# At Ocean Watch ... comparison to HHI (Barony & Grande Ocean)



## live4life (Aug 9, 2014)

At Ocean Watch (Myrtle Beach) now. In a nice high room OF. It is my first time here and to Myrtle Beach. A few comparisons:

Ocean Watch resort: beautiful! Compared to the Hilton Head properties, this feels larger with regard to the height of the buildings. The OF room (I'm in the main building) that we're in feels smaller to the Barony and Grand Ocean units. The room furnishings are nice. The Jacuzzi tub ... well it isn't. At OW, it's just a big tub. The pools feel heated- so kudos to OW [my idea of roughing it is a black and white TV and non-heated pools]. Barony's pools and some of GO's pools are also heated. Certainly, the OF view is awesome- quite frankly, what percentage of my vacation do I spend looking out the window? Max 5 minutes a day when drinking my AM coffee... it's like the OW watch lobby: nice, small, but how long am I going to spend there? So OF or OS, or OV or garden view is all relative. The rest of the time, I just walk the beach; so OF is a perk- but not necessary. (Weird thing: my room did not have the usual "tide" detergent courtesy boxes. My son called the front desk and they apologized {honest mistake- they came up within 5 minutes!}. The fitness center is good- up to date machines, steam room, saner, and indoor pool. Excellent amenities.

The Myrtle Beach strip (approximately 3 miles away) can be overwhelming to someone who prefers a calmer atmosphere- it's not the Vegas strip, but it's much more active than HHI's scene. Yes, there is plenty to choose from in terms of restaurants and activities, but it's busy; especially at night. I'll be venturing out to the "Boardwalk scene" this afternoon before we leave; so let's see. Obviously, my 3 teenage children love the "gynormous" and "busy" scene of the building resort and the Myrtle Beach strip. Having been to HHI a few times, and coming here for the first time is certainly a 'wow' factor for them. My youngest child's wisdom overshadows any of our intelligence: "I'm happy to be with my family anywhere there's a Marriott." Hey Marriott, don't trademark my daughter's line on your elevator posters :rofl: (I have taken a page out of her outlook in life- so I really should stop comparing and just let go and enjoy; but I can't as I feel the need to weigh places against what I have purchased and what I could possibly still obtain; however, OW will not be a place to own- just a very nice place to stay once in a while.)

For me, I still enjoy HHI. We're leaving to GO today so it'll be nice to return and enjoy what I know.

In the end, to each his/her own.


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## Fasttr (Aug 9, 2014)

live4life said:


> The Myrtle Beach strip (approximately 3 miles away) can be overwhelming to someone who prefers a calmer atmosphere- it's not the Vegas strip, but it's much *more* calm than HHI's scene.



Thanks for the comparison, but in the sentence above...did you mean *less* calm?


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## GreenTea (Aug 9, 2014)

The MB boardwalk is more calm than HHI????


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## live4life (Aug 9, 2014)

Fasttr said:


> Thanks for the comparison, but in the sentence above...did you mean *less* calm?



Thanks Fasstr... you're correct- it's much crazier... I'll edit it..


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## KathyPet (Aug 9, 2014)

DH and I are headed to OW with DD, SIL and DGS on 8/31.  This is our second stay there.  last time we were there Pine and Maple and the "woodsy" area were under construction.  We used DC points for  "ocean view" which I have been told puts us on a high floor in one of those buildings.  Our prior stay was on the top floor of Conch which was a bad mistake.  There is no cover of any sort on the balcony on the top floor and the hot sun made sitting out there impossible for most of the time.  we chose OW rather than HH because GS is only a year and OW is quite a bit shorter in driving time than HH. 
I am not a great fan of OW.  those units are small.  I understand they are the smallest sq footage of any MVCI.  Balconies are tiny.  Windows in MBR do not open.  The entire footprint of the property is small for the number of units especially around the ocean front pools so you are sitting elbow to elbow with other guests in the loungers.  Too many people not enough space.  This results in a feeling of being very crowded.  No extensive walking areas like the HH resorts have.  Not a place to to relax.
I am hoping that the woodsy area which was not finished the last time we were there will provide us with some respite from the two pools that are ocean front.


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## IuLiKa (Aug 9, 2014)

Thank you for the information. I was in Myrtle beach for thanksgiving couple of years back, and I really like it. I am planning to go to HH mid june next year and i was looking for a comparison of the properties there. I have a 2 yr old toddler and my friends have two kids 8 and 5. Which one is a better property in HH for us?


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## Fasttr (Aug 9, 2014)

IuLiKa said:


> I am planning to go to HH mid june next year and i was looking for a comparison of the properties there. I have a 2 yr old toddler and my friends have two kids 8 and 5. Which one is a better property in HH for us?



Check out this thread.... http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195232


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## pedro47 (Aug 9, 2014)

KathyPet said:


> DH and I are headed to OW with DD, SIL and DGS on 8/31.  This is our second stay there.  last time we were there Pine and Maple and the "woodsy" area were under construction.  We used DC points for  "ocean view" which I have been told puts us on a high floor in one of those buildings.  Our prior stay was on the top floor of Conch which was a bad mistake.  There is no cover of any sort on the balcony on the top floor and the hot sun made sitting out there impossible for most of the time.  we chose OW rather than HH because GS is only a year and OW is quite a bit shorter in driving time than HH.
> I am not a great fan of OW.  those units are small.  I understand they are the smallest sq footage of any MVCI.  Balconies are tiny.  Windows in MBR do not open.  The entire footprint of the property is small for the number of units especially around the ocean front pools so you are sitting elbow to elbow with other guests in the loungers.  Too many people not enough space.  This results in a feeling of being very crowded.  No extensive walking areas like the HH resorts have.  Not a place to to relax.
> I am hoping that the woodsy area which was not finished the last time we were there will provide us with some respite from the two pools that are ocean front.



The Woodsy area is completed and much more peaceful than the ocean front villas in my opinion. We liked the Maple Building. On our last visit at MOW, we were on the 16th floor.. unit 5. Outstanding views of the hold complex.     

MB is very active all the times and that is why I prefer Hilton Head because it is laid back.


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## live4life (Aug 9, 2014)

IuLiKa:

I have only stayed at Barony and Grande Ocean at HHI. Here's my take, though others may feel differently.

Barony (Bar): smaller feel than Grande Ocean (GO) in terms of over-all resort. The rooms in Bar feel a little bigger than GO, but that is my perception. GO is definitely bigger than Ocean Watch in terms of rooms.

If both resorts are at full capacity, GO feels like there are "more" people because it's more popular than Barony and, again, it's a bigger resort than BAR.

Personally, my DW loves Barony over GO because of the less popular effect - therefore the less crowd feel. I agree with her, but you won't go wrong with either location.

When I first came to HH, my kids were 5, 10, 12, and 16. They loved Barony. When we went to GO, two years later, they loved it there as well. There's more action. 

I have not stayed overnight on any of the other Marriott's on HHI so I can't say anything about their resort stay. I have though seen their rooms and walked the property as a potential buyer at Sunset Pointe, Monarch, Surfwatch, and Harbor Pointe. Personally, I like the location of being right on the beach with BAR and GO and would prefer to drive/bike to Harbor Town than to be closer to harbor Town/Sea Pines area. Surfwacth and Monarch are also on the beach but I did not prefer them for the following reasons: Monarch was a little too dated at the time (I understand that they are now remodeling) but was just not my taste for my needs. Surfwatch was just too long of a walk to the beach than the units I own at BAR and GO (and I am referring specifically to the closest building to the water at Surfwatch). [Caution/suggestion: if you end up at Barony and are assigned the garden view- note that the  rooms are "bigger" than the OS and OF units of BAR but have a 5 to 10 minute walk to the beach... they also provide over-sized golf carts (accommodates about 8 to 10 people) regularly during the day.] 

Since you've been to OW, know that HHI is far more relaxed. I realize that some folks will not agree with my observations with the other properties mentioned above; however it's just my opinion. All the properties on HHI serve the needs of varied owners... if you have the time, see if you can visit some other properties down there and make your own conclusions if you decide to take a future trip. I'd be interested to read your take on what you experienced and what you have read.

If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask.


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## MOXJO7282 (Aug 9, 2014)

From our perspective HHI is a much nicer surrounding area with the Sea Pines and so forth but we thought the MOW resort and the beach itself which is more modern was as nice or nicer resort itself than any on HHI. The views, which are very important to us, are much better at the MOW.

Overall we're more the laid back type and love the forest nature element of HHI. Specifically the GO is our all-time favorite SC resort but the MOW is a resort we also really enjoy as well.


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## live4life (Aug 9, 2014)

IuLika:

I agree with Fasttr's link; especially, *see SueDonJ post*/review in the link- I think it's spot on and better than what I posted above:

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195232


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## jont (Aug 9, 2014)

All these HHI/MB comparison  debate threads remind me of the old Miller Lite commercials. 
Taste Great........Less Filling
Taste Great........Less Filling


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## BocaBoy (Aug 9, 2014)

KathyPet said:


> I am not a great fan of OW.  those units are small.  I understand they are the smallest sq footage of any MVCI.  *Balconies are tiny*.  Windows in MBR do not open.  The entire footprint of the property is small for the number of units......



Is this true about the balconies being small?  We were at OceanWatch only once a couple years ago with a beautiful oceanside view from Conch.  My recollection was that the balcony was very large.


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## IuLiKa (Aug 9, 2014)

Thank you for the feedback. It will make my decision easier.


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## dioxide45 (Aug 9, 2014)

BocaBoy said:


> Is this true about the balconies being small?  We were at OceanWatch only once a couple years ago with a beautiful oceanside view from Conch.  My recollection was that the balcony was very large.



We also thought they were rather large, especially compared to Grande Vista, Ocean Pointe and even Lakeshore Reserve. There are photos in the Marriott Resort Photos/Videos Thread. Here is one of a first floor patio.


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## jme (Aug 9, 2014)

two points, per OP's post: 

1. oceanfront balconies at OW are very large, larger than most other resort's.... but some at OW are smaller, i.e. the OS.

balcony size comparison in different villas, OF vs OS. 
 (takes a few seconds to load fully)
http://goo.gl/maps/hBzAM

2. Units/rooms at Grande Ocean are significantly larger than Barony (we own both; we're at Barony this week, and size difference is quite noticeable, but the overall feel is similar because of similar decor). The utility room at GO is also larger, bedrooms larger, bathrooms larger, dining room larger, living room larger, kitchen larger, balconies larger, closets larger, parking garages larger, pools larger, property space larger, secondary parking areas larger, clubhouse larger (if you exempt the spa portion at Barony), workout facility larger, beach wider. 
(I think that's about it...lol)

We like Barony or else we wouldn't have purchased, but it was built after GO, and each subsequent resort is ALWAYS smaller. Barony is super nice, though, and villas are as beautiful as those at HH's GO and Surfwatch......all three awesome resorts. Differences don't diminish the quality of the resort.




.


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## BocaBoy (Aug 9, 2014)

jme said:


> 1. oceanfront balconies at OW are very large, larger than most other resort's.... but some at OW are smaller, i.e. the OS.



The OceanWatch villa we had where we thought the balcony was rather large was an oceanside unit in Conch, not oceanfront.  Maybe some oceanside balconies at OW are smaller than other oceanside balconies?


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## Deej82 (Aug 9, 2014)

That is true... the higher floor OS balconies have varied size from the lower floors.. I think specifically the top 2-3 floors have smaller/different balcony sizes and coverings (none on the top floor).


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## dioxide45 (Aug 9, 2014)

Deej82 said:


> That is true... the higher floor OS balconies have varied size from the lower floors.. I think specifically the top 2-3 floors have smaller/different balcony sizes and coverings (none on the top floor).



Looking at this photo it does appear that the back two units on the top floor of the OS units do have smaller balconies. Not sure if every other floor has a different size patio or if it is just trimmings that make them look smaller from the outside?


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## Deej82 (Aug 9, 2014)

Thanks for the Kodak moment refresher... Yes we stayed on 9 a few years ago. The balcony was same size but no cover.  I liked it because there were really no neighbors... Only 1 OS unit on each side of the buildings on 9.  The front desk said lots of folks ask NOT to be on 9 since there's no cover.  To each their own.  The smaller ones were on 8 as you see in the picture.  7 had normal size but partial cover for the back 2.  Not sure why they designed it that way.  Sure it looks interesting but why have yet another reason for someone to desire/hate a specific unit (from a room control point of view).


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## jont (Aug 9, 2014)

the pine and maple buildings have smaller balconies on the end units of the buildings. the units in the middle of the buildings have balconies that are larger and similar to the others at the resort.


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## jme (Aug 9, 2014)

BocaBoy said:


> The OceanWatch villa we had where we thought the balcony was rather large was an oceanside unit in Conch, not oceanfront.  Maybe some oceanside balconies at OW are smaller than other oceanside balconies?



from my own post:
"oceanfront balconies at OW are very large, larger than most other resort's.... but some at OW are smaller, i.e. the OS."

I may have worded that wrong, Boca........I meant that at Oceanwatch, the OS balconies were smaller than the OF, speaking of OW balconies only. The OF balconies are definitely much larger than other resorts' balconies.

Compared to Grande Ocean's, for instance, the Oceanwatch OS balconies are about the same, I think, judging visually from pics and from memory, except at OW they stick out, whereas at GO they are all inset, with only a few sticking out a few extra feet (some at GO have larger balconies by a couple of feet, like about 3-4 balconies per building, one per floor, for no reason other than architectural variety and esthetics, imho). 

bottom line, OW OS balconies are a nice size, fairly standard across the MVCI board with some exceptions +/-, and the OF balconies are huge.

Two exceptions at least ---- we were at Grande Vista in April, and those are definitely all smaller by a few feet in both length and width. We're at Barony right now and these are smaller, even the OceanFront ones, which we are currently in.  Apparently it can vary.


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## BocaBoy (Aug 10, 2014)

jme said:


> from my own post:
> "oceanfront balconies at OW are very large, larger than most other resort's.... but some at OW are smaller, i.e. the OS."
> 
> I may have worded that wrong, Boca........I meant that at Oceanwatch, the OS balconies were smaller than the OF, speaking of OW balconies only. The OF balconies are definitely much larger than other resorts' balconies.
> ...



Oh, now I understand.  You were comparing OS to OF at OW, not OS to other resorts.  Thanks for the clarification.

There is at least one exception where the balconies (lanais in Hawaii terms) are probably even larger than the OF ones at OceanWatch.  This is Kauai Lagoons, where the lanais are almost the size of a bedroom at many resorts.

I don't think there is anything resembling a standard size balcony/lanai within the Marriott system.  In fact, the lanais are rather small in the new towers at MOC, which is probably the most demanded resort in the whole system.  This is why I prefer the villas (no the resort overall) at Ko Olina to those at MOC.


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## KathyPet (Aug 10, 2014)

Well we had a top floor in Conch and obviously we got a unit with that much smaller balcony as shown in the photo.


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## Bucky (Aug 10, 2014)

BocaBoy said:


> The OceanWatch villa we had where we thought the balcony was rather large was an oceanside unit in Conch, not oceanfront.  Maybe some oceanside balconies at OW are smaller than other oceanside balconies?



The balconies on the top floor of the Conch and Scallop bldgs are indeed smaller than the lower floor balconies. In addition, they are not covered. That's the main reason we did not request a top floor this year for our upcoming two weeks.


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## mbeach89 (Aug 10, 2014)

dioxide45 said:


> We also thought they were rather large, especially compared to Grande Vista, Ocean Pointe and even Lakeshore Reserve. There are photos in the Marriott Resort Photos/Videos Thread. Here is one of a first floor patio.



Wow, I believe we stayed in that EXACT villa a few years back.


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## pedro47 (Aug 10, 2014)

The end top units of the Maple building is not covered.


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## GreenTea (Aug 10, 2014)

I'm getting confused.   Is it the Myrtle Beach property that has uncovered balconies, or Grande Ocean?


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## SMB1 (Aug 10, 2014)

GreenTea said:


> I'm getting confused.   Is it the Myrtle Beach property that has uncovered balconies, or Grande Ocean?



Myrtle Beach


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## jme (Aug 10, 2014)

GreenTea said:


> I'm getting confused.   Is it the Myrtle Beach property that has uncovered balconies, or Grande Ocean?



Grande Ocean has a few balconies which are larger than others--- 
they are extended by about 3-4 feet.  There are one of these per floor, 
and those extra few feet are uncovered, but have an open trellis-type 
extension overhead instead of roof---again, for the extra few feet only. 
It's not a problem because about 60% of those balconies are still covered. 
All balconies at GO are inset to the buildings, not sticking out as at OW. 
See examples below.

*HERE IT IS at Grande Ocean:*






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## dioxide45 (Aug 10, 2014)

jme said:


> Grande Ocean has a few balconies which are larger than others---
> they are extended by about 3-4 feet.  *There are one of these per floor,
> and those extra few feet are uncovered,* but have an open trellis-type
> extension overhead instead of roof---again, for the extra few feet only.
> ...



Actually, it looks like there are four on the first floor, three on the second and one on the third? Only the upper ones are actually covered by the trellis overhead.


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## jme (Aug 10, 2014)

dioxide45 said:


> Actually, it looks like there are four on the first floor, three on the second and one on the third? Only the upper ones are actually covered by the trellis overhead.



You're right, Jeremy, I was counting trellises, stupid me, but it varies as shown in additional pics. Some floors have several extended balconies, each column of those topped by a trellis covering. It does give some measure of architectural interest.

Right now I'm suffering from driving home from Hilton Head earlier this afternoon after only 2 nights, and I have to wait until Wednesday night to return, so I'm doing this photo example under extreme duress, right?  Family is at HH for 9 nights, I'm not.  

PLUS, I'm watching the PGA Golf Tournament with one eye, so my focus is pretty slack right now. 
PLUS, I'm wanting to break into a bottle of GREAT, hard-to-find cabernet I found at a HH store (I bought every bottle he had, 15), but can't yet for this world-shattering and momentous BALCONY post, and that mix of distractions is obviously not helping my ability to count columns of villas.... forgive me. 

My theory on why the extended balconies exist?  to appease the disgruntled guests who didn't get a "high floor" or "better view" at GO. Note that there are none on 5th floors, and very few on 4th floors.... jmho





.


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## jont (Aug 10, 2014)

You may be right marty, but I suspect the balconies were extended mainly for architectural interest. They have these same balcony extensions at barony and maybe Surfwatch. I think it was probably the same architectural firm for all three resorts.


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## dioxide45 (Aug 10, 2014)

jont said:


> You may be right marty, but I suspect the balconies were extended mainly for architectural interest. They have these same balcony extensions at barony and maybe Surfwatch. I think it was probably the same architectural firm for all three resorts.



Or perhaps they were extended to prevent the buildings from tipping over? You know, wider at the bottom, narrower at the top. MGO is fairly old, perhaps they didn't have the know how back then to build straight up?


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## jme (Aug 10, 2014)

jont said:


> You may be right marty, but I suspect the balconies were extended mainly for architectural interest. They have these same balcony extensions at barony and maybe Surfwatch. I think it was probably the same architectural firm for all three resorts.



maybe both (I thought the last guess was funny, re "appeasing disgruntled 
guests over bad assignments), but if I had to put my life on the line, 
I'd say "architectural interest" as I mentioned first.  It does provide a 
pretty cool effect, and yes, that same plan runs thru GO & Barony, with  
Surfwatch a little different. 

I seem to recall SW's extended balconies to include all floors in a single column, 
which was covered by a roof. The alternating adjacent column of balconies 
were all inset, ground to top, I think(?). Yep, found a picture of one 
Surfwatch Oceanside bldg., and I believe others are similar. 
See photo below of SW.

Of course, we have to lend some credence to dioxide's theory too.....
it might help stabilize the old MGO buildings so they won't fall over. 
The Egyptians had a similar strategy, 
and it worked well....dioxide always makes a lot of sense.

*SURFWATCH's Tide Mark bldg:*





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.


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## dioxide45 (Aug 10, 2014)

jme said:


> maybe both (I thought the last guess was funny, re "appeasing disgruntled
> guests over bad assignments), but if I had to put my life on the line,
> I'd say "architectural interest" as I mentioned first.  It does provide a
> pretty cool effect, and yes, that same plan runs thru GO & Barony, with
> ...



Are those buildings at Surfwatch really larger? I think those columns contain the 3BR units. So while it may appear that they are larger from the outside, much of that extra space is from the interior of the unit. Though there appears to be some extended balconies on the bottom floor.


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## jme (Aug 11, 2014)

dioxide45 said:


> Are those buildings at Surfwatch really larger? I think those columns contain the 3BR units. So while it may appear that they are larger from the outside, much of that extra space is from the interior of the unit. Though there appears to be some extended balconies on the bottom floor.



yeah, I think those are the 3-BRs, hence the larger appearance of the space from the outside. I've stayed at SW about 5 times, and always in 3-BR villas, and we always had that extended balcony, so I think that may be right. Some 3-BRs are in the middle of buildings, and some are nearer the ends of the buildings.....their locations vary.


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## Bucky (Aug 11, 2014)

pedro47 said:


> The end top units of the Maple building is not covered.



The end top unit of the Pine bldg is also not covered.


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## BocaBoy (Aug 11, 2014)

Grand Chateau in Las Vegas has no balconies.  The salesman there a few years ago tried to tell me it was to prevent suicide jumps after losing money in the casinos!


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## SueDonJ (Aug 11, 2014)

dioxide45 said:


> Are those buildings at Surfwatch really larger? I think those columns contain the 3BR units. So while it may appear that they are larger from the outside, much of that extra space is from the interior of the unit. Though there appears to be some extended balconies on the bottom floor.





jme said:


> yeah, I think those are the 3-BRs, hence the larger appearance of the space from the outside. I've stayed at SW about 5 times, and always in 3-BR villas, and we always had that extended balcony, so I think that may be right. Some 3-BRs are in the middle of buildings, and some are nearer the ends of the buildings.....their locations vary.



Hmmmm.  I don't think they're 3BR units - all five buildings have 3BR units on both ends of each floor but only the gardenview buildings have 3BR units in the center of each floor.  Tide Mark, in the picture, is one of the oceanside buildings.  I'll be there next week and will look closer at why the column juts out.


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## jme (Aug 11, 2014)

SueDonJ said:


> Hmmmm.  I don't think they're 3BR units - all five buildings have 3BR units on both ends of each floor but only the gardenview buildings have 3BR units in the center of each floor.  Tide Mark, in the picture, is one of the oceanside buildings.  I'll be there next week and will look closer at why the column juts out.



Susan, I just looked at the aerial view of the buildings at Surfwatch, and it looks like the villas associated with the column of extended balconies in that OS building (Tide Mark) are essentially the same width (front to back) as the adjacent villas, meaning that the back side is indented...also meaning that they could very well be 2-BRs too. Not sure at all where the various 3-BRs are located. 

the configuration of the villas' parameters can be seen here. Note how they are varying widths front to back.
(Loads very slowly, please give it a few seconds)
http://goo.gl/maps/CJG1z

I'm totally clueless as to every building's configuration at SW, and hence where all 3BRs are located-----mostly because I don't pay much attention. We're there in the off-season only and we don't do a lot of walking around and looking, so you know far more than I.  I'd love to know though.


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## jont (Aug 11, 2014)

jme said:


> Susan, I just looked at the aerial view of the buildings at Surfwatch, and it looks like the villas associated with the column of extended balconies in that OS building (Tide Mark) are essentially the same width (front to back) as the adjacent villas, meaning that the back side is indented...also meaning that they could very well be 2-BRs too. Not sure at all where the various 3-BRs are located.
> 
> the configuration of the villas' parameters can be seen here. Note how they are varying widths front to back.
> (Loads very slowly, please give it a few seconds)
> ...



Marty
You sure do like Google maps!  
When we stayed at SW, we had a 3BR in one of the back buildings, It was located on the middle of the building right where it steps back


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## jme (Aug 11, 2014)

jont said:


> Marty
> You sure do like Google maps!
> When we stayed at SW, we had a 3BR in one of the back buildings, It was located on the middle of the building right where it steps back



yeah a picture's worth a thousand words....and those aerial views are useful for a lot of things. 

same for us, John, we've stayed in the garden buildings a few times too, and our 3-BR was also in the middle...... that must be the go-to spot for the dignitaries.


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## jont (Aug 11, 2014)

jme said:


> . that must be the go-to spot for the dignitaries.



then they don't know us very well, do they???? 

I must be sitting in the front row! Good seats,hey buddy!


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## Fasttr (Aug 11, 2014)

jont said:


> I must be sitting in the front row! Good seats,hey buddy!



Wow...somebody is living in the 80's !!

Wassssuuup? (trying to move you forward a couple of decades)


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## jont (Aug 11, 2014)

Fasttr said:


> Wow...somebody is living in the 80's !!
> 
> Wassssuuup? (trying to move you forward a couple of decades)


 :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:


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## dioxide45 (Aug 11, 2014)

jme said:


> yeah a picture's worth a thousand words....and those aerial views are useful for a lot of things.
> 
> same for us, John, we've stayed in the garden buildings a few times too, and our 3-BR was also in the middle...... that must be the go-to spot for the dignitaries.



We had an end unit 3BR unit when we stayed at Surfwatch a few years back. That must make us the riff raff???


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## rgrisard (Aug 13, 2014)

*Surfwatch 3BR*

We are @ Surfwatch right now staying in a 3br Ocean dunes, building closest to the beach. It is a corner unit with great view.   Unit is updated and in great condition.

I haven't stayed @ Barony or Grand Ocean on Hilton but here is my comparison of Hilton(Surfwatch) vs. Myrtle(Ocean Watch).


1.)  Drive-advantage Myrtle.  Live in No Va so 6 hrs vs 9.
2.) Beach-slight advantage to Hilton.  Love the hard sand and the fact you can easily ride bikes and push strollers on the beach.
3.) Activities on property-advantage Surfwatch.  Activities non-stop and all day long @ reasonable prices and sometimes free.
4.)  Pools.   No comparison.  Ocean Watch hands down.   Pools on Surfwatch as wife would say are barely average.    two points on this.  a.)  We have three kids under 6 and they love pool slides.   Not existant here.   b)  If you start out on the beach and come to the pool latter in the day, no chance of finding a pool chair.   Don't recall that being a problem @ Myrtle.
5.)  Playground.  No comparison.   Myrtle.  Ocean Watch has the best playground I have seen.
6.)  Activities offset.   Tie

Overall, I give slight nod to Ocean Watch/Myrtle because of the pools.   Kids love their pool slides and pools are barely average @ Surfwatch compared to what we have experienced at other Marriott timeshares.


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## live4life (Aug 14, 2014)

rgrisard said:


> We are @ Surfwatch right now staying in a 3br Ocean dunes, building closest to the beach. It is a corner unit with great view.   Unit is updated and in great condition.
> 
> I haven't stayed @ Barony or Grand Ocean on Hilton but here is my comparison of Hilton(Surfwatch) vs. Myrtle(Ocean Watch).
> 
> ...



If you ever stay at Barony or GO, I'd be interested to see your comparisons then. Good to hear that you are enjoying your vacation...


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## live4life (Aug 14, 2014)

My theory on why the extended balconies exist?  to appease the disgruntled guests who didn't get a "high floor" or "better view" at GO. Note that there are none on 5th floors, and very few on 4th floors.... jmho





.[/QUOTE]

I'm still at GO today and took a walk around the property. Interesting photos posted on this topic.... more than appeasing owners, it looks more to me that they did so as an aesthetic look. There appears to be some symmetry as to how they positioned those extended balconies. They don't exist in every room on the floors affected by trees.


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## Bucky (Aug 15, 2014)

live4life said:


> If you ever stay at Barony or GO, I'd be interested to see your comparisons then. Good to hear that you are enjoying your vacation...



I've stayed at both Barony and GO and own OceanWatch.

Barony in my opinion is nothing special. GO on the other hand is our all time favorite. BUT, that's where I take my wife when all we really want to do is relax and chill.

We own at OceanWatch because it is at least 2.5 hrs closer and it's a much more kid friendly place to vacation IMO. Very important when we have the GS with us. We like the beaches at OceanWatch much more than the hard packed ones at HH. HH beaches remind me of golf sand traps that have not been raked after a heavy rain and I really hate those! LOL.

I find the previous posters assessment of the differences pretty spot on.


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## Saintsfanfl (Aug 15, 2014)

Bucky said:


> ...than the hard packed ones at HH. HH beaches remind me of golf sand traps that have not been raked after a heavy rain and I really hate those! LOL.



But they are really fun to bike on


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## MULTIZ321 (Aug 15, 2014)

jme said:


> ....PLUS, I'm wanting to break into a bottle of GREAT, hard-to-find cabernet I found at a HH store (I bought every bottle he had, 15).... jmho



Hi Marty,

Since you enjoy a good cabernet, you might find of interest "The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine" by Benjamin Wallace if you haven't already read it.


Best regards,

Richard


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## jme (Aug 15, 2014)

MULTIZ321 said:


> Hi Marty,
> 
> Since you enjoy a good cabernet, you might find of interest "The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine" by Benjamin Wallace if you haven't already read it.
> 
> ...



Hello Richard.

 Haven't read it, but I'll look at Amazon and see about getting a copy. thanks for that!!!

We're at HH right now for 2 more nights....9 nights in all.  I've had a different cabernet every night ..... been "experimenting".... I call it the Red Tide when I'm here....LOL

Amazingly the new Kroger Megastore here, built as part of the new Shelter Cove Towne Center (old Shelter Cove Mall which was torn down), just opened a few months ago and has a humungous wine department.  It has a full-time "advisor" named Barry who is about 65, is well-traveled and has lived in both Calif & Europe for years. He's very knowledgeable and I've had the pleasure of picking his brain a few times already. He knows far more than all the wine shop purveyors I know here and back home. 

The wines he's recommended for me to try have been great....some lesser known wineries, and many of them have a very good price, some below $20. I usually hang around the $23-35-something bottles, but he's pulled a few $19 bottles that have been wonderful.  

I bought 15 bottles of one of them......tried one single bottle last trip and it was instantly a favorite, so went back this week and got the rest----every single bottle "of that lot" he had left, and he then said "that was it, all gone!" ---- maybe couldn't get that lot very easily anymore. Said in 4 years it would be "superb", but I can't wait that long----it's great already. I'm not THAT much an expert or connoisseur.

Anyway, many thanks for thinking of me. Sorry to hijack or divert the thread, but wished to acknowledge your kindness. (Funny, we watched the movie "Divergence" here last night on the DVD---- how fitting.)
Kindest regards, marty


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