Rambling thoughts at Hilton Head

[ahdah]

That would be the one-dollar bills.
On Tuesdays they'll sell you a one-dollar bill for $2.99.
(Fresh Market is a high-end market, great for specialty items----yes, wonderful, we love it, but it's expensive.)

$2.99 Tuesday at The Fresh Market, they sell their hamburger and boneless, skinless chicken breast for $2.99. You save $3.00 to $4.00 per lb. They may also have other items for $2.99. It is a wonderful market with several items on sale every week. It is my favorite market on HHI.

 

[nerodog]

We are on spring break at Grande Ocean. It’s raining so I’m sitting here thinking on my iPad (so forgive the typos). Because of the pandemic (remote working and remote schooling), we’ve been able to visit four properties in a relative short amount of time- All in South Carolina- Ocean Watch, Surf Watch, Harbour Club and now Grande Ocean. Three are within a few miles of each other. Yet we’ve noticed differences that are interesting to me. This is not really a complaint— just interesting.

checking into Grande Ocean a few days ago we found it to be the most direct and stern welcome of all. while waiting my turn to check in, I observed employees almost talking to guests as if they were children about the COVID-19 protocols. In a loud and strong voice telling them the rules. I get the rules and am certainly not looking for a political debate about the merits of state policies and mandates. a female associate was almost lecturing. Thankfully she did not check me in. But I was taken aback by the lack of graciousness you would expect at a hospitality business (better to say, “we ask that everyone wear a mask in the common areas...” instead of “we have a zero tolerance for people not following the rules of... Or you could be asked to leave.”). Wow. Of course in today’s world you have to cover your liability so I understand informing everyone of the rules and posting signs. If there are problems with individuals then you address it with those people.

I was told if engineering needed to enter the unit then we would have to vacate— meaning not be in another room or on the balcony. Yes they were that explicit. We called at Harbour Club acfew weeks ago when we spotted water inside the kitchen cabinets. I had a mask and the engineer had a mask and we were both on our knees trying to figure our where the water was coming from. Turns out the dishwasher line was leaking but I think my presence helped him find it faster to eliminate damage.

At Grande Ocean i heard them tell others they were not fully staffed because of Covid-19. But later said they were at full capacity.

Activites are limited as you would expect. Reservations are required 24 hours in advance for activities. We decided to make reservations for virtual s’mores and dutifully called 24 hours in advance. Virtual smores means they bring a little bags of chocolate, marshmallow and graham crackers to you. At the 24-hour mark when we called, the person on the phone wasn’t sure what we were talking about and put us on hold. She came back on and told us that activity was full! I’m not sure how you can put a capacity limit on delivery of a s’more kit— but there is one.

between the four properties I noticed different dishwashing detergent, kitchen soap, and laundry detergent. Of course who cares, but I do find it interesting because I would think they get it all from the same vendors. Speaking of soap, hand soap in bathrooms and shampoo is a peach smell but bath bar and lotion are the old standard. My wife who really is not into that kind of thing LOVES the peach stuff. ;-).

here only one family unit in hot tubs at a time— other properties did not mention that rule. And hot tubs here are big!
really like the renovation at Grande ocean. our favorite interior of the four. View is totally blocked by trees. surprised that it appears so many units have blocked views and no apparent pruning.

Ocean Watch seems to have the most units with views (granted there may be some distance to the ocean).

three have had bathroom renovations recently. Yet all are different. Surf watch has best shower with multi heads. Harbour Club has good shower space but no hand held unit. Grand ocean has Hand unit but it’s an either or situation between wall mount and hand held. Grand Ocean has nice held with draining hole.

i also find the TV options interesting—. They have differing streaming options. Again not a big deal, just interesting.

rain is moving out. Time to get moving.

Thx for sharing. Looks lovely

 

[GraceR]

We spent 7 weeks mostly at Grand Ocean at the beginning of the year. We appreciated the staff keeping everyone safe from Covid, but even so we had to dodge people not wearing masks in public areas like stairwells and halls so didn't participate in anything. Also, we saw people who seemed to be sneaking in dogs and letting them roam and poop all over. As a person with allergies I was very concerned. I want control. Regarding trees, it is my understanding that Hilton Head restricts the cutting down of trees to improve views vs. due to disease or disaster. As for the lagoon, the little islands erected in them maybe a year ago are designed to filter the water naturally and eventually lighten it. There is some improvement already. We made the decision not to have staff come into the villa during our stay in the interests of safety even when we had problems. We also got clean towels and sheets but then did our own housekeeping. Since we are healthy and have now had our 2nd vaccines we think that was a good approach. It has been a tough time for the staff who were very nice and respectful of our concerns when there.

 

[Big Matt]

I'm at GO right now, and almost nobody is honoring the masks policy on the grounds. Really ticks me off. I know that people are thinking that the pandemic is over, but come on man......very selfish people. Haven's seen any dogs yet...

 

[vail]

You do not recognize the dogs, because they are wearing masks.

 

[bbodb1]

It's not that I'm against trees, it just appears they need some selective pruning. As the "former" president of an HOA, I learned more about flowers and trees than I cared to know (and trust me, landscaping is grossly expensive!). I was taught selective pruning is necessary (not removing the trees) so that filtered light can get though for the health of all the plants. In addition, air has to be able to circulate and move or there will be problems with mold, m,ildew etc. Yes, I agree the trees add beauty, and I'm not suggesting they bulldoze them for a clear shot of the ocean, but I would like to see a glimpse of the sky and further than 20-feet out from the balcony. I guess I'm automatically tuned into landscaping and various operational issues because of running the HOA (the hardest job of my life!!!).

Again, I'm not arguing about COVID-19 rules, I just simply find the various rules and regulations among the different resorts, which are all Marriott and located near each other, fascinating. I can't help but wonder "why" sometimes.

I think Grand Ocean is great and we are having wonderful week. I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit melancholy at the moment. My youngest is a high school senior and is in the second bedroom hopefully doing homework and filling out scholarship applications. Outside I'm hearing young kids squealing and laughing with their dads in the pool. They are delightful sounds. I remember when...

It wasn't that long ago when we had these same realizations. I wish I could tell you that it gets better, but at least for me the reality is with each passing day, I miss those days when the kids were still at home a little more.