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Off Season - Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head

Bucky

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Ok I stand corrected on the OP’s search for the specific age ranges. You’re absolutely right about Myrtle’s activities for the younger ones. They’ll probably have a blast there, I certainly did at those ages!!! Also, I gave the description of the typical MB visitor with tongue-in-cheek (a typical “Day in the Life”), and of course it was overly stereotypical of a certain rough type, but a little bit of that was true if you look around —-more of those there than you might think. Look at Biker’s Week—you won’t catch most people there when that’s going on! Heck, Daytona is the same… but I loved my family’s many trips to Daytona growing up… it’s one of the widest and most beautiful beaches anywhere. Myrtle Beach is very popular too so who am I to knock it? It’s just not what we choose. MB indeed has it all, I'm sure you would agree. There’s a wider range of everything. There are also some very beautiful & wonderful homes at MB, and I gawked at many of them when we rode around. Glad you’re happy there, truly, and I’m sure it’s awesome. It is the same for the friends of mine who made the same decision. Just don’t conclude that all HH visitors, residents, or fans are the “stuffy upper crust” who look down their noses…..I’ve never once seen that or even imagined that. It’s simply an expensive place to go, not unlike Mackinac Island up north, and those places naturally become exclusive. The “resort scene” represented here on TUG runs the gamut, and perhaps that’s the beauty of it. And I always appreciate your contributions here.
Definitely agree on getting out of town during bike weeks, and we have three of those every year! We also leave during Mustang week, and I own a Mustang! Those weeks are all like spring break on steroids! We are all different in our needs and wants. MB is 2.5 hrs from our house in NC. HHI is 5.5 hrs. Since we spend 2-3 weeks out of every month in MB, the driving time is important for us. When driving into MB Hwy 31 takes one off the main drag of U.S. 17 and gets one where they are going quickly. HHI access is horrible, especially on a weekend. Have I said I hate I-95? But, that may have changed by now since we haven’t been in years but, it used to be a nightmare. Shoot, they tried to charge us $5 just to drive down a gated road last time we were 5here. When I’m looking for something while driving I want to be able and see it, even though I am usually using my GPS if I haven’t been there before. MB makes it easy while HHI likes to hide any roadside Ro tags behind trees, like out of sight out of mind. That’s not my cup of tea. Those that praise HHI always rave about how the restaurants there are so much better than MB. Evidently they didn’t look too well. Places like the Sea Captains, Joes Bar & Grill, Hook & Barrel, The Library, Aspen Grill, Crave, are all top notch restaurants. These just skim the surface of what’s available. Stuffy was probably an over exaggeration. I obviously could have done better with that description.
 

pedro47

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I must agree with Bucky, the Aspen Grill is an outstanding restaurant in MB.
A Plus, for us for MB is the drive time, 5 1/2 hours from Virginia opposed to 7 1/2 hours to HHI. We must stop for breakfast or lunch on our vacation trip. LOL
 

chapjim

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Is the ocean at HHI brown like it is in Myrtle Beach?
 

jwalk03

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It always amazes me how passionate people are on the Myrtle vs Hilton Head debate. I honestly don't think I have ever seen anyone say they love both. Everyone seems to falls in one camp or the other.

Personally I have been to Myrtle Beach many times and always enjoyed it. Marriott Ocean watch is a fabulous resort.

I have only been to HHI once and I was not that impressed. To be fair it was before I owned Marriott and we stayed at a different timeshare, so I do want to give HHI another try staying at one fo the Marriott Big 3, just haven't managed to land a trade for it yet that worked.
 

jme

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Is the ocean at HHI brown like it is in Myrtle Beach?

Yes, pretty much, and the water looks similar on down into Florida.
It's due to the sediment from the river tributaries entering the ocean all along the east coast.

Why is Atlantic Ocean water brown?
Image result for color of ocean water along mid-atlantic coast

As light bounces off and passes through water, it reflects the color blue back to our eyes, but microscopic algae and tiny sediments
known as colored dissolved organic matter muddy the metaphorical waters and cause oceans to appear green, red, or brown.
 

Bucky

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Yes, pretty much, and the water looks similar on down into Florida.
It's due to the sediment from the river tributaries entering the ocean all along the east coast.

Why is Atlantic Ocean water brown?
Image result for color of ocean water along mid-atlantic coast

As light bounces off and passes through water, it reflects the color blue back to our eyes, but microscopic algae and tiny sediments
known as colored dissolved organic matter muddy the metaphorical waters and cause oceans to appear green, red, or brown.
I believe one pretty much has to leave CONUS to find that crystal clear blue water. Our favorites used to be St Maarten or Aruba when water activities were a part of our lifestyle.
 
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Bunk

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@mdurette

Brookgreen Gardens in Murrell's Inlet (near Myrtle) is excellent. You and your guests will enjoy the Christmas light show.

If your group enjoys walking, I think the beaches in both locations are good for walking. But Hilton Head has more places that I would prefer to walk, including Pinckney Island, Sea Pines and a trip to Savannah (check out the Samantha Brown episode on Savannah that just came out).

Another thing that is a must in Hilton Head is the Jazz Corner. I believe it's open all year and we've always been happy with the concert and the meal.

I'm not sure whether the temperature in Hilton Head is warm enough in December for bike riding. But if it is, that is a major plus for Hilton Head, where you can bike ride both on the beach and on trails throughout the island. Not sure what shape your group is in, but an alte kaker like me does a lot of biking when we visit Hilton Head

We've had really good meals in both places. But you have to do your homework and be prepared to drive.

Finally, it is probably more convenient to fly from the Northeast to Savannah (for Hilton Head) than Myrtle Beach.
 

legalfee

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Living in SC all my life people that live here will say Edisto Island is their favorite beach. If we go to the MB area it's Pawleys Island where a friend owns a condo. If we go to HHI it's the Sonesta or Hyatt where my wife has meetings. We have gone and are going to the HHI wine and food festival this year.
 
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nerodog

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First, to answer your question, we don't go back to Oceanwatch, except when we're meeting up with a friend who owns there, and that is rare.







Should have included that, sorry 







As I said it's been a while, and we typically trade that or give it to my staff or a friend.







Let there be no mistake...Oceanwatch resort is an amazingly beautiful resort. The villas are gorgeous and the pools are pristine.







The beach is great, too, same beach that traverses the entire East coast (I've heard).







In general the place is as good as it gets in the Marriott system. It's classy and it's awesome.















My problem is not with the resort, but with Myrtle Beach proper. It's a different crowd, which I said too much previously.







Myrtle Beach is cheap & touristy, and the caliber of the two do not seem right for each other.







(Typical day's agenda for the non-Marriott Myrtle Beach visitor:







Drive down the strip, get a tattoo, buy a T-shirt, go play miniature golf, next wait in line for dinner at Calabash Seafood House, then go get wasted at some honky tonk bar.)







But Oceanwatch itself is OK....day on the beach and at the pools, very nice. Then what?















But it's a reasonable location for its latitude. That was Marriott's intent, I believe.







Nothing "Marriott" between Fairway Villas/Atlantic City and Hilton Head, except for Oceanwatch.







They knew the location's draw would be the key---"halfway to Florida". And yes, it's a golfing mecca....more courses than anywhere else I know of, except Orlando, perhaps.







So, I wish this amazing resort could be dug up and set down somewhere else. Drop it down onto Maui or Oahu and we have a deal.















Regarding my previous post, I do tend to be verbose because I don't want to leave anything unsaid, at least on this enjoyable and lazy Saturday morning.







Hard week at the office, so it's like therapy. (If it helps you to go to sleep, you may want to print it and re-use. You're welcome.)







I'm absolutely sure some of that is superfluous, but it was not a thesis or a term paper (I wrote so many), so it was not intended to be of that caliber.







I have 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 yo grandchildren, so my stories tend to go on and on........ it must transfer to TUG posts for me.... again, sorry.







Brevity is not my forte, except when I'm writing up my patients' charts daily.....I have to keep that short and precise, but that's another story.















I said all that in my post for a reason....it explains some of the minor details or back story that people may not know.







I was trying to paint a picture, not write a "drive-by".







The message was really addressed to the OP who was looking for a place for their "older crowd".







We personally have no problem walking, and walking quite a way for dining and everything else. Everywhere we go, we like to walk.















For example, we've been to Boston in Fall 9 times out of the last 13 years (the pandemic cut into that string of trips),







and we walk from Custom House to the North End every evening for dinner. At Hilton Head we walk many times to breakfast, after walking the beach in the mornings.







When we visit Manor Club in Fall and during both holidays (Thanksgiving or Christmas) we walk the woodsy trails every day for hours,







and we also walk Colonial Williamsburg for hours at a time. Thankfully we are neither medically nor physically challenged.















And in closing, one last word, just for you.......enjoy....















Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.







Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.







But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave thast full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, syour hall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the pelove ople, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.







I loved your
 

nerodog

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Ok I stand corrected on the OP’s search for the specific age ranges. You’re absolutely right about Myrtle’s activities for the younger ones. They’ll probably have a blast there, I certainly did at those ages!!! Also, I gave the description of the typical MB visitor with tongue-in-cheek (a typical “Day in the Life”), and of course it was overly stereotypical of a certain rough type, but a little bit of that was true if you look around —-more of those there than you might think. Look at Biker’s Week—you won’t catch most people there when that’s going on! Heck, Daytona is the same… but I loved my family’s many trips to Daytona growing up… it’s one of the widest and most beautiful beaches anywhere. Myrtle Beach is very popular too so who am I to knock it? It’s just not what we choose. MB indeed has it all, I'm sure you would agree. There’s a wider range of everything. There are also some very beautiful & wonderful homes at MB, and I gawked at many of them when we rode around. Glad you’re happy there, truly, and I’m sure it’s awesome. It is the same for the friends of mine who made the same decision. Just don’t conclude that all HH visitors, residents, or fans are the “stuffy upper crust” who look down their noses…..I’ve never once seen that or even imagined that. It’s simply an expensive place to go, not unlike Mackinac Island up north, and those places naturally become exclusive. The “resort scene” represented here on TUG runs the gamut, and perhaps that’s the beauty of it. And I always appreciate your contributions here.

Lover your review and its spot on.
 
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nerodog

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I have been to both several times . As mentioned by many, MB is very busy and more touristy, kitschy. With that said we liked Seawatch up toward North MB and found it less strip like. Years ago however!! Lots of golf.







HHI we Preferred it. Liked staying in Shipyard. Private, quieter. With regard to day trips yes Savannah is close. Charleston is in the middle from either resort. Pawleys Island is also a nice drive. You'd probably enjoy both places.We stayed at Port o Call and another place in Shipyard .I can't recall... also liked Royal Palms ? 3 BR. Nice resort.
 
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nerodog

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I have been to both several times . As mentioned by many, MB is very busy and more touristy, kitschy. With that said we liked Seawatch up toward North MB and found it less strip like. Years ago however!! Lots of golf.















HHI we Preferred it. Liked staying in Shipyard. Private, quieter. With regard to day trips yes Savannah is close. Charleston is in the middle from either resort. Pawleys Island is also a nice drive. You'd probably enjoy both places.We stayed at Port o Call and another place in Shipyard .I can't recall... also liked Royal Palms ? 3 BR. Nice resort.


Royal Dunes !!!
 
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nerodog

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I also flew from Mass.. from Hartford. To HHI yiu can go either to Savannah or Charlotte and a puddle jumper direct to HHI. MB we flew from Charlotte also.
 

mdurette

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OP here - thanks for all your feedback! Appears a bit of a lovers for both!

Williamsburg - been there already, looking for something different.
We live in a coastal town, so beach isn't the draw.

It may just come down to what II opens up for getaway inventory since I don't plan on exchanging.
 

jwalk03

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OP here - thanks for all your feedback! Appears a bit of a lovers for both!

Williamsburg - been there already, looking for something different.
We live in a coastal town, so beach isn't the draw.

It may just come down to what II opens up for getaway inventory since I don't plan on exchanging.

Nov/Dec/Jan should all be very easy getaways to snag for MB or HHI. Should have your pick.
 

jmhpsu93

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One other point to consider is the weather....it's definitely warmer in HHI vs. MB in the winter.
 

pedro47

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I would pick Myrtle Beach over HHI. HHI is a gated community and very snobbish if you ask me. The last time I was there I parked in front of my unit and came out the next morning to find a faux parking ticket on my windshield. Turns out when I opened my door my parking pass blew off the dash onto the seat. Who in their right mind has the time or need to patrol these units in the middle of the night looking for parking passes. Why would anyone be parked in front of a unit if they weren't staying there. This stupidity turned me off permanently to HHI.
At the Marriott's OceanWatch in Myrtle Beach, SC, security does control the parking garages and the parking lots at night. IMHO, it is not a snobbish resort. LOL

They are patrolling for owners and guests safety. IMHO.
 

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At the Marriott's OceanWatch in Myrtle Beach, SC, security does control the parking garages and the parking lots at night. IMHO, it is not a snobbish resort. LOL

They are patrolling for owners and guests safety. IMHO.
So why would they think a car is parked in front of a unit if they weren't staying there especially if you had to go past a gate guard in order to get onto the island?
 

jme

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I would pick Myrtle Beach over HHI. HHI is a gated community and very snobbish if you ask me. The last time I was there I parked in front of my unit and came out the next morning to find a faux parking ticket on my windshield. Turns out when I opened my door my parking pass blew off the dash onto the seat. Who in their right mind has the time or need to patrol these units in the middle of the night looking for parking passes. Why would anyone be parked in front of a unit if they weren't staying there. This stupidity turned me off permanently to HHI.



First, HHI in its entirety is not a "gated community", but the island does have several gated communities.
The reasons are obvious----private property owners live in each, and therefore need certain restrictions to ensure security and to minimize traffic.
It's a reasonable policy, and I get it.

That one silly incident regarding the missing parking pass is hardly sufficient to dismiss a whole island and to label the entire place as "snobbish".
HHI is in fact not a snobbish island, by the way----it's filled with as many, maybe more, northerners than anyplace I know, so the visiting crowd is quite divergent.
The restaurants and other businesses are full of smiling, congenial employees, just as are the employees at all of the rental accommodations.
We have come to know some of the nicest people in the travel industry who are employed on the island---it's more typical than not.
Bottom line, there's absolutely no less a gracious crowd than at any other destination....and in fact, better than most.
HHI is a higher-end destination, for sure, but it's a very pleasant one....that's one of many reasons it's so popular.
We do travel a lot, so we're quite aware.

As for your parking pass incident, your assertion that "no one would park there unless they're staying there" is totally irrelevant.
The real deal is that they want to make sure the guest's vehicle is registered and parking there "legally".
It was actually YOUR responsibility to make sure the pass was visible, and it was not.
Security at ALL properties checks for that, and if they don't, they are not doing their job appropriately.
Surely you're aware that the same requirement exists at every single hotel, rental condo, or timeshare property anywhere, and not just Hilton Head.
It's also a requirement at all Myrtle Beach properties, btw, and if you don't think so, pay attention.
 

legalfee

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One thing to keep in mind is the crime rate at MB:

With a crime rate of 95 per one thousand residents, Myrtle Beach has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 11.
 

Bucky

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One thing to keep in mind is the crime rate at MB:

With a crime rate of 95 per one thousand residents, Myrtle Beach has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 11.
Since you are quoting from neighborhoodscout.com I will keep the same source for additional info. Myrtle Beach gets over 19 million visitors yearly. That’s about 5 times the size of Los Angeles. The LA crime rate per 1K residents is only 32 but that’s only because of having a permanent population of almost 4M people. The Myrtle Beach permanent population is only 37000. Let’s see, 19 million people coming to our city of only 37000 is obviously going to create a skewed crime rate. Ft Lauderdale has a crime rate of over 240 per 1K. Numbers can be manipulated to support any point of view. Crime is not something that ever enters our mind when we go out the front door. Now tourist and traffic are, but not crime. But then again, we are not night owls prone to staying out late in unfamiliar neighborhoods.
 

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In our experience, we would definitely choose OceanWatch in Myrtle Beach over Hilton Head. We have found some fantastic restaurants in Myrtle Beach and we absolutely love OceanWatch. There are tons of activities for people of all ages at the resort or in Myrtle Beach itself. We personally did not care for Hilton Head. We have stayed at Grande Ocean and Barony Beach. Between those 2 resorts we would definitely choose Barony Beach.
 
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