The Experience
We have visited Hilton Head Island many times. This time we stayed in a small, funky, and great condo in the Hilton Head Tennis Beach Resort (booked on VRBO, unit AR307, owner hosted, excellent super host, great communication, and very accommodating). There are not many beachfront condos on Hilton Head Island as this one was, and that was a major driver for choosing this condo. Condo was very clean with great views.
The first day we went for a walk on the beach that evening. Hilton Head beaches are very flat and walkable due to recent rebuilding of the beaches and no large crowds.
Getting beach pizza has become a tradition for us, and this time we picked up from Giuseppi’s. Supreme pizza, fried zucchini (fair), and Greek salad. Good, we would eat again.
The next day we went to Signes for a late breakfast. We like to drive around on the first day anywhere to get oriented to the area. We did this and then up to Bluffton to get some wine at Sam’s Club. Found out it was too late for bourbon shopping! No liquor sales in South Carolina after 7:00 PM! Made a supply run to Walmart and back to the condo for some beach walking. We went to It’s Greek to Me for dinner. One of our favorites on the island. My wife had salmon and I ate the Mediterranean cod. Both very good.
One of our favorite reasons for booking beach condos is cooking breakfast and eating on the balcony which we did many days. During our stay we did some local bourbon shopping. Not great on the island, but found a few nice shops with decent selection and prices. Sam’s Club in Bluffton is the best for bourbon shopping. Great prices and good selection. If you can drive through the Pooler GA area on the way in or out, there are many good bourbon shops there.
We love to do some shelling at the beach and we did some shell gathering while walking on the beach. But, Hilton Head Island is not great for shelling.
Went to Bullies BBQ one evening for dinner. OK at best. Review coming soon.
The dining highlight for us is always The Sea Shack. Local hole-in-the-wall with great seafood and a strong customer following. Time it right or you will be a long line. Try after the lunch rush or early dinner. We went twice on this trip. First trip for lunch I had red snapper (best of two meals), and my wife got soft shell crab (delicious!). Second lunch trip my son had soft shell crabs, myself the grouper, and my wife the fried Shack Attack plate!
One night we ate a very late dinner at Gator’z on property. Our son got wings, me a burger, cannot remember what my wife had. Good for late-night bar food, we all ate too much.
We always try to find a local seafood market and cook at least one dinner in the condo. This time we bought seafood at Benny Hudson Seafood Market that we cooked and ate in the condo along with a takeout Greek salad from It’s Greek to Me.
We ate Five Guys burgers for lunch before leaving the island.
Thoughts
We enjoy Hilton Head Island and have been many times. Hilton Head has nice beaches that went through major nourishment projects in the late 2010’s. This place is not your typical carnival/beach attraction style location. Hilton Head is very natural in its surroundings and has many activities, but most center around outdoor activities like biking, hiking, beach walking, fishing, nature walks, etc. Just depends on what you are looking for in a beach town.
Navigating the island can be tricky due to the restrictions on signage and preserving natural habit. Major shops and malls are regularly hidden behind tree groves and their signs are small and have natural coloring. Getting around now is much easier with GPS. Traffic and crowds are generally low compared to major beach areas. We really like this area in the fall. Spring can be too cold and windy and, of course, summer more crowded.
Dining is good on the island, but you have to look for it. Want something nicer, try Alfred’s. Great german fare, service, and nice atmosphere.
Shopping is fair at best. Some nice art and clothing stores, but not a lot to get excited about.