My friend Julia returned recently from Disney’ Hilton Head Island Resort and I asked her to give a review because I LOVE the low country in South Carolina. She graciously agreed… so Julia take it away!
Howdy, everyone!
My name is Julia and I’m a Disney addict. Disney vacations have played a huge role in my family from getting engaged in front of Cinderella’s castle, to experiencing the inaugural voyages of the Disney Dream to going to CarsLand when it opened at Disneyland.
You get the gist, I’m obsessed with Disney and can’t get enough so when my awesome husband proposed a last minute Mother’s Day trip to the Disney’s Hilton Head Resort, I jumped at the chance.We booked through Expedia.com and scored a sweet deal on a two bedroom cottage.
We left Friday after lunch and made the four hour trek from Atlanta to Hilton Head Island. Getting there was pretty easy and I was pleased to discover tons of nice restaurants nearby.
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| Driving In! |
The resort itself is very charming featuring quaint vacation homes surrounding a great lodge. Upon arriving at the lodge we were greeted by a Disney cast member who promptly greeted us with a friendly “Welcome Home.” There were lemonade and cookies available in the lobby as well as a pool table and sitting room.
The two bedroom cottage and it was enormous (1255 square feet to be exact). We had a full kitchen with full range/oven, fridge, microwave, and dishwasher. The master suite had a king sized bed and a huge bathroom with a glorious Jacuzzi tub. The second bedroom had two queen sized beds and a full bathroom with a shower/tub combo.
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| Screenshot from Disney.com Accommodations Page for Disney HHI Resort |
Tons of closet space throughout and did I mention a washer and dryer? There was also a queen sized sleeper sofa in the living room where my son slept and it was pretty comfy!
The resort had tons of activities both for adults and kids. Each day has an itinerary with packed with something for everyone. The night we arrived the resort hosted a campfire and a screening of Wreck It Ralph. We lucked out and got a room that had a view to the outdoor movie screen.
We also found out about a three hour event called “Kids Night In” that gave us a break from our six year old to enjoy dinner at an adult restaurant while Nate got to enjoy pizza, games, and movies with other kids from the resort. Nate really liked the time with other kids and had a great time considering he didn’t know the other kids at first.
The best part of the trip came when I realized just how many Disney touches were actually available to us. The first night we arrived we made it just before the Disney Beach House closed for the evening. You have to cross the main street and drive about a mile to get there, but it’s definitely work the drive, walk, or bike ride. (there’s a different safe trail that goes under the busy highway for hikers and bikers) The stretch of beach was beautiful with nice calm waves and no one was there giving us the opportunity to snap a few family photos that I will forever love. We decided we would come back the next day bright and early since there were storms in the weather forecast for late afternoon.
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| Atlantic Ocean, Julia’s AWESOME family, photo by Julia |
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| The trail ends at the sea! Nice, huh? Photo by Julia |
We ate dinner that night at San Miguel’s Mexican. Food was delicious, service was horrible. If you sip your drinks slowly and don’t mind waiting forever for everything, this isn’t a bad spot to visit. 😉
The next morning we woke up early (by our household standards anyway) and headed to the beach. We arrived shortly after the Beach house was opened and rented two chairs with umbrella for $30 for the day. The chairs were awesome and I thought worth the money considering how fair skinned my hubby and son are. The kids played in the water and I just relaxed. I have to say, this is one of the more mellow beaches we’ve been to. The waves weren’t too big and the water temp was glorious. You can rent bikes all over Hilton Head (including the Disney resort) and ride your bike up and down the beach on the sand.
Since the weather was so iffy, we opted to stay until noon so we could get some pool time in at the resort. We decided we would eat lunch at the Beach House quick serve before heading back. This was by far the best decision of the trip. The food was the BEST quick service I’ve ever had from a Disney property. I had a delicious cheeseburger and fries, my husband had chicken fingers, and my kids each had a kids meal (one with hot dog and one with burger) The kids meals were the perfect portion and super cheap and came served in a cute sand pail and shovel. Next time….I’ll order one! While waiting for our food I noticed that they had ice cream on the menu. I was hoping that there was the possibility of a Mickey Bar so I asked the cast member what the offerings were. She starts rattling off, soft serve, ice cream sandwiches, Mickey Bars (eep!) and then…she paused….tilted her head to one side and said super casual…”We have Dole Whip too.” HOLD.THE.PHONE. DOLE WHIP!??! I think I may have let an ear piercing shriek and scared the living daylights out of the poor girl.
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| YES you can get a Dole Whip in SC! |
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| That’s what I am talking about! Photo by Tori |
We wrapped up lunch and headed to the pool back at the resort. It’s a great area that has a main pool that was heated to 82 degrees, It also had a really fun water slide that we rode multiple times. There’s also a toddler splash pad and jacuzzi tub. Located at the pool area, there’s also the Broadcreek Mercantile where you can pick up resort souvenirs as well as essential grocery items (including Mickey Bars) . Next door to Broad Creek is another quick serve restaurant that serves MICKEY WAFFLES! There are tons of other amenities at this resort, but really I was there to relax for Mother’s Day so I while I know there are fitness rooms, hiking trails, etc, outdoor games I stuck mainly to sunning myself and reading gossip rags. 🙂
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| Crabbing is my Zen! Doesn’t get much better. |
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| Gorgeous Scenery In the Low Country! |
I’ll wrap this up because it’s already super long by saying that this resort is perfect if you’re looking to relax like I did or enjoy activities with your family. We loved it here and plan to come back this summer for a bit longer than just two nights. And because no blog post is complete without pictures, I’ve included the following from our trip. 🙂
Before I sign off this ridiculously long blog post, I will tell you that Mickey Bars travel well when you purchase a bag of dry ice from the Publix up the street and WILL arrive intact to Atlanta after a 4.5 hour trip. You’re welcome. 🙂
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| Mickey Bars to go…… |
Julia’s trip photos can be found via SmugMug, for a free 14 trial, click here and you will get $5 off first year subscription. You can view all Julia’s photos Disney Hilton Head photos here!
Thanks Julia for your review. Its good to know when we need a Mickey fix we are only a 4.5 hour drive away here in ATL! I leave you with an awesome shot by Tori, Julia’s daughter of the low country of South Carolina, until you can get your own low country fix!
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Love the idea of a Disney resort in a different state like SC. I had no idea they were in other states besides FL and CA. Love it!
DVC! Go figure. I am still trying to figure out how to get to Aulani!
How much fun is that?! I would love to visit one day! Looks and sounds like a beautiful resort
I haven’t been but it has to be awesome, its in HHI AND its Disney! Not far from our house! So happy Julia shared this!
Sounds like a great trip! And I love that you put the Mickey Bars on ice for the trip home! Thanks for sharing!
I know. I love Hilton head ! I was jealous when Julia posted on fb about the dole whip!