Your pictures are beautiful, jme. You can't beat an ocean view but what is the name of this view category?
It is very nice too to look at these beautiful, mature trees with the leaves still on the trees. What months of the year are they bare as that would be less attractive?
This is an
Oceanside View, but read more below to understand. There are different Oceanside views---this one happens to be our favorite type, located on the North side. Nowadays it's called a "Courtyard View", but legally it's "Oceanside". All
Oceanside views are called Courtyard now by the resort day in and day out, whether it sees the ocean, trees, or lagoon.
Live Oak leaves on trees stay all year, never lost completely. Some may fall but they're constantly replaced. So, they are EVERGREEN practically speaking.
See:
http://www.nola.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2015/03/why_is_my_live_oak_losing_its.html
Explanation:
Grande Ocean has only two legal designations,
Oceanfront and
Oceanside, and those terms are on the deeds at time of purchase.
As things have evolved, they have renamed those views (on Interval International reservations forms, for example) as "Close to Beach" for Oceanfront, and "Courtyard View" for Oceanside.
These "new" names are merely to more accurately state to VISITORS such as traders, renters (even owners on their reservations) what kind of view one will be receiving, so that no one shows up at check-in and is livid because their supposed "Oceanfront" view can't fully see the ocean, or their "Oceanside" view isn't beside the ocean and doesn't see the ocean at all----as both original terms SORT OF carry the connotation or allusion that the ocean is intimately involved with a VIEW. A view name on a reservation doesn't guarantee much in regard to a view of ocean, explained more below.
These terms reflect Grande Ocean's unique situation whereby the resort is not really "about the ocean view", but more about the PROXIMITY of the building TO the ocean. For example, an Oceanfront villa may indeed have trees in front of it and you cannot see the ocean at all, or only partially at best. It happens with a few of the oceanfront villas. So instead they now say being OF is "close to the ocean" only. If you happen to get lucky and get a high floor that also has a direct ocean view, great, that's possible too.
And the Oceanside villas can have views of literally ANYTHING------trees, lagoon, a mix, direct high-floor view of ocean, partial view of ocean....whatever. It's luck of the draw. Traders-in may never see the ocean. Owners may never see the ocean. But again, at GO it's not about seeing the ocean from your villa, it's about stepping ONTO THE SAND in 1-3 minutes from anywhere. Not very many spend their time inside there---it's all about outside pool-beach-activity time.
Of course, those who prize the balcony views of the ocean whenever at "a beach resort" might be disappointed or ecstatic depending on the random unit assignment. Owners are typically given alternating assignments whereby one year it's more of an ocean view, following year it's more trees.
Reason for all of this is that Hilton Head codes do NOT allow for excessive pruning of ANY trees or foliage to enhance views, excepting a small % of pruning each year, and Grande Ocean does do that to some extent without destroying the feel of the landscape. It's an environmental/preservation issue.
We happen to LOVE the North side lagoon section....it's more quiet, shaded, cool, relaxed, whatever you wish to say, and we request that type view about half the time now. There are little lights strategically placed in some of the trees in the lagoon section that are gorgeous at night----quite romantic-----and we adore that. It's a wonderful view from the balcony or from any room at night. The week seems to last longer when we stay there. We own 2 OF weeks and 2 OS weeks, and frankly we enjoy the OS best. There are several select OS villas that we are very fond of.
Here are a few more OS views from North side:
(SCROLL LEFT-RIGHT to see full photo)
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THE LIBRARY...............
THE LIBRARY................
THE LIBRARY
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