why do we love it? It's the best family time that we spend together all year long. We go to the beach and hang out, we go to the pool and hang out, we hang out together in the villa, we bike ride together, we fly kites together, we crab fish & shark fish together, we cook dinners together or decide to go out together. It forces us to spend quality time as a family and some thing I wouldn't trade for anything.

We have so many fond memories of our trips there. From the days when our little guy was just a toddler, playing in the ocean and getting his first taste of the salt water, to our older son pulling his first shark out of the water. Memories & opprotunities that I know we wouldn't have made otherwise.

While we love WDW, HH is a very different vacation. We truly get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

I can't wait for July.

 

[MagikMom]

HH was our first DVC purchase. We bought because the annual dues are cheaper, and because we wanted the 11 mo window to book in the summer. If you like to relax and especially if you like to play golf you will love it there.
We went a couple of summers ago and we are going back again in June 0f 2008. This time, we are taking my parents. We are also planning to take my brother and his family but I need to book them at the 7 month window because I ran out of HH points and need to use my SSR point for them. Hoping to get a 2 bedroom a 7 months out and then I'll cancel my one bedroom and we will stay in the 2 bdrm with my brother and his family. My parents have a studio. My DREAM would be to get a GV for all of us! That will be impossible at the 7 month window though. One can still hope!

 

[DVCLiz]

I bought HH for many of these same reasons. I knew that we might get tired of going to WDW each and every year, but almost all North Carolinians understand that a week at the beach in the summer every year is almost a God-given right!! I knew we could always spend our points at HH, and even take friends if we wanted to.

It has been our family's best family time, too. We love the beach but don't need the ocean front aspect. In fact, we prefer to be a little away, so the HH setup suits us perfectly. We love a pool at the beach, and at HH we can choose from two. It's just the perfect vacation for us - we'll be in a 2BR for a full week this summer (I am paying a DVC cash rate for Saturday and Sunday nights.)

 

[NCRedding]

I can't really add too much to what has already been said. We bought thinking that if we tired of WDW or if airfares got out of sight, we could always use our points at HH. We love having the 11 month booking window for the summer. We love the feel of HH with the easy availablity of restaurants nearby in Shelter Cove.

 

[TinkRN]

I agree with the previous posters. We bought DVC HHI in 1999 after going to the Marriott Barony Beach presentation! We loved disney so much more!

We love our time at HHI. The dolphin cruises, the fabulous staff, and just sitting on the pier watching the tide. Every trip we discover something new, whether its a new restaurant or a new sight so we are never bored! Of course we have our favorite places, too.

TinkRN

 

[global_mom]

We just got back from HHI today after a last minute weekend trip. This was our first trip to HHI even though it is one of our home resorts. We only have 50 points at HHI so I booked with cash (I am a TA so it is very economical for us to do cash bookings) and we went for just 2 nights. The weekend points are high so we would not even have had enough points to say a fri. and sat. night.

It was sooooo great! We can not wait to go back. The kids loved the activites and the pool. It was very quiet there this weekend so we just lazed around and ate way too much! We were at WDW last week for 8 days and this trip to HHI gave us a chance to relax and recuperate from a busy WDW trip.


The only "problem" that we encountered was the fact that the beach is a car or bike ride away. We have 3 small children so it is more convenient to have the beach right outside our door. However, we wont let this stop us from going back and hope that we get to be there soon!

 

[SusieBea]

We just got back from HHI today after a last minute weekend trip. This was our first trip to HHI even though it is one of our home resorts. We only have 50 points at HHI so I booked with cash (I am a TA so it is very economical for us to do cash bookings) and we went for just 2 nights. The weekend points are high so we would not even have had enough points to say a fri. and sat. night.

It was sooooo great! We can not wait to go back. The kids loved the activites and the pool. It was very quiet there this weekend so we just lazed around and ate way too much! We were at WDW last week for 8 days and this trip to HHI gave us a chance to relax and recuperate from a busy WDW trip.


The only "problem" that we encountered was the fact that the beach is a car or bike ride away. We have 3 small children so it is more convenient to have the beach right outside our door. However, we wont let this stop us from going back and hope that we get to be there soon!

Elizabeth - I'm SO glad to hear you had a good time. Hope your birthday boy did, too. Sue

 

[global_mom]

Elizabeth - I'm SO glad to hear you had a good time. Hope your birthday boy did, too. Sue

Hi SusieBea: I was going to post to you today as your advice was awesome! It was a great trip and I would recommend it to anyone.

Cant wait to get back there soon!

If a member wants to do a summer vacation then I would recommend having enough points to cover the home resort advantage. It seems that it would be hard to get exactly what you want during the summer with the 7 month window. On the other hand, the weather is still nice outside of the typical summer months and it might not be as hard to get a 7 month ressie when trying to book in May or October.

We bought our original 50 point HHI resale contract b/c it was affordable and it had 50 banked points. We were able to use those 100 points to book AKV on the 1st day that became available for non-AKV owners. This flexibility is one of the things that we really love about DVC.

 

[CarolA]

OK, I am a former HH owner.

I was disappointed with the resort. The location was not good IMHO and it didn't have anything "special" to offer. (No resturants etc)

I sold my points and for the price of the normal maintenace fee I generally rent a week at a villa within walking distance of the beach in either the Sea Pines or Palmetto Dunes plantations in early fall (which is when I like to go)

I would not recommend buying for your "summer" vacation unless you visit and make sure it's right for you. Most folks on here seem to love it, but there are a few like me who found it missing some stuff.

 

[global_mom]

I would not recommend buying for your "summer" vacation unless you visit and make sure it's right for you. Most folks on here seem to love it, but there are a few like me who found it missing some stuff.

I should have added this same thought to my above post. I would not buy a large amount of points at HHI unless you know that you are going to like it. We only bought 50 points and that was to get our "foot in the door" with DVC so we were not too conerned with whether or not we would love HHI.

As it turns out we did love it, but we are not looking to add more points there because we are content to go in the "off season" and to pay cash for a quick weekend getaway.

If you have never been to HHI and are looking to buy a large amount of points for that resort then I would try to visit it before making the purchase. I hope that I did not just complicated my response too much!

 

[tony webb]

i love disney but i really love golf vacations too...i dont have to be on top of the beach to enjoy hilton head.....going to disney one summer and then hilton head the next with a little vero sometime is what i want

 

[vanstoj]

We own 80 points at HHI and love it! The amazing thing is that I used to live in Bluffton off HHI, worked on HHI and hated the place! However, the Disney resort is unique! We even love it in the off season and usually go for a few days around President's day. If you are looking for family time, you will probably spend more time doing things as a family at HH than Disney world. The resort has a naturalist on staff and a wonderful entertainer and has great family activities for all ages. The resort itself has an amazing amount of wildlife and despite being in a resort area, feels secluded. There is nothing quite so wonderful as going out on the balcony during sunrise and watching the pelicans, the egrets and the blue herons in the marsh. The beach house is very nice and we find that we do not mind the short ride over to the beach house. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive. if you get bored with HH, the beautiful city of Savannah is only 35 minutes away and Charleston is about 1 1/2 hours. Personally, my family enjoys their HH vacations as much or more than those to WDW. In fact, we are waitlisted to try to get in during my kids' spring break in march. Anyone cancel out recently for the last week in March?

 

[WendyinNC]

In fact, we are waitlisted to try to get in during my kids' spring break in march. Anyone cancel out recently for the last week in March?

I'm just curious when you called to get your Spring Break trip. I'm actually surprised that you had to waitlist for March even though it is Easter. It's still cold in March. I'm considering going next Easter Break.

 

[stlrod]

Here's our story:

We flew down to Orlando to buy OKW way back when (they were still offering passes.) After touring, we bought at Marriott Cypress Harbour (OKW just seemed too loud to us with all the buses running through--we didn't need to be immersed in Disney.) A couple of years later, we exchanged it to stay at HHI at one of the Marriott resorts and fell in love with HHI. Disney had just opened. A couple of years later, we went back to HHI and were considering buying another Marriott. We took a DVC tour and ended up buying DVC. There were two main reasons. First, we liked having the best of both worlds: the back country atmosphere where we slept combined with the private beach house. And second, and perhaps more important, we could stay Sun-Fri in June in a 2BR for about 1/2 the price of a full week at Marriott's Barony Beach where we were considering purchasing. We have since sold the Marriott (no regrets about ever having been a part of the Marrriott system) and purchased an add-on at SSR. Hope that helps.

 

[childsplay]

We really love the HH area in general and while I do wish the resort was on the beach, it really has not been a deal breaker for us. I can tell you this...we own three DVC contracts and if I died tommorrow the only one my wife would keep is HH. In fact if she could figure out a way to forge my signature I might lose my other two before I die.