VB & HH ..Just Back

[Lissete]

Actually, we got back on Monday but I have not had time to log on. We spent 3 nights at VB, 2 night in St. Augustine (gotta save those weekend points ) 4 nights in HH, 1 night in Jax (I can't stand being in a car for more than 4 hours ), and finally we ended up in Tampa for 2 nights. This is our first vacation in 12 years that has not included a visit to Disney.
This will probably end up longer than intended but it will not be an actual trip report. Just certain points and issues about our trip. If anyone has any specific questions please ask.

We are: Lissete (me) 34, DH 34, DD 11 & DD 12.

This was our first trip to HH and we were very pleased. We had great weather for our entire trip except for one thunderstorm over night at HH.

We did have several incidents at HH but nothing that actually ruined our stay.
*The first uncomfortable situation happened when my daughter (11) went back to the room to take a shower while we were still at the pool. She comes back hysterical because there is a man in our room. We go back and there is a maintenace guy at the counter jotting down some notes. Apparently he had serviced the A/C unit. I don't mind work being done while we are out, but it would have been common courtesy to notify us ahead of time. What if my DD had been in the shower when he came in and did not hear a knock??? Anyhow, our A/C was working fine before he came.
*That night, we wake up around 12:30 AM extremely uncomfortable. The A/C was not working. Luckily, we had the ceiling fans. Apparently the unit had frozen or something, so we called it in first thing in the morning. Good thing we were going out to the beach because it was getting very uncomfortable in the room. When we returned around 5:00PM the service guy was there.
*Our room keys stopped working around the 2nd day. I go down to the lobby and they fix it for me. It still does not work. I go back down and the CM comes with me to try my key. It does not work and neither does her Master Key. So she sends an engineer to check the box. Well, when he gets there he gets in with his key and he is able to open with my key. Well, at least I do not feel so bad because the CM couldn't get in either.

*Like I said, we did have a great time and the girls want to return next year. But they still prefer Vero.

*The beaches are different. I can't say that I love either one. The water temp was good at both. But I did not like the muddy texture of the sand at HH. I did like the vast size of the beach compared to VB though.

*I liked having restaurants within walking distance (If I wanted to walk ) at HH compared to the no less than 20 minute drive at VB.

*We did not mind the drive to the beach at HH. We usually took the shuttle and the drivers were always very nice.

*We did the Dolphin Cruise at HH which was nice. We went directly through Disney @ $100 on Member day for the 4 of us.
I do see it advertised for a lot less outside the resort and wonder what the difference is.

*I would like to see a strictly non-smoking section at the pools. Especially at Vero Beach as luck would have it someone would always set up camp right next to us and proceed to blow their smoke in our direction.

All our requests were met at both resorts, so we were very happy campers.

Oh, my husband absolutely loved Sea Pines. He wants to buy a summer place there. Maybe he inherited some money that I do not know about! There is nothing wrong with being a dreamer

 

[RobDoc]

Thanks for the report! Glad you had a good trip to both resorts.

At all DVC resorts, maintenance is often performed during the day- not just when guests report problems. It is sometimes changing air filters, or even routine light bulb replacement. They do knock before entering, but if the day latch is in place they won't/can't come in. They will also respect the "Privacy Please" sign when hung on the door.

The "texture" of the sand is often influenced by the turbulence of the ocean when storms pass by the area. In some cases the water clarity is affected by weather events which occurred several days earlier- or even miles out to sea.

Both off-site resorts have a good selection of restaurants nearby- like you, we enjoy the close proximity which allows us tgo walk at HH.

Until DVC we had always stayed at Sea Pines at HH. For those who have not visited that area, it is well worth an exploration. It has many miles of bike trails, lots of interesting residential areas and many places to dine and shop.

Thanks again!

 

[PamOKW]

Thanks for the report Lissete!

You might want to share your comments about smoking at the pools with the folks debating "Smoking on Non-Smoking Balconies" on the Debate Board! Especially when it's hot and humid I agree that smoke can just seem to "hang" in the air.

 

[Mom-to-3]

If your husband is really interested in Sea Pines, you can get a Marriott 2 bedroom timeshare (1 week) for $8-9,000. The maintenance fees are just under $600/year.

 

[KarenB]

Hi!

Glad you were pleased with HH!!! We were there this June and going to Vero next June. You made some interesting points on how the beaches compare. I am interested to see what resort my DSs (ages 11 and 13) will like best! They say HH can't be beat, but I'll ask again after our trip to Vero next year!

Could you tell us what type of room you had at Vero and where it was located? How about any activities that stood out as you favorites at Vero??

Thanks!
Karen

 

[Geubux]

Glad you had a good time at HH. We own at BWV, but DW wants to add on at HH. I looked at Marriott and to get fall season was about 20 grand! Shoot, I could stay for about a month at DVC with the additional points I could buy for that amount! And we liked the Disney atmosphere better! Go Figure!

 

[Lissete]

Mary, my DH wants a <B><I>House</B></I> in Sea Pines. That's why I said that we were dreaming.

Karen, at both VB & HH we had a 1 BR. In Vero we were in Bldg. 14. As far as activities...I read, relaxed, swam, relaxed, ate, relaxed...get the picture? Seriously, we really did not do much at Vero. Most of the activities were geared towards younger kids so my girls didn't participate much either. We just had a great time together during the day. The girls made friends that they hung out with. And my DH & I enjoyed the Green Cabin Room.