- Joined
- Oct 31, 2022
- Messages
- 1,831
- Reaction score
- 1,281
- Location
- Southern Tier NY
- Resorts Owned
-
HGVC Seaworld
Wyndham Smoky Mountains
Foxrun Lake Lure
Gatlinburg Town Square
Here's an abridged version of my TUG review.
Ocean Oak. Right on the beach in Hilton Head Island. Easy walking to their own beach access. Built to Hilton Grand Vacations standard.
Pro: Great deal off season, was able to book at 9 months standard room. Unit has everything you'd expect, everything seems in great shape. Dishwasher, oven, etc all work well.
Wifi is good, easy to Zoom, do remote work.
Easy drive to Pickeny and Audobon nature preserves.
Cons:
Parking is limited - in off season there's very little available parking. It's also confusing, some ?may? be shared with the Carolina Club, unclear if we were supposed to park there or not, but no tickets so far. Parking spaces are a little small too - I have a Pilot, but I also see Mini Van's and Pick-Ups "squeezing in" which isn't great IMO.
Doesn't have a sauna or steam room - a letdown. Then again, many places don't - but for me that is what knocked .25pt off of a 9 for this resort.
Restaurant and Market - only open 10AM-6PM (really? only 6PM for the market?). The market also was very limited when I checked it out - I've seen much better ones - and I think a Hampton Inn often has a better one. Why isn't the market done like that so the all night front desk can also check you out for Market stuff? There's space IMHO. This knocked an additional .25pt off for me.
8.5/10 - Objectively it seems like a great place, though for me there's also the hassle of needing a luggage cart and using an elevator to get to the rooms in the tower. Also the walkways are exposed to the elements.
Extra commentary:
I think in a lot of ways, at least for me - the HGVC properties are nice or have a great location, but TBH I don't know that I really love the large towers that much. I have actually found the less "good" locations that have more parking, parking right outside a few stairs to the unit, or right outside the unit much easier to navigate, much less stress arriving and departing etc. Not needing a luggage cart and realistic making 3 trips or just quick run out to the car is much more of a benefit than I would have originally thought. I didn't change point values on this though - it's personal preference.
Ocean Oak. Right on the beach in Hilton Head Island. Easy walking to their own beach access. Built to Hilton Grand Vacations standard.
Pro: Great deal off season, was able to book at 9 months standard room. Unit has everything you'd expect, everything seems in great shape. Dishwasher, oven, etc all work well.
Wifi is good, easy to Zoom, do remote work.
Easy drive to Pickeny and Audobon nature preserves.
Cons:
Parking is limited - in off season there's very little available parking. It's also confusing, some ?may? be shared with the Carolina Club, unclear if we were supposed to park there or not, but no tickets so far. Parking spaces are a little small too - I have a Pilot, but I also see Mini Van's and Pick-Ups "squeezing in" which isn't great IMO.
Doesn't have a sauna or steam room - a letdown. Then again, many places don't - but for me that is what knocked .25pt off of a 9 for this resort.
Restaurant and Market - only open 10AM-6PM (really? only 6PM for the market?). The market also was very limited when I checked it out - I've seen much better ones - and I think a Hampton Inn often has a better one. Why isn't the market done like that so the all night front desk can also check you out for Market stuff? There's space IMHO. This knocked an additional .25pt off for me.
8.5/10 - Objectively it seems like a great place, though for me there's also the hassle of needing a luggage cart and using an elevator to get to the rooms in the tower. Also the walkways are exposed to the elements.
Extra commentary:
I think in a lot of ways, at least for me - the HGVC properties are nice or have a great location, but TBH I don't know that I really love the large towers that much. I have actually found the less "good" locations that have more parking, parking right outside a few stairs to the unit, or right outside the unit much easier to navigate, much less stress arriving and departing etc. Not needing a luggage cart and realistic making 3 trips or just quick run out to the car is much more of a benefit than I would have originally thought. I didn't change point values on this though - it's personal preference.