What's so great about the HHI DVC resort?

[RIJim]

We are going to HHI because Hilton Head is someplace we always wanted to go. Having a Disney resort is a plus. As far as relaxing, my family will be biking, fishing, crabbing, kayaking, beaching, pooling and sampling the local eats and history. We're there a week and I am worried we wont have enough time!

If the outdoors is not your thing or your kids are too young (mine are 6 and 8) then the resort as a stand alone destination may not be worthwhile. For us, its a "home" while we enjoy all the area has to offer. In between my kids can do the Disney activities, pool and we enjoy a comfortable resort!

 

[Simba's Mom]

We just came back from our first trip to HH on Sat. We stayed 5 nights, and drove there from Chicago. Our first contract was at HH as a resale since I thought it would be a great place for dh and I after the kids got older. We got a good price and it was loaded.

We loved the resort, but surprisingly we didn't love the vacation as much as I thought we would. Don't get me wrong, I loved the resort, location, villas and many of the hotel activities. It's just that we realized that we are not beach people, and I have a hard time spending hours at the pool. The difficulty for us is that we have three kids under age 7 with the youngest being only 20 months. At WDW, there is always something to do or somewhere to go with a little pool time thrown in for the kids. At HH island, there are lots of great outdoor activities, but they're not great for young kids. Dh and I would have loved to go hiking, on a long bike ride, or to explore some of the shops. Our kids are too young for these activities. We went on a couple of bike rides, but dd who is 7 could only go for a couple of miles. The nature stuff is not interesting to them yet, and none of them really liked the beach for more than about an hour tops. We spent a majority of the vacation in the main pool which dds liked, but I got bored with.

I know we will love a HH island vacation one day. Our plan is to go again in about 3-4 years when dd3 is 4-5 and our oldest will be 10-11. At that time, they will be able participate in more activities, (including the kids night out), and hopefully will be more interested in the beach and other outdoor activities.

This was just our experience with our family this year. The resort is fantastic and I'm sure will be a family favorite soon. (And BTW, dd1 said she liked HH better than WDW, but that's because she would live in a pool if we let her). Hopefully, I'll get a TR together soon. It was a fun week, it was just so different than being at WDW which I felt like I missed while we were there.

I'm glad you posted this. Although we don't have young kids, I often wondered how the resort felt for people with young kids, especially in the off-season. We love HHI, but we do lots of nature-related things, mostly birding. And DH golfs, while I ride in the cart with my binocculars. We couldn't do these things if we had young children. So I can understand your feelings.

 

[hellerjw]

The resort now offers in-room massages using a 3rd party service. We noticed them offering this service in the weekly activity sheet they give you at check-in when we were there in June. We didn't use the service so I don't know if its worth it or not.

There are also a dozen or more spa companies scattered around the island if you are looking for something more than a massage.

The laid back atmosphere is exactly what we love about HHI. We love our WDW vacations too but don't get a truly rejuvinating type vacation when we go there because of all the things we are trying to do or see. At HHI we always feel completely refreshed when we leave because it isn't the sensory overload that WDW can be. We just hang out at the pool, beach or resort, enjoy several good meals out and take our time doing things. Its one of the few places where I can experience the luxury of not having to abide by a schedule or somebody else's deadlines. I spent several hours in a hammock this past June just watching the tide come in to the marshland, enjoying all the wildlife and pristine weather.

 

[Oshawa]

I am just curious is it very difficult to get the summer months at the 7th month mark. We would love to try it out sometime.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Be careful - if your family is anything like mine - they will prefer HHI to anyplace at WDW.

Mine, too! In fact, they would prefer to go to HHI every year and never go to WDW!

 

[RIJim]

I am just curious is it very difficult to get the summer months at the 7th month mark. We would love to try it out sometime.

I've always heard it is but I called on 12/24 for a 7/24 one week, 1 bed booking and was able to get it!

 

[Oshawa]

I've always heard it is but I called on 12/24 for a 7/24 one week, 1 bed booking and was able to get it!

There is hope!! I would love to try out HHI at least once!!

 

[hellerjw]

The resort is small to begin with and the vast majority of units at HHI are dedicated 2 bedrooms. There are only 21 lock-offs so getting a 1BR or studio can be difficult at the 7 month mark, especially during June-August. Before we added on there we never had much trouble getting a 2BR at the 7 month mark but were consistently shut out of getting a 1BR or studio during the summer months. We did a HHI add-on this past year specifically to give us the 11 month booking window for the smaller units in June-August.

 

[marynvince]

DVC HHI.

The last time we went to OBX, Corolla area, was our 5th and will be our last. In my opinion it has gotten too developed from my first trip there 20 years ago. Didnt have that same relaxing feeling for me. We discovered HHI because of DVC and love it for DVC. We came last summer and stayed at a condo and it wasnt the same. The CMs and activities at DVC are outstanding. I have 4 kids, 16,14,11 and 5 and they all love the resort. There are activities for all ages, so they get their fun and i get to relax. While we dont have points there, we've not had any trouble getting reservations for the summer at the 7 month mark.

 

[dvcterry]

we fell in love with it & hopefully you will too. We have gone to HHI about 4 maybe 5 times I lost count. You can shuttle or take the car over to the beach house, walk around, rent bikes. There are restaurants. The beach is very nice and the cast members are super friendly I hope you have some nice weather and a great time!