HHI/MB - Barony Beach vs Grande Ocean vs Oceanwatch

[Gordgeous]

Hi All - timeshare newbie looking to travel to South Carolina (specifically HHI or MB at this point) in early Oct this year with the family using my first exchange within II.

Looks like a lot of great options to choose between in MVC.

What would people recommend in HHI and MB for a family of four, with two small children (ages 1 and 3)?

From what I have read elsewhere HHI seems more laid back with a more "natural feel" whereas MB has more action/activities but likely more appropriate for slightly older children (more like ages 5 to 15+).

At this stage the kids would likely make most use of the beach and the pool/splash pad/waterslide with the older one able to participate in some basic organized activities (such as crafts).

Any recommendations as to what is most appropriate for kids of that age, both on within the resort and surrounding area (either walking driving).

We would likely be preparing 60-70% of our meals in the unit and going out approx once a day for one meal.

My research this far has my top 3 as (weighing in resort itself, activities nearby and stuff such as the odd nice dinner the parents would enjoy):

Barony Beach (looks ideal with others mentioning good (young) kids activities, waterslide and locations onsite for dinner)
Oceanwatch (looks like the nicest resort of the 3 but MB is likely a better option in a few years when kids are older)
Grande Ocean (looks slightly nicer than BB but points deducted, likely unfairly, due to no waterslide)

As you can see I have likely overweighted the existence of a waterslide as my 3 year old loves them and would be likely using it the majority of the pool time all week. But hard to tell what there is for very young kids from blogs and videos. Hoping for some insight from TUG members who have been to these or other MVC locations in the area.

Any input appreciated, thanks in advance!

Ryan

 

[Pamplemousse]

I think what you say here is pretty much true as the difference between HHI and MB.
Sounds like you would mostly be spending time at the resort.
I would rate Grande Ocean over Barony.
I’d also say that there are more chain family restaurants in MB if you are looking for places for inexpensive kid meals. The boardwalk is fun to run around on too. There is also broadway at the beach with Ripley aquarium and the alligator adventure that might be fun even for young kids. We started going to nearby brookgreen gardens when our kids were young in strollers- beautiful place to visit.

Have you looked into flights?
We are in Northern New England and fly directly into MB but for HHI we fly to Savannah and rent a car to drive to HHI if that might be a consideration.

 

[Ski-Dad]

I can't comment on other than Marriott Grande Ocean. We were there in late October last year and loved the place. We are a couple in our late 50s, and we were definitely younger than most of the other guests in late October. I dont tnink we saw a single young child the whole week, but I think it was simply the time of year that reflected that demographic.

No waterslide, but my kids would have lovedthis place whern they were younger. The unit set up is perfect for a family.

 

[csalter2]

I will be going to South Carolina for the first time in June with my wife and seven year old. I’ll be there for three weeks staying at Barony Beach, Grande Ocean and Oceanwatch. I have never been to any of these resorts so I’m excited and hoping to have a great time. I’m hoping to hear about activities as well. I’ve already ordered my bikes for Hilton Head!

 

[SueDonJ]

Any of those three would fit the bill because they all are family-oriented with extensive Activity Schedules for all ages, but Barony and OceanWatch get the nod over Grande Ocean for your purposes because they both have pool areas designed with little ones in mind. Really, you can't go wrong here.

 

[Swice]

We've been to all many many-many times with kids. The bottom line is pick the one that appeals to you... not your kids. At those ages, they won't care.
I would choose based on dates, ease/cost of transportation, overall cost. Both are tourist areas and used to kids. However, I would say Hilton Head skews a little bit more upscale in terms of restaurants.
In addition to slide issue, I will say the treehouse at Ocean Watch is the all time best playground for kids old enough to run around and climb steps.

 

[hangloose]

I would say any of those 3 would be good for your family and two young kids. Plenty of things to do and activities at each. With kids at 1 and 3 yrs old, I wouldn't focus on them but rather on what you prefer. They are young enough that they are unlikely to see a huge difference.

We prefer HHI over MB for some of the reasons you indicated above. However, we do prefer the Oceanwatch reserve over the two HHI MVC resorts we've stayed at (Barony, Surfwatch). I guess I've never been overly impressed with the HHI resorts. I'm generally comparing to the MVC Hawaii properties..which are a few notches above HHI in our view. We have not stayed at Grande Ocean, but many who go do HHI often indicate it as the best and most well rounded of the MVC HHI resorts. It has a lot of diehards!

We have stayed at Barony and Oceanwatch several times. While both are nice, we prefer Oceanwatch. It's location in North Myrtle in the Dunes resort area...is very nice and doesn't match your normal Myrtle Beach experience.

 

[Bucky]

Been to all three. If it’s basically all about the children, in my opinion It would be OceanWatch, hands down. They just finished a new zero entry in the child’s pool in the main pool area. There is also the zero entry Woodsy pool area with all types of cool devices for kids Including a great water slide, mining activity area and a treehouse climbing course. There is also a nice indoor pool back in the Woodsy area.

the resort has a super activity department and Myrtle Beach is family friendly for everything.

our favorite resort is Grande Ocean but, not with 1-3 yr olds. Stayed at Baroney and just didn’t get much out of it, although it’s a great resort.

 

[pedro47]

We liked all three (3), personally for the young children because of their age; I would select OceanWatch . However, for our vacation time, I would choice GrandeOcean or the Baroney,

 

[Gordgeous]

Thanks for the response everyone! It sounds like from the varied opinions no choice will be a bad one for our scenario, just some +/-'s to each.

Have you looked into flights?
We are in Northern New England and fly directly into MB but for HHI we fly to Savannah and rent a car to drive to HHI if that might be a consideration.

Thanks for pointing this out, we are considering the long drive down from Toronto to make an adventure out of it and have our car with us, but are undecided as of now. Will keep this in mind though in case we end up flying.

In addition to slide issue, I will say the treehouse at Ocean Watch is the all time best playground for kids old enough to run around and climb steps.

Great point that I forgot I saw in one of the promotional videos! That playground is pretty impressive looking, one of the biggest I've seen and would be a huge hit with our 3 year old.

Been to all three. If it’s basically all about the children, in my opinion It would be OceanWatch, hands down.

This is now the way I am leaning as well, as it is all about the kids at this point, thanks for the great summary.

Now it will really come down to what comes up in II.

Looking forward to whatever comes up!

 

[Dean]

Hi All - timeshare newbie looking to travel to South Carolina (specifically HHI or MB at this point) in early Oct this year with the family using my first exchange within II.

Looks like a lot of great options to choose between in MVC.

What would people recommend in HHI and MB for a family of four, with two small children (ages 1 and 3)?

From what I have read elsewhere HHI seems more laid back with a more "natural feel" whereas MB has more action/activities but likely more appropriate for slightly older children (more like ages 5 to 15+).

At this stage the kids would likely make most use of the beach and the pool/splash pad/waterslide with the older one able to participate in some basic organized activities (such as crafts).

Any recommendations as to what is most appropriate for kids of that age, both on within the resort and surrounding area (either walking driving).

We would likely be preparing 60-70% of our meals in the unit and going out approx once a day for one meal.

My research this far has my top 3 as (weighing in resort itself, activities nearby and stuff such as the odd nice dinner the parents would enjoy):

Barony Beach (looks ideal with others mentioning good (young) kids activities, waterslide and locations onsite for dinner)
Oceanwatch (looks like the nicest resort of the 3 but MB is likely a better option in a few years when kids are older)
Grande Ocean (looks slightly nicer than BB but points deducted, likely unfairly, due to no waterslide)

As you can see I have likely overweighted the existence of a waterslide as my 3 year old loves them and would be likely using it the majority of the pool time all week. But hard to tell what there is for very young kids from blogs and videos. Hoping for some insight from TUG members who have been to these or other MVC locations in the area.

Any input appreciated, thanks in advance!

Ryan

I don't think you can go wrong with Barony, GO, Surfwatch or OW but for us, we'd much prefer GO and we much prefer HHI. At GO compared to the other 2 on HHI, we like the pools better, it's in a more developed location so more things closer to get to, we feel it's in a better area for biking (they will give you a Sea Pines pass and if you rent bikes from them, a bike pass for Sea Pines as well). Our order of preference is slightly different if it's an exchange vs a direct reservation but for an exchange it'd be GO, SW, OW then BB. Here's the reason, other than GO, all have Garden View units, and you should assume this is what you'd get from II though it's possible for Oct to get better. An alternative is to find the various codes for the units types which are available here on TUG and call II and see if they'll give you the code for each then select the best view though they usually won't. An alternative is to take a given exchange that's your preferred resort then see what the code is then cancel or retrade to a different resort if you don't like the unit view. If you knew the codes up front and just looking at HHI for OF (Ocean Vista at SW) or Ocean side but not Garden view, I'd put GO then BB then SW.

 

[davemy]

Don't over think it. I have been to all three. You and your kids will love all of them!

 

[Gordgeous]

Don't over think it. I have been to all three. You and your kids will love all of them!

Haha thanks for keeping it in perspective

 

[Big Matt]

I don't think that you've got the three resorts pegged as much as you think. You need to look at some other things that may sway you one way or another.

Location:
Barony is in a gated community with a hotel next to it and residential surrounding. Very quiet. You need to drive to everything food wise unless you want to eat at the hotel or the golf club up the street (probably not with kids). Barony has a pretty good bar/grill. Pretty good area to go on walks.

Ocean Watch is not in a busy part of MB, in fact it is also right next to a residential area, but has the Marriott hotel next door. You can walk to food options, but most are still a drive away

Grande Ocean is on a stretch of beach (Forest Beach Drive) with lots of condos and a busy Holiday Inn up the street. That said, you get access to Sea Pines where you can walk and bike behind the gated community. You can walk or bike to about 25 restaurants that are within a mile as are ice cream shops and two grocery stores.

Resort layout:
Barony has two sections. Garden View is stand alone with two buildings. You have to cross a small street and parking lot to get to the main resort. Not a big deal, but you aren't right on the ocean. The main section is right on the beach, has a small foot print in terms of beach frontage and is stunningly beautiful.

Ocean Watch has a very small beach footprint with a much longer distance from beach to resort entrance. The Garden View is the farthest away, but may really appeal to the kids. Really neat pool and it tends to be quieter. You walk through the main area and pool to get to the beach

Grand Ocean has a very large beach footprint and there is nothing between the resort and the beach. Because of the size of the footprint, it feels like the beach is private, but there are public access areas on each side. The interior grounds are where all of the pools, beach bar and grill areas are located. Like Barony it is beautiful.

Buildings:
Barony and Grande Ocean are mid rise (five stories) with parking garages under the buildings.
Ocean Watch are high rise units

Villas:
Barony and Ocean Watch are slightly smaller than Grande Ocean, but I wouldn't say by much.

Hassle Factor:
I would suggest that you will do a lot more driving at both Barony and Ocean Watch
You will have a much easier time going back and forth to the beach at Grande Ocean or at the other two if NOT in the Garden View parts (remember that both Barony and Ocean Watch have really good pools at the Garden View sections to off set the distance from the beach).

 

[Swice]

You're driving from Toronto?

That's a LONG drive! There's your answer right there. There is nothing to be gained driving the extra distance to Hilton Head in my opinion.

 

[jont]

You're driving from Toronto?

That's a LONG drive! There's your answer right there. There is nothing to be gained driving the extra distance to Hilton Head in my opinion.

hard to argue with this. Those extra 3 hours to HHI past MB are a long 3 Hours!

 

[Big Matt]

It's really only about an hour more than MB to HHI. With Toronto you take a route straight towards Charlotte to both resorts, but with MB you have to head southeast at some point and go across the state, probably via Greensboro to 74 east. Going to HHI is pretty much straight south all the way to Columbia on 77 and then a cut over to 95 on 26.

 

[Gordgeous]

Thanks for the additional resort info Big Matt. I did read a bit about the beach frontage of each but your description is much more detailed and puts it nicely into perspective.

And you are right it is about an hour drive difference between the two as the route is direct towards HHI and doesn't pass MB. An hour is still an hour but not a huge difference when already in the car for 14+ hours.

I will keep my eyes peeled and see what comes up, I'm thinking we should just try all 3 over the next decade or so!

 

[amycurl]

When my daughter was that age, we've visited all three. Her favorite was actually GO...she loved waking up and seeing the sunrise and the dolphins along the beach in the early morning with my mother. She swam on her own for the first time (aged 2) in one of the small hottubs in the early morning at GO. She loved the chess pieces that were her size (we went back about five years later and she tried to tell us the pieces had been replaced with smaller pieces, and we explained that, no, SHE had gotten bigger in comparison, LOL.)

It depends on how stimulated you want your LOs to be. But having access to an indoor pool is key, as I find that October can be the "rainy season" in the Carolinas.

 

[Steve A]

Slight correction to Big Matt. The Barony is not in the actual gated community. The private residential community, the Barony, and the Westin are in Port Royal Plantation but the private community is behind a guard house with mostly armed security ensuring that the cars entering are residents or invited guests. The Barony has a gate and employees monitoring those coming in. It isn’t staffed all the time and your room card can be used to raise the gate. If you’re staying in the garden villas there is a gate and you’ll need your room card to raise It.

 

[Big Matt]

Slight correction to Big Matt. The Barony is not in the actual gated community. The private residential community, the Barony, and the Westin are in Port Royal Plantation but the private community is behind a guard house with mostly armed security ensuring that the cars entering are residents or invited guests. The Barony has a gate and employees monitoring those coming in. It isn’t staffed all the time and your room card can be used to raise the gate. If you’re staying in the garden villas there is a gate and you’ll need your room card to raise It.

You are correct. I should have said that it is surrounded by a gated community on two sides, but to the south it isn't really gated and east is the ocean.

 

[Bill4728]

Boy Matt I wished I had read your comments on Baroney before booking there. When we check-in yesterday we got "Baroney Garden villas" which I didn't know existed. I thought the whole resort was the five buildings in all the pictures. The pool in the garden area is great and would be a major draw for kids. BUT we thought the resort was those 5 buildings. ;(