Hilton Head Island, Non-DVC...HELP! I've Created a Monster!!

kristenrice

NOT just an ambulance driver
Joined
Apr 25, 2006
On our most-recent trip to HHI this April, DH and the girls found that they absolutely LOVE off-shore fishing:boat:. Not only did they love the fishing, they actually enjoyed cooking and eating the sharks that we caught. That was amazing, especially from the one who usually only eats mac and cheese and hot dogs! Now, DH is set on getting back down there, but we won't have enough points until 2020 and that is just not soon enough for him...he cannot wait that long, especially since he is retiring next fall.

So now, I'm in a pickle...we don't have it in the budget to add more points at HHI and our 50 point contract isn't enough for us to go more than once every three years. We usually go for 5 nights over the first week of April (spring break) and we drive down from Michigan, stopping overnight on the way down and back, making it a 7-night trip.

I am looking for a way to try and get down there more often, but since we won't be able to stay on points, and I know that the DVC resort is not the cheapest option, I'd like to hear about some of the options in the Shelter Cove area that I should look into. We have every intention of booking our fishing excursion with the same guides and they operate out of Shelter Cove so we'd like to stay in that area as much as possible.

With that in mind, where are some places we should look? Where should we avoid? We prefer the villa style accommodations, a kitchen is a must, laundry is preferred and beach access is not a necessity if a pool is available. Is it even possible to find something like this for under $200/night in April??? The only time I paid cash for a room on HHI was a 2BR at the Disney resort in 2013 in April and it was $235 so I guess I figured since Disney prices are always super-high, $200 for a 1BR might not be too out of line...I don't know:confused3
 
Good luck! Unfortunately, HHI isn't HHI for us without staying at the Disney resort, so I can't make any suggestions to look elsewhere.
 
I have stayed at Sea Pines several times. It is a huge resort, and all the way at the end of the island. I’ve stayed at several other places as well, but none I liked as well as Sea Pines. You should be able to find inexpensive villas there. I would check with them directly and also check Expedia. They also have a Marriott Hotel and private homes for rent. If you ever have a large group, a private hone with a pool can be very nice. Sea Pines is not primarily a timeshare. It is a golf and tennis and beach resort with villas for the golfers and vacationers.
 


We enjoy Island Links in the Port Royal Plantation when not at Disney. It has a traditional pool and a beautiful zero entry pool.
See tug2.net. for reviews
 
All good info to have as we loved our trip to HHI, but it was a bit pricey for us to do too often.
 


Have you checked with DVC what the cash discounted price for DVC members would be? Not sure if that would work for you......I'm thinking maybe not for a 1 bdrm.
 
I would check the member cash discount rate if you enjoy DHHIR. We just stayed in October and I got a 2BR for $182+ tax for a Sat night. I thought that was extremely reasonable for a 2BR. Now if you go for summer, the rate would be a lot higher I’m sure but in the “off season” cash is cheaper (especially on the weekends when the points per night are double the cost).
 
There are some options right in Shelter Cove. Harbourside III is a quartershare property (timeshare where owners have 13 weeks each year) and is directly across from the DVC Resort and Marriott has two timeshare resorts (Harbour Point and Sunset Point). These are often available for exchange and also via owners renting their weeks (try looking at Timeshare Users Group - OR - look online at Marriott/Priceline.com/Booking.com for nightly rentals). Mainsail and Yacht Club are private condos directly across the harbour from the DVC Resort and many owners at those resorts do rent their units. Try looking at Trident Villa Rentals , Palmetto Dunes or vrbo.com for more information.

I'm sure you will be able to find something in the price range you are looking for.

Enjoy! :)
 
I've only been to HHI once (UK), that was 6 years ago and we had a marvellous time renting a house from Home away or VRBO on Palmetto Dunes which is near to the DVC.
I didn't even know what DVC was then, and couldn't figure out why there was this Disney hotel I'd never heard of and couldn't book, over the road. How times change lol.
I love HHI, Palmetto Dunes was great, but next time back, maybe 2020 I'll be in DVC to try it.
 
On our most-recent trip to HHI this April, DH and the girls found that they absolutely LOVE off-shore fishing:boat:. Not only did they love the fishing, they actually enjoyed cooking and eating the sharks that we caught. That was amazing, especially from the one who usually only eats mac and cheese and hot dogs! Now, DH is set on getting back down there, but we won't have enough points until 2020 and that is just not soon enough for him...he cannot wait that long, especially since he is retiring next fall.

So now, I'm in a pickle...we don't have it in the budget to add more points at HHI and our 50 point contract isn't enough for us to go more than once every three years. We usually go for 5 nights over the first week of April (spring break) and we drive down from Michigan, stopping overnight on the way down and back, making it a 7-night trip.

I am looking for a way to try and get down there more often, but since we won't be able to stay on points, and I know that the DVC resort is not the cheapest option, I'd like to hear about some of the options in the Shelter Cove area that I should look into. We have every intention of booking our fishing excursion with the same guides and they operate out of Shelter Cove so we'd like to stay in that area as much as possible.

With that in mind, where are some places we should look? Where should we avoid? We prefer the villa style accommodations, a kitchen is a must, laundry is preferred and beach access is not a necessity if a pool is available. Is it even possible to find something like this for under $200/night in April??? The only time I paid cash for a room on HHI was a 2BR at the Disney resort in 2013 in April and it was $235 so I guess I figured since Disney prices are always super-high, $200 for a 1BR might not be too out of line...I don't know:confused3

We stay at Marriott Surfwatch every summer for a week, huge rooms with big kitchens. Resort has every amenity you will ever need and great beach access. Plus their bar serves great food and is right on the beach.

Only place we will stay on the island
 
I know you're looking at Shelter Cove, but we got a great deal back in August at seapines.com. My sister lives back in there, and I called to ask her who we should rent from for a family reunion. We got a 2br at Inland Harbour for under $200 a night. And they gave us a $100 resort credit, plus a bunch of freebies. I think Heritage Week is in April (big golf tournament), so the prices may be high. I'm always on the lookout for a deal, and within Palmetto Dunes, I'd look at Queen's GRant. They're a bit of a walk to the beach, but I've looked up pricing there from vrbo and it was decent.
 
Oh, and grab a Sunday to Sunday rental if you can. We did that and found very little traffic, plus the Publix wasn't totally crazy, lol!
 
My mom lives in Hilton Head. +1 to Sea Pines. The condos on the harbour in Harbour Town are great. There are also some good options there if you want to rent beachfront. Check under the "Special Offers" link on seapines.com and you can usually get a decent discount. Second choice would be a rental house in North Forest Beach. I don't know much about the rental options on Shelter Cove, but it is really easy to get around the island by car, so I wouldn't limit yourself to Shelter Cove.
 
We vacation in Hilton Head often and always rent houses in Palmetto Dunes off of vrbo. We have loved every house we have stayed in and all have been just a short drive to anywhere else we wanted to go. One fun thing about our last house was that it was on a lagoon, so we were able to kayak right off the backyard!
 
We vacation in Hilton Head often and always rent houses in Palmetto Dunes off of vrbo. We have loved every house we have stayed in and all have been just a short drive to anywhere else we wanted to go. One fun thing about our last house was that it was on a lagoon, so we were able to kayak right off the backyard!
That sounds awesome! My DH and I are wanting to start spending two weeks on HHI each year once I retire in 2 1/2 years. We thought about adding on some more points, but when I got to looking at the rental houses in Palmetto Dunes, I found it would be cheaper for us to do that. Plus since we were looking at adding on only enough points for a studio, it was even better since we would have a full kitchen and laundry. And we won't be limited to stopping our vacations after 2042! I love the Palmetto Dunes area!

ETA: We will still keep our contracts to use for when we take the whole family.
 
Look into some of the vacation home rentals - VRBO or homeaway. This would most likely be a cheaper options compared to even compared to renting points for a DVC room and you would have a whole house to relax in.
 
We own at HHI -- bought in in July 1997!!! We have visited once or twice a year ever since -- most at DVC but.....we've actually found that sometimes the best use of points is at WDW -- better deal for the $$$. Using VRBO we have booked many times in Palmetto Dunes (private house or Villamare) or Shelter Cove -- sometimes for as low as $100/night in August. Others an entire how with built in pool and hot tub for maybe $400/night. Staying at a 2 bedroom at WDW DVC would cost $800 - $1000/night at times......so VRBO has been a GREAT option for us. We did HHI DVC last year -- 2018 we're doing WDW (BLT) and will probably do a week in August in HHI renting from VRBO. We'll need our HHI DVC fix the year after that for sure though. Bonus if you stay at the Villamare -- quick walk next door to pick up your daily Dole Whip at the to-go window!!! Not quite the same but -- pretty close 2nd place!!
 

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