My husband and I are planning our first trip to HH. We would like to rent a 1 bedroom condo on the beach for a week. $250 or less a night is our goal price range. We would like something nice though and are willing to pay more if necessary. We would like to be able to sit on a balcony and look out at the ocean.
We are in our mid 30s. We are interested in mainly hanging out at the beach and partaking in beach activities and maybe taking a couple boat tours, and it would be nice if we could walk or be within short driving distance of a few stores and restaurants. We are not big into nightlife and are not golfers.
I have been looking on vrbo at all of the condos, and I am overwhelmed. They break the island up into nine areas with numerous condos for each area.
Any suggestions on areas or condo complexes to look into?
Overwhelmed by all the choices
I wanted to add that based on my initial impressions, I think we might enjoy the Palmetto Dunes area. Do you think this would be a good choice? Any condo complexes in this area that you would recommend? Thanks!
Overwhelmed by all the choices
SunnyDey: Since you gave us a price range, you need to give us a date range. As you can imagine, prices vary greatly with the time of year. I would highly recommend the Coligny area.
Check out beach-property.com and look at North Shore Place(not on ocean), Ocean One, and Sea Crest (Oceanfront). Then check out the same rentals on VRBO. We really like the Coligny area (just before the toe). It%26#39;s within walking distance to ocean, shops, restaurants etc. Rent bikes. It%26#39;s a must. They are only about 18 to 25 dollars a week but a real big bang for your buck. Get baskets and you can bike to the shops, even bring home a bottle of wine! There is sand volleyball right at the Coligny beach access near the Holiday Inn.
D in Muskoka
Thanks for the info.
We are flexible with our travel time. Anytime between May-September is our goal. I am just doing the initial research for a condo. I know they book up fast, so we are trying to be flexible with our schedule.
If you are not familiar with the plantations in Hilton Head, hunting for a condo could be very frustrating. Sea Pines is on the toe and a great deal of the oceanfront is homes. The MOnarch ( Marriott ) property is one of the few which faces the ocean on that plantation. I cannot think of any on Shipyard which face the ocean. There are some properties on North Forest Beach Road - near Coligny which have houses on the beach. There was a significant amount of building in the recent past on Palmetto Dunes and I do believe that they are properties which you are seeing in the postings. This is the area where we usually stay so am more familiar with this area.
Not sure about Hilton Head plantation and since we usually stay in a timeshare - have not had a need for a condo but looked at at tripadvisor site and noted the Palmetto Dunes properties - which would be lovely.
As for time 0 if you can go before June or after August you will have less bugs humidity and people. We do not go in the middle of summer because of all the people in for summer vacation. Good luck with your search -I do believe you are on your way to a great vacation.
I found a condo we like in Hampton Place in Palmetto Dunes. Has anyone stayed there?
What is the weather like around May 10? Is it warm enough to swim?
Thanks for all of your help!
May is beautiful! Nice and warm but no crowds like in April or the summer. September/October are just as nice.
We have been going to HHI for 17 years and I am always repeating myself- we have stayed all over the island and really prefer the North/South Forest Beach area. You can walk to so much- we have left our car for most of the week and walked or rode bikes everywhere. However- i have never rented a 1 bedroom- usually a 2 bdrm as we go as a family. SeaCrest may have 1 bedroom condos and it is lovely. If you stay in PD- while it is lovely- you will be driving to dinner, driving to get a paper etc.... andit is very busy down on that end of the island. There are afew amenities in PD- a country grocer and a few restaurants- Alexanders and the Hotel restaurants- otherwise- you%26#39;ll be driving. Shelter cove is across the street with more restaurants and shops- but again you will probably want to drive over to it.Not fun!
Travelluvr really likes Forest Beach, but it%26#39;s not for everyone.
She is wrong about PD. Both PD and SeaPines have internal transportation, so you don%26#39;t have to drive.
PD has the buggy, a van service which will take you door to door for shopping and restaurants in Shelter Cove, The piggly Wiggly center, The mall, and plantation center. You have lots of fine restaurants in these places, and YOU DON%26#39;T HAVE TO DRIVE!!
As for one bedrooms in PD, The Hamptons, and the Barringtons have them. VillaMare has lock out units, so some of the rental companies and owners will rent you the 1 bedroom side.
In Forest Beach you will find 1 bedrooms at the SeaCrest. If you rent try and get a high floor, since the ocean views are better there. SeaCrest also has lockouts so if you cn rent one of those, you%26#39;ll have a better view. SeaCrest%26#39;s one bedrooms are larger than many two bedroom units available elsewhere.
Stan (hhiguy)
As someone who likes to travel independently- I can%26#39;t see using the glorified shuttle system that PD has. Nothing beats walking to Coligny for a cup of coffee and the paper and walking back along the beach to your condo- all within about 15 minutes. When I travel to the ocean- I like to stay on the ocean- not on a golf course- but that is just my opinion. We have stayed in PD and it isn%26#39;t for everyone! The ocean-front section is beautiful but IMHO SFB/NFB is more user friendly.
I wholeheartedly agree with travelluvr. Let me prefice this by saying. Palmetto Dunes is beautiful. We always stay at the Hilton Oceanfront in Palmetto Dunes. We have biked all through PD, but we have never rented a house/villa/condo in PD. The beach area in PD is wonderful. The drive into PD Plantation gives me goosebumps everytime. That being said, we have rented a private house in North Forest Beach on Osprey which was only 50 steps from the ocean with only Dune to cross. We LOVED it. Biking to Coligny Plaza is great with the shops, restaurants, ice cream shops, newspaper stands, etcs is so nice. We have just returned from a week in Shipyard and so we were able to, again, bike to Coligny and the beach from there. We have also stayed at Ocean Palms in Port Royal. In my honest opinion, the NFS/Coligny/Shipyard area is the place for us and our teenager. But to each his own. Everyone has different needs/wants. We need a place that our teenager and friends can bike to the beach, shops, surf shops, ice cream places and it be safe and not too far to go. That%26#39;s our idea, as parents, of a good place on the island for us. If we were just a couple with no kids, then that might be different. If we want to cross the island from one end to the other, we use the Cross Island toll. We like being close to the ';toe'; because of it%26#39;s proximity to Harbourtown and South Beach Marina.
D in Muskoka.
I will have to agree with hhiguy. PD is beautiful with plenty of bike trails and the best beach on HHI. Contray to others the shuttle is nice. We have stayed in Shelter Cove and have riden our bikes to just about everywhere there they even have a trail under the highway so you dont have to fight the traffic to cross to Shelter Cove. To us Sea Pines seem quite busy and Coligny seemed like a mad house with the traffic and noise. PD is located in the island center making it easy to get to either end for dining or shopping.
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