Surf watch on Hilton Head - a few questions

[sueoz]

Hi - we have a 2 bedroom reserved at Surf Watch for the end of March. I have not been to this resort before and have a few questions.

At some resorts there are renovated rooms vs old. Does this apply here or is this new enough that all are in good shape? If that is not an issue - do you advise requesting any particular area and why? We are 4 adults.

We are flying directly into Hilton Head's airport this time, which we have never done. We will need transportation to the resort. Should we just grab a cab or is there an alternative like a shuttle? Pricey?

Any favorite, moderate (not fine dining) restaurants near to Surf Watch for the first night? And closest Grocery?

Thanks for any answers!
Sue

 

[kjd]

Surfwatch room are very nice. We stayed there in November. I belive the buildong with the best setup is building 56. It's the closest to the beach and has a view of the ocean.

The stores (Piggly Wiggly) are close but the entrance to SW is hard to find. At night Hilton Head is a hard place to get around. The buiding codes have restricted signage and there is not a lot of good lighting, even on the main roads. A navigator and exact addresses are oftten necessary to find your destinations. I am not sure about a shuttle from the airport but a cab would certainly be able to find SW. Problem is you need a rental car to get around the island.

As far as a restaurant after arrival Carrabba's is very close. Fudrucker's and a nice diner called the Hilton Head Diner are close as well. There is also a good little Italian restaurant next to Fud's but the name of it escapes me. You've picked a good vacation, good luck!

 

[CMF]

There is a Carraba's that is very close to the resort.

Charles

 

[jme]

Restaurants

Carrabba's Italian Grill is extremely close to SW, just a couple of blocks down hwy 278 at a major light (Folly Field Rd). It's awesome, as you may already know.

Menu: http://www.carrabbas.com/menu/pdf/44PF-44PW.pdf.

SW's location is below, for comparison...(note: googlemaps does not give a good location for Carrabba's, giving it a spot well inside Folly Field Rd, when the restaurant is actually at the very corner/major intersection of 278 and FF Rd., easily found on map.)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...056,-80.696855&spn=0.007989,0.019076&t=h&z=16.

If you're already wanting to delve into the seafood thing, Old Oyster Factory is fairly close too....about 2 miles away.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...366,-80.704107&spn=0.016886,0.038152&t=h&z=15.

Shelter Cove, a major resort/shopping/restaurant area, is located nearby also, across hwy 278 at a major light, with huge entrance marker, and has numerous restaurants fitting the bill. Here's a link. (if it doesn't show the FIVE RESTAURANTS I saw in the search, just re-do the search using "shelter cove restaurants hilton head sc", and it should locate and mark at least 5 places for you. hopefully this link reproduces my search.)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...381,-80.717926&spn=0.067555,0.152607&t=h&z=13.

Have fun......If you've never tried Carrabba's, you'll be hooked. great Veal Marsala, Spiedino Di Mare, etc. Whoa!
Marty (jme)

 

[SueDonJ]

No worries about new/old units at SurfWatch, and there aren't any renovations/refurbs happening now. They're beautifully done and the huge shower in the master is fantastic!

A couple weeks before your trip you should get an email from the resort concierge and will be able to make requests or ask any questions then. Sometimes it will include activities for the week you'll be there so that you can make advance reservations.

There are three building types - oceanvista (Ocean Dunes), oceanside (Tide Mark and Ocean Marsh) and gardenview (Sea Dunes and Sea Cove.) All of the oceanvista units will give you a view of the marsh out to the oceanfront pool and the beach beyond. The oceanside buildings sit near the High Tide pool and the higher floors of those have gorgeous views. From the gardenview area there is no beach view but those buildings sit near the small pond and indoor pool building, it's very quiet and pretty with nice landscaping.

Lucky you, flying right into the island. We've never done that but I would think that a cab fare from the airport to SW would be inexpensive - they're fairly close to each other. If I'm remembering right, there are rental cars available at the airport if that's an option for you. The resort does have a shuttle for some nearby activities, you could call them directly to see if it can be used for airport runs.

Publix, Piggly-Wiggly and WalMart are all nearby in Port Royal. We like the Piggly-Wiggly there and the Whole Foods near Palmetto Dunes. We use the grills and eat in other than one or two special nights out - I'm sure others will give you first-night ideas. You can also do a search on TUG for "Hilton Head Restaurants" to get ideas, the topic comes up quite a bit here.

One thing worth mentioning - there aren't any bright signs or lighting on the island. Signage is all made out of natural wood and sits low to the ground, and the shopping/restaurants sit back behind bushes and trees, so it's difficult to find your way around at night. It won't be a problem for you, though, if you won't have a car.

some pictures ...

resort map

from second floor, Ocean Dunes

Ocean Dunes from beach

High Tide pool and Ocean Marsh

from fifth floor, Tide Mark

Sea Cove and pond

indoor pool from fishing dock

Have a great time, SurfWatch is our favorite!

 

[sueoz]

Thanks everyone for the great replies. I should have said that we have friends meeting us later at the resort and we will be using their car. We are flying in before they get there and need to get to the resort.

All the ideas sound great. I have been to a Carrabas before and they are good. Sounds like a perfect first night plan. We will pursue the others as we go along. We pretty much do moderate/casual the whole week and I have a couple of restaurant.com certificates to use, but I love having the suggestions.
Thanks again,
sue

 

[FlyerBobcat]

.... the Whole Foods near Palmetto Dunes. We use the grills and eat in other than one or two special nights out....

Susan,
Did you mean The Fresh Market ?

I was going to add a comment on the Fresh Market, since I wish we would have found it earlier in the week last year. Great for fresh meats, fish, deli salads, produce, specialty foods, etc. Piggly Wiggly is the better choice for loading up on soda, bottled water, beer, snacks, etc... IMO

 

[SueDonJ]

Susan,
Did you mean The Fresh Market ?

Yes, that's it! Whole Foods is here at home - a little bit out of the way for Hilton Head. Thanks, Tom.

 

[FlyerBobcat]

Yes, that's it! Whole Foods is here at home - a little bit out of the way for Hilton Head. Thanks, Tom.

No problem... We started going to the Fresh Market in Columbus once we found that one in HHI... Never knew we had one in Columbus, until we said that to an employee in that HHI store last year. Funny thing... she was originally from Columbus, and informed us of the location...

 

[DB-Wis]

We were in an upper floor unit in Building 54 during our stay last summer. We liked the building -- deck looks out at the pond. It's also close to the indoor pool, which you might like in March. It's some distance to the ocean, but there were also carts around to provide rides.

We loved Surf Watch!

 

[sueoz]

Thanks - I really like the suggestion of The Fresh Market. We do breakfasts in, pack lunches and snacks and sometimes get a dinner to bring back. That looks like it would be wonderful for us.

Is it generally best to request an upper floor no matter what building we are in? Do they tend to be quieter and have better views? Or does it not really matter?
Sue

 

[SueDonJ]

Sue, I'm not sure about quieter - we didn't have noise issues in our second floor oceanvista unit but it's probably a bit noisy at the oceanside low floors right at the pool - but the views at SurfWatch are definitely better from the higher floors. We always request "high floor" everywhere we stay but it doesn't make or break the experience - our lower floor stays have been just as enjoyable. If you're wondering, elevator waits aren't a problem because the buildings only have five floors anyway.

Talking about casual eats ... if SurfWatch's pool grill is offering the crab legs/shrimp buckets one night that you're there, I can recommend it. It will be on the weekly schedule so you'll have time to pick up a couple side dishes from Fresh Market, and if it's a nice afternoon you can sit on the deck out there and have a feast. Then finish it off perfectly with an ice cream from the little shop over at Shelter Cove. Yum!