Myrtle Beach vs. Hilton Head

[andrea t]

W love Hilton Head...one of our favorite places in the US. However, years ago we went to Myrtle Beach with 5 kids about the same ages as yours and it was AMAZING! We stayed at Ocean Watch, but it was all the activites in Myrtle Beach for kids that age range that made it so much fun! I'll probably never go back to Myrtle Beach...kids too old for that now (so we'll head back to the laid back Hilton Head), but it was one of the best vacations we ever had. Google things to do in Myrtle Beach before making your decision.

 

[jont]

In addition to Savannah and Charleston, I would add Beaufort, South Carolina to the cities to consider for day trips. These 3 cities would have a totally different ambience compared to the historic places of Boston.

If you're unfamiliar with Beaufort, check out this link: Movies Made in Beaufort, South Carolina

And the drive to Beaufort from Hilton Head Island is much shorter than the drive to Beaufort from Charleston.

Enjoy your trip, whatever your decision.

Richard

Thanks Richard
That sounds like a wonderful little side trip from HHI. We will check it out on our next trip down there

 

[SCSTWG]

I am at MOW now and as always think it is a great resort for a family beach vacation. The resort has a small footprint but has tons to do and is well organized. As mentioned, pools are great as well as hot tubs. The tourist trap sections of Myrtle Beach are only 10 minutes away, but you feel completely isolated and as if they are 100 miles away. Hilton Head is also great, but provides much less in the way of entertainment options. For me it comes down to your family makeup. If your children like to be entertained and kept busy with activities, then Myrtle Beach is the best option. If they are content with just the beach and pool and some bike trails, Hilton Head might be the best choice.

 

[MOXJO7282]

All,

We are going to Boston for a few days for the front end of a 10 day trip. We have five days available and are considering either Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head. I've been able to secure space as a placeholder at Grande Ocean for 5 days beginning April 6, but thought I would ask the group their opinions of the two locations.

We've always wanted to visit both, with Hilton Head being the greater "draw". If we went to Myrtle Beach, we would likely stay at Sheraton Broadway Plantation since we have extra StarOptions next year, but open for anything if TUGgers think there is a material difference between SBP and OceanWatch.

Age of children is 14/12/10 and we will be coming off of a 4-day Boston trip heavy on museums and history, so Hilton Head/Myrtle Beach is intended for general entertainment.

Please advise with any observations and thank you!

Best,

Greg

I would say HHI especially if you can get into the GO would be my recommendation. You and your kids would love riding bikes through the Sea Pines. Myrtle Beach is a super nice resort but the surrounding area is nothing to get exited about unless you really like mini-golf.

The restaurant comparison is there really isn't a comparison because HHI most would agree is far better.

 

[chunkygal]

I can't believe use recommended mb over HH! Must be a more for her situation.
Just from reading your posts and the little I know about your background and taste, decidedly little I a sure, HHI for sure.
bring it on flames, but mB is to HH like 6 flags is to Disney.

 

[SueDonJ]

I can't believe use recommended mb over HH! Must be a more for her situation.
Just from reading your posts and the little I know about your background and taste, decidedly little I a sure, HHI for sure.
bring it on flames, but mB is to HH like 6 flags is to Disney.

Not sure who this is directed to but ... like I said, I LOVE Hilton Head but for what Greg seems to want for this trip, Myrtle Beach might be a better fit. He said they'll be doing the museum/history (read "quieter") stuff during the week before in Boston so Myrtle Beach will really give the kids a chance to enjoy all the typical boardwalk stuff that Hilton Head doesn't offer. Whether Sheraton Broadway Plantation or Marriott's OceanWatch doesn't matter; seems both offer a whole lot to draw the kiddies.

If the trip was later in May or during the summer I'd definitely say keep the Grande Ocean reservation because the kids would most likely be thrilled filling the days with just hanging on the beach, biking and mini-golf once or twice. But early April? Nope. This time around I'd give them Myrtle Beach's honky-tonk fun and plan a different trip to Hilton Head during swimming season.

 

[Bucky]

It's a choice only you can make. Your family will love both but if your children are active, they could get bored in HH much quicker than MB. HH is a place my wife and I love to go TO but when my daughter and her family join us, it is always MB as our go to. Hard to keep our 8yr old GS from getting bored in HH.

There are tons of activities IN MB for the children such as Myrtle Waves water park, NASCAR Speedpark, etc, etc, etc. To the best of my knowledge HH has none of these types of activities. As far as restaurants go, I've been to both places several times and while HH has many fine restaurants, MB has more! If you cannot find a good restaurant in MB, you probably didn't look!

 

[lizap]

Completely agree..

Not sure who this is directed to but ... like I said, I LOVE Hilton Head but for what Greg seems to want for this trip, Myrtle Beach might be a better fit. He said they'll be doing the museum/history (read "quieter") stuff during the week before in Boston so Myrtle Beach will really give the kids a chance to enjoy all the typical boardwalk stuff that Hilton Head doesn't offer. Whether Sheraton Broadway Plantation or Marriott's OceanWatch doesn't matter; seems both offer a whole lot to draw the kiddies.

If the trip was later in May or during the summer I'd definitely say keep the Grande Ocean reservation because the kids would most likely be thrilled filling the days with just hanging on the beach, biking and mini-golf once or twice. But early April? Nope. This time around I'd give them Myrtle Beach's honky-tonk fun and plan a different trip to Hilton Head during swimming season.

 

[bogey21]

We used to spend a week in both Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head every year. On HHI we owned a Week at Monarch. Small but ok beach, bike trails, golf, laid back, etc. At Myrtle Beach we owned a Week at Peppertree by the Sea. Nice wide beach, North Myrtle Beach location, golf, relaxing, easy drive to Myrtle Beach proper. A plus at both locations was that it was only a few steps from our Units to the beach (no driving, no parking and could easily cool off in our Units) Loved them both.

George

 

[puckmanfl]

Good afternoon....

Gregster...

is this trip instead of Atlantis or in addition too.... Having just spent some time with your armada at KL..I would vote HHI for you...

 

[mjm1]

In addition to Savannah and Charleston, I would add Beaufort, South Carolina to the cities to consider for day trips. These 3 cities would have a totally different ambience compared to the historic places of Boston.

If you're unfamiliar with Beaufort, check out this link: Movies Made in Beaufort, South Carolina

And the drive to Beaufort from Hilton Head Island is much shorter than the drive to Beaufort from Charleston.

Enjoy your trip, whatever your decision.

Richard

I second the recommendation to make a side trip to Beaufort. We stayed on HHI last year for the first time and really enjoyed the environment. We made a day trip to Savannah, which we had seen before, but also heard about Beaufort. Another day trip and we enjoyed walking around the city to see the older homes. On the way back to HHI we left via the water front street and drove by some extremely nice older homes. Definitely worth a visit.

Mike

 

[lizap]

My response would have been different (in favor of HH) if only Greg and his wife were taking the trip.

 

[SueDonJ]

My response would have been different (in favor of HH) if only Greg and his wife were taking the trip.

Yep.

Why do all of you want to torture Greg's kids by plunking them down on that gorgeous stretch of Hilton Head beach for the first time only to have to say to them, "oh, but you can't go in because the air and water temperatures are still too cold!?!?" THEN you have to tell them that Daddy could have taken them to another beach town where they could have stood and looked at a beach that looks just like that one, but also has cool things like arcades and bumper cars and an awesome boardwalk!

You're all a bunch of Scrooges - let Greg's kids have some real kid fun after they do all the boring stuff in Boston!

 

[puckmanfl]

good evening...

OK

I changed my mind... I just spent a week with Greg's kids... all 3 are primo kids...let them have fun doing all the cheezy stuff....!!!!

to myrtle Beach and beyond...

 

[answeeney]

Yep.

Why do all of you want to torture Greg's kids by plunking them down on that gorgeous stretch of Hilton Head beach for the first time only to have to say to them, "oh, but you can't go in because the air and water temperatures are still too cold!?!?" THEN you have to tell them that Daddy could have taken them to another beach town where they could have stood and looked at a beach that looks just like that one, but also has cool things like arcades and bumper cars and an awesome boardwalk!

You're all a bunch of Scrooges - let Greg's kids have some real kid fun after they do all the boring stuff in Boston!

If you want a sea that's too cold to go into then forget Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head. I vote for Blackpool.

 

[samara64]

I will vote for Mytrle Beach

We just came back from a similar east coast trip with my kids (14 & 11) for 15 days. We stayed in a mix of Marriott and Wyndham resorts depending on the city.

Started in Fort Lauderdale, Fl and ended in DC via HHI and MYR.

I have to say that we liked Myrtle beach by far. It has a lively city and boardwalk as well as a quite beach. Lots of shopping as well. We liked it so much that we are working with a realtor to buy a condo to be a second home.

HHI is nice but I would not go back. At least not for now. Maybe in 40 years when I am in my 80s. We wish we stayed more days in DC instead of HHI to tour more Smithsonians.

I toured all the Marriott resorts in HH while I was there. I always do that to plan my next trip. Most of them look like garden style apartment buildings except Marriott’s Monarch. Majority of them are in plantations which are residential areas.

The island is very heavily wooded even the shopping centers where you will have hard time reading the store signs. Also restaurant choices are very limited in the island.

All the building have the same style and color and there is no shopping in the island to speak of. My wife was not happy at all.

I have to say that the beach in HH is nice and the sand is white and very fine. it is even better then MOC. I have to agree that the HH vacationers are more the relaxed type.

Now going back to Myrtle Beach. I toured MOW. Nice resort but we liked Wyndham Ocean BLVD more.

MOW is far away from everything. It is in a residential area. Quite a drive to any restaurant, attractions or shopping. It is on the north end of Myrtle beach on the way to the city of North Myrtle beach. The resort itself is very nice and the pools are great. The beach is accessible via a wooden walkway as most other resorts.

Compared to Wyndham Ocean BLVD where you can walk to lots of places and you do not even need a car.

Make sure if you go to Myrtle, go to city of Calabash (just north once you cross to NC) for the best seafood ever. We went deep see fishing and caught 6 sharks (2-4 ft long), a flounder and one blue fish in 4 hours. It was great. (have a pic but do not know how to upload it).

The Myrtle board walk is one of the nicest I have been to and is full of attractions for the kids. It is very lively even at 2AM.

Best of luck with the trip and have fun either way.

Sam

 

[GregT]

All,

Thank you again for all of the feedback and comments. We are on the fence now and not sure what we are going to do. The kids would definitely like Myrtle Beach and all of the action, and Jonell and I might prefer the active biking/kayaking of HH. A nice problem to have. We will probably book Sheraton Plantation in 30 days when StarOptions and then keep both reservations as placeholders while we do more research. Again, a nice problem to have.

Puck, this is not instead of Atlantis, we are planning to go there over Thanksgiving, but the vacation plans are moving alot these days, so who knows what will be finalized. I really hope they are an Autograph property by November, which will simplify things greatly.

Thanks again to all for the comments and perspective.

Best,

Greg

 

[chunkygal]

I can't believe use recommended mb over HH! Must be a more for her situation.
Just from reading your posts and the little I know about your background and taste, decidedly little I a sure, HHI for sure.
bring it on flames, but mB is to HH like 6 flags is to Disney.

Sue, I was teasing you about recommending MB cause I think you are the biggest HHI fan ever. Someday I will have to learn how to type better on an IPAD. It is one reason I don"t have a smart phone.

We were in HH last spring break and yes the water is cold, but the pools were heated. We love the restaurants there and there are activities, kayaking, horseback, marsh things, crabbing, going to Daufuskie.

 

[SueDonJ]

Sue, I was teasing you about recommending MB cause I think you are the biggest HHI fan ever. Someday I will have to learn how to type better on an IPAD. It is one reason I don"t have a smart phone.

We were in HH last spring break and yes the water is cold, but the pools were heated. We love the restaurants there and there are activities, kayaking, horseback, marsh things, crabbing, going to Daufuskie.

Oh good, I'm glad I jumped in then! Wasn't certain but I thought maybe "use" meant "Sue." Seems smart phones and gadgets are teaching us a new way to read.

LOVE Hilton Head and so far we've been to HHI during all seasons except high summer - that will change next month and I'm hoping that the high heat/humidity won't be too oppressive. When we eventually retire there the plan is to have something up here to which we can return for summers. We'll see.

 

[Fasttr]

LOVE Hilton Head and so far we've been to HHI during all seasons except high summer - that will change next month and I'm hoping that the high heat/humidity won't be too oppressive. When we eventually retire there the plan is to have something up here to which we can return for summers. We'll see.

One of my Dad's favorite rhymes....

As a rule, a man's a fool.
When it's hot, he wants it cool.
When it's cool, he wants it hot.
Always wanting what it's not.

How true is that!!!

 

[jont]

All,

Thank you again for all of the feedback and comments. We are on the fence now and not sure what we are going to do. The kids would definitely like Myrtle Beach and all of the action, and Jonell and I might prefer the active biking/kayaking of HH. A nice problem to have. We will probably book Sheraton Plantation in 30 days when StarOptions and then keep both reservations as placeholders while we do more research. Again, a nice problem to have.

Puck, this is not instead of Atlantis, we are planning to go there over Thanksgiving, but the vacation plans are moving alot these days, so who knows what will be finalized. I really hope they are an Autograph property by November, which will simplify things greatly.

Thanks again to all for the comments and perspective.

Best,

Greg

Greg
The truth of the matter is that both are great places to go on vacation. It has been interesting reading to see all the pros and cons(not many) of each place debated. No matter what you decide, I hope you and the family have a great time.
PS: when up in Boston, be sure to take the tour of Fenway Park and if you can go to a game even better.

All the best

 

[windje2000]

Greg
The truth of the matter is that both are great places to go on vacation. It has been interesting reading to see all the pros and cons(not many) of each place debated. No matter what you decide, I hope you and the family have a great time.
PS: when up in Boston, be sure to take the tour of Fenway Park and if you can go to a game even better.

All the best

+1 (it is historical )

 

[GregT]

PS: when up in Boston, be sure to take the tour of Fenway Park and if you can go to a game even better.

All the best

We love that idea! We have a friend who used to play for the Red Sox and he is looking into a special tour for us -- we hope it works out and that they have a home game when we are there! Wish us luck...

Best,

Greg

 

[KathyPet]

Up front let me say that I own at GO and absolutely love it there. We have been to OW once and I did not care for it at all. the units are small, the balconies are tiny and the resort area around the main ocean front pool is overcrowded and packed with wall to wall people during the summer months. The energy level is high and I do not find it at all relaxing. However my daughter and her DH love it there saying HH is boring and not enough to do so we will be spending a week there from Labor Day on with them and my 1 year old grandson.
All that being said if I had teenagers OW would definitely be my choice as a fun place for them if not for me.

 

[pedro47]

Up front let me say that I own at GO and absolutely love it there. We have been to OW once and I did not care for it at all. the units are small, the balconies are tiny and the resort area around the main ocean front pool is overcrowded and packed with wall to wall people during the summer months. The energy level is high and I do not find it at all relaxing. However my daughter and her DH love it there saying HH is boring and not enough to do so we will be spending a week there from Labor Day on with them and my 1 year old grandson.
All that being said if I had teenagers OW would definitely be my choice as a fun place for them if not for me.

Good point teenagers will enjoy MB much better because of all the activities.