# Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head



## Bianca1 (Apr 20, 2012)

Would love to hear some info regarding whether to stay in MB or HH? We primarily want to golf but also enjoy the sights and be on or near the beach if not on a golf course. Saw that the Sherton Broadway Plantation had availability for next May 2013; anyone know anything about this ts or that time of year to travel.  Appreciate any and all info. Thanks!


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## mikey0531 (Apr 20, 2012)

Two totally different experiences.  We are going to Hilton Head this summer and Myrtle Beach next summer.  We are going to stay at Broadway Plantation next year.  It will be our first time staying there but I thought the reviews were favorable.  I would prefer a resort on the beach, but oh well.

In my opinion Myrtle Beach is crazy touristy.  Putt putt and t-shirt/souvenir shops are everywhere.  Great for kids (my kids like it better there).  Hilton Head is a favorite of mine and my husband's.  My husband loves the golf and I love how relaxing it is there.  We enjoy riding bikes through the plantations and to the beach.

Good luck!


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## sungandjudy (Apr 20, 2012)

We were at SBP last year and going back there again this year.
They were undergoing renovation last year and it's supposed to finish by next month. 
I think if you are into golfing and ok with the resort not being on the beach, then it's should be fine. 
I heard that if you want little more quiet and relaxing location, then HH is better.

Peter


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## amycurl (Apr 20, 2012)

HHI is more upscale in both approach, atmosphere and the people who tend to visit there. Myrtle Beach is more solidly working and middle class in target market. HHI was developed specifically to be *unlike* the boardwalk and midway focused seaside resorts further north, and the master developer set strict zoning covenants to make sure the island stayed that way. MB just opened its boardwalk and is much more like Ocean City, MD in feel. Just two very different approaches to resort development.

There are more touristy things to do in MB--shows, attractions, huge shopping areas, etc., while HHI is more about natural beauty--miles and miles of bike trails, nature preserves, kayaking and nature cruises, etc. 

It really is about what you want to do and what level of activity you're interested in. Both have more golf courses than you can shake a stick at, but MB definitely has waaaay more miniature golf courses.


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## jdunn1 (Apr 20, 2012)

I'm partial to MB, but HH is wonderful, too.  The Sheraton is not on the ocean, so I do not think I would ever stay there.  I wouldn't mind it not being on the beach (many of the HH timeshares are not on the beach) if they had some kind of beach house or beach access, but you have to find your own way onto the beach and I hear parking is tight, and you have to pay.  I prefer MB in the summer and HH in the spring.  MB is way more fun than HH in the summer and HH is slightly warmer in the spring.  HH is so easy and relaxing to get to things, and you can bike anywhere.  MB is crazy busy and it can take an hour to get from one place to the next in the summer with all the traffic.

I do not golf but I believe HH has way better golf than MB.  I like the beach at MB better than HH because the sand is soft and there are waves.  HH's beach is almost rock hard, which is great for biking, but I have never seen much wave action there -- it's like a lake.

Honestly, you won't go wrong in either location, though.  HH is probably better for couples and older folks and for young families.  MB is great for everyone but it is way more wild than HH.  At night, is when the difference between MB and HH is the greatest, in my oppinion.  At night, you can go out to eat at HH and a handful of restaurants have some kind of entertainment (i.e. someone singing).  In MB, there are tons of nightime entertainment ranging from dinner shows, theater shows, SHOPPING, amusement parks, clubs, way more SHOPPING, and more places to eat than I have ever seen before in my life.  Also, HH island is about 12 miles long.  MB is probably 40-50 miles long, including North MB.  HH is pretty and not much goes above the trees.  MB is one high rise after another along the beach and everything off the beach (i.e. Barefoot Landing, Broadway, Tanger, etc) is HUGE.  Not much rises above the trees in HH and there are no street lights and signs blend in with the trees and shrubs and there is lots of green, eveywhere.  

Have fun deciding.


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## hjtug (Apr 20, 2012)

*weather difference?*

We prefer Hilton Head.

I checked the average weather conditions at the two locations.  Hilton Head has somewhat higher lows in the winter but otherwise there is not as much difference as I expected.  However, weather.com claims that for the month of May Hilton Head, on the average, has about 2 inches of rain while Myrtle beach averages a bit over three inches.  That seems strange because other months do not show such a large difference.


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## Weimaraner (Apr 20, 2012)

We're staying at SBP and not sure we are getting a car but want to go to beach. Another poster mentioned parking, costs. Couldn't we just take a taxi?

I think both Myrtle and HH are pretty solid vacation bets for spring/summer  can't wait!


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## jdunn1 (Apr 20, 2012)

Someone who has actually stayed here can answer this better but I think you are only a mile or two from the beach.  You might be able to bike there but I'm not sure how great the sidewalks are for biking in that area.  If you were in North Myrtle Beach, then biking a mile to the beach wouldn't be so bad.  

But you NEED a car in MB.  It is about the worst place in the world NOT to have a car.  Everything is a drive away and no public transportation that I am aware of.  I just hope you know how restrictive MB will be without a car.  Think of MB as one big suburb, not a major city with easy taxi access or public transportation.  I wish I knew how to explain it better but MB is worse than Los Angeles in terms of eveything being spread out and no meaningful public transportation.

Also, I have been to HH four times within the last 8 years or so for Easter week.  Without exception, it has been cold.  Some days we lucked out and would get a low 80 degree day.  More times than not, we got a day in the 60's with rain.  Last week in HH, the weather was pretty much perfect but all week, we never went above 75 and two days last week we didn't make it out of the 60's.  But, we had pure sunshine, which was a first (i.e. no rain) and that sun made the days very nice.  Later spring, things warm up a lot but early spring, it can be cool.  MB seems to average about 5 degrees cooler in the spring than HH, but not always.




Weimaraner said:


> We're staying at SBP and not sure we are getting a car but want to go to beach. Another poster mentioned parking, costs. Couldn't we just take a taxi?
> 
> I think both Myrtle and HH are pretty solid vacation bets for spring/summer  can't wait!


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## Weimaraner (Apr 20, 2012)

Thanks for the info! I think you convinced me to rent a car. Much appreciated.


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## tschwa2 (Apr 20, 2012)

jdunn1 said:


> Also, I have been to HH four times within the last 8 years or so for Easter week.  Without exception, it has been cold.  Some days we lucked out and would get a low 80 degree day.  More times than not, we got a day in the 60's with rain.  Last week in HH, the weather was pretty much perfect but all week, we never went above 75 and two days last week we didn't make it out of the 60's.  But, we had pure sunshine, which was a first (i.e. no rain) and that sun made the days very nice.  Later spring, things warm up a lot but early spring, it can be cool.  MB seems to average about 5 degrees cooler in the spring than HH, but not always.



We just lucked out again in HHI.  Sometimes our Spring break is the week before Easter and sometimes it is the week after Easter.  This year it was before.  We were there a week earlier and every day except Friday hit at least 80 degrees.  We had one day in the 90's.  Thursday night it rained off and on and was cloudy and cooler on Friday (mid to upper 60's) which was the best day for long distance biking but too cold for the beach and pool but the hot tub was fine.


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## jdunn1 (Apr 20, 2012)

I know you lucked out this year.  Believe me, I was watching the weather and I saw those warm temps.  The week before Easter, the forecast for Easter week was mid to upper 80's all week and pure sun.  I emailed my mom and sister and everyone else who was going with us.  We were so excited about the weather.  Then, on Wedneday the week befor Easter the forecast got revised to low 60's and rain almost every day of Easter week.  Fortunately, the temps got better and we never saw a cloud all week, but the temps never even came close to 80.  Easter day was probably the warmest day, maybe it got to 77 and sunny.  Very nice, but that was the warmest weather we had all week and last Thursday, it was just pure cold all day (low 60's).  We went counted that as our rain day and went shopping at the outlet stores.  Not a bad deal at all, but it was cooler than I would have liked.  Probably great for golf, though.




tschwa2 said:


> We just lucked out again in HHI.  Sometimes our Spring break is the week before Easter and sometimes it is the week after Easter.  This year it was before.  We were there a week earlier and every day except Friday hit at least 80 degrees.  We had one day in the 90's.  Thursday night it rained off and on and was cloudy and cooler on Friday (mid to upper 60's) which was the best day for long distance biking but too cold for the beach and pool but the hot tub was fine.


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## DrBopp (Apr 20, 2012)

Bianca said:


> Would love to hear some info regarding whether to stay in MB or HH? We primarily want to golf but also enjoy the sights and be on or near the beach if not on a golf course. Saw that the Sherton Broadway Plantation had availability for next May 2013; anyone know anything about this ts or that time of year to travel.  Appreciate any and all info. Thanks!



If you want to golf primarily, then Myrtle Beach is where you want to go. They have a wider variety of courses to fit any price, skill or challenge level you desire. It gets hectic in the summer after Memorial Day in MB, but if you are going in May, then everything should be good. SBP is a nice resort and not far from the beach, close to several really great courses. 
 Hilton Head Island(HHI) and surrounding areas are another world from MB. There is plenty of good golf to be found there, but generally tends to be more pricey than MB. 50 mile Radius, maybe 50+ courses in HHI. Same radius for MB, more than 200 courses. While I prefer HHI to vacation in, MB is clearly superior for golf. Dining is great in both areas, but I prefer the adult night life in HHI to MB. MB is set up for families and have more kid related activities and night life that feature the younger set. Being past fifty, jazz clubs and comedy clubs, theatres and some dancing is about as much as I can stand. So I  love HHI's ambience, but I make 3-4 trips to MB to play golf 
and I like it better for that. Plus it's 2-2.5 hours closer to me than HHI. That makes a difference also.

Gordon


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## jdunn1 (Apr 20, 2012)

Good, because I really think you need a car.  I just looked at the reviews of Broadway Plantation on trip advisor and on the most recent page, there are a couple posts about how necessary a car is, and how the beach is about a five minute drive away.  The posts also talk about getting to the beach and the posts are not very complimentary, but that is something that happens a lot on trip advisor.  Sounds like Braodway on the Beach  (a fantastic shopping and much more complex) is only a 3 minute walk from the resort.  That sounds really nice.  Visiting Broadway this past summer, we spent 15 minutes trying to find a parking spot, it would have been really nice to walk there.

I don't know where you live but not having a car in Myrtle Beach is probably like not having a car in your home town.  You probably can't get to many places without driving.  

Have fun.  I wish I was going to MB this year.  I am going to Florida, instead.  Poor me, I know.  





Weimaraner said:


> Thanks for the info! I think you convinced me to rent a car. Much appreciated.


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## Gophesjo (Apr 20, 2012)

Hilton Head kind of reminds me of Palm Desert or Indian Wells without the desert, whereas Myrtle Beach is - in some respects - pure kitsch.  BUT, I LOVE Myrtle Beach.  I like HHI, too, but Myrtle Beach is addictive.  For me I think it is the beach itself - warm water six months a year, and direct oceanfron views to KILL for.  I own on the water and off the water and have an offer in on another direct oceanfront week.  Various parts of the beach have a really different - yet still similar in other ways - feel.  The north end of Myrtle - near Marriott's Ocean Watch is probably my favorite, then North Myrtle.

One great thing I am seeing over the past six months is that the area is finally beginning to recover economically.  The recession hit hard, but Broadway at the Beach is really coming alive again.  I like it almost as much as Downtown Disney in Orlando.  The fact that it is close to SBP is the only reason I would ever stay at SBP, since there are so many good choices on the water itself.


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## amycurl (Apr 21, 2012)

I once worked for a company that had a shop at Broadway, and I was sent there to help train management and troubleshoot a couple of times, usually for a few weeks at a time. (This was, without a doubt, the best part of that job.) I do like Broadway at the Beach, and I love the accessible beaches (unlike HHI.)  MB is half the distance from me than HHI, and we love doing quick weekend trips down there.

After about more than four days, the kitsch starts to wear on me a little. And this is from someone who lived in OC, MD many summers in her life. I find it easier to totally recharge my batteries during a week on HHI.


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## Paumavista (Apr 29, 2012)

*Crowds*

There are alot more high rise hotels/condos on Myrtle beach which can create bigger crowds......also the cost of staying in many of these places is cheaper in Myrtle than Hilton Head so you have a different crowd. 

We've checked out alot of Myrtle and Hilton Head and stayed at both (although we will only stay at the Grande Dunes anymore while in Myrtle) - we prefer the beach area and atmosphere. 

We really prefer the closed communities of Hilton Head (and the other coastal SC communities - Kiawah, Wild Dunes, etc).  I feel alot more comfortable letting the older kids bike and explore on their own when we are in a gated community.  

The atmosphere at these places is different - most people prefer one over the other.  

Enjoy,
Judy


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