Hilton Head early plane arrival....

[Paumavista]

My daughter/son-in-law and two toddler grandsons are arriving by plane at 11am (we are driving but won't get there till early afternoon at the very earliest). We can not officially check in to our "private" rental on Sea Pines until 4pm. They won't have a car & will have luggage for 4 people. Where do they go...at least for a couple hours till we get there. Called the Westin and Sonesta for day passes but they said NO. Any other ideas....because of the luggage (2 carseats/stroller) and the need for bathrooms just heading to the beach might not work too well (they can try uber or a taxi for transportation). What do they do with luggage?.....By 1 or 2 pm when we arrive we hope to ask the rental to "hold our luggage" while they continue to finish cleaning and we can go to the beach club at Sea Pines (but the rental has late check out so previous guests probably won't be gone till 11am). I know HHI well....but I need ideas........Thanks.

 

[elaine]

I’d rent a hotel room somewhere and just ditch the night. Then arrive early and have them hold the luggage and use resort facilities if they cannot check in early. You could also use the facilities the next day as well. We’ve gotten a room at Disney hhi resort before just to use their facilities for 2 days. Disney hhi might be a bit pricey, but would be excellent for this purpose.

 

[Free2Roam]

If they're arriving at the airport at 11am and you'll be there 1-2pmish, they could just grab their luggage and find a place to eat at the airport... then just hang out until you get there (assuming there are eat-in restaurants at the airport... and you'll have room in your vehicle to pick them up with luggage). That could keep them a few hours.

Maybe better than roaming in the hot sun with kids and luggage in tow.

 

[Laurie]

If they're arriving at the airport at 11am and you'll be there 1-2pmish, they could just grab their luggage and find a place to eat at the airport... then just hang out until you get there (assuming there are eat-in restaurants at the airport... and you'll have room in your vehicle to pick them up with luggage). That could keep them a few hours.

Or a restaurant or cafe near Sea Pines with shaded outdoor seating -- which describes most restaurants in HHI. Maybe something around Coligny.

 

[Big Matt]

Which airport?

 

[tschwa2]

Normally I would say have them rent a car for the day just to have somewhere to put the carseats and luggage but one day rental is around $125+ these days.

 

[Paumavista]

Which airport?

They are flying into HHI.....so they'll be right on the island.
Any ideas for an inexpensive hotel....maybe one near (not necessarily "on") the ocean (there is NO hotel/resort on HHI that provides shuttle service....so they will need to get a taxi). Booking the Sonesta or Westin for the day is pretty expensive not to be sleeping there. I did look up car rentals and since it's September they might possibly pay under $100/day....and that's a good place to "store" all the luggage, etc.....then maybe a nice lunch somewhere or the park (there are a couple of beach access points that have restrooms). I do not know if we will have room for everyone plus our luggage (bikes, cooler, etc) in our vehicle.....we had hoped to unload before picking them up at the airport. Thanks for the input.

 

[Big Matt]

I wouldn't overthink this one. Sitting in the airport for a couple of hours isn't going to kill them. By the time they get their luggage it will be close to 11:30. They could try to get food delivered if they need to eat.

 

[silentg]

Did you check with the resort to see if they could wait there? Call an Uber to get to Resort, then use the restrooms, have lunch. That’s what I suggest.

 

[Laurie]

Best Western Ocean Breeze Inn could be a less expensive option, not too far from the beach (South Forest Beach / Coligny area) - close to our own HHI condo, so we know and like the neighborhood, and they could walk down to the Alder Lane beach access, next to Marriott Grande Ocean, which has restrooms, water fountain, showers etc. Holiday Inn Express is even closer to the beach, same neighborhood, we've attended meetings there and it seemed pretty decent, probably a bit pricier due to beach-proximity. You can google and try booking.com for many options.

 

[LisaRex]

Just FYI, we just got back from HHI and tried to hail an Uber several times, but nobody responded. I read that they make the drivers pay for a $225 annual pass or the daily gate fee, and I guess nobody is willing to do that.

Re your dilemma: I have this issue often when I travel to Hawaii and there are only a few options, already mentioned:

1) Rent a car and store your luggage in it while you (eat lunch/go to the park/beach).
2) Take a taxi to a public park or beach (or SeaPines Beach club) that has restrooms and some picnic tables, grab some lunch then play. But you'll have to haul your belongings with you. Been there, done that, albeit not with young kids.
3) Take a taxi to a hotel that you've rented for one night so that the kids can nap/play in the pool. Been there, done that, too.
4) Contact the owner and ask if you can stow your luggage in the garage/inside once they arrive. If they allow it (and many do), that makes it much easier. You can either take a taxi to SPBC and have lunch/rent chairs and hang out/nap til check-in OR you can arrange for bikes and a Kiddie Kart to be delivered in time to bike to the SPBC or HarbourTown.

The only other option I can think of is to hire either a tour driver or private boat captain for a half day. Have the driver meet you at the airport and load your luggage into his van, or take a taxi to the boat ramp and load up all your belongings on the boat.

(HH Charters picked us up at the boat ramp across from Pinckney's, which is not too far from the HHI airport.)

Personally, if I was traveling w/ toddlers, I'd opt for #3. This might be a great use of hotel points, if you have them. But reserve early because HHI has been packed and stacked since May. My BIL was traveling from Outer Banks to HHI and had a 1 night gap between check out and check in. Nothing was available within 50 miles. He and his 7 children (!) had to stay with his cousin who owns a small condo in Sea Pines.