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Crowded Beaches at Hilton Head: Is off season a better option?

CMF

CMF

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This is a stem from a thread I have in the Marriott section.

I was in HH in early May and loved it. I think part of the attraction was that the beaches were sparsely dotted with people, and it was pretty easy to drive around the island too. I loved it so much that I am in the process of looking to buy a Marriott ocean front summer week. Its now crossed my mind that I may not like HHI in the summer because the roads will be jammed and the beaches will look like this:

h-crowded-beach_jpg.jpg


Can someone who was spent time on HHI in the Spring/Fall and Summer take a stab at describing how the atmosphere/feel of the island changes from one season to the next? Will I love it in July as much as I loved it in May? More!?

Thanks,
Charles
 
That might be a picture of Caligney Square beach on 4th of July, but my observations are that pictures taken on a beach looking up or down the coast line always exagerate the crowds. Along the vast majority of the HH beaches there is not enough parking to allow for crowds this large.
 
That photo is misleading because it isn't from Hilton Head. Notice the rock pilings. (Shame on you, Charles!) And the pictured crowd certainly isn't representative of what you'll see on HHI beaches, unless, as lweverett suggests, you decide to go to the beach at Coligny Circle, something that you wouldn't do if staying at GO or Monarch.

HHI is definitely busy during the summer. Traffic can be difficult, especially at dinner time and during check-in/check-out time periods on weekends. If you happen to be on a beach at GO or Monarch at high tide, it might have seemed crowded in the past, although still not as crowded as in your photo. At other times (lower tides), there has been plenty of elbow room, unless you happen to rent one of the blue umbrellas with chairs. You'll get to know your neighbors quite well with one of those rentals, whether in May or July!

With the beach refurbishment of this past winter, high tide should be at a lower part of the beach at GO, thus providing even more open space on a crowded day.
 
Sorry Mr. Dave.

Dave M said:
That photo is misleading because it isn't from Hilton Head. Notice the rock pilings. (Shame on you, Charles!)
Click to expand...

I guess I must have inferred that the picture is from HH. No, I just found a picture on the web that represented what I believe to be the beginning of "crowded."

Charles
 
We don't like to deal with traffic and crowds, so we prefer May and September, although we had a hot week while there at the end of March this year.
 
I was going to ask if the picture was Hilton Head. I've only been there once, about 14 years ago, but I remember the hard-packed sand very distinctly. The sand is so hard you can ride a bike on it. The sand in this picture is more like Jersey shore sand, soft and squishy.

Can't speak about the crowds at HHI now, but I don't get the general impression that it gets really crowded there. Not like what we're used to at Point Pleasant, for example--basically wall-to-wall people there.
 
Avon by the Sea, NJ (?) looking from the Shark River Inlet

Ask any tugger the Sat after Labor Day (when its free, of course)

The white bldg is the one I can never get in case it rains.

Across, on the other side is the reddish awnings of the Avon Pavilion.

What I can't see off in the distance is the high rises of the beach front condos of Asbury Park.

Charles....where did that pix come from?

http://www.avonpavilion.com/

http://www.avon-by-the-sea.com/index.html
 
Right Click and Select Picture Properties.

KenK said:
Avon by the Sea, NJ (?) looking from the Shark River Inlet

Ask any tugger the Sat after Labor Day (when its free, of course)

The white bldg is the one I can never get in case it rains.

Across, on the other side is the reddish awnings of the Avon Pavilion.

What I can't see off in the distance is the high rises of the beach front condos of Asbury Park.

Charles....where did that pix come from?

http://www.avonpavilion.com/
Click to expand...


Here is the original URL: http://www.visitmonmouth.com/tourism/phototour destination/images/h-crowded-beach_jpg.jpg

And you are right - it is Avon by the Sea

Charles
 
We usually visit HHI in October. Each time we go there we love it more. The beaches last fall were nearly empty but there was enough activity to make it fun. The weather was incredible and therefore more locals were on the beach. When the tide came up, it did get more crowded but not like Daytona at spring break (been there, probably won't do it again, even though it was fun!). The dolphin activity was spectacular and like nothing we'd ever seen before. They frolicked and jumped out of the water and there were dozens of pods, not just one or two. The island was quiet and there was never a wait at any of the fantastic restaurants that we dined at. We are returning again on October 21 with friends and will be staying at Royal Dunes. Can't wait!! :whoopie: The fact that there is a four lane highway around the island and six lanes coming in and going out tells you that during peak time the place is probably a mad house with traffic and crowds. I prefer the quiet time of fall and wouldn't hesitate to be there longer than one week at that time.
 
We have been to HHI both in July and late August after school was back in session. I never saw crowds like that, matter of fact, I didn't notice much of a difference. But then the resort we own at is north of most of the crowds. So I think it might depend on where you are planning on staying. We didn't have overly crowded beaches or roads in July or late August. The only time we had any traffic issues at all were at rush hour trying to get to Harbour Town for dinner.
 
We have visited in May,June,July and mid to late October. We loved every visit but with grown boys we mostly visit in May and October. We will be back at Barony again in early October. Demographics change to adults or families with tots rather than families with school age kids.


Or as one HH realtor put it a few years back, "the mini vans leave in the summer and the Mercedes roll in ,in October". Seemed pretty funny because she didn't know on the tour that we owned one and inquired about popular shoulders weeks. Weather is perfect to golf and enjoy the beach without long traffic lines. She said October was more popular than the spring because the oceanwaters were still warm from the summer.

I have never been in September but am thinking about after Labor Day.
 
pcgirl54 said:
We have visited in May,June,July and mid to late October. We loved every visit but with grown boys we mostly visit in May and October. We will be back at Barony again in early October. Demographics change to adults or families with tots rather than families with school age kids.


Or as one HH realtor put it a few years back, "the mini vans leave in the summer and the Mercedes roll in ,in October". Seemed pretty funny because she didn't know on the tour that we owned one and inquired about popular shoulders weeks. Weather is perfect to golf and enjoy the beach without long traffic lines. She said October was more popular than the spring because the oceanwaters were still warm from the summer.

I have never been in September but am thinking about after Labor Day.
Click to expand...
First tow weeks of Sept. are great. You must be carefull of storms. I always have insurance on my weeks. We have been doing it for the last 4 years. Will be at HH again for first two of Sept. Labor Day weekend is busy but then it is great. Weather is warm.
 
You'll love July even more than May if you get there when the jelly fish have arrived for the summer. :)

Seriously, if you have ever been on Hilton Head during a jelly fish invasion, it does detract a bit.

Steve
 
Not gonna worry about the jellies . . .

Steve said:
You'll love July even more than May if you get there when the jelly fish have arrived for the summer. :)

Seriously, if you have ever been on Hilton Head during a jelly fish invasion, it does detract a bit.

Steve
Click to expand...


I found this thread and decided not to worry.

Charles
 
There is never a bad time on HHI. We love tourist season($ come into our economy). The traffic is a little heavier in the summer but we still go out to the island a couple of times each week when we are home. We always vacationed there in the summer when the kids were young(we're educators). The fall and spring are great for walking on the beach and winter is great when you can catch a few days of 70 degree weather.
 
We always visit during the end of July and beginning of August. It is always crowded. The traffic on island isn't too bad but traffic crossing the bridge can be horrible.

The beach at the Sea Pines Beach Club almost always looks like your picture. Of course, if you walk a few more yards from the main entrance, you can find a quieter spot.

In the peak of summer, many of the popular and cheaper restaurants that don't take reservations have very long waits. We've only been to the Wings (is that correct?) restaurant once due to the lines.

Also, the main Sea Pines bike trails between Harbour Town and the beach can be very crowded which makes it a bit less enjoyable.

Deb
 
We just got back last weekend and didn't find it unbearably crowded at all. We went to a few restaurants where we were told the wait would be 1 - 1.5 hours and we were seated in 45 mins or so. We found that if we ate late -- which we prefer anyways -- we had no trouble. We always got plenty of space on the beach or a seat by the pool -- so we were happy :)
 
We have been going to HH since the mid 80's and have never seen the beach so crowded...but then we don't go when school is out. We were there at GO in May (actually 1st week of May and too cool for me) and considered buying Surfwatch, but decided to ck our laptop for a Marriott resale and found a good deal on a Monarch, which we purchased. WE previously owned Heritage and Spicebush, but our first choice is GO! September is nice, too.
 
We go to HHI in May or late Sept. early to mid October. What I love the most is that we never have to make a dinner reservation. We just go where we want when we want and never have a wait to be seated. :)
 
love HHI in OCt and Nov !

We have exchanged into HHI on 5 occasions and love the late fall weather and no crowds... often the temps range from 60-80degrees.. beaches are not crowded but believe it or not it looks like HHI may become or has become a round year place to visit. We enjoy it this time of year and have even gone in the water... enjoy ! :)
 
I agree ... too. The only time I would avoid is July 4th week. This week is grid lock in my opinion, however, if crowds are a concern of yours try to be down at the Barony end of the island. It is less crowded. The bike trails are great all year round. We have visited in February, July, and August. We liked February quite a bit but we can only have a week there at that time because of school sessions. We like August a little better than July but both are good. Enjoy our soon to be an all year destination.

Beverley
 
Hey, I'll cut you some slack, BUT.....

Hey, I'll cut you some slack. Although your photo obviously did not come from Hilton Head, I will let you "use it" if you do two things:

(1) realize that indeed the crowds can look like this at HH, BUT only on July 4th and possibly Memorial day weekend,

and (2) take YOUR photo's same "beach area" and make it THREE times wider, because that's how wide Hilton Head's beach will be when you see it. (Click on picture below, taken at low tide right in front of Grande Ocean.) So, given the same NUMBER of folks in your picture, they will be spread out over three times the area, and there you go....the crowd is much diluted.

Seriously, HHI's beaches are seldom like that, even in summer (we just returned from HHI today, and we were there for 3 weeks...maybe the most popular time for family vacations. (July 4th and Mem. Day times are mostly short events, and the crowds come & go quickly, in my opinion). jme

.jpg
 
Last edited:
I agree, Marty.

The top photo in Marty's post faces GO from the beach. The bottom photo is taken down the beach from GO, with GO on the left side of the photo.
 
Go try it before you buy

Hilton head is expensive and maintenances are high.Better to try it for at least a day during the time period you are thinking about before you buy. Me, I would take May over the summer.
 
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