Please tell me about Hilton Head

[ellenmiele]

For anyone who has been to HH --

Here's the background: Got together with friends and starting talking about how it night be nice to take a 4 or 5 night trip to HH. Maybe late summer/early fall. There would be 10 of us -- 4 adults, 1 teen girl, 2 boys ages 9 and 11, and 3 girls age 8. We have never been to HH and I was hoping to get some info from all the DIS experts on the resort itself, activites for kids our ages, restaurants, and recreation.

1. Can we rent bikes/should we bring our own?
2. Is it easy to walk or bike to the beach house?
3. I see there is a marina somewhere nearby -- do they do boat rentals?
4. What/where are the good restaurants? Would we need our car or can we walk?
5. Are there shops right at the resort (like there are a resorts in WDW)?
6. How "Disney" is HH? Are there ever any characters anywhere? How about merchandise? Disney channels on the tvs?
7. During busier seasons does it ever feel crowded?
8. Are there nice views from the villlas?

Thank you to anyone for any responses/advice about HH. And please add anything else that you think we ought to know.

THANKS

 

[Doctor P]

Yes, you can rent bikes both at the resort and from local vendors. They are quite affordable and the price per bike drops as you rent more bikes. The beach house is not real walkable as I recall, but would be a comfortable bike ride. Not sure if I remember any bike racks there, though. There is a small shop at the resort that was not really very well stocked, but it apparently has gotten much better according to the latest Vacation Magic. There are no characters at the resort, but there is still a Disney feel. We were there in the dead of high season and never felt like the resort was crowded. In fact, it was quite peaceful and tranquil despite the resort being full. We like it so well that we did an add on to assure access to a studio at high season at the 11 month mark. Have a great trip!!!

 

[domestic goddess]

We were there for Spring Break 2004 and had a great time! There are lots of things to do at the resort(kayaking, dolphin cruises, crafts, tours, marsh tours, campfires, storytelling, etc.), and the beach house is great as well. We just drove our car over to the beach house. It was easy to get to and park. There is also lots of mini-golf around the resort(outside the resort) and sightseeing in Harbourtown and Sea Pines. Take a dolphin cruise with Scott from Low Country Tours(he does the Disney tours), he is a lot of fun and very knowledgeable.

The resort was at capacity when we were there and we never felt crowded. It was very peaceful and relaxing. We even commented that at 9:00 at night we sat out on our balcony(which looked over the pool) and we couldn't hear any noise at all, except the nature that is all around there. The only thing that was a little crowded was the campfire, but that just made it more fun!

There is a marina right next to the resort but I don't know if they rent out boats. We also ate most of our meals in our villa so I don't know the particulars about restaurants. There is only a snack bar at the resort that has sandwiches and snacks. There is also a snack bar at the beach house. There is also a sit down restaurant at the beach house but it was not open when we were there.

It is not "Disney" like WDW but it still has a certain feel to it and the attention to detail is still there. It was a great relaxing vacation and we are going back, hopefully, this next spring as well. Have a great time!!

 

[Kim&Chris]

I know I will be in the minority here, but I did not really like DVC HHI, although my DH did enjoy it. I was very disappointed, but I may have been expecting too much.

1. I did not think it was "Disney" at all. Not even a little. Of all the castmembers we saw, only one or two were pleasant. I thought HHI needed some serious pixie dust. I guess I was expecting the same Disney feel as the resorts in WDW have.
2. No onsite restaurant. Just my opinion, but Disney definitely missed the boat here. Unless you stock your kitchen, you're sort of forced to leave the property and search for a decent meal. However, they did have a small snack bar that served sandwiches and the sort. The food was pretty good.
3. The gift shop had almost nothing in the way of souveniers or Disney merchandise. Another poster states that has apparently changed, which is good news.

However, one good thing I can comment on is that we did the Chef Gordon dinner. Extremely good & highly recommended.

Sorry

 

[ellenmiele]

Thanks everyone -- and one more question --

Can we use Disney Dollars at HH?

 

[quentina]

Thanks everyone -- and one more question --

Can we use Disney Dollars at HH?

Yes,

Kim

 

[TW1]

1. Can we rent bikes/should we bring our own?

Matter of packing and riding preference I guess. There are decent rentals that even deliver for about $40 for the week. If you rent, I's suggest you bring your own helmet. While we miss our own bikes, we don't have the worry of exposing them to the sand and salt and lugging them down there.

2. Is it easy to walk or bike to the beach house?

You can walk, it's about a mile. Biking is very easy. And there is a free shuttle from the resort every 30 minutes.

3. I see there is a marina somewhere nearby -- do they do boat rentals?

Right across the way, just a 5 minute walk. You can also do the Disney-offered dolphin cruise which is a blast.

4. What/where are the good restaurants? Would we need our car or can we walk?

There are plenty of recent threads here about dining in HHI. To take in a full scope and all the great options, you'll want a car. Most are within 15 minutes away. Though I never confirmed it, I have always assumed Disney specifically did not put a full service restaurant on site as a concession to the island for permission to build on one of the few remaining tracts and in an 'eco-sensitive' area. There are hundreds of restaurants on HHI of all stripes. At first I found it odd, even inconvenient, that there was no on-site restaurant. However, over the years I've come to appreciate not having an on-site eatery as an excuse to explore and enjoy the options. Besides all roooms have at least a kitchenette and a vast majority of guests make great use of them.

5. Are there shops right at the resort (like there are a resorts in WDW)?

A small gift shop is on-site. Alot smaller than BCV or other major WDW resort stores. Across the harbor is a fun shopping, walking, pedestrian area with galleries, gift shops, restaurants, etc.

6. How "Disney" is HH? Are there ever any characters anywhere? How about merchandise? Disney channels on the tvs?

Just Disney-enough for us. It is obviously not a theme park. It was designed as an off-site resort and defintely fits that pattern. I will say the Cast Members are some of the best I've ever encountered. We've trusted them implicitely with our 2 children and have enjoyed a number of programs as a family. There are nice touches though not at all over the top in terms of Disney decor. Barely a primary color, much less any neon or oversized statuary. HHI is intended to be Disney-away-from-Disney and "fits the bill" (a small inside chuckle you'll understand after visiting.) Yes, you'll find the Disney channel in your room and a closed-circuit station with daily activities and other announcements.

7. During busier seasons does it ever feel crowded?

It will sell out most warm months and holidays, though not in a crowded way like a theme park. All chairs around the pool will be taken and every spot in the lot will be full. That said, we never feel crowded due to the great layout and design of the resort. Traffic around the island is busy, though not bumoper to bumper like Jersey-shore towns.

8. Are there nice views from the villlas?

Absolutley! Villas 11-15, 17, 18, 22, 24, 27, 29, & 31 in particular have awesome marsh & sunset views.

There are plenty of similar threads on this Dis-board about HHI. Spend some time trolling through for a great resources on what to do, where to eat, room layouts, etc. We bought our points here a few years ago and will never regret it. We drove down twice this year and can't wait to get back. In some ways it is honestly a toss-up to visit WDW or HHI for us and the kids. Go for it!

 

[linco711]

I don't think Hilton Head has the Disney magic. Not much Pixie Dust at that resort. The cast members seem very unhappy. I know there has been a big turn over there. They seem to have a very difficult time keeping their help. No on site restaurant....no merchandise or good shopping on site. Hilton Head Island is beautiful though. If you go, just don't expect that Disney feel!

 

[Simba's Mom]

I know that not having an onsite resturaunt can be a pain. However, that's not Disney's fault. The town fathers made that a condition of allowing Disney to open a resort on its island-no onsite resturaunt! If you must bring in all these people, we want their money!

 

[Simba's Mom]

I know that not having an onsite resturaunt can be a pain. However, that's not Disney's fault. The town fathers made that a condition of allowing Disney to open a resort on its island-no onsite resturaunt! If you must bring in all these people, we want their money, at least at meal time!

 

[drakester]

I just want to say my 10 and 7 year old dds love HH. They like riding their bikes all over, they like going to the store with mommy breathing down their necks the whole time. If we're not going to do WDW one year we always make sure we get to HH instead.

 

[TENNDVC]

While we love OKW I also love the trips we take to HHI. Yes it is not the pixie dust feel of WDW but is the feel of going home to relax from all the rush of everyday life. Walking on the beach, watching the dolphins of which there are many, and enjoying all the restaurants are just a few of the reasons we love HHI. Oh and don't forget those summertime fireworks, I am a real sucker for a firework show and how good can it get when it comes right from the resort.

 

[JVL1018]

I love HH-my family and I feel that hands down they have the best cast members. My kids remember and talk about the CMs there and have never done that at WDW.

We don't mind the lack of an on site restaurant-we still, in 3 trips, haven't gotten to all the restaurants on HH that we want to go to yet, anyway.

The one thing we don't like is the fact that the snack bar closes at 4. I think it should stay open til at least 6 so you could pick up a quick dinner if you were still at the pool and hungry around dinner time.

 

[linco711]

Wow! I didn't know they were closing the snackbar at 4:00. With no other onsite food option that seems very undisney!

 

[Doctor P]

The closing time of the snack bar may vary by season. When we were there over the summer in 2003, the snack bar was still open after the campfire as we got ice cream there as I recall.

 

[canda]

"When in Rome....." In the south, we dont stay in the pool all day and night. At least by 5 it is time to go get ready for dinner, play mini golf after dinner and then go get ice cream.

HHI has great places to eat that are local and not chain places. You will enjoy the food out on the Island than you would if there was an onsite place.

As far as pixie dust, we are happy to have DVCers not to like HHI. It was so nice back in 1997-2002 when no one in DVC cared about visiting HHI. Now, It is crowded even in Sep. and Oct.

It really is desinged to be a laid back, low key vacation. It is for those of us who love Disney World every 2 to 3 years and just want a hint of Disney during the off-time.