I have been staying at Monarch since I was about 3 or 4 years old. I am now 29. My parents still go every year, and usually some friends and family still make it.

When we visited in years past, it was a family affair: mom, dad, brother, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close family friends also had units in the resort or in nearby timeshares in Shipyard and Palmetto Dunes plantations which are nice, but not as secluded as Sea Pines.

We stay in an oceanfront unit. It is not fancy, but it is comfortable and isolated.

We grocery shop at Harris Teeter and rotate meals at each others' villas and also eat at our favorite Hilton Head restaurants such as Charlie's Crab, anywhere in Harbor Town, Red Fish. Don't miss Signe's bakery for breakfast, and surprisingly there's a little Thai restaurant called Little Thai Too in the colorful buildings just off the island that is amazing for lunch. We have lunch at the Beach Club next door from time to time and usually have dinner there once during the trip.

This is not the place for action. We go here to get away from our REAL action filled lives and to reconnect with friends and family. When we were little kids, we roamed in packs of 6 or more all over the island on rented bikes and on foot. I cannot speak for single families--we never did the resort activites because we had our own things to do-we bought crafts, books, games on the car ride from Va, and completed them in Hilton Head. We were not the type of kids who needed an arcade to make our vacation fun. In my opinion, there isn't a stretch of beach that is as wide and as beautiful on the East Coast as this place. The ocean alone is enough to entertain our group. I have traveled from Bar Harbor Maine, Mass, Va Beach, to Florida.

We charter a boat for deep sea fishing every year, though our catches used to yield much more in decades past. Our last few trips, we have not caught a lot. We love to rent jet skis and explore at the different marinas.

Daytrips to Buford for antique shopping is fun. Charleston is a nice day trip. By far Savannah is my favorite day trip. The waterfront area, dining and tours are fun. There is ample shopping on the island, and there is even a small funchildren's museum on Hilton Head that I took my neices to (ages 5 and 3) they had fun for hours and cried when we had to leave. Take your kids to hear Greg Russell sing songs under the big tree in Harbor Town when he's there evenings. You can take your kids to paint pottery, and you can take them on canoes or kayak rides. There are lots of kids clubs/day camps available at additional costs at various places that you can sign them up for if you want to ship them off. Just ask.

Hilton Head has as much or as little as you want to do. A lot of people go for golf, but we are not big golfers and we still love it. If you want amenities, stay at Marriott Beach Club and Resort. I had my wedding there in 2005, and it is awesome. One of the other Marriott properties on the island may suit your needs if you want convience stores, arcades, activities, wait staff at the pool, etc. We find the other places to be crowded and too public for our vacation needs, so that is why we go to Monarch! I love it there. It is HOT in the summer, so if you are not used to the south's hot humid weather-- go early or go late.

We have traveled extensively both in the states and out and our favorite fall trip has always been Hilton Head. We (couple) have stayed at Monarch on several occasions and have always loved it. The fall is a wonderful time to be there especially for couples.

Monarch sits directly on the ocean and walking the beach is one of the best we have encountered. The units have all been recently refurbished and are quite attractive. Our unit was exceptionally clean and there is a starter package with coffee etc. There are several local food stores for buying supplies. The kitchen is fully supplied with service for eight and all units have two bedrooms with two baths. The master bedroom has a double jacuzzi as well as a shower. There are 3 televisions. The units are perfect for two couples or family of 4-6. There is a sofa bed in the living room.

We spent early evenings on our balcony overlooking the water before dinner. Not all units can see the water but the interior courtyard is beautiful with a winding waterway with amazing landscaping.

We have stayed at Monarch from the moment the ocean front building opened. Yes, there are some problems but frankly they seem to be with folks that want a "resort". We are a family oriented timeshare where most of us cook and like to have our own facilities to cook. We do not want to pay the cost of bringing in outside "restaurants" nor do we want to lose the feeling of the "resort" which existed when we bought. Most of us do not trade our units and prefer knowing our neighbors who return each year. There are tons of restaurants on the island to cater to every taste and more activities than you can possibly do in one week, but they are not based at Monarch such as:biking, golfing, sailing, sightseeing, walking, garden explorations, birding, all ocean sports, canoeing on the lagoons, windsurfing, shopping, building sandcastles. What have I missed?
Monarch serves as a home base for all these family activities and few stay on the property 24/7 as they may do at some full service resorts.
The island is 12 miles long, so for many trips a car is recommended.

My family and I returned from our stay at the Monarch and we were a bit disappointed. This was our first year using our timeshare. We own in Palm Desert at a brand new resort, so maybe that is why the Monarch did not live up to our expectations.

Our villa was still being cleaned at 4 p.m. on check-in day, but we were able to get in shorty after 4. We were very pleased with the location of our villa. We stayed in the Magnolia building which also houses the lobby and it had a great view of the ocean and the pool area. However, the lagoon area that snaked its way through the property was a pretty disgusting algae green color. We realize it is very humid in August in South Carolina and probably hard to control the algae, but it was just plain unpleasant to look at.

On the last full day of our stay, the main pool was roped off and was not able to be used until 5 p.m. There was no written explanation as to what was wrong (a note in the lobby, a memo under our villa door, or a phone message).

The villa itself was recently renovated and the furnishings and decor were very appealing. However, the resort does show its age and there was a lack of craftsmanship and attention paid to small details. (i.e. bathroom sliding door off track, appliances not leveled, screen door bent). Although most of the items were minor, for the amount of money we pay each month/year to be Marriott timeshare owners, we expect a certain standard of quality.

We did have a larger problem with cockroaches. Over the course of the week, we killed 7 and found a couple dead in the villa. Being located on the 4th floor, we found this kind of strange. We actually did not report it to management until we left, so I don't know what they would have done for us. We quite honestly did not want to pack up all of our belongings and our two young children to switch villas, so we dealt with the bugs.

On the positive, the Monarch is very conveniently located in Sea Pines Plantation. It is close to shopping, restaurants, South Beach and Harbourtown. We did not rent bikes on this trip, but the flat geography of Hilton Head makes it a perfect place for a family bike ride. The Monarch activities staff did a nice job scheduling crafts and events for the kids and the whole family to participate in.

We will most likely return to Hilton Head, but will most likely not return to the Monarch.