Hilton Head in February, very nice

We have been coming to HHI since 84 and typically spend a week in a timeshare at Spring Break. This is the first year we have been empty nesters and we decided to spend the month of February in a 2 bedroom villa that would accept our 2 dogs.
The month has been great, weather is typically in the 60's with few days in the low 70's; warmer away from the beach. My wife and i both have nice tans and we have spent approx 6 day sitting on the beach for up to 3 hours daily. We play tennis everyday,walk on the beach, ride bikes ( we got 2 bikes for $70 for the month) and stay in touch with our friends and children via our laptop. Two goups of friends each spent a week with us, no problem inviting friens to HHI.
It has been such a good experience that we are thinking of booking again for next year.
This sure beats the weather on eastern shore of Maryland

Where did you stay? We just returned from Southwind II at Shipyard.

We have a dog and have given thought to spending a winter month or two in Hilton Head as well. How did you go about finding/selecting a place and where did you end up?

Yes, where did you stay with your dogs?? We are going to Hilton Head this summer with our dog. Instead of staying in our timeshare (Swallowtail), rented a villa that accepts pets.

Deb

How were you able to stay for a whole month? Are you at a timeshare, week by week?

I, too, am very interested to know where you stayed with your dogs. I love Hilton Head Island, but I'd like to find a nice place that allows pets. I have two dogs that would really enjoy a vacation there.

Thanks,

Steve

That's the nice thing about our weather. We have seasons but when it gets cold, it will bounce back up quickly. We have certainly been spoiled the last few days. Now we are going back down to 30 tonight. High today is to be in 40's. I may freeze! It will be back to 70 this weekend. We get our weight lifting in by bringing plants in and out. My geraniums in hanging baskets bloom all winter because we bring them in when it gets below 40. Glad you have had a good month. The low country is awesome.

Response to all

We are staying at Ocean Gate Villas; just outside the south sea pines gate. There are many rental companies on the island and you can check with them for units that accept pets or you can go to the website, "Vacation Rentals by Owners" and find several places that accept pets; we will probably use this for next year.
Again, we are not in a timeshare this month but in a rented villa.

Cheers to all

Bill K

where did you get the bikes at for $70 for the month? We are only going for a few days (unless someone decides to trade us for it).

Bike Rental

We rented from Island bikes. We ordered 2 more bikes for 2 weeks and it was $60 for 2 weeks for 2 bikes. IN February, you can negotiate, especially if it for a month.

Monthly villa rentals

We purchased a 2BR villa in Shipyard (Harbourmaster) last year and have rented it out, both weekly and monthly. We have received a LOT of requests for monthly rentals during the winter, which frankly surprised us. In fact, it is rented solidly now through the middle of April. Most of the those renters stay at least 2-3 weeks. We don't allow pets; however, if you look on VRBO.com, you can look at the rentals that are "pet-friendly", have wireless internet, etc. We are (as are other owners) able to offer good discounts since we don't have to pay for weekly cleanings. Many of the people we met down there last weekend are retired and are from Ontario, upstate NY, etc. February - April seems to be full of folks from the far north who are (understandably) tired of winter by that time and want nicer weather. Enjoy the hunt!
Paul

For those of you looking for pet-friendly accommodations, we will be staying at Lighthouse Villas. We chose these because they are in Sea Pines, close to the beach, affordable and, of course, accept pets.

http://www.seapinesvilla.com/villalocation.php?location=Lighthouse Villas

Deb

Thanks for the link, Deb. Those pet-friendly condos look great...and I like the fact that they are in Sea Pines. You'll have to post and let us know how you enjoy your stay. I'm sure it will be fun.

Steve

In addition to www.vrbo.com, there are many private rentals on : www.homeaway.com

There are also commercial rental companies on the island, but stay away from them - they rip off the owner (I know, been there, done that).

And yes, the winter months on the island are awesome, although weather can be variable. We have successfully rented out our Shipyard villa for the winter for the last six years. Next
year, however, we will be retired and will be using it ourselves for the whole winter. Can't wait!!!!!

Joanne