HHI vs. Seabrook/Kiawah

[Anonymous]

What's the best place to stay at HHI? Looking to book something later this month but never been before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HHI is more commercialized than Kiawah/Seabrook but not like MD, DE, NJ, VA beaches. More options for food, grocery, shopping, etc. Water on Hilton Head tends to be a lot shallower and calmer than Kiawah. You are only a short drive from Savannah so you can still get a bit history if you want.

I wouldn’t do it this year but you can also fly, which you can’t do to Kiawah.

you can fly to Charleston, which is 30-40 minutes from Kiawah. The resort probably operates a shuttle to the airport -- they did years ago at least.

I like Kiawah better -- it's a lot less commercial than HHI.

[Anonymous]

We go to HHI every year. Love it. It’s the perfect easy relaxing beach vacation. Has everything you need for nature, water activities, fabulous restaurants, friendly locals, and plenty of lodging options for every budget.

PP who asked, there are no bad areas to stay on the island. Pick a place in your budget and near the amenities you enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the best place to stay at HHI? Looking to book something later this month but never been before.

We were just in HHI and found a house that I liked on the beach. My kids didn’t even want to go to the beach since it was cold. I spent $1000 per night for a heated beach and hot tub right on the beach and we spent less than 10 minutes at the actual beach. We did swim almost everyday.

I personally liked sea pines and coligny beach area. I thought the brand new playground at coligny beach was the nicest playground I have ever been to in the 11 years I have been a parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI is more commercialized than Kiawah/Seabrook but not like MD, DE, NJ, VA beaches. More options for food, grocery, shopping, etc. Water on Hilton Head tends to be a lot shallower and calmer than Kiawah. You are only a short drive from Savannah so you can still get a bit history if you want.

I wouldn’t do it this year but you can also fly, which you can’t do to Kiawah.

you can fly to Charleston, which is 30-40 minutes from Kiawah. The resort probably operates a shuttle to the airport -- they did years ago at least.

I like Kiawah better -- it's a lot less commercial than HHI.

We always fly to Charleston and then rent a car which we use for the whole time we are on Kiawah (we rent a private house rather than stay at the Sanctuary).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI is more commercialized than Kiawah/Seabrook but not like MD, DE, NJ, VA beaches. More options for food, grocery, shopping, etc. Water on Hilton Head tends to be a lot shallower and calmer than Kiawah. You are only a short drive from Savannah so you can still get a bit history if you want.

I wouldn’t do it this year but you can also fly, which you can’t do to Kiawah.

you can fly to Charleston, which is 30-40 minutes from Kiawah. The resort probably operates a shuttle to the airport -- they did years ago at least.

I like Kiawah better -- it's a lot less commercial than HHI.

PP here, I do the trip frequently it is 45 min to Kiawah without traffic. Realistically it is like an hour plus time to get through security on Kiawah.

Hilton Head you land on the island, 10-15 min tops to anywhere on island. You can Uber 90% of places for about $12

[Anonymous]

We vacation in Kiawah 2x a year. We rent a condo as we have no children. I LOVE kiawah. I love it’s not as commercial and the beach is never really crowded.

I despise HHI... it’s just too many people for me.

[Anonymous]

How do the actual beaches themselves compare bw Kiawah and HHI? I love HHI’s wide beaches and gentle fun wave action, clear warm water. Is Kiawahs beach like that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do the actual beaches themselves compare bw Kiawah and HHI? I love HHI’s wide beaches and gentle fun wave action, clear warm water. Is Kiawahs beach like that?

Yes, very similar due to the long offshore smooth decline. Because of this there usually isn’t an issue with dangerous currents either. The range of distance between high tide and low tide is large....be careful leaving your things to go on a beach walk or you might be surprised!

[Anonymous]

I thought the kiawah beaches were terrible. I really can’t understand why people think kiawah is so great. Lagoons made the entire island so buggy that it was almost unbearable.

Personally thought HHI beaches were nicer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We vacation in Kiawah 2x a year. We rent a condo as we have no children. I LOVE kiawah. I love it’s not as commercial and the beach is never really crowded.

I despise HHI... it’s just too many people for me.

Depends on where you stay. Get a house don’t interact with people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We vacation in Kiawah 2x a year. We rent a condo as we have no children. I LOVE kiawah. I love it’s not as commercial and the beach is never really crowded.

I despise HHI... it’s just too many people for me.

We went to Hilton head for the first time last week and it was not crowded at all. It was lovely. I don’t know how it is during the summer or breaks but we had a wonderful trip last week.

[Anonymous]

We go to HHI regularly and plan to go in a few weeks. It is definitely crowded over the summer and typical travel times but if you go outside of those times, it is great. So many golf courses, mini golf for the kids, ice cream shops, miles of bike paths, lots of restaurants, children’s museum, coastal discovery museum, different plantations to visit, day trip to Savannah. We have children so we really like that there are more things to do in HHI. We found Kiawah a little limited for a week long vacation with kids. Although, my husband and I have been to Kiawah several times for a long weekend and loved it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We go to HHI regularly and plan to go in a few weeks. It is definitely crowded over the summer and typical travel times but if you go outside of those times, it is great. So many golf courses, mini golf for the kids, ice cream shops, miles of bike paths, lots of restaurants, children’s museum, coastal discovery museum, different plantations to visit, day trip to Savannah. We have children so we really like that there are more things to do in HHI. We found Kiawah a little limited for a week long vacation with kids. Although, my husband and I have been to Kiawah several times for a long weekend and loved it.

But most people don’t want to do these things during Covid anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We go to HHI regularly and plan to go in a few weeks. It is definitely crowded over the summer and typical travel times but if you go outside of those times, it is great. So many golf courses, mini golf for the kids, ice cream shops, miles of bike paths, lots of restaurants, children’s museum, coastal discovery museum, different plantations to visit, day trip to Savannah. We have children so we really like that there are more things to do in HHI. We found Kiawah a little limited for a week long vacation with kids. Although, my husband and I have been to Kiawah several times for a long weekend and loved it.

But most people don’t want to do these things during Covid anyway.

Speak for yourself. We went to the children’s museum in Savannah and it was an outdoor play area. We did get take out and delivery so lots of restaurant options is welcome. The playgrounds in Hilton head were fantastic. So many places to go for stroller walks.