Hilton Head renovations

[celticfan]

Does anyone have recent photos of the renovated rooms at Hilton Head. We are staying in one of the three bedroom villas in a few months and was wondering what the rooms looked like since the renovations.

 

[GoofGoof]

 

[GoofGoof]

We were in a 1 bedroom this past June. You can see the new interior designs in the pictures above. This was our first stay so I never knew the old design, but from what I have gathered the biggest changes are the floors, TV cabinet/kitchen counters and the colors. The floors are "fake" wood, but look pretty authentic. The kitchen was nice and functional and the booth kitchen table was cool, but I found the chairs a little uncomfortable. The pull out couch and sleeper chair (also new with the refurb) were very comfortable. The king bed was comfortable and the bedroom colors were bright, but not too bright. I really liked the color scheme. The deck/balcony still had 2 rocking chairs but the long picnic table was replaced with a round one with 4 smaller benches. The table was kinda small, but worked for 4 people.

We didn't see in a 3 bedroom, but I imagine the color scheme and design is similar. Hopefully a bigger table on the deck.

 

[celticfan]

Thanks for the photos. We have never been before and I had heard the interiors used to be pretty dark and that the furniture was showing a lot of wear, but it looks like they really improved that with the renovations. Looking forward to our trip

 

[Nemo14]

That's a huge improvement! Here's what a 2 bedroom looked like this past January:

 

[StarWarsGirl]

This was our first stay so I never knew the old design, but from what I have gathered the biggest changes are the floors, TV cabinet/kitchen counters and the colors.

Pretty much. The floors were completely redone, TVs were all changed to HD, blue ray players were added, cabinets and counter tops were redone, and the colors were changed from darker green to lighter green. Additionally, the appliances were all new. The furniture was also completely redone. Not one piece of furniture was the same in there. Even the outdoor picnic tables were changed. That was the only part we really didn't like because the older ones were bigger. The couch was so much better, though. The old couch felt like it was dumping you off. Not the case with the newer ones. Bedding and artwork were also new, with some exceptions. The one bedroom also added a sleeper chair, so the unit now sleeps 5. Not sure if this was added in the two bedroom unit. There were also some additional upgrades throughout the resort

Everything that was done was a huge improvement. It just goes to show that Disney is capable of doing a good refurbishment when they put their minds to it. We usually stay there in December for a week, and then every other year or so we take our June beach vacation there. We are very excited to go back in December after seeing the room upgrades

 

[GoofGoof]

Pretty much. The floors were completely redone, TVs were all changed to HD, blue ray players were added, cabinets and counter tops were redone, and the colors were changed from darker green to lighter green. Additionally, the appliances were all new. The furniture was also completely redone. Not one piece of furniture was the same in there. Even the outdoor picnic tables were changed. That was the only part we really didn't like because the older ones were bigger. The couch was so much better, though. The old couch felt like it was dumping you off. Not the case with the newer ones. Bedding and artwork were also new, with some exceptions. The one bedroom also added a sleeper chair, so the unit now sleeps 5. Not sure if this was added in the two bedroom unit. There were also some additional upgrades throughout the resort

Everything that was done was a huge improvement. It just goes to show that Disney is capable of doing a good refurbishment when they put their minds to it. We usually stay there in December for a week, and then every other year or so we take our June beach vacation there. We are very excited to go back in December after seeing the room upgrades

I have to say I was highly impressed with the rooms and the whole resort. It's a fantastic resort in a really laid back location. You can tell that there is great care taken in keeping the whole resort looking top notch. On several occasions I witnessed maintenance people touching up paint during the day. Not doing a major paint job, just a guy with a little "cup" of paint touching up a sign in one case and the wall next to the elevator in another. The wall was white, but had scuff marks from the luggage carts. It's the kind of attention to detail you would expect from old school Disney.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I have to say I was highly impressed with the rooms and the whole resort. It's a fantastic resort in a really laid back location. You can tell that there is great care taken in keeping the whole resort looking top notch. On several occasions I witnessed maintenance people touching up paint during the day. Not doing a major paint job, just a guy with a little "cup" of paint touching up a sign in one case and the wall next to the elevator in another. The wall was white, but had scuff marks from the luggage carts. It's the kind of attention to detail you would expect from old school Disney.

Management there is excellent. Several years ago, it wasn't as good (they couldn't get the money from Disney to put in a pool chiller. Pool was way too warm, and lifeguards were constantly dumping ice in it ), but now they put a decent amount of money into it. Perhaps the extra competition on the island makes it so that Disney keeps it nicer. Quite easy to find someplace else to stay if they aren't keeping the resort up...

I always get fantastic service there. Because it's smaller, they tend to recognize repeat visitors, so there are a few CMs who know me by name. Grumpy CMs just plain don't exist there. They are all very happy to be there. If there's a problem, they are always quick to fix it. And it's just smaller than WDW and a little bit more intimate feeling. We love it. We go down there in December and spend Christmas there. Just nice to get away from the colder weather and do some stuff outdoors. We have relatives who live in Charleston, so they also come spend some time with us there. It's usually in the 50s or 60s, though we've been there when it's been warmer, and we've been there when it's been colder. Last December over the weekend it hit 80 so we were on the beach up to our knees in the water. It was great.

 

[Private Duck]

Live very close to HHI- and it's a beautiful resort. We use it for overnights if/when we do a night in the town on Hilton Head. Strongly recommended- particularly for "offseason" (as long as you don't have your hearts set on the beach, etc.). Much easier to get all the restaurants and golf courses you want.

The renovations are fantastic- and as the pictures show- the rooms are much "brighter", "softer" and "beachy" now. Great property really- and this coming from a BLT man.

 

[celticfan]

Anyone have any Hilton Head restaurant recommendations? Our group likes pretty much all kinds of food and would like to try a variety of local places when we are there. Are there places close enough to the resort to walk to, or do you need to drive to pretty much everything?

 

[GoofGoof]

Anyone have any Hilton Head restaurant recommendations? Our group likes pretty much all kinds of food and would like to try a variety of local places when we are there. Are there places close enough to the resort to walk to, or do you need to drive to pretty much everything?

The Disney resort is on a small island. To get to it you cross a small bridge. Directly on the other side of the bridge is an area called Shelter Cove Marina. Lots of shops and restaurants. If the weather is nice most have outdoor seating overlooking the water and at least one place had live entertainment at night. Here's a link:
http://www.palmettodunes.com/shelter-cove/dining-hilton-head/
FYI: in these pictures (LaFontana, Scott's and Bistro 17) the buildings with the red roof across the water in the background is the DVC resort.


We ate at Scott's Fish Market which is the first place you come to when crossing the bridge. Good seafood and very nice staff. I'd recommend it since it's a short walk and the food was good. We didn't eat at the other places in Shelter Cove, but they looked nice and the atmosphere was pretty relaxed.

We also did the standard tourist stop at the Salty Dog (you have probably seen t-shirts around with the dog in the yellow hat). The food was pretty good and the kids liked it. I think Scott's had better food, but it was a nice little drive to the other side of the island. One thing to note: the Island is broken into a bunch of private sub-developments. If you want to go to the Salty Dog for example you need to enter another private development. They charge you a fee to get in (I think it was something like $5). It was just a little bizarre and caught us off guard. Make sure you have some cash before you head out.

The one bad meal we had was at the local pizza place (Giuseppi's). You get a DVC discount, but it's still not worth it. I'm not a pizza snob either (I generally like all styles) and it's rare that I find a pizza joint I don't like. If I had to do all over again I would have stopped at Walmart on my way onto the island and picked up some frozen pizzas. It was that bad.

We were only there 3 nights so those were the places we tried. There are tons of other restaurants that looked good, I think we could have used about a month or 2 to hit them all.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

I love Hilton Head! My family has been vacationing in Hilton Head since I was about 6. I'm in my early 30's now, so it's like home. I've never stayed at the Disney resort, but have visited a few times to see what it looks like. Very nice, I'd love to stay there sometime.

Our favorite restaurants are Aunt Chilada's, Marley's, Truffles, Salty Dog, Flatbread Co., and Old Oyster Factory (I don't eat seafood, but I found other things to eat. The views & environment are lovely.) Making a point to have lunch somewhere in Harbor Town is always a must for us too, usually we just grab an outdoor table somewhere. This is making me miss the beach....

 

[celticfan]

Has anyone played golf while staying at the Disney Resort at Hilton Head? Are there any discounts available to DVC members? Any recommendations for good courses close by? We are going to try to play a few times in the week we are going to be there.

 

[Wanna Move South]

 

[Wanna Move South]

Renovations look Lovely! Looking forward to staying there!

 

[davidpw97]

Anyone have any Hilton Head restaurant recommendations? Our group likes pretty much all kinds of food and would like to try a variety of local places when we are there. Are there places close enough to the resort to walk to, or do you need to drive to pretty much everything?

I live in the area and have a few restaurant recommendations. I haven't been to many of the restaurants that are walking distance to the Disney resort. I did go to San Miguel's on a work outing one evening and the drinks were good but I didn't have any food. I went to Kingfisher once and it's decent but there's much better places on the island for seafood. The rest of my recommendations are all places you have to drive to.

Skull Creek Boathouse- good seafood/sushi, great bar and happy hour, very family friendly, and it's right on the water, with some great sunset views. I'd check the event calendar on their website because they often have live music on weekends and other special events, for example one Friday night before Halloween they set up an outdoor movie screen and showed Hocus Pocus. They also have a great Sunday Brunch.

Charbar/Holy Tequila- Both of these restaurants are towards the south end of the Island and in the same shopping center. Charbar is a burger place that usually wins all the local Best burger on the island contests. Holy Tequila is an upscale taco/tequila bar and it's really good.

Daniel's- This is a tapas restaurant near the Coligny shopping area and it has a great bar and a huge menu. They have a DJ and more of a club atmosphere on weekend nights.

One Hot Mama's- Great BBQ and Ribs, family friendly but also a fun bar. DJ and dancing on weekend nights.

We also did the standard tourist stop at the Salty Dog (you have probably seen t-shirts around with the dog in the yellow hat). The food was pretty good and the kids liked it. I think Scott's had better food, but it was a nice little drive to the other side of the island. One thing to note: the Island is broken into a bunch of private sub-developments. If you want to go to the Salty Dog for example you need to enter another private development. They charge you a fee to get in (I think it was something like $5). It was just a little bizarre and caught us off guard. Make sure you have some cash before you head out.

The one bad meal we had was at the local pizza place (Giuseppi's). You get a DVC discount, but it's still not worth it. I'm not a pizza snob either (I generally like all styles) and it's rare that I find a pizza joint I don't like. If I had to do all over again I would have stopped at Walmart on my way onto the island and picked up some frozen pizzas. It was that bad.

The fee to get into the Sea Pines area of the island where the Salty Dog is located is 6$ per car as of last April. This is the only plantation on the island with a separate charge. The pass is good for 1 day so if you're going to visit Harbour Town and see the light house or visit any of the restaurants/shops, I'd recommend doing it all in one day or you'll be paying the 6$ charge every day you enter.
My favorite pizza place on the island is Dough Boys.

 

[twebber55]

Has anyone played golf while staying at the Disney Resort at Hilton Head? Are there any discounts available to DVC members? Any recommendations for good courses close by? We are going to try to play a few times in the week we are going to be there.

yes all the palmetto dunes courses are great i also played Old South and Hilton Head National... the last two are not on the island..... golf in general is cheaper off the island and really just as good..my brother and i both felt HHN was the best course