# Just arrived at Grande Ocean



## GregT (Apr 6, 2015)

All,

We were up in Boston for a few days for some historical sightseeing (and loved it), and just arrived today in Hilton Head for the rest of our spring break trip.   We are in Dolphin building on the second floor (third floor counting parking) and overlook the lagoon and cooking grill.

This is a lovely property -- Caroline and I did a tour and played bocce ball, ping pong and swam in various pools.  We have named numerous turtles, who have lived very adventurous lives.  This is a very tranquil spot.

Hilton Head is stunningful beautiful and lives up to its reputation.  We are looking forward to seeing what the week brings, but I can certainly understand the appeal of this destination and this property.

Best,

Greg


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## Weimaraner (Apr 6, 2015)

Sounds wonderful! What is weather like this week? Enjoy your vacation!


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## Quilter (Apr 6, 2015)

So glad to hear your first impression is a good one.   Hope the azaleas are blooming for you.


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## GreenTea (Apr 6, 2015)

Are all the pools, bars, restaurant open now?


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## Saintsfanfl (Apr 7, 2015)

GreenTea said:


> Are all the pools, bars, restaurant open now?



I checked out Sat and everything was open but seasonal hours and the heat on the south pool was out.


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## Old Hickory (Apr 7, 2015)

Head over to Pool Bar Jim's and order a Pina Colada w/ a Meyer's floater.   

You're welcome.


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## mjm1 (Apr 7, 2015)

Greg, glad to hear you enjoyed the history in Boston. It has been over 15 years since we were there, but I still remember it.

Hilton Head is great too. We've only. Been there once a few years ago. Have a great time. If you get a chance to visit Savannah during your stay that's a fun place too. So is Beaufort with their historic homes.

We look forward to hearing what you think.  Enjoy!

Mike


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## GregT (Apr 8, 2015)

All,

Had a great time meeting jme and JonT (and their lovely spouses) yesterday at Skull Creek for a beverage.  Excellent local advice received from these HHI/Charleston veterans and we enjoyed the meeting greatly.  

Still very happy with Grande Ocean and looking forward to another TUG get together. 

Best,

Greg


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## jme (Apr 9, 2015)

GregT said:


> All,
> 
> Had a great time meeting jme and JonT (and their lovely spouses) yesterday at Skull Creek for a beverage.  Excellent local advice received from these HHI/Charleston veterans and we enjoyed the meeting greatly.
> 
> ...



The pleasure was ours, Greg. So nice to finally meet you and your beautiful bride, thanks for taking time out. That was fun. Best table in the house overlooking the inland waterway, wasn't it?  What a gorgeous day it was. 

And it was again a pristine day TODAY at Hilton Head. Very envious of your side trip to Charleston, though. Perfect time to go.  Hope you got a chance to see everything you wanted. It's a magnificent old city and full of charm. 

The weather has been postcard perfect all week at HH, and we feel lucky to enjoy every day's plans----today was biking in Sea Pines with Jont and Maria. There weren't many bikes available on the island due to the perfect temps----almost all taken, but we found some and enjoyed the afternoon.  We're all walking a bit funny now but we're still as happy as we can be. Nothing a little Ibuprofen can't handle. 

Doesn't get any better than this---- Great friends, great place.  Hitting pools and beach early tomorrow. Dining is stellar here as usual. Santa Fe on Monday, tonight was Charlie's L'Etoile Verte....Wow!   Skull Creek and Marley's were great too, and looking forward to The Cottage next, located in Old Town Bluffton---another super favorite..... too many places, too little time. 

Lots going on at Grande Ocean on the grounds, will post a few pics and explanation later. Walked around there yesterday. Stopped in to talk to Pool Bar Jim a while----it was his birthday and we had a blast sitting down with him for about a half hour. He pulled out and showed us the blueprints for the new work going on around his place----i.e., the huge and ambitious expansion of the deck, already in progress. He's pretty excited. 

There will be a massive deck (slightly raised on short pilings so as not to disturb the dunes----took 3 years to be approved) from one end to the other along the entire ocean frontage. It will enhance GO's "ocean experience" even more, as if it needs anything else to set it apart. 

Should be finished by May 1st, so to all upcoming visitors, lucky you!  Pools are looking great, as is the North lagoon side which has had further "limited" pruning of trees (as permitted by local codes) to enhance views. All in all, the resort is again raising the bar. The refurbishments on the North side villas are complete, receiving great reviews (I'm even on board now with the new more contemporary look), and the grounds are as beautiful as ever with the few minor tweaks. 

Only a few days left, but will get in a little Masters Golf viewing from Thurs to Sunday, in-between runs to the beach.  About 8 unopened bottles of superb wine to choose from, so all is good. 

Winter is long gone, bring on the flip flops.  




.


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## GreenTea (Apr 9, 2015)

The front desk said in March that all buildings had the new renovations?   Is that not accurate?


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## ldzierzanowski (Apr 9, 2015)

With 8 bottles of superb wine and Masters golf viewing jme I want to be your friend for the weekend. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Fasttr (Apr 9, 2015)

GreenTea said:


> The front desk said in March that all buildings had the new renovations?   Is that not accurate?



I believe it was primarily just the north side that was refurbed in 2014.  From the Oct 2014 letter from the GM....



> We have completed several projects this year with the largest being the refurbishment of 140 villas on the North side of the resort and included the Dolphin (80), Pelican (81), Sand Piper (82), Royal Tern (83) and Sea Horse (84) Buildings. We are excited for you to see first-hand the Lowcountry beach theme of the villas. This was a major project and it was not without its own set of challenges; however, we are delighted to report we finished the project on time and under budget.



I believe the south side refurb is to happen in the future.


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## skyequeen (Apr 9, 2015)

*Not all buildings renovated*

When we were there in January we stayed one week on the South side where pool renovations had been going on since our last visit the December before.  Those buildings were being renovated outside but not yet inside.  The lagoon area, North end of the resort, was renovated, and we stayed there one week.  We were told it would be a year before the last buildings were renovated.  The renovated units were spectacular, really well done and comfortable with modern but not too cool color scheme.


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## jme (Apr 9, 2015)

South side refurbishment/renovation to be started this coming January.

Last time it was done was 5 years ago, or whatever the proper time 
frame was-----they're always right on time. 

Only the North side's refurbishment was completed recently.


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## jont (Apr 10, 2015)

GregT said:


> All,
> 
> Had a great time meeting jme and JonT (and their lovely spouses) yesterday at Skull Creek for a beverage.  Excellent local advice received from these HHI/Charleston veterans and we enjoyed the meeting greatly.
> 
> ...



Thank you Greg, the pleasure was our's. It was great you and lovely wife were able to take some time out of your vacation to meet us. we all had a great time. Hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation on HHI and safe travels back home. If you ever make it back to NY/NJ please be sure to look us up.

john


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## jme (Apr 10, 2015)

DECK PROJECT AT GRANDE OCEAN, to be completed by May 1 (they say).

Sat down with Pool Bar Jim for half an hour while he pulled the blueprint to show me. 

It's a massive deck extending down the entire ocean frontage, 2-3 feet above Dunes for environmental reasons. 

Took 3 years to be approved. 

There will be three segments, interrupted by two new boardwalks.






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## FlyerBobcat (Apr 10, 2015)

jme said:


> DECK PROJECT AT GRANDE OCEAN, to be completed by May 1 (they say).
> 
> Sat down with Pool Bar Jim for half an hour while he pulled the blueprint to show me.
> 
> It's a massive deck extending down the entire ocean frontage, 2-3 feet above Dunes for environmental reasons.



Marty,  Thanks for the pictures... but help me understand this.

I don't recall reading about this big project in the last newsletter.  Is this a MGO project, or a PB Jims project?

When you "entire ocean frontage", are you talking about the entire frontage of PBJs, or entire MGO (north to south)?

Looking at the blueprints closer, is that a big sundeck over the dunes in front of the two middle (Oceanfront) buildings?

Regarding the picture of the partially completed boardwalk over the dunes to the ocean..... Is that a picture of a reconstruction of one of the existing boardwalks?  Or a additional/new one?  If new, is it for PBJ traffic (for non-resort guests)?


Looks exciting for sure!


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## jme (Apr 10, 2015)

FlyerBobcat said:


> Marty,  Thanks for the pictures... but help me understand this.
> 
> I don't recall reading about this big project in the last newsletter.  Is this a MGO project, or a PB Jims project?
> 
> ...



It's an MGO project which wraps around and enhances the Pool Bar Jim area. He just works there with mutual benefit, under contract, but doesn't control any of the physical structures. 

The project, as shown in the photos of the blueprints, goes all the way down to the North end, and the deck there, for example, will essentially be between the N pool and the dunes.  Same for the segment in front of the two middle oceanfront buildings (Sea Horse & Sand Castle), and the third is obviously in front of the South pool and sweeps in to incorporate the PBJ area and fire pits.

The pic of the boardwalk is the *reconstruction * of one of the old ones, and the other will also be reconstructed, as shown in the blueprints. 

Tom, HURRY and come down...it's getting better all the time.


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## FlyerBobcat (Apr 10, 2015)

jme said:


> Tom, *HURRY *and come down...it's getting better all the time.



I'm trying!!!!   8 more weeks!  We can't wait

Wish I could be down there now!!! :whoopie:


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## GregT (Apr 10, 2015)

If those are five cabanas that are being built out, that would be a fabulous addition -- please let us know if I'm looking at it correctly.  

Does anyone have pictures from the Ocean-Front units?  I'm curious to see what they look like, and if I underestimated the value of the OF designation (on the lower floors).

Best,

Greg


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## Saintsfanfl (Apr 11, 2015)

I think any units in those front two building are "OF", even the ones on the side. We were just in a 4th floor side unit the week before. It was a great unit, but most properties it would be considered OS or OV and not OF. I'm sorry I didn't take any pics.


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## jme (Apr 11, 2015)

GregT said:


> If those are five cabanas that are being built out, that would be a fabulous addition -- please let us know if I'm looking at it correctly.
> 
> Does anyone have pictures from the Ocean-Front units?  I'm curious to see what they look like, and if I underestimated the value of the OF designation (on the lower floors).Best,Greg



Here are some random *OF views at Grande Ocean:* 
(I'll list each building)
*SCROLL OVER TO SEE ENTIRE PHOTO*



*Beach in front of Grande Ocean:
SCROLL OVER TO SEE ENTIRE VIEW of BEACH*





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*3rd floor Sea Horse*





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*Sea Horse building, showing floor positions relative to palm tree heights 
and thus views. "Unimportant" weed-like underbrush & overgrowth of vines in dunes was removed about 4 years ago to allow enhancement of beach views. Much better now. Actually allows 1st floor villas to see ocean.
SCROLL OVER TO SEE THIS 
Each bldg has 5 "villa floors" above the ground level parking garage (so 6 stories high). 
The side wing OF units are seen here, on RIGHT in picture.
SCROLL OVER TO SEE ENTIRE VIEW*





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*Showing "side wing OF units" in Sand Castle building, with angled ocean view.
Photo taken from 5th floor of Starfish bldg (OceanSide view)*





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*Side OF view from Sea Horse overlooking North Pool, in side OF unit closest to ocean, 4th floor:*
*(essentially above the MarketPlace Deli)*





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*1st Floor OF view from Sand Castle bldg. As you can clearly see, all 1st floor OF units are NOT BLOCKED from a lovely ocean view. Since they cleared the dunes area of invasive type vines and underbrush 2-3 years ago, more 1st floor OF units have this nice type view. 
SCROLL OVER TO SEE ENTIRE VIEW*





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*another 1st floor OF view from Sand Castle:*





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*another 1st floor OF view from Sand Castle:*





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*Sea Horse Bldg, showing that the balcony level of 1st floor is higher than the dune underbrush, thus giving these OF buildings good ocean views. The palm trees are not as thick across the front as it looks (does not entirely block 2nd floor views). Instead they are staggered and strategically placed so each villa has a nice view.*





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*Another study of the two "middle" OF bldgs Sand Castle and Sea Horse:  
SCROLL OVER TO SEE ENTIRE VIEW*





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## jme (Apr 11, 2015)

[B]Lower OF floors in StarFish Bldg (which has both OF and OS villas)
OS villas are on side, facing inward toward Dolphin Pool.
The 1st and 2nd floors here in front have limited ocean views due to oak trees, some say no ocean views. Pool Bar Jim's is right there in front.[/B]
[IMG][URL=http://s1123.photobucket.com/user/mechols5/media/MGO/DSCF2534_zps4fdc8d27.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l551/mechols5/MGO/DSCF2534_zps4fdc8d27.jpg[/URL][/IMG][/IMG]



*4th floor Sea Horse*





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*4th floor Sea Horse looking South*





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*4th floor Sea Horse*





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*4th floor Sand Castle*





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*4th floor Sand Castle*





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*4th floor Sand Castle*





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*off balcony of 4th floor Sand Castle*





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*my beautiful bride*





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*My reason for everything*





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## Cmore (Apr 11, 2015)

JME,
Great photos - thanks for sharing, great family shot.


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## jme (Apr 11, 2015)

*one more photo, OF of Dolphin bldg, extreme North side. 
Note that the Live Oak trees which used to block lower floor views have been completely removed.* 





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## GregT (Apr 11, 2015)

Wow, those are great pictures from the OF units -- and a great picture of the family too!  Thank you for posting these!  

My son is sitting next to me on the flight home, and as I was scrolling through the pictures, he said "Daddy, I know where that is.  When can we go back?"

Good stuff....

Best,

Greg


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## FlyerBobcat (Apr 11, 2015)

Marty,

Great pics,,, great family.....

And you even include a picture of the pelicans, just for me!  :whoopie:


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## Quilter (Apr 11, 2015)

GregT said:


> Wow, those are great pictures from the OF units -- and a great picture of the family too!  Thank you for posting these!
> 
> My son is sitting next to me on the flight home, and as I was scrolling through the pictures, he said "Daddy, I know where that is.  When can we go back?"
> 
> ...



There's others of us who are wondering the same thing.


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## GregT (Apr 11, 2015)

All,

What are the Gold/Platinum Seasons at Grande Ocean?

From TDI's on II, it looks like April through August is very high demand, and then it drops off the table in September/October?

A little surprised to see this because I would think it is lovely in the Fall -- am I missing something?    March too I would think it good, but I don't know the weather.

Thanks very much!

Best,

Greg


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## jont (Apr 12, 2015)

ldzierzanowski said:


> With 8 bottles of superb wine and Masters golf viewing jme I want to be your friend for the weekend.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



I had the very good fortune to spend some time with Marty yesterday watching the Masters and sharing a bottle of wine. Marty is very modest but he knows more about the Masters and golf in general than I can ever hope to know. it was a true pleasure. thank you sir!


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## GregT (Apr 12, 2015)

GregT said:


> What are the Gold/Platinum Seasons at Grande Ocean?



From looking at redweek.com, is this correct:

Week 1-4: Bronze:
Week 5-12: Silver
Week 13-23:  Gold
Week 24-34: Platinum
Week 35-43: Gold
Week 44-48: Silver
Week 49-50: Bronze
Week 51-52: Silver

If this is correct, I bet the Gold Season has some terrific weeks.

Best,

Greg

Edited: Added Bronze/Changed Silver to reflect Steve's subsequent post (I think I have it right now?)


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## sb2313 (Apr 12, 2015)

Greg-
1-4 and 49/50 are bronze and 5-12,44-48 and 51/52 are silver weeks at GO. Surf watch and barony both end gold season at week 21, those extra weeks into June is what makes GO gold even more desirable. Glad you enjoyed Hilton head, it's become an annual tradition for my family!


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## GregT (Apr 12, 2015)

sb2313 said:


> Greg-
> 1-4 and 49/50 are bronze and 5-12,44-48 and 51/52 are silver weeks at GO. Surf watch and barony both end gold season at week 21, those extra weeks into June is what makes GO gold even more desirable. Glad you enjoyed Hilton head, it's become an annual tradition for my family!



Steve, thank you -- I've edited my list to reflect this.  Interesting comment on the GO gold and the June weeks.   I note that the DC Point chart has re-seasoned those two weeks to require same points as Platinum weeks. 

Interesting...

Best,

Greg


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## GregT (Apr 12, 2015)

[Duplicate]


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## SueDonJ (Apr 12, 2015)

Greg, here's the link for dioxide's compilation post of all of the Weeks Calendars.


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## jme (Apr 12, 2015)

jont said:


> I had the very good fortune to spend some time with Marty yesterday watching the Masters and sharing a bottle of wine. Marty is very modest but he knows more about the Masters and golf in general than I can ever hope to know. it was a true pleasure. thank you sir!



You're very welcome, John.....Needless to say it was our pleasure to spend time with you both this week... We all had a great time, didn't we?????!!!!!
(It was especially nice to meet GregT and his wife.)

Some very fine dining and some awesome casual dining, and some nice movie time squeezed in, too!....just a magnificent week.  The ice cream at South Beach was pretty special too on Wed evening after dinner at Charlie's. That was a great suggestion by you. I can always use a little coaching. 

Hope to see you back at HH soon!  

We just arrived back at home and are watching the end of the Masters.....hope you get home to do the same.  Take care, and love to Maria.


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## Magic1962 (Apr 12, 2015)

Beautiful pictures!!!! So far Hilton Head is my favorite Time Share Vacation ever... We will go back in 2017........ Showing my wife all your pictures made us remember all our great times we had there last summer......I just wish we could have been on the water like you were.... We stayed at Island Links..... Dave


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## disneymom1 (Apr 13, 2015)

*BIG *thanks to Marty for sharing such awesome photos and updates of Grande Ocean!!  IMO, Marty is *THE* TUG Marriott Hilton Head expert and I am so appreciate of all of his advice, photos, restaurant recommendations and updates he shares with us! 

Many Marriott Vacation Club resorts are recommended by TUG, but Grande Ocean seems to be a *HUGE* favorite!  The plans for the new deck work looks FANTASTIC!!  Now we really can't wait to experience Grande Ocean this August!!  We just purchased SurfWatch last month so we can go to HHI every summer.  As much as we really like SurfWatch, we have been inspired by all the TUG Grande Ocean fans and wanted the chance to experience first hand this much loved resort.  We placed a request to exchange for Grande Ocean and matched 3 days later! Big thanks to Marty!  

To celebrate, I purchased new flip flops and a cooler.  Summer can't come fast enough!!!  Hilton Head/Grande Ocean here we come!


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## jme (Apr 14, 2015)

disneymom1 said:


> *BIG *thanks to Marty for sharing such awesome photos and updates of Grande Ocean!!  IMO, Marty is *THE* TUG Marriott Hilton Head expert and I am so appreciate of all of his advice, photos, restaurant recommendations and updates he shares with us!
> 
> Many Marriott Vacation Club resorts are recommended by TUG, but Grande Ocean seems to be a *HUGE* favorite!  The plans for the new deck work looks FANTASTIC!!  Now we really can't wait to experience Grande Ocean this August!!  We just purchased SurfWatch last month so we can go to HHI every summer.  As much as we really like SurfWatch, we have been inspired by all the TUG Grande Ocean fans and wanted the chance to experience first hand this much loved resort.  We placed a request to exchange for Grande Ocean and matched 3 days later! Big thanks to Marty!
> 
> To celebrate, I purchased new flip flops and a cooler.  Summer can't come fast enough!!!  Hilton Head/Grande Ocean here we come!




Thank you most kindly for the compliment. I just want everyone to know as much about HH before they arrive so that expectations are met and that they have a better-than-average chance at experiencing the island like it should be experienced----i.e., from a standpoint of "more knowledge is better".  There are places to visit, and there are great places to visit, and I want to identify the latter.

I'd be remiss if I didn't say this-----I'd also like to defer to my good friend BocaBoy who visited Hilton Head in Jan-Feb and stayed at ALL of the Marriott resorts on the island in consecutively-booked weeks. That certainly qualifies him for a huge note of commendation and a loud round of applause as well.   
He has a first-hand feel for all of the resorts now, which I would say is unique among TUG members. I have stayed at all but 3 (HP, SP, and Heritage), so he is way ahead of me. Not to mention that I have come to value his opinion quite highly, so his reports are sure to be spot on. 

HH is becoming so popular nowadays, even to West Coasters, so soon everybody will be HH experts! GregT was just here last from San Diego, so there you go.   Bring it on......


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