Which Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach Resort is BEST?

[rifralex]

Hi, can anyone recommend one or two of these over the others. It will be 4 adults and a 3 year old. We love the pool and the beach. Thank you,

• 
  Marriott's Barony Beach Club T E
  USA
  -
  South Carolina
  -
  Hilton Head Island
  Gracing the beach within Port Royal Plantation, this inviting resort offers a scenic location and an array of on-site amenities, including four swimming pools.
  
  
  
  
• 0GR
  
  Marriott's Grande Ocean T E
  USA
  -
  South Carolina
  -
  Hilton Head Island
  This charming retreat enjoys a coveted beachfront location. Nearby you'll discover challenging golf as well as outdoor activities and attractions to entertain the entire family.
  
  
  
  
• 0HA
  
  Marriott's Harbour Club T E
  USA
  -
  South Carolina
  -
  Hilton Head Island
  From sophisticated shopping and dining to lots of family-friendly activities, you'll discover easy access to everything from this charming resort within The Sea Pines Plantation.
  
  
  
  
• 0HP
  
  Marriott's Harbour Point T E
  USA
  -
  South Carolina
  -
  Hilton Head Island
  Nestled in Shelter Cove Harbour overlooking Broad Creek, this centrally located and secluded resort is perfectly positioned for you to enjoy golf and all the recreational activities Hilton Head Island offers.
  
  
  
  
• 0HE
  
  Marriott's Heritage Club T E
  USA
  -
  South Carolina
  -
  Hilton Head Island
  This tranquil resort reflects the relaxed charm of its surroundings. It's located within a 5,000-acre retreat and provides access to an appealing variety of recreation.
  
  
  
  
• 0MO
  
  Marriott's Monarch T E
  USA
  -
  South Carolina
  -
  Hilton Head Island
  This retreat is set along six oceanfront acres and puts you within reach of challenging golf and miles of nature trails. Or just relax on the beach or by one of the resort's two refreshing pools.
  
  
  
  
• 0SU
  
  Marriott's Sunset Pointe T E
  USA
  -
  South Carolina
  -
  Hilton Head Island
  Enjoy deep-sea fishing, strolling along picturesque shores, championship golf and more. This resort's central location in Shelter Cove Harbour is ideal for exploring everything in the area.
  
  
  
  
• 0SF
  
  Marriott's SurfWatch T E
  USA
  -
  South Carolina
  -
  Hilton Head Island

Thank you again, Frank

 

[Big Matt]

Grande Ocean is right on the sand with no roads or long walkways in between. Great pools, indoor pool, plenty of activities. Walk to restaurants. Access to SeaPines. No brainer.

 

[rifralex]

Wow, that's great Matt, you hit all the right notes!

Thank you, Frank

 

[tschwa2]

This may make a difference. How are you booking and when do you think you will be traveling (month)? If you are booking using a method that you can choose the view are you willing and able to spend the extra $ or points on ocean front or ocean view? Are you comparing the best views/units at each resort or more run of house? Do you have a preference of Myrtle Beach over Hilton Head or are you unfamiliar with one or both places?

 

[4Sunsets]

Grande Ocean is right on the sand with no roads or long walkways in between. Great pools, indoor pool, plenty of activities. Walk to restaurants. Access to SeaPines. No brainer.

Yes Hilton Head is more enjoyable for older, no kids. Myrtle is a great place for family with kids. AND GO is an excellent one.

 

[Bucky]

MGO is the gold standard for HH as far as we are concerned. But, our heart lays in MB at MOW. HH is quiet and reserved. Great food but for us, that’s about it. MB is far more active and offers us unlimited opportunities to entertain our 14yr old GS. Food is just as great as HH and the town just feels alive! Plus, it’s two hours closer to home.

 

[dms1709]

I agree with the above poster, their evaluation is right on.

 

[rifralex]

Thank you again, everyone! We will be booking via MVC, we've never been to any of these resorts so HH or MB are both open to us. We'll be going down the week of July 4th. We will be able to get Ocean view or front, seems like sometimes though, Ocean front is dark at night that Ocean view seems prettier. Looks like from what everyone says, our choice will be between Grande Ocean or Myrtle Beach. You've all been a great help eliminating all the other resorts for us, any other comments/suggestions are welcome, appreciate all your help!

PS: any restaurant recommendations for either Grande Ocean or Myrtle Beach?

 

[TXTortoise]

Hilton Head Restaurants - Post 164
https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/martys-hhi-restaurant-thread-ongoing.211351/page-7

 

[JIMinNC]

Thank you again, everyone! We will be booking via MVC, we've never been to any of these resorts so HH or MB are both open to us. We'll be going down the week of July 4th. We will be able to get Ocean view or front, seems like sometimes though, Ocean front is dark at night that Ocean view seems prettier. Looks like from what everyone says, our choice will be between Grande Ocean or Myrtle Beach. You've all been a great help eliminating all the other resorts for us, any other comments/suggestions are welcome, appreciate all your help!

PS: any restaurant recommendations for either Grande Ocean or Myrtle Beach?

I agree with the enthusiasm for Grande Ocean, but don't neglect to consider Barony Beach Club. It is an equally close walk to the beach from the four Oceanfront/Oceanside buildings as it is at Grande Ocean. One advantage Barony has over Grande Ocean is all of the oceanfront units at Barony are true ocean front. Some of the Grande Ocean oceanfront units would be more like ocean view at other resorts. Grande Ocean is also a larger resort, Barony is more compact. While I would definitely rate Grande Ocean above Barony overall, I think you would be happy at Barony as well if you can't get what you want at Grande Ocean. When you say July 4, I assume you are planning to book for July 4, 2020.

One thing to note about both resorts is that there is no "Ocean View" room category at either Grande Ocean or Barony. Grande Ocean has Oceanfront and Oceanside, while Barony has Oceanfront, Oceanside, and Gardenview. As previously noted, all Oceanfront units at Barony are true oceanfront, whereas some Oceanfront units at Grande Ocean are more like Oceanview at some other resorts. At both Grande Ocean and Barony, many/most of the Oceanside units have no view of the water due to the tree canopy, and would be more accurately referred to as Courtyard View (which is how they are generally listed now on Marriott.com for cash bookings). If you want to be assured of a view of the ocean, you would need to be sure to book Oceanfront at both of these resorts.

Given the description of four adults and a three year old, I would think Hilton Head wins over Myrtle Beach, but that's just one person's opinion. If the child was older - pre-teen or teen - Myrtle Beach has more activities and would probably be a better fit. If you enjoy eating out, I think Hilton Head wins hands down. The variety of locally-owned, non-chain restaurants is unsurpassed for a beach area. From casual, to upscale, to very upscale, Hilton Head has it all from a culinary standpoint. The restaurant list that TXTortise linked above is the TUG Gold Standard for Hilton Head restaurant recommendations. Myrtle Beach also has fine local eateries, but also has almost every chain restaurant known to man.

I should also mention that the "vibe" between Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach couldn't be more different, so it depends on what you are after. Myrtle Beach is the prototypical beach resort town. Lots of commercial, high rise sprawl along the beachfront; fast food, seafood buffets, chain restaurants, neon, strip shopping centers, amusement parks, arcades, etc etc. The Marriott Ocean Watch is a somewhat more refined oasis in the middle of all the sprawl. Hilton Head, on the other hand, has an overall more upscale feel. No buildings over 5 or 6 six stories tall, lots of vegetation and trees (the island has very restrictive tree preservation ordinances) that often hide and disguise the commercial developments. (Although Hurricane Matthew in 2016 did so much tree damage, some of these developments have been more visible over the last few years. The vegetation is now starting to recover well.) Signage rules are also strict and you will see many fewer internally-illuminated signs, with most/being low profile. Many of the residential/resort communities are gated with access only for residents and guests.

As you can probably tell, we prefer Hilton Head over Myrtle, but many people like the hustle and bustle of a more active beach town like Myrtle Beach. We don't, so consider our opinions are skewed toward our biases.

 

[jme]

I agree with the enthusiasm for Grande Ocean, but don't neglect to consider Barony Beach Club. It is an equally close walk to the beach from the four Oceanfront/Oceanside buildings as it is at Grande Ocean. One advantage Barony has over Grande Ocean is all of the oceanfront units at Barony are true ocean front. Some of the Grande Ocean oceanfront units would be more like ocean view at other resorts. Grande Ocean is also a larger resort, Barony is more compact. While I would definitely rate Grande Ocean above Barony overall, I think you would be happy at Barony as well if you can't get what you want at Grande Ocean. When you say July 4, I assume you are planning to book for July 4, 2020.

One thing to note about both resorts is that there is no "Ocean View" room category at either Grande Ocean or Barony. Grande Ocean has Oceanfront and Oceanside, while Barony has Oceanfront, Oceanside, and Gardenview. As previously noted, all Oceanfront units at Barony are true oceanfront, whereas some Oceanfront units at Grande Ocean are more like Oceanview at some other resorts. At both Grande Ocean and Barony, many/most of the Oceanside units have no view of the water due to the tree canopy, and would be more accurately referred to as Courtyard View (which is how they are generally listed now on Marriott.com for cash bookings). If you want to be assured of a view of the ocean, you would need to be sure to book Oceanfront at both of these resorts.

Given the description of four adults and a three year old, I would think Hilton Head wins over Myrtle Beach, but that's just one person's opinion. If the child was older - pre-teen or teen - Myrtle Beach has more activities and would probably be a better fit. If you enjoy eating out, I think Hilton Head wins hands down. The variety of locally-owned, non-chain restaurants is unsurpassed for a beach area. From casual, to upscale, to very upscale, Hilton Head has it all from a culinary standpoint. The restaurant list that TXTortise linked above is the TUG Gold Standard for Hilton Head restaurant recommendations. Myrtle Beach also has fine local eateries, but also has almost every chain restaurant known to man.

I should also mention that the "vibe" between Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach couldn't be more different, so it depends on what you are after. Myrtle Beach is the prototypical beach resort town. Lots of commercial, high rise sprawl along the beachfront; fast food, seafood buffets, chain restaurants, neon, strip shopping centers, amusement parks, arcades, etc etc. The Marriott Ocean Watch is a somewhat more refined oasis in the middle of all the sprawl. Hilton Head, on the other hand, has an overall more upscale feel. No buildings over 5 or 6 six stories tall, lots of vegetation and trees (the island has very restrictive tree preservation ordinances) that often hide and disguise the commercial developments. (Although Hurricane Matthew in 2016 did so much tree damage, some of these developments have been more visible over the last few years. The vegetation is now starting to recover well.) Signage rules are also strict and you will see many fewer internally-illuminated signs, with most/being low profile. Many of the residential/resort communities are gated with access only for residents and guests.

As you can probably tell, we prefer Hilton Head over Myrtle, but many people like the hustle and bustle of a more active beach town like Myrtle Beach. We don't, so consider our opinions are skewed toward our biases.

Very nice review.
Your assessment on everything is right on.
This info will help many to decide between HH and Myrtle Beach---
both wonderful but completely different destinations. Both areas seem to be doing quite well (LOL),
so it's safe to assume they both successfully meet people's needs & preferences in a big way.

We are currently at Hilton Head's Waterside, enjoying the new renovations---it's a very lovely resort
with large units and a good location. One of the best "deals" we ever made for what we get.
We stay here for extra HH time, but obviously our first love is Grande Ocean.
Incidentally we also own weeks at Barony, and we love it there too, as you do.
Their most recent renovation was the best of any we've seen.

We'll be moving soon to Grande Ocean----will be there for 3 weeks----
wudda been 4 but we rented out one of them. My wife is still not happy about that.
CAN'T WAIT to get to GO, but we're just happy to be at HH.

Tonight we're dining at Gusto, a new favorite----it'll be our 4th time there.... Tomorrow night, Santa Fe....around our 120th.
Next week there's an all-star lineup, as usual, and I can't wait for each one....it'll be a good mix.

We'll be grilling out a couple of times too---love it. GO's grills are the best, and located in
several beautiful dedicated areas. Sometimes we gather at the fire pits. Those are very laid-back evenings,
full of laughter and stories, and are typically followed by playing cards and/or other games in the villa.
Food is awesome, but it's the beer & wine that helps us focus.

 

[Dean]

For us it'd be Grande Ocean. We prefer it as a resort, we prefer it's location even over Monarch. Second would be Myrtle Beach, third Barony not Garden View, fourth Surffwatch. For Gardenview I'd put Surwatch far ahead of Barony or Myrtle Beach.

 

[Old Hickory]

We prefer Barony and or Surfwatch and that side of the island. The less crowded side.

 

[LUVourMarriotts]

I've never been able to get into Grand Ocean, except a walk through, so I can't comment. But, I've been to Barony 5 times and SurfWatch 1 time. Last summer we went to Barony and had one of the best vacations we've had in a while. As mentioned above, the villa renovations were fantastic. The resort overall is great, and has good food options onsight, with a great bar too. The kids activities are really great at Barony, but maybe a little to young for the OP.

At SurfWatch, we did that 2 summers ago, and also had a really great trip. The resort is much more spread out, especially to get down to the beach. But, their golfcart service to/from anywhere was really great and quick. Again, onsight food and bar was a good option. We really loved the cabanas at SurfWatch. They added cabanas to Barony last year, but they were not as good from a service quality and value perspective.

We bought a resale week at OceanWatch (Myrtle) last year, because we love that resort. Strictly speaking of the resort, it is our favorite in all of MVC. The pools are all fantastic, with plenty of activities going on during the summer.

It will probably be difficult to NOT have a great time at MOW or Barony, SurfWatch, Grand Ocean.

 

[Finntastic]

I have only stayed at Surf Watch and Ocean Watch in MB. I loved both but if I were going with small children I would choose Ocean Watch. More for children. Really loved both locations.
Ann