2012 Hilton Head Thread-Tips, Tricks, Roll Call..

[wheniwasyoung]

We will be headed down for the first time March 29-April 5th. I wondered if we rented bikes for the week, if we could bike to the beach?

Also, anyone done the dolphin tour with Captain Scott? Even with DVC discount, it is still $36 per person..no cheaper price for kids. Worth it?

One last question.. my oldest turns 13 while we are there. Any MUST do restaurants?

Thanks!

The only thing I can comment on is the biking to the beach. They say it's about 1.4 miles, I think it is closer to 2 but it's not a bad ride. I think one of the best things about the Island is the biking paths. We have a 14 year old and a 17 year old with us right now and I have never worried about them riding to the beach. When you get to the only major road, there is a "tunnel" that you use so the whole ride is comfortable and safe.
We rented bikes and will do it again. Well worth the $20 a week per bike.

Hope this helps.

 

[udflyer00]

We've only been there 1 time, but there were a lot of people biking all over the place. I'd have to agree that I don't think it would be too bad of a bike ride to get to the beach if you just shoot straight across the main road and head towards the Beachhouse. When our 2 littlest get bigger I wouldn't mind renting some bikes there. As mentioned there are many paved paths for the bikers.

 

[mickeyplanner]

The only thing I can comment on is the biking to the beach. They say it's about 1.4 miles, I think it is closer to 2 but it's not a bad ride. I think one of the best things about the Island is the biking paths. We have a 14 year old and a 17 year old with us right now and I have never worried about them riding to the beach. When you get to the only major road, there is a "tunnel" that you use so the whole ride is comfortable and safe.
We rented bikes and will do it again. Well worth the $20 a week per bike.

Hope this helps.

Did you rent directly through Disney or another company at that price?

 

[CoffeeCup]

We will be headed down for the first time March 29-April 5th. I wondered if we rented bikes for the week, if we could bike to the beach?

Also, anyone done the dolphin tour with Captain Scott? Even with DVC discount, it is still $36 per person..no cheaper price for kids. Worth it?

One last question.. my oldest turns 13 while we are there. Any MUST do restaurants?

Thanks!

We did the dolphin tour last year, and it was well worth the price. Captain Scott seemed to know the dolphin personally and gave us a lot of information about them. We saw many dolphins, and some came up very near our boat. We had done larger dolphin tours, but this one was great since it was a smaller boat with only DH, me, and a very nice family with 2 kids about middle-school age. The captain was willing to answer all of the kids' questions and also told us a lot about the area, it's history, etc.

We enjoy Skull Creek Boathouse, and I think kids would love it. You can sit outside by the dock where boats come in for an authentic beach atmosphere. If you go for the Early Bird Special, prices are very reasonable for really good seafood.

 

[wheniwasyoung]

Did you rent directly through Disney or another company at that price?

We went through "The Bike Doctor"

http://bikedoctorhhi.com/bike-rentals/

However, Disney has bikes on site that they also rent but I'm afraid I don't know what they charge.

All we did was call ahead of time and give them a credit card number, our desired bike sizes and our check in date. When we arrived the bikes were already at the resort. They have you determine the combination to the bike lock that comes with the bikes so everything is all set when you get there. It was fairly effortless and we had no issues. The total charge for four bikes was $84.80.

 

[wheniwasyoung]

We enjoy Skull Creek Boathouse, and I think kids would love it. You can sit outside by the dock where boats come in for an authentic beach atmosphere. If you go for the Early Bird Special, prices are very reasonable for really good seafood.

Agreed! We totally enjoyed our lunch at this place.
One of my favorite fresh seafood meals is a plate of "dirty oyster" which most restaurants do not make or have even heard of. I asked the waitress if she could talk the kitchen into making these for me and after I showed her the recipe, they did. They weren't perfect but they came very close and they never charged me extra which I fully expected.
It certainly isn't a fancy or spectacular place but it is worth the 10 minute drive for a solid meal. Good service.

 

[mickeyplanner]

We went through "The Bike Doctor"

http://bikedoctorhhi.com/bike-rentals/

However, Disney has bikes on site that they also rent but I'm afraid I don't know what they charge.

All we did was call ahead of time and give them a credit card number, our desired bike sizes and our check in date. When we arrived the bikes were already at the resort. They have you determine the combination to the bike lock that comes with the bikes so everything is all set when you get there. It was fairly effortless and we had no issues. The total charge for four bikes was $84.80.

Thanks for the information. It really sounds like you had a great time at HHI.

 

[emilymad]

Is there a map of the bike paths anywhere? We usually stay in Sea Pines so we are trying to decide if we want to rent bikes this trip.

 

[okw2012]

Is there a map of the bike paths anywhere? We usually stay in Sea Pines so we are trying to decide if we want to rent bikes this trip.

They gave me one when I rented the bike (but I threw it away) so maybe if you call the resort they can send one to you? It is however quite simple: there's a bike path on most of the main roads!

 

[Judique]

Sounds like they won't hold your food like at WDW while you wait for your room to be ready at HHI? I guess we will have to look into buying a cheap cooler for our perishable food.

I love Target, that would be awesome if they sold groceries at the one in Bluffton.

There is a locked castmember room just as you enter Big Murgies on the left. This is where they have several refrigerators to hold food. You should ask at the desk when you check in.

 

[Simba's Mom]

There is a locked castmember room just as you enter Big Murgies on the left. This is where they have several refrigerators to hold food. You should ask at the desk when you check in.

Yes, they've always encouraged us to use those. What's nice, also, is that if you need anything from there while you're waiting, just ask at the front desk for the key to go get it (or if they're not busy, they'll open the room for you).

 

[Conan the Librarian]

If you have Google Maps on your smartphone, you can turn on Bike trail and have a map right there.

Very useful for me.

 

[wheniwasyoung]

Is there a map of the bike paths anywhere? We usually stay in Sea Pines so we are trying to decide if we want to rent bikes this trip.

http://bikedoctorhhi.com/files/hhi3.pdf

or

http://www.hiltonheadisland.org/images/stories/pdf/bikepathbrochure2.pdf

These only show the main paths. There are many more on the "side" or residential streets. The ride from Disney to the beach house is safe and comfortable.
Hope these help

 

[mickeyplanner]

There is a locked castmember room just as you enter Big Murgies on the left. This is where they have several refrigerators to hold food. You should ask at the desk when you check in.

Yes, they've always encouraged us to use those. What's nice, also, is that if you need anything from there while you're waiting, just ask at the front desk for the key to go get it (or if they're not busy, they'll open the room for you).

Awesome, that will make is easier for us to avoid the 11am and later rush for grocery shopping and leave more time at the beach. Thank you all for the information.