Summer 2003-Hilton Head Island

The accommodations were not what we expected. The villa was dirty upon arrival to include dishes, kitchen floor (sticky), kitchen cabinets (inside-dried food, etc), carpets were stained and needed to be vacuumed, furniture was stained, eight lamps needed new lightbulbs, no lights/electric in the master bath, a living room lamp was broken, appliances were dated, there was not enough cookware, cobwebs in all of the rooms, front porch/patio were covered with spider webs/spiders/bugs (we had to dodge to get in the villa), the pool was dirty (the nets used to "clean" the pool were hanging on a fence and filled with leaves - we took a 30 minute walk to the next resort's pool), no routine maintenance was (obviously) performed, which is sad - the place was probably beautiful when it was new. Maintenance personnel did fix the lights, etc (my question being how did it get like that to begin with and why did no one report it) and the contracted housekeepers were called in, however they were oppositional and complained the whole time they attempted fixed the cleaning problems (I ended up asking them to leave and did it myself). We had our 10-month-old grandson with us and found out that we would have to rent a crib and a high chair ($20 each) from a rental agency.

We were informed by an "Islander" that Island Links owned by Epic had gone bankrupt and was now up for auction, therefore any and all maintenance issues were tossed by the wayside. Staff reported that they were always unsure if paychecks would be received.

We did make the best of what we had and we did have a wonderful time on the island. Front desk clerk Donyale Bolden was very accommodating and helped us store our luggage after having car trouble and extending our stay on the Island via a motel. An RCI Guide (I apologize for not getting his name) was also very helpful in resolving our dilemma with the resort and helping us locate a motel on the island (for our extended stay!).

The Old Oyster Factory is waterfront dining overlooking Broad Creek (contiunuing the Hilton Head Oyster reputation). Dinner is served from 5pm nightly--my suggestion is to arrive at 5pm or shortly thereafter as the line gets long quickly after opening. The food is great as is the service and ambience.

Murder at the Mansion is an audience participation murder mystery dinner theater. Audience members (diners) are picked to participate in the play; it is a lot of fun for all family members (not at all scary -- very funny). The food is "Deep South cooking" and served buffet-style -- very good.

The Spirit of Harbour Town is an historic cruise to Savannah, GA. The entire trip is is scheduled from 9:30am-4:30pm, including four hours to tour downtown Savannah once you dock along River St. The ride is wonderful and relaxing; air conditioned enclosed lower deck with a covered open-air upper deck. The staff are pleasant and the ride was extremely enjoyable.

Once in Savannah, you can either walk the historic streets of downtown or embark on a historic trolley ride (tickets sold aboard boat). Four hours is not enough time to see all of the history involved with Savannah, along with touring the many restored Antebellum homes, squares, fountains, and churches made famous in many popular movies (Forrest Gump's "bench"). Shopping is quaint along River St.

After our return to Hilton Head and docking again in Harbour Town, it was fun to visit the shops located within the Sea Pines Platation (Harbour Town, South Beach Marina). Also, be sure to climb to the top of the 90 ft. lighthouse located in the Harbour Town Marina; the view is breathtaking, especially at sunset, and the gift shop at the top is nice. Still within the Sea Pines Planation is the South Beach Marina (a map is provided after you pay admission to the plantation at the main gate), where shopping at the Salty Dog T-Shirt Factory is an experience!

The cruise takes you down beautiful Broad Creek. Captain Sonny is very knowledgeable about the history of the area and the surrounding nature. The Island Queen is a 45 foot covered boat that can hold 40 passengers. The SS Pelican (used mainly for the 7pm cruise) is a 21 passenger boat that is also covered. On Wednesday and Friday at 3pm a docent led dolphin/history cruise is offered with the Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head.