Back from Hilton Head

[cgcw]

Okay, this is the 3rd attempt at posting this thread. If it's a duplicate, sorry. Maybe I'm not really suppose to be back from vacation yet.

We returned last night for our week at Hilton Head. This was our 5th trip and are starting to think about next years visit (gotta utilize that 11 month window).

We had a great time. The resort is very laid back. Very hot (115 one day). It's really not the heat that's the killer, it's the humidity. Hot is hot, but humid is worse. When you walk outside and feel wet instantly, you know the humidity is going to be a killer.

We went shark fishing on one of the hottest days. DS10 caught a couple of them but all of the bites I had, I didn't hook. DS5 got to hold the baby shark (about 12") that his brother caught. The best part of the fishing trip was catching Shad for bait. Our Captain, Scott from Low Country Nature Tours, threw a net overboard, walked around to the back of the boat, pulled it in and there must have been 100, if not more, little fish all over. The boys loved the opprotunity to pick/scoop them up. They loved even more the chance the throw them out after Scott sliced them up. Gross to see, but right up their alley.

When the net went into the water, the dolphins came right up to the boat looking for a hand out. Although we didn't toss any fish over (it's illegal to feed the dolphins), they were patiently waiting for some "lunch". They looked just like the dolphins we've seen in dolphin shows sticking their heads out and making noise. Very fun to see.

Another day we went beach combing to Dufuskie Island. We brought home 34 sand dollars (all dead when we found them) along with a star fish and a horseshoe crab shell. The kids enjoyed swimming with Capt. Scott's dog Woody who he brought along just for our kids to enjoy. Usually Scott doesn't bring Woody out in the summer months as it's rather hot for him. My boys would toss a piece of wood into the water, Woody would chase it, the boys would chase Woody. They enjoyed it a lot.

We went to both the Tuesday night BBQ and Thursday night Shrimp Boil arranged through the resort. DS10 is considered an adult for dinner prices so it was a bit pricey (but convenient). For what the kids ate, I'm not sure it was really worth the cost. But, DH & I did enjoy the Shrimp Boil and will probably do it again. Not sure about the BBQ.

This was the first year we were able to get a kite to fly on the beach. Go figure, it was the cheapest kite I could find and it flew great.

Disney does provide transportation to and from the beach. I've read that many people get discouraged because Disney is not right on the beach but we've never felt it to be a negative. It's nice to plan a day at the beach. Disney does have a beach house with a Signals (casual restaurant/counter service), a bar and a pool. We would spend time at the beach and then up at the beach house. The beach itself has always been clean. The waves are not huge but certainly enough for the kids to enjoy with a boogie board or just swimming in the waves.

We dined at the Sea Shack which is the local restaurant Rachel Ray from the food channel reviewed a while ago. It was very good. A small, casual place with that local feel to it. The day we were there, several men came in for their "weekly" lunch outing. I'd much prefer that type of setting than the traditional touristy restaurant.

The staff at the resort changed a lot over the last year. People left, others moved up. Greg (the tall young guy) is now the front desk manager. Crystal works a lot up at the front desk too. We only saw here during the life guard drills out on the beach and at the beach house. They have a new recreation manager, Rich, who seemed to be having a good time.

The life guards said it was new, but one night they came out to the beach and each had to go through the motions of rescuing someone. Their drill was intense, run out the the ocean, do exercises, perform CPR, run back, perform more exercises, run back out to the water. I'm sure they were exhausted. Their drill must have lasted at least 10 minutes each going through the motions. I'm sure they didn't appreciate it, but from my standpoint, it was good to see.

We flew Independence Air and will fly with them again. Drinks, choice of snack, mints and hot towels were offered on each flight. The best part was their prices -- less than $200 each for us to fly. Certainly beat driving those 16 hours.

There was still no naturalist at the resort and we missed the naturalist programs offered in the past. The schedule for this upcoming week did have a couple of nature programs so that's a good sign. I did hear that Disney hire 2 full time people as naturalist so they could offer more program. I hope they are still there next summer when we return.

We stayed the first Saturday night at the Red Roof Inn close to the resort. I'll just say that we didn't return the next Saturday night for our second reserved night. My kids were upset to see the roaches which were roaming around outside the room (in daylight no less). In all the years we've spent at Hilton Head, we've never seen them as brave as they were that night. I don't want to even think about the ones who joined us in our room. We ended up staying this past Saturday at Disney as a cash night.

Any questions, just ask away.

Cindy

 

[Laurabearz]

Sounds like a great time! Even in the heat.

On our HH trip this summer we flew in and out of Jacksonville and ended with a night at the JAX Clarion hotel... Roaches 3 inches big swimming in the pool with us....

Icky.

 

[cgcw]

On our HH trip this summer we flew in and out of Jacksonville and ended with a night at the JAX Clarion hotel... Roaches 3 inches big swimming in the pool with us....

Icky.

Note to self, don't stay at the Jacksonville Clarion.

 

[JoEllen]

Thanks Cindy for such a nice report. We are considering HH for next year and I appreciate reading others experiences.

Wasn't the Sea Shack the little restaurant where the waitress said the special was whatever the cook had caught that day? I saw that Rachel Ray show and thought that would be a neat place to try!

Thanks for the tip on the Red Roof. Yikes! We'll fly into Savannah from Seattle and will need to check in late the first night. Don't think I want to start out the trip with those guys

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing!!! Glad you had a good time!

 

[RealMickey]

Great Report!

Thanks for all the info. We will be at HH later in the month, our 2nd trip to the resort. Cant wait!

 

[gopherit]

And instantly, I am reallllly hating myself for telling MS that my oldest son is 10..... ain't no way that boy is gonna ingest 20-something bucks of food! (Not only that, he's my little herbivore... so imagine trying to get 20+ bucks of salad and fruit into him, if you will!) Oh well. I'm against telling kids to "lie" about their ages... only sets a precedent for later when they try to get into bars and such, lol! Guess we will have to pony up and pay adult fare, too!

Glad you had a good time. WOW -- that heat sounds intense. Did you rent / ride bikes at all? What sort of food did the "Sea Shack" have? (Anything kid-friendly?) Were the bugs simply worse at Red Roof, or just plain bad all over? This time of year, they can be brazen suckers.....

I'm still on the fence about the dophin / shell gathering thing. Haven't decided what we will do....I think the kids would love gathering the shells, but the idea of driving home with 30 sandollars (or whatever they might find) in a hot, 10 hr car trip makes me wonder.... they are bound to be stinky (the shells, not the kids! Although, then again, at times.....) ANyway -- Phew -- and I guess I'll decide when we get there!

Do you recall what programs were bring added this week? We will be at HHI on the 7th through the 13th -- wondering if something new will be happening!

THanks again for your report -- I hope to post a glowing one of my own soon!

Cindy

 

[cgcw]

And instantly, I am reallllly hating myself for telling MS that my oldest son is 10..... ain't no way that boy is gonna ingest 20-something bucks of food! (Not only that, he's my little herbivore... so imagine trying to get 20+ bucks of salad and fruit into him, if you will!) Oh well. I'm against telling kids to "lie" about their ages... only sets a precedent for later when they try to get into bars and such, lol! Guess we will have to pony up and pay adult fare, too!

I'm not sure whether your referring to the BBQ or the Shrimp Boil but I can tell you your little herbivore will not find any fruit on the menu either night except for watermelon at the BBQ. At the shrimp boil, there was corn on the cob, potatoes, green beans with bacon, rice, gumbo, corn bread, excellent pork roast, wonderful shrimp, mac & cheese that I can remember. At the BBQ, they offered hamburgers/cheeseburgers, hot dogs, corn bread, ribs, corn on the cob, maybe potato salad (?). Not much fruit to come by.

Did you rent / ride bikes at all?

We have always rented bikes so I guess that's why I didn't mention it. We've found it an easy ride to the beach house and back, as well as all over the island. We rode one morning down to Piggly Wiggly stopping to buy water and then on our way. My DS5 had no problem this year or last. Nice paved paths which are mostly flat and smooth.

What sort of food did the "Sea Shack" have? (Anything kid-friendly?)

Capt. Scott was one of the "locals" who told us about Sea Shack. When we saw him later in the week, my DS10 commented that it was his new favorite. Scott asked him what he had and my DS replied, "a cheeseburger". We had a laugh over that because it wasn't the "traditional" meal one would expect to get at a place called the "Sea Shack". Neither one of the kids left hungry. They were offered choices to go with their cheeseburgers and chose salads which came with tomatoes. We will definately return. If you go, it's off of Pope Executive Drive. Make sure to turn off of Pope Drive onto Pope Executive Drive. We went right at 11 a.m. It was empty but within minutes, people started flowing in.

Were the bugs simply worse at Red Roof, or just plain bad all over? This time of year, they can be brazen suckers.....

I have never seen a roach at Disney like we did at the Red Roof. I have seen small palmeto bugs at Disney. But the ones at Red Roof were huge and black, the kind I remember seeing in Texas during the middle of the night. I know Disney sprays on a fairly regular basis as we've seen the trucks at the resort. I would not be happy to see those big, black roaches at Disney.

I'm still on the fence about the dophin / shell gathering thing. Haven't decided what we will do....I think the kids would love gathering the shells, but the idea of driving home with 30 sandollars (or whatever they might find) in a hot, 10 hr car trip makes me wonder.... they are bound to be stinky (the shells, not the kids! Although, then again, at times.....) ANyway -- Phew -- and I guess I'll decide when we get there!

I would suggest you talk to Capt. Scott at the resort. They will give you a much better first hand opinion of what they offer. Some of the Cast Members have not been on the tours and can't give you that "real" feel. If you'd like to do that ahead of time, here's Scott's phone number 843-683-0187.

Do you recall what programs were bring added this week? We will be at HHI on the 7th through the 13th -- wondering if something new will be happening!

One of them was a early morning beach walk (which we've never done arranged through the resort but have done many times on our own). Another was a walk through Pickney Island which we've done in the past and enjoyed. I had heard that Disney hired 2 naturalists who were just starting the week we were there. Hopefully their programs will be in full swing by the time you are there. In the past, we enjoyed Christopher and Brians experiences.

One thing that doesn't have to be arranged and I didn't mention before was at low tide, you're able to walk out into the marsh area. Disney will borrow you pairs of black rubber boots to wear. My kids have always enjoyed attempting to catch the little fiddler crabs which are running all over (about the size of a quarter).

Another thing, buy your kids a crab net or two from the resort (or Walmart is even cheaper if that's one of your stops). Get a package of chicken necks from the grocery store. I'm betting your kids will love catching crabs off the pier at the resort. Mine could spend hours doing that a day.

Have a great trip. I can't wait to hear about it.

 

[cgcw]

Wasn't the Sea Shack the little restaurant where the waitress said the special was whatever the cook had caught that day? I saw that Rachel Ray show and thought that would be a neat place to try!

It may be. It definately had the right "feel" to it to change their specials depending on the catch.

I will say that I was surprised that there was no hint that Rachel Ray had been at the restaurant. I guess I expected there would be a picture or something there indicating this was the "right place". But I later heard that it wasn't a glowing experience for the Sea Shack. So, maybe that's why.

The Sea Shack will be on our return list next summer.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thanks for the positive report on the Sea Shack. After seeing it on Rachel's show, I kind of wanted to try it. After your report, I'm now even more committed to going.

 

[princesses2]

Thanks for the report. Thinking of going there next June. We're also from IL. Does Independence fly out of Ohare or Midway? Did you fly to Savannah or Atlanta? How far in advance did you buy tickets? Those are great prices you got. I've only seen prices in the 300's. Do you think 5 days is enough? Sorry for all the questions.

 

[Disneyaholic]

I'm still on the fence about the dophin / shell gathering thing. Haven't decided what we will do....I think the kids would love gathering the shells, but the idea of driving home with 30 sandollars (or whatever they might find) in a hot, 10 hr car trip makes me wonder.... they are bound to be stinky (the shells, not the kids! Although, then again, at times.....) ANyway -- Phew -- and I guess I'll decide when we get there!

The only sand dollars or other shells you will be able to pick up and take home are ones that are already dead. Hopefully the SC heat and sun will have dried them up enough to not be too stinky. BUT, if you're concerned about it, fill a bucket with warm water and add some bleach. Throw your sand dollars, shells, etc. in for a few hours, then carefully rinse them off and let them dry in the sun. They should be fine for the drive home. The bleach also makes the sand dollars much whiter and nicer looking! Just be careful not to leave them in the bleach for too long or to make the bleach solution TOO strong -- the sand dollars are extremely fragile and the bleach can cause them to crack or break when you pick them up! Another one of those "don't ask how I know this" tidbits.

 

[cgcw]

Thanks for the report. Thinking of going there next June. We're also from IL. Does Independence fly out of Ohare or Midway? Did you fly to Savannah or Atlanta? How far in advance did you buy tickets? Those are great prices you got. I've only seen prices in the 300's. Do you think 5 days is enough? Sorry for all the questions.

We flew Independence out of O'Hare. Stop over/change planes in Dulles/Washington DC area. Then flew into Savannah. It's a quick drive to Hilton Head from there. In fact, the airport is called Savannah/Hilton Head which I found kind of odd since they are in two different states. Oh well, it worked for us. I know I booked our flights after we drove to Gettysburg, PA, at spring break. We knew it would have been a LONG drive to HH after that experience.

The only sand dollars or other shells you will be able to pick up and take home are ones that are already dead. Hopefully the SC heat and sun will have dried them up enough to not be too stinky. BUT, if you're concerned about it, fill a bucket with warm water and add some bleach. Throw your sand dollars, shells, etc. in for a few hours, then carefully rinse them off and let them dry in the sun. They should be fine for the drive home. The bleach also makes the sand dollars much whiter and nicer looking! Just be careful not to leave them in the bleach for too long or to make the bleach solution TOO strong -- the sand dollars are extremely fragile and the bleach can cause them to crack or break when you pick them up! Another one of those "don't ask how I know this" tidbits.

I didn't know this. I wonder if it's too late for ours. I might try it on a couple and see what happens. Thanks.

Thanks for the positive report on the Sea Shack. After seeing it on Rachel's show, I kind of wanted to try it. After your report, I'm now even more committed to going.

Chef Gordon told me that who ever did Rachel Ray's research really hit it on the head as to where the locals in Hilton Head dine. With two recommendations from resort people, we figured we couldn't go wrong. It's definately not a dress up/fancy type place. The meal is worth the trip.

 

[Judique]

Hopefully the SC heat and sun will have dried them up enough to not be too stinky. BUT, if you're concerned about it, fill a bucket with warm water and add some bleach. Throw your sand dollars, shells, etc. in for a few hours, then carefully rinse them off and let them dry in the sun. They should be fine for the drive home. The bleach also makes the sand dollars much whiter and nicer looking! Just be careful not to leave them in the bleach for too long or to make the bleach solution TOO strong -- the sand dollars are extremely fragile and the bleach can cause them to crack or break when you pick them up! Another one of those "don't ask how I know this" tidbits.

Thanks for posting this! I remember Chris telling how to do this, but had forgotten the details.