Vero Beach and Hilton Head Island Resorts

[LisaStockman]

Hi guys,

I have a few questions regarding the resort of Vero Beach and Hilton Head.
We bought into SSP last October and can't wait to go over and visit, We have decided to bank our first years point and stay for 3 weeks next year.

Has anyone stayed at Vero Beach and Hilton Head and could anyone give me their opinions on each resort. We have read that you can drive from Orlando to Vero Beach and that it takes about 2 hours which is fine. Apart from the resort itself are there many other attractions in the surrounding area to visit. We are planning on going at end Sept/beg Oct. Does anyone know what the weather is like in Vero Beach at this time of year?

Have any UK members been to Hilton Head and if so did you get an internal flight from Orlando or is it feasible to drive?

Sorry for all the questions but we are DVC Beginners!!!

Many thanks guys
Lisa

 

[mark&sue]

You will probably be best off asking on the DVC boards or doing a search for them.

There are some really good pictures on tagrel.com of Vero Beach. We hope to be going for a few days next October to Vero beach. I read on one of the DVC boards that more than fours days is meant to be quite boring. We are taking our friends and their children who love the beach so we thought it would be a good break for them from the parks.

Hope this helps.



Susan

 

[Pootle]

Hello Lisa

I think Susan gave you good advice about doing a search - there's been lots written about both resorts, particularly on the US boards. There was even a Vero Beach thread on the UK trip planning forum recently.

Vero is a favourite of mine and you are correct, it is about a 2 hour drive from Orlando. There are plenty of things to do in the area but they are not so obvious - you have to do your research. We only go for between 2 and 4 nights usually and so this isn't a problem; the resort and the Indian River Mall take care of that

I've visted the Hilton Head resort on my way up to Charleston and would say it's a 5-6 hour drive from memory. I'm going to stay there this October so I'm in the process of collecting information myself. I do know that this resort, unlike Vero which is right next to the ocean, is about a mile from the beach, but has a regular shuttle bus. Also it's close enough for visits to Savannah and Charleston, both lovely historic cities.

Late September and early October are still in the hurricane season. We were there last year for hurricane Frances but last year was (I hope) exceptional. Usually you can expect it to still be hot but with less humidity than high summer months. You should still expect some rain though but you might be lucky!

Welcome to the DVC, sure you'll love it.

 

[jjpenguin]

Hi Lisa,

We visited HH last year, it's a really lovely resort. We didn't really do much but there was plenty to do. The island is pretty large and has lovely beaches, we even saw dolphins from the beach house! We went to visit Beaufort, which is smaller than Charleston but nearer. It was very relaxing. It was quite a 5-6 hour drive to Orlando, mainly cause of the speed limits.

We're off to Vero in September, and have planned a week there, so I'll let you know if we get bored! I think it's mainly what you expect: We're planning to relax & just potter about, go out shopping, maybe a kayak trip or go to a nearby nature reserve. I'll let you know how we get on!

 

[susieh]

We have been to both HH and VB.

VB is very quiet - especially after WDW. We weren't that impressed but then we like doing 'things' and aren't into lazing by a pool all day. We don't have young kids so the activities for them didn't really suit us either.

The beach was lovely though and it was nice to swim in a warm sea.

The restaurants on site aren't as good as WDW and we had to drive quite a way to find a supermarket. Some of the restaurants in the area are nice though - Captain Hirams (or something like that) was one I especially remember.

HH wasn't for me at all. We went in September and they have loads of local beetles there which look like cockroaches - they fly too - and I have an absolute phobia of beetles.

The area is quite upmarket but there is a very nice mall near the site. The beach is a bus ride from the apartments but there is a pool on each part of the site so you dont have to go to the beach if you dont want. The sea here was lovely and warm too but I got stung by a huge wasp on the beach (it really wasnt my week) so that put me off too.

Oh and do remember to carry your driving licence in South Carolina - we got stopped by a cop car (for speeding - doing 58 in a 55!!!) and Trooper Sergeant Nelson fined us $200 cash on the spot ($100 for speeding, $100 for no licence) and if we hadn't had the cash to pay it the DH would have been put in jail while I got the money. And it had to be dollar bills too - not a nice experience at all, standing there feeling very helpless while he had a gun in his belt.