Hi everyone. This is my first post here. We vacation every year to Myrtle Beach but this year is different. We had to rearrange the two weeks we usually go because my wife is expecting our 3rd child in July. We have decided that the only two weeks we can go on vacation in 2007 happen to be when Black Biker Week is in full swing at Myrtle Beach.
We have heard very negative things and want to avoid Myrtle at all costs. That%26#39;s when HH came into discussion.
We are used to doing family activities like Barefoot Lanfing, Broadway at the Beach, The Pavillion, etc. on our Myrtle trips.
We know nothing about family activities in HH.
We definitely are looking for a house on the beach or as close to the beach as possible. There will be 10 of us.
Can someone sell me on the idea of going here for vacation???
Thanks!
Regards,
TREY
Myrtle Beach Faithful GOing to HH For 1st Time
Trey,
I am not a local, but I have been to both MB and HHI with my hubby and two kids, so I can tell you a little bit about our experiences.
First of all, HHI has a TOTALLY different atmosphere than MB. You know how MB has several busy highways with tons of big box stores, restaurants, mini golf courses, go-kart tracks, etc. along them? Well, there is one main highway, Hwy 278, onto HHI from the mainland, and this is where you will find most of the commercial venues, with the exception of some restaurants and shops that are located inside of the individual plantations. ';Plantation'; is just another name for a gated community that contains homes, hotels, golf courses, and, as I mentioned, small shops and restaurants. There are several on HHI and most of the hotels and beach houses are located within them. You will receive a pass to show security personnel when you want to enter the gates of the plantation in which you are staying. We have stayed in both Palmetto Dunes and Shipyard, and they are absolutely beautiful. However, if you are looking for a long row of high-rise hotels/condos along one strip of beach like you find in MB, HHI is nothing like that. There are no real high-rise buildings at all, compared to MB. Also, the commercial venues along Hwy 278 are required to follow much stricter zoning laws. For example, the Wendy%26#39;s doesn%26#39;t look like most Wendy%26#39;s-it is landscaped and has some architectural detail designed to make it more aesthetically pleasing than your typical fast food restaurant. There is a mall, the Mall at Shelter Cove, but it also does not look like a typical boxy shopping mall and is extensively landscaped and only semi-visible from the road. The Wal-Mart has one of those low, unobtrusive signs on the ground and is completely shielded from view by trees. You get the idea-everything about HHI is designed with the idea of keeping things as natural and unspoiled as possible. It is really very beautiful, with trees everywhere and all of the buildings painted in muted shades of tan and gray, again to maintain a peaceful, natural atmosphere.
As far as family activities, they are available, but again, they are different from what MB has to offer. The mini golf, go-karts, amusement parks, etc. that you find in MB are virtually non-existent on HHI. Some of the activities that we enjoyed with our kids while at HHI included renting bikes and riding them around the neighborhoods and along the beach (traffic is wonderfully limited in the neighborhoods within the plantations and it is a bike rider%26#39;s paradise!), taking a sightseeing cruise out of Shelter Cove Harbor, taking a deep-sea fishing excursion out of South Beach, walking around the yacht basin at Harbor Town and, of course, playing on the beach. It was a much more low-key experience but also much more relaxing. It was kind of nice not seeing an ';Eagles'; store or ';Pirate Golf'; on every street corner, lol. We also took some wonderful day trips out of HHI that would be quite far and inconvenient to do from MB. We went to Jekyll Island, GA and took the tour of the nineteenth-century millionaire beach houses (very cool!) and on the way back stopped by St. Simon%26#39;s Island as well. We also visited Savannah, GA and took a tour of the Historical District which is just incredibly beautiful.
I do have to say that there is nothing, as far as I can remember, like Barefoot Landing or Broadway at the Beach around HHI-it just isn%26#39;t the kind of place that is geared that way. However, there are many, many great restaurants to try, as well as many cute shops scattered around the island.
I hope this helps you a little bit to at least understand some of the differences between HHI and MB and that if you do visit HHI you will have a great trip!
Myrtle Beach Faithful GOing to HH For 1st Time
Thank you very much for your most helpful post!
Sultana gave you a very good introduction to the island. Here is some more information.
You may want to read my sticky ';plantations'; on the top of the forum. It gives you an overview of the various neighborhoods on the island which allow shrt term rental.
As Sultana mentioned there is only one route onto the island Rte 278. The big Box stores and commercial development is taking place just off the island in the bluffton area. This is primarily a shopping area and the first indication is an Auto Mall home to a number of car dealers.
The island has very rigid land covenants which has allowed us to maintain the beauty of the area. Most of our visitors appreciate the results.
Since you are looking to rent near the beach, my recommendation is to look at homes in the Forest Beach, or Palmetto Dunes areas. Palmetto Dunes is a gated community, but Forest Beach is not.
For rentals look for some private rentals at cyberrentals.com or VRBO.com. I also suggest the Vacation Company or Island Getaway if you wish to work with a commercial rental company.
Stan (hhiguy)
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