Hilton Head a One Week Wonder

The minute you drive into Hilton Head you wonder why on earth you never heard of it before. It is so luxurious, so rich, so green. There are oodles of families enjoying themselves from the wonderful Salty Dog in luxurious Sea Pines, tons of bicyclists going on amazing array of routes on Sea Pines that is the envy of any family bicycle adventure.

As good as it is, Hilton Head fun expires at midnight on day 7.

A lot of families come out here for a week, on a time share or what not.

To stay here beyond 7 days is a tragic mistake, because there are only two colors on Hilton Head. Green and Grey. And as nice as all the vegetation is to look at during the first week, by second week, that will be all there is to look at.

Stick to Sea Pines as it has the most fun place (Salty Dog) by nightfall, and by daytime, there are lots of enchanting drives/and bicylce routes.

Hilton Head is a one week wonder.

Beyond that??

You must be either

A. Retired

B. Senior Citizen

To survive even a minute past 7days.

Beyond the 7days it is utterly mundane and boresome.

You can circle this island in about 15 minutes.

And trying to get out of it, is a nightmare of a traffic jam/messed up road/construction road that never is fixed problem.

Savvy Traveller BEWARE! This is a fabulous place for a week.

Past a week?? No, No, no. Do not recommend.

There is nothing in the arts or galleries, despite what you%26#39;ve been told. There are virtually no cafes, besides a couple of not so impressive Starbucks. Most everything closes at 10PM. There is not much of anything on Hilton Head. I am not big on the nightlife. But this place is just plain boresome after day 7.

If you are here only for 7 days at a time, every couple of years. This place is great. Do not plan on staying here any longer than that.

On Hilton Head?? There is nothing much to see, or experience.

I wouldnt rate the locals as even remotely hospitable, either.

Most are tourists, or coming in here from far away to work.

SO your not going to get ANY southern charm here.

Enjoy it for 7 days.

Past that?? No way!!

Hilton Head a One Week Wonder

Oh My! what a negative post!

I looked up your previous posts about Turkey and Germany. you should stay home, since everywhere you travel, you only have negative things to say.

Most of our visitors stay here for a week, and many come back year after year. Some like myself, love this area so much we move here permanently.

Do you Golf? or play Tennis? Are you a birder? I think you would answer no to these questions, but many of our visitors do.

You complain of our lack of nightlife. The island has positioned itself as a family resort. The bread and butter of our tourist industry is the sports buff, be it golf, tennis, or fishing, and those families with children. These people are looking for other things, not a joint to pick up someone.

The fact that there are over 200 restaurants here means that you can eat out almost every day of the year, and not be bored.

I also noticed that you seem to have confined yourself to SeaPines. There are plenty of spots besides the Salty Dog, where you can have a good time.

Did you go to Frankie Bones?, or The Boathouse?, or The Jazz Club?, Or the Big Bamboo, Or the Kingfisher?, or The Windjammer?

I could go on about some of the clubs that are available to the visitor, but I%26#39;m sure you would still be bored.

I own a condo in Palmetto dunes and make it a point to go there weekly. I usually sit with our visitors and spend time recommending things to do. The island has many of us trained to interact with our visitors. They are called island ambassadors. You obviously didn%26#39;t seek these people out, and your negativity may have brought a similar reaction from some of us.

Stan (hhiguy)

Hilton Head a One Week Wonder

Very well said, Stan.

As an 18 year HHI traveler, often for 2 weeks or more, I am very rarely bored, and I%26#39;m only 40. There is plenty to do if you seek it out.

Where did you stay and who were you with to have such a bland time here in HH? I have grown up coming here on vacations with my family and now look forward to bringing my own family,my husband and two small boys, every year! There is much to do here, but different from the ';Myrtle Beach'; vacations, so I guess that is what you must be used to! Much more family friendly here and I have never been anywhere here and not experienced ';southern charm'; as you put it.

Sorry you had a such a poor experience of HHI, but sounds like you really didn%26#39;t get to experience the island at all!

I echo your sentiments, HHI guy Stan. I just returned from a week%26#39;s stay at HHI with my family of 9, four of which were kids ages 19, 13, 11, and 4. I can say unreservedly that there was plenty for us to do and most importantly that we intend to try to stay two weeks next year. This is our fourth consecutive trip and we still haven%26#39;t done all there is to do; mainly because we can%26#39;t get off the beach or out of the pool early enough to get it all done! I DO wish that the shops and restaurants were open a little later for that same reason, but I would by no means say that HHi is boring. While in Sea Pines did you go to Harbourtown? How about Lawton Stables? How about just getting on a bike and riding the great trails throughout the island? There is plenty to do, and I hope that post doesn%26#39;t deter anyone from coming. The whole reason we come is because of the family atmosphere. My kids never fail to make friends, and we never fail to have a wonderful time.

So did you turn into a pumpkin at the strike of 12:00 midnight? If you don%26#39;t think it is worth a crap after 7 days, don%26#39;t stay. Leave that to the people that enjoy the island as it is such as I do. My plans would be to join hhi guy as soon as I can!!!

I%26#39;d love to be able to spend more than a 1 week a year in HHI. Sure there%26#39;s more nightlife in Myrtle Beach but I prefer quality to quantity. I like staying in a community where I feel safe no matter where I go (especially when I vacation alone). I%26#39;ve found that the best way to find out about the nightlife is to stop locals in your age group. Some very friendly locals gave us the run down on which bars are hot on which nights. I live in a large city and I prefer the slower pace of HHI.

I echo all the replies above. My husband and I are 39 and 43 respectively and we do not find HHI boring at all. After two weeks I was wishing I%26#39;d won the lottery back home so I could stay forever. We enjoy going out and having a good time and if you want nightlife there are bars that are open until 3:00 and 5:00am. But as we are on vacation we enjoy winding down from the stresses of work and everyday life and enjoy just relaxing. As Stan has said there are over 200 restaurants on the island, some offering entertainment and music. But if you couldn%26#39;t fine something to keep yourself occupied then perhaps you should look at yourself.

One good thing is you probably won%26#39;t be back so your loss is HHI%26#39;s gain!

We are in our 40%26#39;s and just returned from HHI . I found the locals to be not only very friendly but very accommodating.

If you love art galleries then a day trip to Charleston would have been a great option for you.

There are many of us who do nothing but ';run'; constantly and enjoy the slower pace of the island. Hilton Head has become ';Louisville South'; I know so many families that enjoy going each year.

Personally I am trying to figure out how I can buy a home there some day. Maybe dreams do come true.

I

My dear friend Marrucci,

What a pity that you can%26#39;t see staying in Hilton Head for longer than a week. There is much to do and much to be gained by researching the island and what it has to offer and see if that is why you are going there.

Last month, I spent 2 weeks in Hilton Head and had a blast. Four of those days were spent attending the Van Der Meer tennis academy and the rest was spent relaxing and enjoying myself.

I am neither retired nor a senior citizen, but just don%26#39;t subscribe to the theory that partying is why you go on vacation, so nightlife is not a concern to me.

Here are a few things that I did while I was at Hilton Head:

kayaking at mid island - the guide was excellent and it was informative and fun - all for $20.

went to Harbor Town for a morning - the lighthouse alone is worth the trip - what great pictures.

went to the Hilton Head museum - is it the Museum of Modern Art? no, but it does give you history, culture and lots of knowledge about the wild-life of the island which I found very interesting.

went to the Nike outlet - can%26#39;t beat 60% off regular prices.

saw a movie - a real nice multiplex on Route 278 at mid-island

brought my bike along and rode most every day - on the beach - you have to love it!

played tennis every day - met many people from a college player to the resort pro.

checked out a few restaurants that I heard good things about - loved Kenny B%26#39;s on Pope Ave.

All in all, it was a dream vacation for me. I don%26#39;t go on away to be busy ever second of every day - I have enough of that at home. As I stated earlier, I did bring along my bike, my tennis racquets and four books. Staying at the Hilton Head Island Beach and Tennis Resort means that the ocean was no more than 200 feet away from my front door - that means everything to me. Of course, there was down-time during my two week stay, but I welcome those times to read, walk on the beach or just think. I came home with great memories, great pictures and a few new friends - and I%26#39;m looking forward to going back next spring.

Sgt. Hartman

Hi Marrucci,

You are definitely seeing a put-down here for your views/opinions.

I thought the democratic attitude on a forum was a given :

I may disagree with what you say, but I%26#39;ll defend your right to say it.

It seems that no one should be put down for an opinion--

right or wrong. We can disagree with the person%26#39;s opinion, but we should never attack the person who expresses it.

It seems that those who have done so on this thread have become so arrogant that they place their own opinions above others. They believe theirs to be more valid. When, in fact, such opinions should be seen as no better or no worse than anyone else%26#39;s here.

Such arrogant attitudes may leave a bad taste in reader%26#39;s mouths,

but hopefully such unkindness won%26#39;t act as a deterrent for those

who want to give us food for thought on these forums.

Thank you.