belynch

HGI is actually in Bluffton, right off the island (unless there's a new one right on the island that I'm forgetting about). The HI is near the airport. There is loads of public beach access (especially during the off-season) but it would involve a short drive from either property.

Since the HI is on the island, it's closer to the restaurants, and there is some stuff that's walkable.

I wouldn't recommend the HI to anyone. Loads of USEx crews complain about it (it's the overnight hotel).

The HGI is fine, but you're not on HHI.

Unless you're super honest and volunteer to pay the parking fee at the front-desk, no.

Alexanders is within a short walk from the Hilton, and is just about the only thing that's within walking distance that's not in the Hilton (or Marriott).

Yes. There's over 200 restaurants in the greater Hilton Head / Bluffton area. You're going to need to be more specific. Feel free to PM me if you want restaurant recommendations.

ETA: also, if you're not married to Hiltons, I can recommend some other accommodations for you. You can get stellar deals during the off-season.

TTT

I have stayed at the HI a few times and while the staff is nice the property could really use a face lift. The rooms are very musty and dark.

needtoescape

Thanks, everyone, for the advice. It sounds like the Hilton Oceanfront is the best option for me.

One more question if anyone can comment: Is the beach by the Hilton the nicest beach on HHI, or what other beach areas would you recommend I visit?

I love the beach too, and really, the purpose of this overnight stay on HHI is to decide if I would return to HHI in the future for a beach trip.

I think we are talking about the same HGI. I understood it was at the bridge to HHI. I will have a car, so I don't need to be able to walk to restaurants but just don't want to be somewhere that requires a 20 minute drive. I will do some more research about restaurants and may PM you later - thanks! I need a couple of more Hilton nights to earn another Q3FN, so I need to stay at a Hilton property for this trip.

I have read reviews that the HI described as "below average" and was leaning against it, but I appreciate you and Belynch confirming this.

belynch

The beaches, up and down the entire Atlantic Ocean facing side of the island are consistent. Hard sand, wide beach, with a minimal wave break. There is no "boardwalk" or "dowtown" area of HHI so it's all pretty much the same.

InkUnderNails

Mrs. INK and I both noted on the way out that the Hampton and particularly the Garden Inn are way out. If you want the beach and these are your three choices, take the Hilton.

The beach here is very wide, especially at low tide. Firm sand in tidal areas makes walking and jogging easy. It is kept very clean and crowds are very low. We were just there two weeks ago.

I still would recommend the Backyard Restaurant. I had the Southern Belle Salad with chilled local shrimp and a cup of local crab soup. Great! The light fare is good. The Chicken and Gravy my wife had was not deep fried. It was lightly pan fried with a very light crust. It is about a 7 minute drive from the hotel at 32 Palmetto Bay Road.

Hot Momma's has great barbecue, but in no way would it be light cuisine. On the road to Harbor Town to the left just as you exit the circle.

On 278 left out of the Palmetto Dunes entrance fairly close to the Sea Pine Circle is a Panera Bread, one of my consistent light food favorites but a national chain.

Or, also on 278 after a turn to the left is a Fresh Market with lots and lots of fresh take home that you can run back to the hotel with and enjoy on your balcony.

Have fun!

needtoescape

Thanks for all the advice. Staying at the Hilton Oceanfront last weekend was the right decision. The weather was pretty nice, so I was able to maximize my beach time by staying there rather than at one of the off-beach Hilton properties.

I only stayed one night but agree with several of the recent reviews that this property is fine, but not by any means a high end Hilton. Since I was paying an off-season rate of just over $100/night + tax/parking, I thought it was a good value. At 50K HHonors points or a significantly higher paid rate, I would probably look elsewhere. Room size was good with a kitchenette and dining table. The room seemed fairly clean and everything worked well but could use some updates (bathroom tiles, tub, TVs, old chairs). The bathroom vanity and the kitchenette areas did have granite counters. I got what I understand are the Diamond amenities without asking (breakfast coupons provided at check-in, two small bottles of water in my room, turndown service offered). The staff were fine, but I agree with other posters that this is not the place to go if you want hotel staff to make a big deal out of your HH status or offer a lot of assistance. One thing that was weird about this hotel was the corridors. They were open air and extremely cold (temperature) with unatttractive (IMO) stucco. After walking through these corridors, I was a little scared about what the room would be like, but as noted above, it was fine.

I found the continental breakfast buffet, covered by the coupons provided to Diamond members, to be more than adequate. I don't expect that a "continental breakfast" will be more than bread/pastry, juice, coffee (and honestly that is fine for my needs), but this one had all of the above, fresh fruit, platters of cheese and meats and other items, cold and hot cereals, and probably more things. I'm not sure if there was a larger selection of items since it was a Sunday (the restaurant has longer breakfast/brunch hours).

I did not have much time to enjoy the hotel amenities, but I did briefly check out the fitness room (OK but lacking real weight machines), saw hot tubs and pools, and sat on one of the comfortable lounge chairs on one of the decks overlooking the beach and surrounding the pools.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

une

has anyone stayed at this property lately? It is hard to search the forums because the location name includes Hilton.

MS02113

This thread offers some more recent impressions.

une

Here is a discount code for this property: 0857741

dwcatty

This results in a nice rate, but be advised; it is a non-refundable advance purchase rate.

dwcatty

Spent two nights at HHI this past holiday weekend, and really liked the property and the island. It was our first visit, having been to Myrtle Beach for a weekend in the spring. The two are equidistant for us, and I asked Mrs. dwcatty on our departure which she would want to revisit. She gave me one of those "duh" looks.

I must admit to having some trepidation before our arrival based on previous posts, but we had a terrific visit. We were greeted warmly at check in and my Diamond status was recognized. I had booked a garden view (cheapest) room and we were upgraded to oceanview. The room was huge, and ours had a good sized flat screen tv and a nice view through the palm trees to the ocean.

We received two continental breakfast coupons for each day, and spent the $6 to upgrade to the full breakfast one day and not the other. The danish was fresh and tasty, not Sam's Club-like (dry, tasteless and stale) that I get at many HIs when I travel. I was able to assemble a bagel with cream cheese and lox which was a great way to start the day. Parking is $9 now, oh well. There were two bottles of water in the room when we arrived, and two new bottles after the maid visited the next day.

We enjoyed strolling through the park like grounds between the two buildings on the raised boardwalk, reading the signs identifying the various plants and the two funky pelican sculptures. At night they lit a gas fire in a fire pit surrounded by rocking chairs, and there was a James Taylor-like singer in the courtyard on Friday night. We stopped at the Buoy Bar after a walk on the beach and the regional craft draft beer was reasonably priced. Did not price the rental chairs for the beach or bicycles.

All in all we had a very nice stay. This was a 5 hour door to door drive for us and we talked about going back again this winter. We could easily stay at either the HI or the HGI going in Friday night and move to the beach for 1 night on Saturday, maximizing our stays. However, I think their winter rates are so ridiculously low that hopping may not make sense.

Thank you to InkUnderNails for the suggestion of the Backyard. Delicious dinner and lots of locals. It was a trick to find, but well worth the effort.

InkUnderNails

I went to check availability and this is no longer a Hilton. It is an Omni Resort.

Darn.

MS02113

It seems that an Omni sister company had already managed the property for a number of years, so I suppose they wanted to bring marketing completely in-house as well? Hilton HHonors program materials featured photos of the resort fairly extensively over the past year or two, so I doubt that Hilton dropped the property, even if it had begun to show its age.

SerocoOl

agrrr..... i want to book a week in august for holidays.... what should i do now? Want beach holliday with family and kids....

mphall

We haven't had a vacation in several years. When did this Hilton become an Omni hotel?