sea pines or north/south forest beach area?

We%26#39;re planning to stop in Hilton Head on our way home from Florida in mid-March. I%26#39;m overwhelmed by the choices of accomodation - we will be travelling with 4 children under the age of 8. I%26#39;d like a 2 or 3 bedroom condo or villa in a resort area that is on the beach and near shopping/restaurant amenities. I%26#39;ve been looking on vrbo.com at sea pines and also at properties in the forest beach area. Which is better? And could you recomment specific areas within these locations...thanks! Or should we consider the Marriott Grande Ocean or Barony Beach properties instead?

sea pines or north/south forest beach area?

Suedil-

I believe you will be vey happy in the N/S Forest Beach area. I would recommend the following

SeaCrest Resort

Ocean One

Shorewood

They would all be ocean front and very centrally located to shops and restaurants. It is a very popular area. There aren%26#39;t many places inside seapines that are ocean front. How long will you be in HH? If only or few days , you might be limited. Some rentals at that time of the year are for a 1 week minimum. You would have to contact the owners directly. I would be happy to help answer any questions.

sea pines or north/south forest beach area?

suedil: Your post doesn%26#39;t say how long you plan to to ';stop in'; Hilton Head. That is what we need to know.

We are planning on going back to HHI for March Break which is later this year starting March 13th. We are waiting to see if we can get the same deal that we did this past March Break. We stayed at the Spinnaker Resort - Egret Point, in Shipyard Plantation for $95 per night, 3 night minimun. We had a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom villa which was gorgeous. Not on the ocean, but for that price, it didn%26#39;t make a difference to us. That price included FREE golf for up to 4 players daily, FREE bikes and a $50 dining certificate. A 2 bedroom could be had for $85. The 3 bedroom sleeps 8, the two bedroom sleeps 6. WE sure hope they offer that same deal because we split a 3 bedroom with another family.

I would highly recommend the Forest Beach area of the island, especially with children. Coligny Plaza is within walking/biking distance of tons of places to stay and it has ice cream shops, restaurants etc. The Marriott Grande Ocean is in South Forest Beach. It is a timeshare, so full kitchens. Egret Point had full kitchen, washer/dryer, etc.

VRBO is a good site. Look for ';newly renovated'; whatever and email the owner for references and/or more pics of the place. Your kids would love the dolphin excursions. I always recommend the Commander Zodiac. Yes, it is a zodiac and the guide takes you to where the dolphins are, many times within feet of the boat. Very exciting. Your kids will squeal with delight.

If you have any more Qs, just ask.

Fellow Ontarian! There are a few of us on this forum.

D in Muskoka.

Thanks for the info so far - I%26#39;ve contacted a few places through VRBO - we%26#39;re planning to be in HHI from Mar14-18 - hopefully we%26#39;ll get lucky with the weather - can%26#39;t wait to try the Dolphin excursion - sounds like great fun for us and the kids! I%26#39;m just thrilled to be visiting somewhere other than Orlando (getting a bit tired of Disney!) - and to be taking any route other than I-75 home!

If you are only going to be there for a few days and want to be close to restaurants etc I would also recommend Forest Beach area. It is so centrally located and so easy to get everything. You can%26#39;t go wrong with staying at North/South Forest Beach area.

We stayed at the Marriott Grande Ocean this past year and really loved the facility as well as the beachfront there. Sea Pines is so close and we biked into the plantation several different times.

We typically stay at the ';heel'; of the island at the Marriott Barony. It is quieter at that end of the island I find. Both the Grande Ocean and the Barony are fantastic properties...it is really just what type of location you are looking for.

The Shipyard Plantation deal that ';D in Muskoka'; had last year sounds great as well...now if I can just figure out how to convince my husband that we need to go to Hilton Head in March AND April!

Hope that helps a bit...from a fellow Ontarian! (And hello to D from a fellow Muskoka resident!)

Can amgirl:

A big hello to you to! What%26#39;s with this snow already in Muskoka? Makes me dream even more of our favourite place - Hilton Head.

We are planning on coming back this March Break as well. Am keeping an eye on my inbox for the same special we got last year through Spinakker Resorts.

If Spinakker is out there - we%26#39;ve been spreading the word like crazy, so please offer the deal again!

I can%26#39;t tell you how many people we have told about Hilton Head. It started out with just the 3 of us in my family going and last March we had a group of 14 and this year the number is growing to 16 to 20 of us. All families who love to spend time with our teenagers and build fond memories. In my view, there%26#39;s no better place to do that than HHI.

D in Muskoka.

Hi D...

I agree what is up with this snow in October?! My husband is a huge snowmobile fan so he was all happy. I however was not. I would prefer summer weather all year round!

Glad to see that you are heading back down to HHI in March. We are going back down in April. I can%26#39;t wait.

I know what you mean about telling everyone about the island. We have four different couples that we have introduced the island since we started going about three years ago. We actually are hoping to one day ';Snowbird'; in the Low Country. I love living in Muskoka but HHI has my heart.