DVCLiz You mentioned 2 pools- one by the beach house and one by the resorts. Are there 2 different places you can stay at HH??
You mentioned dolphn tours etc. What other kind of tours can you do there and how do you book these? Dolphin tours sound so fun- do you really see a lot of them? It's just DH and I, unless we decide to invite our grown up kids. They range in age from 24-27. It might make for a fun family vacation too- what do you think?
The Hilton Head Resort is actually located on the marsh at Shelter Cove, across the street from the ocean- not directly on the beachfront. Disney also owns property on the beach - just not enough for a full resort. So at the beach they have a "Beach House" - a big area with parking that also has a large pool, small water play area for toddlers, snack bar, regular "drinks" bar area, and an inside room with a TV and some tables (also air-conditioned, as is the snack bar area.) So you can visit the Beach House and use all of the facilities there - swim in the pool, have lunch, get a drink, etc. If you want the beach you walk down a set of wooden steps and you are on the beach - where you can rent umbrellas and chairs (one umbrella, two chairs included - the last time we were there I think it was about $17 a day - a small discount if you rented all week, which we did.)
To get to the Beach House from the resort, you can:
Walk - it's about a mile.
Ride your bike (either one you have brought with you or one you can rent on-site.) The bike path crosses the busy street but there is a "bypass" under the street so you don't have to dodge traffic.
Drive your own car.
Catch a shuttle van that goes back and forth between the two locations all day, or on request at off - hours, until late afternoon.
At the resort area itself, the villas are scattered all around the property, with live oaks and Spanish moss hanging from the trees - very pretty. The main Lodge has the registrationv area, and also has rooms - I think most studios are here. There is also a play area called "Big Murgie's Den" - where the staff magician/singer sometimes performs, and where you can play pool, if I remember correctly. Then there are 30 or so villa buildings - free standing, 2 or 3 story, with bigger villas - we have always stayed in a 2BR at HH and been in one of these buildings. The only drawback is - no elevator if you are on an upper floor. I hate that but solved it last time by making my children and their friend do it all. Bad mom!!!
At the resort, there is another central pool, with a snack bar and an activity area. Here is where you sign up for the resort-offered activities - campfires, kid's things, etc. I don't know how I signed up for the dolphin tour - you can do a search and see what others recommend. We loved it - we did see lots of dolphins, including a mom teaching a baby how to hunt along the shore - and it was so much fun!!! One of our best vacation memories ever.
There are also kayak tours, nature walks, etc. and another excursion to Daufuskie Island to look for shells - we may try to see about doing that this year.
It's a fabulous family vacation as long as you don't need a busy, night life kind of trip. Obviously there's a lot to do and there are lots of bars and nightlife places around - my girls aren't old enough to need that so I don't know how it will be when they are 24 and 27. Right now we mostly lie around eating all week - go to the beach when we feel like it - and otherwise watch a lot of Lifetime movies on TV - because hey! we're on vacation and we can!!!
If you golf Hilton Head is one of the best places to go - it's loaded with great golf courses. I don't golf so I don't know specifics but I do know lots of people plan golfing vacations there.
