We exchanged our Marriott Grande Vista 2bdrm for an opportunity to visit Hilton Head, take a peek at Savannah, Charleston and Beufort while doing so.

A week prior to our trip, I contacted the Harbour Club to see if a room had been assigned to us. It had. Right on top of the parking garage overlooking the marsh. Liz, the Manager explained that many people liked the fact that there was no need to use the elevator for those rooms. I asked if there was any availability elsewhere. She was very gracious and did locate something on the 3rd floor for us.

Driving through Sea Pines to get there was a treat! I had never driven through a canopy of trees with moss dangling above you. It was unbelievable! Quite breathtaking to see the light twinkle through the trees like that on a hot sunny day.

Upon our arrival, I was happy to find that we had been moved to the 5th floor overlooking Calibogue sound. It was a spectacular view and of course the villa was everything a Marriott owner has come to expect. A friend had joined us for the day and had never seen villas like these. She was blown away by the size of it. My daughter had the second bedroom which was actually a second Master suite with another double jacuzzi tub and vanity, separate from her entrance to the shared bathroom. My daughter was in heaven. (A the Grande Vista the second bedroom which has the lockout feature, does not have a jacuzzi) I made it a point to introduce myself to Liz and thank her for the room. She was also extremely helpful with directions and information.

Harbourtown was a two minute walk from the villa. EXTREMELY family friendly. The boats, yachts, secured for the evening were there for you sway with, as the gentleman sang his songs under the tree every night at 8pm. (Im sure someone remembers his name...I just remember singing along with him and what great fun it was)

We didn't care for the Waterfront Cafe in Harbourtown. (under the lighthouse) We absolutely LOVED CQ's right next to the Marriott Harbour Club. Marley's had great atmosphere and good food. Also the Salty Dog Cafe in South Beach Marina was a nice afternoon. Good hushpuppies and Shecrab soup. Stay away from the Crazy Crab in Harbourtown. We read the bad reviews and went only because we had gotten 6 inches of rain that day and couldn't get out to go anywhere else. It was awful.....Go to the mini market instead and eat some string cheese or something!! It was really that bad!

Harbour Club is located in an area called Sea Pines Plantation. During the season a trolley runs throughout the development, to restaurants, grocery stores, to the preserve, golf courses etc. There is no need to use your car if you choose not to. Another curious tidbit, the sand is so hard you can ride your bike on it!!!


Caligny Plaza is a quick ride from Harbourtown for some shopping, eating etc. The piggly wiggly is there also. There are also some fine shops in Wexford. There's also Minigolf right in the same area. And a mall (hey, I have a 14 year old daughter!!!). Belks happens to carry a wide variety of clothes to suit everyone. From Free People and Seven Jeans, Ralph Lauren, and Dana Buchman to Villager.

All of us were sorely disappointed in Savannah which was approx a 40 minute drive from HHI. It appeared that the city was tired. Alittle run down. Maybe it was August and EVERYTHING is run down in August! We walked straight from Forsythe Park on Bull to River Street. The squares were a nice touch. Some of the homes were pretty. If we had taken a tour perhaps we would have seen what was beautiful. What I saw was not impressive. But it was real. And tired. Of the shops that were occupied, everyone we met was friendly and eager to help us. That was impressive.

The ironic part of our visit to Savannah was that I was adamant about NOT eating at "The Lady and Sons" after reading here how people waited for hours on line in the sun and the food was not worth the wait.

I made sure my husband and my daughter knew there was NO WAY I was going there. The food wasn't good, I told them And I wasn't waiting in Line for mediocre food.

Well, there we were, walking down Congress looking for the City Market (which is NOTHING) and right there in front of us is Paula Deen's restaurant. We turned the corner at 3:15pm. They were still serving lunch upstairs and a line WAS forming in the sun for a 5pm dinner. But UPSTAIRS we went for lunch!!!!! And the food was DELICIOUS!!!! Okay, we are NYer's eating Southern food. But seriously, it was REALLY good. I make some pretty good buttermilk fried chicken and hers was pretty great. The sweet potatoes were like candy, collard greens and the fried green tomatoes!!!! OMG.... It was a very pleasant surprise. And my husband was in his glory!!!! THAT made our trip to Savannah worth it!!!!

Ohhhhh, and find Moxie's for Handbag's and accessories, and the Paris Market. Both great shops....

Would I go back to Hilton Head? Absolutely. I would definitely take advantage of the tours. And the Monarch of the Seas (the Harbour Club's sister resort for the activities)

Would I go back to Savannah? For the day. To get some fried green tomatoes, collard greens and sweet potatoes!!!!

I just came back from Marriott Heritage ;stayed for a week. We were on the 4th floor overlooking the swimming pool. The location is great cuz it's walking distance to the the lighthouse, restaurants, tennis court, harbour club golf...etc. maybe because this is my first time at a timeshare, i was not so crazy about the place. our 2bd 2bth was non-smoking but it smelled like something maybe mold. the housekeeping was extra charge which we did not get. the towel service was also extra. we just asked one of the cleaning ladies for extra towels for the pool and we washed the towels ourselves. the ice maker was very very slow. the container stopped making ice after it was 1/2 full. airconditioning worked great, thank God cuz it was so humid. the free 2hr tennis was awesome. we played tennis everyday. 1 free round of golf- you have you pay the cart fee. i think it was $30 per person not per cart. i didn't play golf but the course looked very well taken care of...absolutely gorgeous.

we went to Cafe Europa for breakfast. the worst breakfast ever. they serve you rubber eggs. omelets that look like calzones. Crazy Crab has overpriced diner food. if you want descent food, bring your wallets. Sticky Fingers was good. most BBQ sauce has MSG except for the Carolina sauce which is the local favourite - no wonder. everything else has MSG.

publix, supermarket is pretty pricy. we paid $0.50 for one clam. in nyc, it's $3.99 per 1dz. i'd suggest going out of the island for grocery shopping.

Sea Pines Plantation is a relaxing place to visit. Biking, golf, tennis,water sports everwhere and the soft white sand beach (and water) are as nice as any in the US or abroad. It is gated so the population is regulated. Don't miss Harbortown and South Beach Marina. Loads of free music for kids and adults.

My husband and I stayed at the Marriott Heritage Club January 27 - February 3rd.

A few problems with the arrival, but not all Marriotts fault. We had exchanged for our week through Interval International. When we arrived at the airport in Savanah, we could not get directions to the hotel. Nobody at the airport had heard of the Marriott Heritage Club. We drove to the Island, and stopped at the Sea Pines entrance to ask further directions. The man at the gate said there are many Marriotts and he didn't know where the Heritage club was, but suggested we go visit the Marriott Welcome Center.

Apparently all check-ins are made at the Marriott Welcome center. I told them that it was very strange nobody had heard of the Marriott Heritage Club, especially the Sea Pines staff since the resort is located at Sea Pines. The front desk woman said "That doesn't suprise me, they don't like us much there".

We had a 2 bedroom villa. Very clean, but in need of updating. I did not know that being a timeshare guest, you do not receive any housekeeping.

There is actually no front desk at the Marriott Heritage Club. A nice young lady named Wilma is there during the daytime for questions & tee times.

The golf that is "included" costs approximately $30/per person for 18 holes. The Ocean and Sea Marsh courses are very nice. The Harbour Town course was not up to my expectations.

There was work being done on the outside of the resort during our stay. Cleaning and Painting.

I would definitely return.