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Hilton Head, SC
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You can have great Chinese cuisine in great decor at the
Imperial Dragon in Heritage Plaza off the Sea Pines Circle. We
had the PuPu Platter which was too much for both of us to eat
and made wonderful left overs the next day for lunch. San Miguel's is a good Mexican restaurant with a killer view
in Shelter Cove Harbor. It is a three tiered restaurant with a
bar and restaurant indoors, deck seating outside overlooking the
harbor and an outside bar on the lower level. It is a fun place
for lunch or dinner and near the community park where a lot of
festivals are held. We had superb dinners from the early bird special at the
Kingfisher restaurant. Most of the restaurant is windows facing
the marina. The early bird choices were great perfectly cooked
tenderloin, pecan encrusted salmon and fried shrimp. The speical
came with wine or pecan pie, soup or salad and fresh potatoes
and vegetables. It was very very good. During coffee and dessert
a magician showed up at our table. He was quite the humourous
magician--a great entertainer. Perfect ending to a perfect
evening. Guiseppies(?)- Recommended (excellent garlic cheese toast)
Cafe Europa is located in Harbortown overlooking the sound
and Dafuskie Island. The view is incredible and the food has
never once let me down. Pasta with Seafood, salads,
sandwiches,soups, scrumptous desserts and excellent service
constantly draw me back to this special little place. Take a
walk around the harbor, sit in a rocking chair watching the
sunset and you will have the perfect Hilton Head night. I am a committed wonderful people loving person. I have great
management skills and also have worked in many restaurants. I am
looking to relocate for possibly more than just the summer. I
love Hilton Head and couldn't picuture a more perfect place on
earth to live, work, and relax. My family has traveled to Hilton Head each summer for the
past six years. We stay on South Beach, and regularly visit the
Salty Dog for a fun, casual evening. My son, who is 25 months,
and my nephew, 15 months, loved meeting Jake the Salty Dog. Our
favorite place to eat is Just Pasta in the Coligny Plaza. They
have a great menu and atmosphere, and the staff is great! We
never miss our annual meal at this great restaurant. We will be vacatioing on Hilton head Island the week of July
7th. We have rented a houe in the Sea Pines community. I am very
interested in any Restaurant or family activities coupons and
discounts you may have. Please sned via email. Thank you. I need directions to Ship Yard Plantation after I get on
Hilton Head Island.
We highly recommend Abe's for some down home Gullah cooking.
We have been coming to Hilton Head for 20 years and always enjoy
our dinner at Abe's. If you are looking for frills, don't come
here. If you are looking for great food, this is your place. This past summer we stayed with our friends in the Ship Yard.
We have'nt vacationed here for a while and found some new
restuarants. One we were really impressed with was REDFISH. Does
any one out there have the recipe for their BLACK BEAN SOUP? We
would appreciate it. Thanks. Bonnie Dear Sir or Madam, I am a second year student of the New
England Culinary Institute at H.L.Stoutt Community College. Part
of my requirements to is to complete 700 hours in a restaurant
any where around the world. I have done some research and found
that it would be very interesting to work in your establishment.
If you feel that this proposal might be able to work you may
send me and e-mail so as i would know to go ahead and send my
cover letter and resume. Christalen Ambrose Staying with some friends in their condo at Windsor II in
Palmetto Dunes. Can you send info on some nice places to eat at
moderate prices. We are arriving 4-14 thru 4-21. Thanks in
advance for you efforts. S. Cellura 1/21/99 great place great golf 2fav. nice restaurants are 211
park and charlestons for casual reilleys and hilton head
brewing. outdoor happy hours, scotts fishmarket and san miguel,
both in shelter cove, in harbortown the quarter deck and south
beach the salty dog. For you beaver creek co. skiers, shannon
tanner entertains in hilton head at shelter cove and dave
kennerly? at salty dog (saw them in co. last year) Also greg and
robin on the flute enterrain at scotts and quaterdeck and i
think the hilton, nice backround for happy hour. great place
have fun. rb As a 24 year old looking for fun, my friends and I found it
on Hilton Head. We were there March of 98 during rain and nasty
weather and had THE BEST time! We found great times (hilarious
people and scandal) at "BARmuda" --HHBrew Pub & the
Lodge...Monkey Business is too much fun...lots of cheesiness
though-- be prepared to laugh! You will have to avoid the Gold
Chain-disco king types. But- great music ! 80's night there is
NOT to be missed! (we saw Modern English LIVE--they played "Melt
with You 3X) We have been back 4 times for more frolicking and
every time we commit at least one night to Steamers for dinner--
FABULOUS seafood, reasonably priced and GREAT live
entertainment!! Do not waste your time or money at the Old
Oyster Factory...the waitress got mad when we wanted to share
dessert!! Pool Bar Jim's ---FANTASTIC DAQUIRIS!!! Tiki Hut--
great place for sun and beer and pick up artists! Also-- Wild
Wings is fun and right across the street is a great after hours
club that is open when everything e lse closes ( the name
escapes me right now)...anyway-- hope this tid bit helps with
the 20-something crowd looking for fun!! Oct 1, 1998 all the "guides" reference paid advertisers;
check here for truth. Staying Disney resorts, did Scott's at
Shelter Harbour (ok, nice outdoor patio with so-so duo on vocal
and variety of instruments); did CQ's at Harbourtown (upscale,
attentive, decent choice of wines at no bargain, excellent
food); Sunset Grille at Jenkins road (fantastic everything,
including sunset view, at reasonable prices, super wines and
prices, incredible desserts, awesome appetizers with cajun fried
oysters on gorgonzola cream sauce [yes, great!], friendly folks,
inexpensive, we liked as much as 4X-the-price CQ's); Outback
(very good, as expected); lunch, Cornerstone Grille at Factory
Stores II (better than expected food). Played golf at RT Jones,
T Fazio, Island West and Old South. The first two are friendly;
the latter two can eat you alive. All in top condition. Note:
it's so humid, NOBODY walks a course here. Us northerners really
suffer. But we keep coming back. My 19 year-old son and I spent a week in Hilton Head this
month. as we have done most summers for the last 15 years. This
trip we experienced two restaurants that you must add to your
don't miss list: I spent a year on Hilton Head and I still miss it dreadfully.
As a Brit Abroad I found it most welcoming and full of things to
do (in the Summer at least). My favourite late night hangout was
Hinchey's or Moneypennies and The Brew Pub on Wednesday 70's
night. Good places to eat are The Old Oyster Factory, CQ's
(gorgeous Sous Chef called Josh - tell him I said hi if you see
him!) and Wings for just that! To all my buddies at the Hilton
Resort including Bobby Ryder the star that he is and Lawson who
worked the Buoy Bar like noone else. Okay that's it, love to you
all, see you again and all that! I am posting my comments to this site about our first
vacation visit to H= HI. We vacationed the week of 20-25 July
1998, it was sure hot and very humid that week. We stayed at the
Radisson Suite Resort which I would rate onl= y average at best,
however it was more affordable than many of the accommodations
at the various plantation resort areas. We had some relatives
staying at the Carolina Club in Shipyard Plantation, which gave=
us the opportunity to visit there many times during the week.
Shipyard Plantation=92s facilities and grounds were beautiful. I
can sympathize w= ith Joyce Mara who posted a comment to this
travelogue on 5/18/98 and comment= ed about HHI being an island
of "gated" communities. To a certain extent sh= e is correct.
Unless you are staying in one of these "gated" communities, =
own a condo or timeshare there, or are fortunate to be guests of
someone vacationing there (as was our case), you do not get the
chance to see maj= or portions of this beautiful island and I
feel that can be most unfortunate. Here are some of the things
we did that we enjoyed: 1) Went on a dolphin cruise out of Broad
Creek Marina on the S.S. Pelican, which was very enjoyable. The
captain related some very interesting history and information
about areas and properties along the shore line. 2) As suggested
many times on this travelogue we had dinner out one night at
Fitzgerald=92s. The meal was excellent with very good service;
3) Watch= ing the fireworks at Shelter Cove on Tuesday evening;
4) Enjoyed riding bicycles one morning around the island near
and on Shipyard Plantation; 5= ) For something to do off the
island we did a day trip to Charleston, SC, t= o visit Magnolia
Plantation and Gardens, and then did a visit to Fort Sumte= r (a
very interesting Civil War era National Monument); 6) We also
enjoyed = a round of miniature golf our last evening at
Legendary Golf at 900 William Hilton Parkway. We had a very
enjoyable week and would go back again to HHI, however I fe= el
May or June may be better for less heat and humidity. Next time
however,= I think we will try to make arrangements to stay in
one of the "gated" communities. -- Alan Warminski , submitted
8/11/1998 Just came back from an enjoyable vacation at HHI 08/11 as
usual. We stayed at Port O'Call in Ship Yard Plantation. We
highly recommend Hilton Head Brewing Co. especially the Rasberry
Wheat Beer. We had a bad experience at The Salty Dog Cafe and
will NEVER go back due to poor juvenile service. The Quarterdeck
in Sea Pines is also a gret place to eat. Go early then enjoy
Gregg Russell under the tree! Have Fun! My husband, 14 yr-old daughter and I have recently returned
to Northern Ireland from our holiday in Charleston and Hilton
Head Island. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Shipyard
for two weeks. For anyone coming from a colder climate, the heat
(in the 90's) takes some time to get used to, but we loved the
wide beach, the waves, the alligators, turtles and birds, and
the excellent service we encountered almost everywhere. We just returned from HHI(8/1-8/8) and loved it. The weather
was perfect, beach was beautiful, and the area was wonderful. If
you read this travelogue often, then you know that the Gazman
has rated pretty much all of the restaurants in the area. But
here are a few he has missed HHI BREWING CO. is a pretty good
microbrewerey, with 4 local brews always on tap. The sandwiches
are big and are very good. If traveling with kids, try going on
Sunday, where Kidfest is held just outside the
restaurant(jugglers, magicians, balloon artists, etc.) ABES
SHRIMP HOUSE is also very good for down home cooking and soul
food. But it is very popular and crowded. A couple of locals
took us to 211 PARK BISTRO. Although the atmosphere was nice,
the food left a lot to be desired. The pork chop was overcooked,
the sea bass pasta was just ok, and while the waiter raved about
having one of the best filets on the island, I found it to be
tasteless. A good filet does not need to be smothered in
mushrooms and onions! All in all a huge disappointment!!. The
second place they told us about was JUST PASTA CAFE. A quaint
little place located in Coligny plaza. Small and intimate(only 8
tables), you pick you type of pasta, then pick the type of sauce
(6 different types), and then pick the add ins such as chicken,
veggies, shrimp, etc. All pastas come with ceaser sald and a
fresh baked italian loaf of bread from the bakery next door.
Very good, and very reasonable. Can't wait until next year. My family (age 20-73)just returned from HHI. We enjoyed golf,
fishing, swimming in ocean, trip to Penn Center on St Helena. We
stayed in my timeshare in N. Forest Beach. Coligny Plaza was a
real convenience. Enjoyed Steamers at Coligny; short walk to
beach. We found everyone to be friendly. We "discovered" African
American (as well as many other) families well represented at
Abe's Native Shrimp House. Are there other restaurants, clubs on
the island that African American families enjoy? My wife and I, and friends of ours returned from HHI 4/25/98,
and had a pretty good time. We stayed at the PLanters Quarters
at Port Royal Plantation, which was very very nice....& quiet!
These timeshares are gold crown rated with RCI and are huge!
Three bedrooms, three baths(jacuzzi's in two), living, dining, &
sunrooms. This timeshare gives you access to the Westin Resort
health club, and outdoor areas...very nice. Since were mainly
golfers, we tried various golf course on or near the island. To: Hilton Head Travelogue BEGIN USER INPUT Once again, on April 15th, my wife and I left High Country of Vail, Colorado after another great ski year to escape what is know as "Mud Season" in Vail and go to Hilton Head where we stayed until our return at the end of May. I can't think of a better place to get a head start on sunshine and summer than at this very special and wonderful island just N. of Savannah, GA. It's got it all....great golf...beaches...restaurants.. tennis...bike trails and close proximity to both Savannah and Beaufort, SC which are oozing with Southern charm. The new Cross Island Expressway was being built last year and is now open. For a buck, if you are going to Sea Pines, Shipyard or the Forest Beach area, you can save a little time during crowded times. Unfortunately, the speed limit is only 45 and the local cops are hiding and waiting to pounce if you go faster, so if you are staying at Palmetto Dunes or any other place from there back to the bridge, you would be probably be better off just staying on William Hilton Parkway. By the way...be careful driving on the Island. Route 278 (William Hilton Highway) is the "main drag" and although divided, you have folks going well over the 45 MPH speed limit and some older folks creeping along in their Lincoln Town Cars at 25MPH and hardly a day went by that I didn't see an accident. Drive defensively and don't let a fender bender ruin your vacation. Here is an update of my previous comments for those who choose to read them. I must say that I have been amazed at the amount of E-Mail I have received from folks all over the USA and in one case...as far away as Great Britain from a lovely couple who live in London where he is a Dentist and she is a Industrial Psychologist. They ended up coming to HHI during the 1st two weeks we were there and, following my advice, they rented a house in Shipyard Plantation just down the street from our place there and we not only met, we played some tennis and had dinner together a couple of times. It's a small World. Meanwhile....on to the '98 update..... Again....I would heartily suggest that anyone arriving on the island, pick up a copy of a free booklet called " Hilton Head Island RESTAURANTS." You can find it anywhere from shopping malls to super markets to condo rental offices. It will give you a listing of most of the restaurants on the island complete with their menus and prices not only alphabetically by name, but by category...i.e. Seafood, Continental, American, etc. There are probably at least 200 places to eat and they range from excellent to just plain awful. I'll try to help you find the right place for your tastes. At this point, I must comment that, in looking at some of the submissions to the Hilton Head Island Travelogue, there are obviously a wide variance in opinions of what is good and what is bad. While I can certainly enjoy casual dining in a simple place, my wife, who is a gourmet cook and I, who am a member of the famous international gourmet and wine society...the Chaine des Rotisseurs, appreciate fine dining and service on certain occasions. To start with...I suggest you read my comments on the best....and the worst places (obviously in my opinion) that I submitted last year. I went back to a number of the best places this year and even gave some of the other ones a second chance after reading some positive comments by other folks after my departure last year. Let's start with the GOOD places. The OLD FORT PUB on Hilton Head Plantation still has great food....views at sunset... but the service has declined in my opinion. I took a party of 8 there for dinner there and was amazed that the white wine was served "room temperature" and it had to be placed in a bucket of ice before it was drinkable. The waitress, while very nice, was rarely to be seen during the evening. This was kind of sad since the place does have a lot going for it and maybe they need to increase their wait staff. If you want the best in food and service and a great view isn't as important as the overall ambiance and the dining experience itself....then...NENO iL TOSCANO is the place. Located in the Festival Center next to the Publix super market (by the way, this Publix has the BEST Key Lime pies with a graham cracker crust I've ever eaten...if you are eating in.....Get Some!)....Neno's features...fabulous N. Italian cuisine.with entrees priced from $14 to about $20. Food this good in most major cities would be at least double in price and Neno's wine list is extensive and fairly priced. This elegant place is definitely not for the Shoneys, Fudruckers, Wild Wings, Big Bamboo crowd. If you go....tell Neno...you heard about it from Gerry from Vail. This Italian gentleman will make sure you have a great dining experience. CQ's at Harbour Town is still very nice as is Cafe Europa. This year we had a waiter at Cafe Europa who, despite our mentioning that we would pass on an appetizer since we had come directly from having some drinks and appetizers on a yacht there at Harbour Town owned by some friends...he keep trying to push us into buying some of their appetizers. Maybe this was only an aberration and his aggressive manner was a product of his New York City upbringing (he made a point to tell us was where he was from). The good news is that the food arrived piping hot and was delicious. While I'm talking about Harbour Town, I mentioned the entertainment at the Harbourside Cafe last year. Great place for Happy Hour. This year they featured an African-American trio that played some laid back steel drum reggae and on 3 other nights a week a talented female singer and flute player was accompanied by her keyboard playing male partner as they played a mixture of easy to listen to music. It's a great place to check out the fabulous yachts and watch the sun go down....but the food there is awful so go elsewhere. Speaking of Happy Hour places....several people mentioned the Salty Dog Cafe located in Sea Pines at the S. Seaport Marina....I'm sorry...I think their best product is selling tee shirts. Kind of like HHI's version of the world famous hamburger and tee shirt emporiums know as the Hard Rock Cafes. TRUFFLES is still one of my favorites. Located at the Sea Pines Center...just about a mile down the road from Harbour Town...it offers great food in an eclectic setting at very reasonable prices and their desserts...like the "Mud Pie" are sinfully sensational. The OLD OYSTER FACTORY continues to amaze me at the crowds it draws. It is a very attractive BIG place on Marshland Rd overlooking Broad Creek that offers a wide variety of moderately priced food. This year...one of my guests had to send his fish back...it was extremely overcooked...but the good news is that they graciously took it back and returned with one that was just right in no time at all. A funny thing happened there that I'll share with you. Upon arrival, we were told we would have about a 20 minute wait and that there was some entertainment and a bar on the dock out back. We went out there and soon discovered that there was something else out there that was not advertised....namely...the pesky little bugs that come out in the late afternoon and early evening called "No-See-ums." While they are so tiny you can hardly see them...they must be all mouths and they can bite real good. Everyone was scratching their heads and slapping their exposed body parts including the entertainers whom I felt sorry for. Once we were seated, we had a table at a window overlooking the dock and were entertained by watching the unsuspecting customers arrive on the dock and immediately start scratching and wondering what was attacking them. The Old Oyster Factory is an OK place....but not sensational. Having read some comments from some folks praising some places I had panned a year ago....I foolishly decided to give two of them another look in '98. WILD WINGS was mentioned as a great place by some folks who vacationed there and I must admit that their chicken wings are excellent....however....the LOUD rock and roll music make them pretty hard to digest. I would suggest ordering carry-out if you must have them and pass on the smoke infested bar atmosphere and eat them at the place you are staying. Another place that numerous folks have written in about was "The BIG BAMBOO" at Coligny Circle. I thought it was dark and dismal last year and it's WW II theme was a little "cutesy" and strange for a beach place...but I thought I'd give it another shot in '98. Sorry folks, its still DARK & DISMAL with really MEDIOCRE food from a confusing menu that offers a strange variety of things from their "War-Dog" to meatloaf and California veggie wraps. All the cutesy bamboo in the world couldn't make this place a good place to eat. This S. Forest beach hangout is the place to go if you think putting on a sleeve-less Tee shirt or a tank top is fine casual attire and the nachos at the ball park are gourmet food. You'll feel right at home with the other folks who love this place. Aaaaargh ! Another spot mentioned by a number of folks was AUNT CHILADAS on Pope Ave. Again...it is close to Coligny Circle and a lot of people who come to Hilton Head and find a reasonable place to stay in the S. Forest Beach area frequent it. The menu is a dead give away...in that it features both Mexican and Italian food. Huh!!!! The result is very average food at higher prices than the quality should suggest. The decor was a little strange and looked like it had been picked up at a garage sale somewhere. It featured a fake bird perched on a large ring but the bird was not at the bottom, but rather sitting cock-eyed at an angle part way up. We decided to try it the night we arrived and were soon joined by a bus tour group of senior citizens that had a "package deal dinner" there. Our young waitress, tried her best, but had the annoying habit of referring to everyone as "Guys"....as in..."Have you guys decided on what you want?.....How's the food Guys?.....Can I get you Guys anything else? " etc. It was kind of amusing to see here continue that line of banter with a long table full of blue haired 70 to 80 year old ladies next to us. I would bet the same crowd that loves Wild Wings and the absolutely horrible Big Bamboo thinks this is the greatest. That's the beauty of HHI....there's something there for everyone. No....I didn't even think about giving HENRY's another try this year....it has taken about a year for my stomach to get over it last time so that was enough for me. The CAFE @ WEXFORD is a cute little place that features reasonably priced french food and we enjoyed it last year. This year, we took a couple from Colorado that had come to visit us there on the Sunday that was Mother's Day and we surprised to see that they had not only reduced their menu that evening, but had cranked up the prices about 50% as well. Gouging the public is not the way to win friends and influence people. We alternated eating out about 2/3's of the time with eating in at our place and once again found the wonderful seafood at great prices offered up by BARNACLE BILL's to be fabulous. Every day he gets in extremely fresh seafood at his stand on William Hilton Parkway between Palmetto Dunes and Port Royal on the W. side of the road (Shelter Cove side). We enjoyed Wahoo, fresh Salmon, jumbo Shrimp, Oysters, Blue Crabs, Tuna, and Sea Bass which was cooked and smoked on our grill and it was sensational. He can even get you live Maine Lobsters if you give him a day's notice. So...if you want to pick up a bottle of wine and enjoy some great seafood at your place there....go see Bill and be sure to tell him that Gerry from Vail told you to come see him. I guarantee he will treat you right. ABE's Native Shrimp House is located not far from Barnacle Bill's as you head toward Shelter Cove and features a $10.95 "Early Bird" buffet. I had read about it in a golf magazine so we decided to try it. This African-American family has been there since 1968 and features down home cooking including fried fish, BBQ ribs, okra and chicken but..while the food is plentiful and filling...it is pretty heavy and not for someone who is trying to watch their weight. It was also pretty hot in there in May and their A/C is barely working so be forewarned. Interesting ! As for GOLF.....really no changes from last year in that I played a number of the courses both on and off island including the famous Harbour Town Golf Links and found all of them to be a lot of fun. Pick up the local paper....the "Island Packet" which is 25 cents and you can find advertised deals on golf in it. If you are staying at a condo or hotel resort, they often have deals on golf or packages available which will reduce your cost of playing. One new course I played this year was the Golden Bear Golf Course at Indigo Run Plantation a couple of times and enjoyed it. It features on board computerized screens on each golf cart that tell you how far you've hit your drive...how far it is to the green from anywhere on the course and the clubhouse has a monitor showing where every cart is on the course at all times. Very unique. If you are into TENNIS....and are staying at a Plantation, you should check with the club there regarding their programs. At Shipyard Plantation, they had a round-robin doubles mixer every afternoon from 4 - 5:30 PM on the clay courts for only $10 per person with wine and beer afterwards. A great way to meet some other folks and have a lot of fun. Again...if you need additional advice or suggestions send me
an E-Mail and I'll do my best to get back to you. Hilton Head is
a great place to spend your vacation and if you decide to go, I
hope you love it as much as we do. All the Best...GERRY from
VAIL. (gazman@colorado.net) My wife and I and friends just returned from HHI (june 3,
1998). We had a wonderfull time. The island is a great place for
families, very relaxing, and a huge beach. We stayed at the
Disney Resort, a great place to stay. Disney also has it's own
Beach House on the ocean in Palmetto Dunes. We really like the
Hilton Head Diner, just below Shelter Cove Harbor. The food was
great, breakfast, lunch or dinner. It has a huge menu and the
service was fast. We also liked Guiseppi's, located in Shelter
Cove Plaza. Great pizza and you must try a "weggie". There are
several very good mini-golf places for children and adults. Had
lots of fun there. We did some shopping at the factory outlets
in Buffton on the mainland, just over the bridge. We took a
dolphin cruise on a 20 foot patoon boat( holds 6 people) down
the broad creek. We saw about 20 dolphins, some came right up to
the boat. Our guide was great. We plan to make HHI our only
place to go to the beach. Richard M. Smith, Lincolnton N.C.
rsmith@tntie.com april 19, 1998 we have just returned from another wonderful
spring break on HHI. As always we frequented our favorite
restaurants: Wild Wings, our tradtional first night meal, can't
beat cold beer and hot wings to get a vacation started. Our very
favorite spot is Steamers located in Coligny Plaza, defintely
the best seafood on the island. We ended up eating there three
nights out of six this trip the food and service was so good.
For great pizza you have to try Pizza Chef. We have tried
several others on the island but this is by far the best.
Already looking forward to going back this summer to try some of
the recommendations I've read here. My wife and I just got back from our HH vacation (4/3/98 -
4/7/98). We had a GREAT time. We used many of the
recommendations from submissions to this site, so we wanted to
contribute our opinions as well. For accommodations, we stayed
at the Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Resort, in an Ocean Front
Villa. It was nice, clean, and inexpensive. Folly Beach is clean
and quiet. Our only complaint is that we felt we were away from
the real "action". Most of the cool places to go were about 5
miles down 278 towards Sea Pines and Coligny plaza. When we go
again, we'll probably stay in Palmetto Dunes, or somewhere near
Forest Beach. Those seem to be the best places for the
20-somethings. The food selections were great. Our favorites, in
order, were Steamers, Makotos and Shuckers. Excellent service at
them all and the ambiance (sp?) was very nice at Steamers and
Makotos. Shuckers was a little out of the way and desolate. The
Salty Dog was ok, but we were expecting something more. The
location of SD is great and it seems to be a good hangout spot.
The Wild Wing Cafe also probably is a happening place, but we
went for lunch on a weekday, and it was just alright. I did like
the different flavors of wings, though. We went to Coconuts
Comedy Club and ordered gourmet pizza that they bring in from a
pizza shop across the street (don't remember the name). It had
to be the best gourmet pizza we've ever had. Try the Vegetarian.
There is plenty of other things to do there; enough to be able
to go back consistently and never have the exact same
experience. We had a chance to go to the finals of the Family
Circle Cup and had an awesome time. We'll be doing that again.
Island Water Sports was very good for waverunners and
parasailing. The employees were very friendly, yet professional.
For a beach experience, we recommend Forest Beach. It had the
most people on it. Make sure to go bike riding, its almost
impossible to avoid it. We don't golf, but we enjoyed playing at
several of the mini-golf places. We really like the The Pirates
Island Adventure golf course. Oh yeah, and we enjoyed the
Dolphin Cruise at Broadcreek Marina. We spent almost a whole day
shopping at the outlets in Bluffton. Bluffton is across the
bridge from HHI, but it is probably only a 15-20 minute car
drive away from most places on the Island. We'll definitely be
coming back to HH for years to come. My family just (4/4/98) returned from HHI - we stayed for a
week at HHI Beach and Tennis Resort and enjoyed it greatly. The
villa was convenient to the pool and the beach and was extremely
clean and reasonably priced. Boat House II was my favorite place
to eat on the Island. Can't wait to go back later this summer.
Alan Cheatham Seymour, TN March 20, 1998 Hi, My name is Bill and Hilton Head is
awesome!!! I have been going there ever since I was 10 years
old. I am now 23. Hilton Head has wonderful bike trails. They
are very uncrowded and allow you to become part of nature. Some
of my favorite restruants are Alexanders, the Oyster Factory,
and Reilly's. My favorite hotel is the Westin Resort. Although
the rooms are expensive, you can't beat the ocean view. The
pool-side facilities are excellant. The Westin also has an
outstanding seafood buffet 7 days a week. Fishing is great...My
dad discovered that the best place to fish was in a lagoon on
the golf course. Within minutes the bass started biting. As my
mother would say, watch out for the Alligators. One day when she
was taking out the trash, a dog rubbed its nose against my
mother's leg and she screamed thinking it was an alligator.
Thank goodness it wasn't an alligator!! If you are ever chased
by an alligator, remember to run in a zigzag. If you like birds,
Hilton Head has a ton of them. Well, I just wanted to tell you
about some of the highlights. Hi...Mom and Dad! Take me back to
Hilton Head! Hello! I lived in Hilton Head for the entire 1997 summer, on
an internship program for Resort Recreation & Tourism
Management. All the restaurants I have read about on here are
awesome. Some of my faves were Hinchey's, especially for Wed.
night $1 bottles, Brew Pub pizza is awesome, Wild Wing cafe luch
buffet is the best ever, Big Apple Bagel has great sandwiches.
Anywhere you can eat Alaskan Snow Crab Legs...take advantage of
it! Seafood in Iowa just isn't the same. So, words of advice for
vacationers...RR&TM activities at the resorts are good, worth
the few bucks you pay for it, and your kids will have fun...ask
the staffers to babysit if mom and dad want a night out, cuz the
interns make squat. DO NOT take your children to RR&TM's Kid's
Club. I headed that day camp all summer. The kids run wild,
basically just swimming all day, they get a gross lunch, and it
is so hot, with no access to air conditioning, that your kids
will probably get sun poisoning. There have been a few GREAT
kids there, though. Usually the vacationers... If you hit the
WaterFun Park at Comfort Inn, Navid (operations manager there)
is awesome, tell him HELLO for me! Krista Klockentager
klockentager@wartburg.edu We spent a week on Hilton Head and loved every minute of it.
From the people, the wildlife and the activities it was a
wonderful time. We certainly enjoyed the entertainment at the
"Salty Dog", Dave Kemmerly is the best entertainer we have ever
heard. Just came back from Christmas on Hilton Head, first time
there. Stayed at the Hyatt which has nice ocean front rooms
@holiday rates ($69). Golf: The golf courses (except in Seapines)
are closed on Christmas but it seems to be an annual tradition
for everyone to go out and walk them on xmas. It's lots of fun.
Our family, which includes three preteenage girls has been
going to HHI for the past four years and are returning for a
fifth that I left under the couch. But seriously we have stayed
at the Beach and Tennis Resort and have had a great time each
visit. Our favorite things to do have included building
sandcastles and hitting the waves. Our daughters have mastered
bodysurfing and are looking forward to dolphin riding. Our
favorite places to eat are Fuddruckers and Hilton Head Diner. We
often eat in to economize, making the "BILO" our favorite
grocery stop. See you there next August. 11/8/97-11/14/97 My Wife and I had our 10th Anniversary
vacation at the Hilton Resort. The two places which really stand
out are the Big Bamboo where we had an outstanding evening, and
W.G. Shuckers where they have a great two for Tuesday dinner
package. Our family visited HH in July, 1996. In general our
experience was a good one. One restaurant that I feel that I
need to mention is the Quarterdeck Restaurant. The view at
sunset was magnificant but the restaurant was a totally
different story. We were their for dinner. The food was mediocre
at best. The service was poor. Upon leaving we asked to speak to
the manager but were told the manager was too busy. Upon
returning home, I wrote two letters to the restaurant outlining
our experiences. The restaurant did not respond. For you
non-smokers there was an additional problem. The dining area is
on two levels. The non-smoking section is raised about two feet
above the smoking level so all of the smoke from the smoking
section rises to the non-smoking section. Also, the smoking
level has the better view of the sound at sunset. I can
recommend the Crazy Crab and Aunt Chiladas. They provided good
food and service at reasonable prices. best sunset dinners are bound to be the Sunset Grille at the
end of jenkins drive. small, quiet,out of the way(as in hard to
find) upstairs with 270 degree veiws of a small marina and truly
inspiring veiws of sunset over the intra coastal waterway. food
was interesting and excellent. very personable ,casual
atmosphere. i guarantee you wont be disappointed. A belated travelogue from our annual June trip to HHI. As
always, it was wonderful and as always, the home we rented in
Palmetto Dunes was perfect! Our large extended family(20!) has
their favorite eateries but you have to "experience" The Big
Bamboo at Coligny Plaza....., just remember to check your pulse
after downing a War Dog!!!! Please enjoy the visit and say "hey"
when you see us cruising by- we'll be the ones smiling from ear
to ear! My husband and I just returned from Hilton Head after
spending a long weekend (Oct 3-6 1997) on the island. We got in
late, and opted to order pizza since many of the restaurants
stop serving at 10 pm. We chose Pizza Chef Gourmet Pizza. It was
really very good. The garlic-cheese bread was wonderful, and the
tomato-basil pizza was very good also. I had forgotten my print
out of Gerry from Vail's scoop on the restaurants, but I
remembered that he had absolutely raved about Truffles. We went
there for lunch on Sunday. Oooooh! It is sooooo good! I got the
meatloaf sandwich (trust me, leftovers never had it so good)
which had a honey-mustard glaze, and was topped with a roasted
red pepper chutney. Excellent! Without Gerry's list, I made a
mistake. I remembered that he mentioned Henry's specifically,
but I couldn't remember if he said it was good or bad. I guessed
wrong. He was right. It was very mediocre, and the waitress was
extremely annoying. We also had dinner one night at The Old
Oyster Factory. The food was good (best key lime pie I had the
entire trip) and so was the service. Also, if you're into
barbecue, as we are, and you go to the mainland, try Duke's
Barbecue in Beaufort. It's only open on Saturday and Sunday.
Good BBQ. Most romantic restaurant/best food: LaMaisonette My wife and I just returned from an eight day vacation at
Hilton Head. This was our third visit to the Island. Although
we're not golfers we enjoy three activities, dining, jogging and
relaxing on the beach; the variety of restaurants and jogging
trails are unsurpassed. Since we enjoyed reading what your
contributors had say about the island (while we were driving) so
I thought that I would reciprocate with a few comments about the
restaurants that we visited for dinner. We dined at the Big
Bamboo, La Paolo's, The Cafe at Wexford, Hoffbraus, Big Rocco's,
Cafe Europa, Rick's Place, The Cafe at Wexford (a second time).
Our three standouts are La Paolo's, Rick's Place and The Cafe at
Wexford. La Paolo's for its generous servings, great veranda
dining and excellent Tira Misu; Rick's Place for its delicious
and different appetizers and entrees (the most expensive of our
dinners); The Cafe at Wexford for its atmosphere, service, wine
list and a peanut butter dessert that is incredible - the Cafe
has been our favorite since we first visited the island and I
feel that it is still is, although Rick's tied it this year. Bob
K. Just got home last night. We (2adults 3 kids under 12) had a
ball. we went on boat trip called The Holiday and loved the
dolphins so much we rented our own 16 ft. Skiff from the broad
creek marina and really got up close. we had great food we cant
even pick out a favorite we went to Crazy Crab, Crazy Nicks,
Gieusippis, The Hofbrauhaus, and Abes Native Shrimp House. Bike
rentals are a must. We are going to try to come back next
summer! Just returned from our 12th annual pilgrimage to HHI. As
usual a great time. I haven't seen anyone plug Hilton Head Ice
Cream as a great place to eat. After dinner EVERY night, we
would pack the kids in the car and head off to Orleans Road and
some of the best ice cream in the east. Written 8/27/1997 Just returned from HHI, (8/17- 8/24); stayed at Shipyards
Carolina Club in 3-br condo. Super facilities. Boat trip to
Savannah fun, especially trolley ride, but grab a drink and use
facilities before boarding trolley! Gastronomic low point of
trip: Big Rocco's Italian (?) Restaurant. Didn't think anyone
could screw up spaghetti. They did. Very forgettable place, hot,
noisy, mediocre service and mostly inferior food. However, the
HOFBRAUHAUS on Pope Avenue - WUNDERBAR! Excellent food (try the
Schweinebraten), delightful German music by Bob, neat atmosphere
and really nice people. Another superior meal at Nantucket
Seafood House on New Orleans Road. Owner Jim Laferriere and
waitress Kerry were most accommodating. Hilton Head Diner quite
good, but so busy. Our first time at HHI, but we want to go
back. Pat and Ellen Wright of Detroit area. Just came back from Hilton Head Island (8/2/97 - 8/8/97). My
first time there. We stayed in Palmetto Dunes Resort in a great
condo right on the beach. The facilities were beautiful. The
tennis and golf were abundant. For people who like to shop, the
outlet stores were everywhere. We took a day trip to Charleston
and to Savannah. Both cities had alot of history with the civil
war and the old restored homes and the large historic districts.
Would definitely recommend Savannah. Should read the book
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" because it is a
non-fiction book about old Savannah. It refers to actual houses
and gardens etc that you can see on a tour. Restaurants that we
went to were as follows : Old Oyster Factory - Great and saw
Mark Messier- hockey player Wild Wings Cafe - a little loud but
wonderful wings Brick Oven Pizza - Excellent for a light meal
Little Venice - not good South Seaport (at Sea Pines) - great
view and good food Will probably go back again --- Can't wait.
Be sure to walk around Harbor Town and Sea Pines Plantation. We
also took a dolphin cruise and the dolphins came right up to the
boat. They did something really crazy, they so "strand feeding"
in the marshes, they force little fishes to the edge of the
marsh and "corral" them to land and eat them. It sounds bad but
it was very interesting and it is rare for us to see but we did
see it happen (during low tide). My mother and I just returned from Hilton Head and we loved
it. It's really a beautiful island! We stayed at the Hilton
Resort in Palmetto Dunes. I would highly recommend anyone to
stay there. Palmetto Dunes, Harbourtown, and Sea Pines are all
great sections of the island to visit. Definitely walk up to the
top of the Harbourtown lighthouse. The view is spectacular! I
heard that the restaurant Crazy Crab in Harbourtown is great,
but we never had a chance to go. South Beach is a beautiful
section of the island that resembles a New England Village. It
looks just like Nantucket, MA! We went to a great restaurant in
Coligny Circle called Only Pasta. It was scrumptious! Definitely
try this place! The prices are very reasonable.Coligny Cirle is
also a great place to go shopping and ride bikes. We also heard
that the restaurant Fitzgerald's was fabulous. It's right on the
ocean and was recommended by an owner of one of the condos on
the island. My mom and I adored Hilton Head Island and we're
planning on returning as soon as we can! -JT Just returned on August 4 from our first-ever (definitely not
last!) HHI trip. A few thoughts and musings...we stayed at the
Adventure Inn in an updated unit at the Ocean Dunes Villas
(always, always ask for UPDATED). This is an older complex on S
Forest Beach and really isn't very service-oriented and grounds
aren't too well kept. The garbage is placed in an area near the
parking lot and entrance to villas that leaves a lot to be
desired. The price is reasonable and it is right on the ocean,
so since we're not in our rooms that much, it was fine. But we
have already reserved the Disney Resort for next year. They will
rent out only for about the next year or so till all the
time-shares are sold. Restaurants: We ate out every night
(family of 4 with two teenagers). CRAZY CRAB: A good first night
intro to Sea Pines and Harbour Town, but expensive. Probably
wouldn't rush back, tho the fish was good. BIG BAMBOO CAFE: A
real find. Great WW II Pacific atmosphere, excellent fish, the
best ribs ever. Nice staff, friendly. HILTON HEAD BREWING CO.:
Fun, good food, great place for our large group of friends.
Great brews. SALTY DOG: Great fun, good food, you have to buy a
T-shirt! J J PEPPERONIO'S: At the Hyatt in Palmetto Dunes. On
the ocean. Great view, even during a thunderous lightening
storm. Pizza good and some interesting choices. AUNT CHILADA'S:
Good Mexican and and fun atmosphere. A do-again. BIG ROCCO'S:
Another real find. Excellent Italian, great fish in a big% For the past 9 years, we have made the annual trek from
Chicago to HHI. We first came based on a friend's recommendation
and fell in love with the island since. We have stayed at the
Beach and Tennis Resort on Foley Rd. in a 2-BR condo. Very
reasonably priced. Over that time, we have been to numerous
restaurants and attractions. The Old Oyster Factory is a
favorite and well as visiting the dolphins with Commandor Zodiac
out of South Beach. Great Fun. Looking to return again and
again. You can reach me at boblo@interaccess.com. 08/03/97. We just returned from Hilton Head Island after spending four
days there with my teenage son & husband. The island is very
beautiful, but if you're a Northerner like us, you will find it
too humid. If you can adapt, you should have a great time. We visited HHI last year for a week from the last week in
December. We rented a condo in Palmetto Dunes and had the most
enjoyable, and restful stay. Saw several deer too! Oh yes, and
the President and First Lady. We discovered the HH Diner.
Interesting place and wide menu selection. Waiter had our drinks
ready on our second visit. What great service! Restaurant near
the lighthouse was great too for seafood. Some restaurants
closed during the holidays. Making reservations for the same
time this year. Can't wait My family and I have been visiting Hilton Head for several
years now. We usually stay in Shipyard Plantation.... it is nice
and quiet, but close to everything. Some restuarants we enjoy
are: Scott's Fish Market, The Old Oyster Factory, Kingfisher,
Truffles and Salty Dog. There is a lot to do on the island, but
if you are in search of the ultimate relaxing vacation this is
the place.... it is beautiful. June 7-14/97. Once again had a grand time on the Island. Took
the advice of some of your Travelogue readers & tried out a few
restaurants. The sandwiches at Philly's are indeed a great find.
Tried both locations. Preferred New Orleans Rd atmosphere-but
excellent food at either. Also tried OLD FORT PUB. Saved it till
our last nite, and wish we had gone earlier in the week, so we
could have spent many more outings there. Beautiful
sunset,absolutely superb service, and terrific food. It didn't
seem to matter whether customers were ordering from the pub
menu, (munchies & lighter fare) or the full dinner menu, the
staff were attentive, super friendly and very accomodating to
every request. Frequented by many locals,(a good sign) with many
many Chicago Bulls fans peeking in at the TV in the bar. (may
have something to do with the fact that Michael & family have a
home in Wexford!) We had the best time there, and after a dozen
or more visits to HH in the last 6 summers , it is now our fav
for that type of dining. However, we still will frequent the
Wild Wing a tradition we have created since our very first
visit!! Does anyone have any info on the Players Club
Resort/Inn?? Can't seem to find much. Friends have a stay/play
golf pkg. they are interested in using, but would like to know
something about the place first. We just couldn't offer much in
that regard. Appreciate any response, positive or otherwise.
Hoping to get back in late August, for another week, until then
looking forward to checking out Travelogue updates. Thanks.
Dawna, Rick, Rose & Dick St.Catharines, Ontario Canada. We have been going to HHI for the past ten years and love to
stay on South Forest Beach on an oceanfront villa. This spring
we stayed at SeaSide Villas directly on the Ocean. If you go,
request the one on the first floor with the great wooden rocking
chairs!! Our most enjoyable moments were sipping coffee in the
morning while rocking on the chairs and watching the sun come
up!! We love the beach for bike riding - it's great for small
kids since the sand is hard-packed and you can always stop to
explore the starfish or jellyfish that wash up on shore. Even
better is biking along side the dolphins as they feed offshore.
We love to eat at Aunt Chiladas - just a short walk from the
SeaSide Villas (#123). They have a great happy hour and we love
to play the trivia game!! Looking forward to our visit next
year. We have been going to Hilton Head with friends off and on
since 1982. We absolutely love it. We have stayed in many
different houses and villas on Sea Pines and Shipyard. Our
friends have stayed oceanfront on south Forest Beach, but that
is a little too busy for our tastes. My sister-in-law now owns a
house at Inland Harbour on Sea Pines, and that is a convenient
location. We just returned today from a week there, but were
also there at Christmas for the first time this year. It was
great at Christmas, with great weather. We don't eat out all the
time, but went to Nantucket Seafood House for the first time
this year. Probably the best food we've ever had on the island.
I don't know exactly what others consider reasonably priced, but
we felt it was a bit high. We had 2 buy one get one free coupons
and it was $62 for 4 people. You probably pay a little more for
oceanfront there than places like Myrtle Beach, but if you don't
mind walking a little ways or driving to the beach there are
some good prices. We liked staying at Colonnade Club and
Waterford, but would recommend Villa Rentals over some of the
agencies we have rented through. We have also rented through
owners with good luck. My family and I just returned from our HH vacation. Let me
just say that the island is absolutely incredible! I am already
planning my return trip, although I have a feeling that I won't
be able to go back for awhile. My husband, 7 year old and I just returned from HH on June
20, 1997. It was 841 miles from Bowling Green, Ohio and took us
14.5 hours to drive straight through. We visited HHI again this year (6/07/97 to 6/14/97) and had a
bodacious time. The beaches are so very wide at low tide and
bicycling is a must here. We especially enjoyed the restaurants
Great Plains Cattle Company and Crabby Nick's (used to be
Shoney's). We rented our great beach cruisers from Sand Cats
(785-3210). I included the phone number because they dont seem
to be to well advertized. We have a time share at HHI but dont
even want to exchange. Just wish HHI would halt new construction
of condos though it is becoming to to metopolized or perhaps has
been for a while. Beyond that though HHI is a terrific place to
vacate to. I enjoy the tennis here immensely. Golf is very
prominent too but not my game. Check out Harbour Fest at Shelter
Cove Harbour for music, eats, and fireworks on Tuesday night or
perhaps Thursdays, better check first for exact days. You gotta
come here and just have fun! Gerry from Vail's reccomended RESTAURANTS: Gerry from Vail's scoop on HHI RESTAURANTS: Not surprisingly
for a tourist place, there are a ton of them. They range from
fast food places like Wendy's and McDonalds to semi fast food
places like Shoneys and "move 'em in ...feed 'em up...move 'em
out places like the Cracker Barrel......to a number of privately
owned places . There some really bad places with lousy food, too
high prices considering,, poor atmosphere etc. to some really
good ones that offer good food, fair prices considering and
lovely atmosphere. You don't always pay for what you get....Some
of the lousy ones charge higher prices and some of the best are
reasonable. In my GENERAL ADVICE....I suggested picking up a
copy of HHI RESTAURANTS....do it!!! It will give you a sampling
of most of the restaurants on the island with their menus and
prices. Not to be Negative, but there are some places you might
want to be warned about in advance. If you decide to disregard
this advice....NO WHINING ! Recently, I sent in a note to the Hilton Head Island
Travelogue following our return from an extended stay in April
and May of 1997. (You can read it in the travelogue) Foolishly,
I suppose I offered to give advice on the best
RESTAURANTS...GOLF deals...and other items of interest on the
island...but I wan't prepared for the onslaught of requests from
all over the USA from a lot of nice folks. While I have tried to
answer each request, it has become an awesome task so I will try
to sumarize my opinions, advise and counsel at this time. While
I realize it maty not be for everyone, I hope you will accept it
as the "Straight Scoop" from a guy with on financial interests
in answering your questions. If this doesn't work...then you can
reach me at my E-mail address and I will try to help you. Thanks
for your understanding... GERRY from VAIL. My "new" husband and I just returned to Denver, CO from HHI.
We were married last week, May 29, outside at the Marriott
Grande Ocean Resort, and everything was simply perfect. We would
highly recommend eating at the Great Plains Cattle Company -
which is where we held our reception dinner. Very reasonably
prices, extra large portions, excellent service, and the food
was delicious. Everyone who attended the reception dinner was
eager to go back again. Anyone visiting HHI whether for the 1st
time or repeat visitors - you can't go wrong with a vacation
here - it is wonderful! My wife and I spent our twentieth anniversary (May 16-18, 1997)at Palmetto Dunes Hilton Resort. We usually vacation in Jamaica but decided to give Hilton Head a try because we've heard wonderful remarks about the beach. We were not dissapointed. We have been to some world class beaches but Hilton Head's beach takes the cake for cleanliness and accomodations. Most impressive was the hard packed sand, not to mention the incredible width of the beach, especially at low tide, Wow! As much as we enjoyed the island, we were very dissapointed with the Hilton Resort. Our reservations, made three months in advance, were not available upon check in. The "ocean view" that we paid extra for was a thin strip of water visible across the parking lot. The staff was indifferent to our concerns. The pool was closed on Saturday to accomodate a private party, and the pool cleaners fired up thier engines early in the morning making it impossible to sleep in. The room was large and in very close proximity to the beach. Our dining experiences were good with the exception of The Old O |
