Serene Hilton Head Island

Background

We began visiting Hilton Head Island, SC in the summer of 2020, right after things started to open up from the COVID-19 pandemic, though with restrictions. As Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members with Copper Creek (Wilderness Lodge) our home resort, we were aware Disney had a resort on the island, but knew very little about it.  The world being what it was, the idea of returning to Walt Disney World didn’t appeal to us just yet. Normally a hard reservation to come by due to its smaller size and popularity, Disney’s Hilton Head Island resort had availability, so we booked.

How’d we like it? Well, we’ve gone back every year since… sometimes twice.  Oh, and we bought DVC points for Hilton Head as an additional home resort. Because it is one of our home resorts now, we are able to reserve eleven months in advance rather than the seven months for other DVC members. It quickly sells out during the typical busy seasons, so reserving four months earlier than everyone else can make all the difference.

What to Know About Getting There

While there are plenty of folks who live on Hilton Head Island year round, the island gets super busy during the summer (June-August), somewhat less busy during the shoulder seasons of spring (April-May) and fall (Sept-Oct – a.k.a.hurricane season), and quieter during the off season. In April, the island hosts the RBC Heritage, a PGA TOUR Signature Event, so it can get busy with golfers and whoever doesn’t play but for some reason likes to watch. It can also get busy during major holidays.

Hilton Head Island is a popular tourist destination for residents of the Midwest, in particular Ohio, but also those coming from the Northeast, as well as nearby states. During college football season, get used to hearing shouts of “O-H-I-O” or “Buckeyes”. The majority of those visiting do so by car. We drove to Hilton Head Island during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and have always done so since. Note that bridge traffic heading onto Hilton Head Island is heaviest on Saturdays in the summer months as well as during “rush hour” between 7 AM and 9 AM on weekdays, so plan accordingly.

Many people also fly down. Hilton Head Island Airport, a small commercial airport that is being expanded, is actually on the island. You can fly there non-stop from Charlotte, Atlanta, and Newark, though there are seasonal non-stop flights from other locations. Savannah/Hilton Head international airport is just over an hour’s drive from Hilton Head, and is extremely popular with many more flight options.

Our Summer 2025 Journey

As we have always done, we leave our New Jersey home Saturday morning, stop at a hotel somewhere in North or South Carolina that night, and arrive in Hilton Head Island in time for Sunday brunch. The farthest south we’ve stayed is in Santee, SC, just under two hours’ drive to the island, and the farthest north was in Benson, NC, about a four and a half hour drive. Once the Buc-ee’s in Florence, SC opened in 2022, that also became an integral part of our itinerary. IFYKYK.

While we do power through the drive home all in one extremely long day, spreading the southbound drive over two days offers us a few benefits. First, we don’t want to arrive on the island late at night and use DVC points or pay for a more expensive hotel just for a bed. Second, we aren’t up for driving overnight, all night so that we can get to the island by morning. The primary driver is not going to have as much fun on arrival day after that. Third, by arriving on Sunday, we avoid the traffic crossing the bridge onto the island that occurs on Saturdays or weekday mornings.

The Peel & Eat Shrimp Tour Begins on Sunday

This Sunday, after a complimentary light breakfast at the Fairfield Inn in Santee, SC, we set out for Hilton Head. There is a set of Tanger outlets as you drive through Bluffton before crossing the bridge to the island. We sometimes kill an hour there, and since it was a rainy morning, it seemed like Hilton Head had emptied out to these outlets as well. Byrds Famous Cookies used to have a location here, but sadly seems to have closed a year or two ago. You can still find them all over Savannah.

First stop on Hilton Head Island was brunch, and this time we aimed for Crazy Crab, Jarvis Creek. We’ve eaten dinner here a few times and liked it. There’s plenty of seating inside or out, but we usually aim for outdoor seating if possible. Hilton Head Island is low country, and this time of year it’s hot and muggy. At many restaurants you can get an outside table in a covered area or with a large umbrella overhead, sometimes with fans moving the potentially stagnant air.

The rain had abated by the time we reached the restaurant, but it was still cloudy and not too hot. We snagged a table in the large covered bar area, which at this time of day is fairly quiet. Rona had been looking forward to their Coastal Bloody Mary, shrimp included, and I ordered a Blood Orange Gin Rickey. These kicked off our vacation nicely and were followed by my Crab Cake Benedict and Rona’s Shrimp & Grits.

Our server was friendly and super attentive, and when the Bloody Mary didn’t come out with the cocktail shrimp, she quickly handled it. The Crab Cake Benedict was loaded with crab, not filler. Honestly, we’ve never had a bad Shrimp & Grits on the island, and we’ve had a lot. With gratuity, brunch cost us $82.

Typically we would go over to the resort to check in next, but it was still a little early, so we decided to find a coffee place. Scrolling through the currently open coffee shops on Google maps not named Dunkin or Starbucks, we chose the Corner Perk, which is just down William Hilton Parkway, the main thoroughfare across the island. This is a large brunch cafe where you can sit at a booth with table service or just order at the counter and take a seat in a typical “coffee shop comfy seating” area. We did the latter, spending $11 on a flat white and an iced tea, but eventually took the drinks with us and left for the Disney Resort.

The Disney Resort is right on Broad Creek, across a small bridge along the edge of Shelter Cove Harbour and Marina. We pulled up to the gate and its call box and card reader. Smart phones and magic bands won’t get you in here. This resort still supplies guests with key cards, and after the voice from the call box said, “Welcome Home”, the gates rose and we drove through, waving back at the cast member who was waving a big ol’ Mickey hand at us from the top of the stairs to the Live Oak Lodge lobby. 

The resort consists of 21 buildings, with the Live Oak Lodge lobby in the main one on Broad Creek. It is designed in a 1940s Carolina Lowcountry style. The resort also has a separate Beach House at Palmetto Dunes, with ocean beach access. There is a free Disney shuttle that takes guests on the short ride, or you can drive. Both the main area and Beach House have pools and counter service open for breakfast and lunch. For all the information on the resort, check its web site. 

Check in was a breeze, and we walked away with two key cards, resort maps, Hilton Head Island maps, and restaurant recommendations. We had booked a 1-bedroom villa, with most of those in the main building or the one connected to it. We love being in the main building (#11), where your balcony can directly overlook the creek, and you are steps away from the free afternoon cookies in the lobby. During our prior two stays, we’d got a corner room with an amazing view of the creek, but this time we were in connecting building #12, which was still perfectly fine, and not really any farther from the cookies.

All the villas were remodeled in the last few years and we love the aesthetic. It’s a bit more Disney themed than it was in the past, but with a low country vibe. With the 1-bedroom you have a full kitchen with an island, all the appliances, and dishes and pots and pans if you want to do some real cooking, as we did back in COVID times. The refrigerator has an ice maker, and Disney provides their own brand K-Cups and coffee packs go with the Keurig coffee maker.

There’s a separate dining area, living room with couches and big TV, plus a separate bedroom with a huge bathroom with shower and jacuzzi tub. And best of all, you have your own laundry room with full-sized washer and dryer, for which they supply some detergent. The 2-bedroom adds another full bathroom and bedroom, and with the studios, you lose the private laundry.

After unloading our bags, we wanted to load the refrigerator and freezer with a few things, and so drove over to the large and well-stocked Kroger supermarket in Shelter Cove Town Centre, a shopping center along Broad Creek to which you can also safely walk or bike. Kroger is on the far end, so I would not recommend walking to it from the resort if you can help it.

There are a variety of shops and restaurants, as well as a park that has a playground. It also hosts a community market on Saturday mornings.  We laid in a supply of drinks, breakfast items and snacks and, after realizing we needed more caffeine on board than the Corner Perk had supplied, availed ourselves of the Starbucks inside the store.

We returned to the Disney resort, unloaded our groceries and walked over to Broad Creek Mercantile for a quick browse. This is essentially a compact version of the gift shop that every Disney hotel maintains, offering a variety of Disney and DVC-oriented clothing, games, pins and pin trading, as well as a small selection of medicines and toiletries, frozen and refrigerated foods and of course Disney snacks like gummies, chocolate, chips, and pretzels. The cast members here are incredibly friendly and personable, and you get a small discount when you show proof of DVC membership.

The Mercantile is upstairs in the two story Community Hall building overlooking the Big Dipper pool and slides, and sits next door to Tide Me Over, the quick-service resort option that offers breakfast and lunch, and the ever important Dole Whips. There are picnic tables, rest rooms with showers for the pool area, and a small fitness room up here as well.  Cast members will bring your food order to your picnic table upstairs, to the ones just downstairs, or to your table or lounger in the pool area.

We are big fans of dinner with live music when visiting Hilton Head, so after some relaxation time in our villa, we headed for dinner at a restaurant that was fairly new to Hilton Head called Zunzibar. The reviews on Google were overwhelmingly positive, they took reservations and had live music inside that evening. 

When we got there at 6:30 PM, it became immediately apparent that reservations weren’t needed that night. Only one other indoor table sat occupied, with one or two seated tables outside. I felt a bit bad for the musician, who turned out to be really talented with a solid set list, but I was glad we were seated around a corner and just out of his sight.  That said, we made sure to clap loudly and express our appreciation on the way out.

The place was very nice inside, with a central bar taking up a decent amount of space. The staff were super friendly, and the manager came by and chatted us up for a while before bringing some samples from their menu, including their Boerewors sausage. I ordered a beer and Rona had a cactus pear pomegranate margarita, a must since we’d enjoyed a ton of prickly pear based drinks in our Arizona, Nevada and Utah National Parks trip in 2023.

Every time we go to Hilton Head, a dining theme organically develops with something we wind up ordering over and over, like Shrimp & Grits. This visit wound up being all about Peel & Eat shrimp with Old Bay seasoning, which was our appetizer order here.

For dinner, Rona had the Booty Roll, a sandwich with the outstanding Boerewors sausage we’d sampled. Savory with a nice snap, the sausage is super meaty and chunkier than a lot of sausage we’ve tried.  I had the Conquistador sandwich, which is mostly chicken and provolone, with their Shit Yeah! ® sauce. They’re known for their sauces and sell them online. Rona’s had Dank! Sauce. Both are creamy mayonnaise and ketchup-based concoctions.  

Overall, Zunzibar’s food was good, with the Boerewors sausage as the stand-out. The service was efficient and friendly, and it set us back $83 for the food, drinks, and gratuity. That said, we lean heavily on seafood meals on the island, and while Zunzibar has some, their focus is more on sandwiches and so forth. There are so many other options on the island competing for our limited non-seafood meals that I’m not sure we’d go back. Though the place was pretty empty that evening, the island overall seemed less busy than usual, quite possibly due to the weather. 

Waking up on Hilton Head Island

Monday morning dawned a bit rainy, so we decided to drive over to Coligny Plaza, which is essentially the island’s original “downtown”, with more than 50 shops, restaurants, and the renowned Piggly Wiggly supermarket. Coligny is also the new location of one of our favorite breakfast joints, Bad Biscuit. It’s a crowded little place open for breakfast and lunch only, and their humongous biscuits are the star around which everything else on the menu orbits. 

You order at the counter, take your drinks, and they bring your food to you at whichever table you choose to sit. For $41 with gratuity, we each ordered the Renegade and coffees, then since the handful of indoor tables were all occupied, we snagged one of the sheltered ones outside. The fans kept us cool as the food came right out. The Renegade is a pile of scrambled eggs, Gouda, spinach and bacon jam stuffed in a big ol’ biscuit.  It’s rich, a little smoky and savory, with a tangy sweetness from the bacon jam, and a good way to start the day by putting you into a food coma.

By the time we’d finished breakfast, the rain had stopped so we walked all around Coligny Plaza, stopping in at a local Sea Bags shop, where Rona picked up a wristlet made from repurposed sail cloth. A little thirsty, we also went into the Spice & Tea Exchange for some bougee iced tea, though it was fun browsing all the teas and spices on display while savoring all the wonderful aromas. Honestly, almost every shop we entered smelled great. Maybe vacation just smells different.

After returning to the resort, it was pool time in between the rain drops, so we packed up drinks and snacks, and drove over to Disney’s Beach House in Palmetto Dunes. The pool at Beach House tends to be quieter than the Big Dipper pool, since it’s not right on the main grounds, and has fewer kid-friendly activists and no slide. It is right along the beach, however, and a lot of families were taking advantage of the ocean. 

Beach House does have a quick service counter called Signals, where you order and they bring your food to you. Sadly, the Dole Whip machine was out of order so we opted for a Mickey Pretzel with cheese.  Beach House also has an indoor and covered outdoor area with tables and seating, pool table, and large screen TV. Done swimming, we settled into one of the covered tables and as chance would have it, the skies opened moments after our Mickey Pretzel arrived.

Later that afternoon, we took a walk along the dock on Disney’s side of Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina. Boats of all sorts and sizes are docked in the marina, and in December many are decked out in festive Christmas lights. 

A short walk across the bridge from the Disney resort brings you to a wide range of restaurants, shops, cafes, and an excellent bakery along Shelter Cove Marina. Most of the restaurants have an outdoor covered bar, and some offer live music in the evening. We wound up stopping at the mostly empty outside bar at Top Dawg Tavern for some happy hour drinks and chips and salsa. Our bartender, Anya, was awesome and we looked for her when we returned the next night for Harbourfest.

We were really looking forward to dinner that night at Fish Camp Broad Creek, so much so that we had reserved a table in the outdoor covered patio near the live music by That Thing You Duo, who we had seen the year before. The non-musical entertainment began with my usual Crab Fashioned, their crabby take on an old fashioned, and a Jack and Diet Coke for Rona.

For starters we knew to ask for the bar menu, so we could order the Ahi Tuna Nachos and Grilled Filet Skewers with Chimichurri sauce. Rona also had her favorite item on the island, grilled oysters, also from the bar menu — half lowcountry, half Parmesan garlic — while I went with the southern fried scallops off the main menu. The food was all great, though because of how warm it was outside, even with the fans blowing the ice in the drinks melted quickly, watering them down. Maybe next time, we’ll order doubles. With drinks and gratuity, this cost $144.

Typical Low Country Day

Tuesday brought a more typical Hilton Head morning, warm, sunny, and humid. We’ve made a habit of driving over to Jarvis Creek Park first thing for a sweaty walk around the lake. It’s a peaceful area with lots of bird watching to be had, folks fishing, fish leaping from the lake, and occasionally a group of people doing tai chi near the playground. We’ve heard there are alligators as well but have not seen them here… yet.

After swinging by Paris Baguette for some breakfast dessert on the way back to the resort, we spent a few hours lounging in the Big Dipper pool, and even ordered lunch from Tide Me Over: a pulled pork sandwich and chicken fingers.

That evening we went to Skull Creek Boathouse for an early waterfront dinner with live music. Just behind the restaurant is a marina and dock along Skull Creek from which you can occasionally spot marine wildlife. That evening there was an alligator swimming under the watchful eye of what seemed to be a Tricolored Heron. The gator did not try to eat the bird. Live and let live I guess.

Boathouse is one of our go-to’s, mostly for the music, location, and vibe. The food is generally good, not great, but the menu is pretty big and has more variety than some other restaurants on the island. It’s truly all about the music and the vibe.

The peel and eat shrimp tour continued here. We also ordered the smoked salmon deviled eggs, but received (and were charged for) the Grandma’s deviled eggs. These are the typical deviled egg goodness, though not what we had originally wanted but we also ordered the dynamite and super crunch sushi rolls. The sushi was tasty and the shrimp was on point. All in, this cost $107.

Afterward, we went back to the resort and walked over the bridge to Shelter Cove Harbor for Harbourfest. We were lucky to snag a spot at the outdoor Top Dawg bar again, though Anya, our bartender from the prior night was working the pizza bar on the side of the restaurant rather than ours. Still, we had drinks, an enormous pretzel and a good view of Shannon Tanner’s show followed by the fireworks.  Shannon Tanner is a local celebrity and entertainer, who has been performing on the island for 30 years.

Very Vacation, Lots of Seafood

By Wednesday, we were in proper vacation mode, and whiled away the morning meandering along Broad Creek and among the Spanish Oaks all around the resort. A multitude (flock?) of Ibis had taken over the live oak along the creek.

Lunch was takeout from Sea Shack, a no-frills, counter-service spot, popular with locals and tourists alike that serves generous portions of fresh seafood. The peel and eat shrimp tour continued here, but we also had conch fritters and a platter of fried shrimp and clams, totaling $55. The clams were surprisingly the weak link, being more breading than clam but everything else was decent. This place gets top notch reviews and we would try it again, leaning more on the locally caught fish.

We spent the afternoon at the Big Dipper pool and rewarded our “do nothing” attitude with a Dole Whip Float from Tide Me Over. That evening before going off-resort for dinner we stopped at our favorite marine life viewing spot behind the main building, and were rewarded with an alligator coasting through Broad Creek.

Dinner was at Sandbar Beach Eats in Coligny, a restaurant and bar to which we had never been but it came with live music, outside seating, a bar, and positive reviews. It’s along the edge of the Coligny Plaza Shopping Center close to the beach, offering indoor and a mix of covered and uncovered outdoor seating, with bars both inside and out.

Tonight was super crowded with a long wait for seating. I turned to the solution we frequently employ for long waits when we’re hungry, which was to grab two empty seats at the outdoor bar. The bartender supplied the margarita and beer, the musician supplied the music, and the kitchen came with the char grilled oysters appetizer.

The oysters were kissed by the grill and totally delicious. For mains Rona had the bacon wrapped scallops and I had the Son of a Bun burger. The scallops were uniquely prepared, delicious, and the plantains on the side were the best she’s ever had. I love a smashed burger, and mine was among the top burgers I’ve had in recent memory, a bit crunchy along the edge, and juicy where it counted. With drinks and gratuity, this meal cost $86.

Another nice thing about Sandbar is that you are in a lively outdoor shopping center and near the beach. You can walk over to the beach, or wander around Coligny Plaza like we did. It was a muggy evening, and there are a number of options to keep cool. Ours was Rita’s for a frozen limeade.

The Final Day is No Shrimp Thursday

Our final full day on the island called for breakfast and a stop at our favorite bakery for second breakfast and breakfast dessert. We took a morning stroll back over the bridge to Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina for first breakfast and coffee at the Daily Cafe. This friendly little place has a few tables inside and out, so we sat outside with our $18 worth of coffees and a shared Sun Up breakfast sandwich for which I sadly forgot to ask them to skip the arugula. Arugula is to Rona what raspberries are to me: the devil’s berry. I guess it’s Satan’s lettuce.

This was a fairly small breakfast, so we walked over to Hilton Head Social Bakery and picked up their most excellent ham and cheese croissant and delectable chocolate croissant.  We unabashedly gobbled them down at one of their outdoor tables, finishing up the coffees from the Daily Cafe. This bakery is our top recommendation on the island. Go here. Eat. Be happy.

The afternoon was spent digesting that big breakfast and lounging in the pool at Beach House, followed by one last walk around the shops at Shelter Cove Town Centre.  We always seem to gravitate into the ArtWare store, which has locally themed gifts, souvenirs, art, and an overall laid back vibe. It’s around the corner from Kilwin’s, where you can, or may have already devoured some ice cream or chocolates. On this trip, it was just chocolate… good chocolate.

We try to have at least one non-seafood dinner on the island, quite often barbecue for which there are many good options. Tonight, however, we went with Frankie Bones in Hilton Head, a highly popular restaurant that was new to us.  This is a stylish, retro-inspired American restaurant with a 1960s Rat Pack supper-club vibe, offering steaks, seafood, pasta, and martinis in a sleek yet comfortable setting.

We skipped the martinis but I had my new favorite old fashioned on the island. The sausage stuffed mushrooms appetizer was cheesy and delicious.

Rona had the broccoli rabe & sausage pasta while I ordered the Paisano: sautéed breaded chicken cutlets, provolone, with a broccoli and lemon garlic mushroom sauce. The dishes were large, hearty, and tasty. With drinks and gratuity, this cost $109.

Food Favs

As one does, we’ve chosen our favorite food experiences across every meal we’ve had – both take-out and eat-in. These are our opinions based on our experiences at each place we visited this trip. Your mileage is guaranteed to vary.

Favorite Appetizer

• Rona: Fishcamp at Broad Creek – Grilled Oysters off the bar menu
• Jay: Frankie Bones – Sausage-stuffed mushrooms

Favorite Entree

• Rona: Sandbar Beach Eats – Bacon-wrapped Scallops
• Jay: Sandbar Beach Eats – Son of a Bun Burger

Favorite Cocktail

• Rona: Crazy Crab Jarvis Creek – Coastal Bloody Mary
• Jay: Frankie Bones – Old Fashioned

Favorite Ambiance (we agreed)

• Winner: Skull Creek Boathouse outside with Live Music
• Close second: Fishcamp at Broad Creek outside with live music (the outdoor fans are appreciated, but noisy)

New-to-us, but we’ll definitely return

• Sandbar Beach Eats
• Frankie Bones

That’s it for this trip report, and hope it was helpful. We really do love Hilton Head Island!

Keep an eye out for what we’re writing about next!