Myrtle beach vs Hilton Head with teenagers??

[kathy87]

We are looking to do a less expensive vacation with 2 teenage boys (13 and 14). I was thinking maybe Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head. Can anyone recommend things to do and an awesome hotel in either locations. TIA

 

[ThanksForNoticingMe]

Hilton Head typically costs more than Myrtle Beach and is much more laid back (not as much for teens to do). If you were going for a couple thing I would say do Hilton Head....but the teens would prob. prefer Myrtle.

Myrtle has decent shopping plenty of outlets... Broadway at the Beach...and Market Commons. They are also building a new mutli million dollar Boardwalk area down on the strip, but I am not sure when it will be done. As far as hotels cheack out the Hilton or Emmbasy Suites at Kingston Plantation...it is a nice resort.

 

[mafibisha]

Hilton Head typically costs more than Myrtle Beach and is much more laid back (not as much for teens to do). If you were going for a couple thing I would say do Hilton Head....but the teens would prob. prefer Myrtle.

Myrtle has decent shopping plenty of outlets... Broadway at the Beach...and Market Commons. They are also building a new mutli million dollar Boardwalk area down on the strip, but I am not sure when it will be done. As far as hotels cheack out the Hilton or Emmbasy Suites at Kingston Plantation...it is a nice resort.

ITA. We did HH for years, until our oldest 2 became tweens. Since then we've done Myrtle and they much prefer it. They now think HH is boring!

The first time we did Myrtle ( two years ago) we were pleasantly surprised and happy to see how much its improved since DH and I went as young marrieds. THe whole vibe has changed as it has many more upscale places (shopping, condos, restaurants) but is really balanced with lots of average inbetween places, shops and activities too

 

[HM]

We really dislike the feel of the Myrtle Beach area so never vacation there.

We vacation at HHI every year (the past 10 year with our kids). Our kids are now 16 and 14 and still love it there. We own a timeshare (Marriott's Grande Ocean) that has a lot of activities and is right on the beach and has multiple pools.

I'd suggest the Hyatt in Port Royal as a good place to stay on the beach and have activities for the family.

 

[kathy87]

Thanks for all the advice. I will check tripadvisor and see what some of the reviews say in both areas. It is not easy finding something other than Disney and Universal that has something for everyone

 

[minniebeth]

Myrtle Beach and HHI are two separate beach worlds and hard to compare the two.We love both and it all depends on what you are looking for.
HHI is a great relaxing, family resort area. There IS a lot to do but it depends on what your boys like to do. There are a lot of eco-tours, fishing, crabbing in the area and day trips for history are at your finger tips with Charleston, Beaufort and Savannah. My kids love history and taking some of these day trips break up the beach days. Boys your age would love the history of Charleston. You also have South Beach in Sea Pines with the Salty Dog, lighthouse, etc. Golf is the big draw in HHI with some nice mini-golf places as well. A PP talked about the vacation villas of Marriott. There is another one called Marriott's Surf Watch which is the best place in HHI we've ever stayed.
Disney's HHI is also great, the drawback for me is that the beach is across the street.

Myrtle Beach is fun beach, think more commercial, not as relaxing, always on the go. Tons of mini-golf, more touristy stuff, the best mini-golf anywhere on the planet! Great shows, shopping, chains like Hard Rock, Ripley's and water parks, rides on the boardwalk. Think like Disney on the beach. The Grand Dunes Marriott is really nice (can you tell we're Marriott people?) and someone just posted a new place with a great indoor water area but I can't find the thread at the moment. Maybe someone knows what it is. I think it has Villages in the title. Think highrise, busy beach though when thinking of MB.

Both are great and both can be done within a reasonable budget depending on what you want.
Overall though, relaxing, more upscale=HHI
fun, on the go=MB

Have fun! Would love to know what your family picks.

 

[mafibisha]

Myrtle Beach and HHI are two separate beach worlds and hard to compare the two.We love both and it all depends on what they are looking for.

HHI is a great relaxing, family resort area. There IS a lot to do but it depends on what your boys like to do. There are a lot of eco-tours, fishing, crabbing in the area and day trips for history are at your finger tips with Charleston, Beaufort and Savannah. My kids love history and taking some of these day trips break up the beach days. Boys your age would love the history of Charleston. You also have South Beach in Sea Pines with the Salty Dog, lighthouse, etc. Golf is the big draw in HHI with some nice mini-golf places as well. A PP talked about the vacation villas of Marriott. There is another one called Marriott's Surf Watch which is the best place in HHI we've ever stayed.
Disney's HHI is also great, the drawback for me is that the beach is across the street.

Myrtle Beach is fun beach, think more commercial, not as relaxing, always on the go. Tons of mini-golf, more touristy stuff, the best mini-golf anywhere on the planet! Great shows, shopping, chains like Hard Rock, Ripley's and water parks, rides on the boardwalk. Think like Disney on the beach. The Grand Dunes Marriott is really nice (can you tell we're Marriott people?) and someone just posted a new place with a great indoor water area but I can't find the thread at the moment. Maybe someone knows what it is. I think it has Villages in the title. Think highrise, busy beach though when thinking of MB.

Both are great and both can be done within a reasonable budget depending on what you want.
Overall though, relaxing, more upscale=HHI
fun, on the go=MB

Have fun! Would love to know what your family picks.

Great post and description. You explained it perfectly.

It all depends on what you're looking for.
In reality, we live a wonderful suburban life, and sometimes at HH I feel like I'm still in my neighborhood -- if you kwim -

IOW its small and more upscale with *all* that goes alone with that (you do the math LOL ) - almost just a continuation of our life at home, just on the ocean
In fact, we'd often run into acquaintances there at the restaurants - and unless we're traveling with friends, we prefer to be on vacation from that, too!

MB on the other hand, IS like Disney on the beach! Its HUGE and where you can choose exactly what you want, get *lost* from real life at home and truly feel like you're on vacation. There IS more upscale than ever before in terms of lodging and shopping, and there are alot more choices in the moderate but VERY nice category too, i.e. oceanfront with lots of fabulous amenities. There are lots of WATERPARKS connected with MANY of the condo complexes! Fun times! You can take in outlets and arcades and putt putts (they ARE the best in the world, incredible!!) and generally, TRULY BE AWAY ON VACATION.

The beaches are the same. The *Grand Strand* is indeed grand, all the way up and down the SC coast.

I hope that makes sense -- and you kwim

But yes, both places will be a great time.

 

[Emme]

This is a great forum for all Myrtle Beach type info...
http://www.funbeaches.com/forum/

They can answer any specific questions you might have and they really are a helpful bunch~

 

[madcat]

We live in Beaufort (Hilton Head is actually in Beaufort County) we usually spend a day or two right at the end of summer on Hilton Head, we stay at a hotel on the beach and just enjoy the realxing. It really feels like a world away for us. My sons (who are younger than yours) still like it. I can see the teenager appeal for Myrtle Beach there is a lot more to do there for them. We try to save the "tourist" route for WDW.