Sue's January 2024 Hilton Head Trip

Enjoy!

Sue, have a great time! Was just there for Thanksgiving, the construction is everywhere and does make for some challenges with parking!

Sounds like a great start to your trip. Enjoy the time with your friends!

We checked out of building 12 this morning. We were at HH from Sunday through Thursday. Our WiFi was good until last evening. IT was called - it may have been storm related.

DAY 4 – Saturday 1/13/24
Who: Sue (65), DVC Member
Holli (59), friend & co-worker
Vickie (59), Holli’s best friend & college roommate

Plan: Nature walk, Frankie Bones lunch, Comedy Magic Cabaret

Actual: Everyone slept well again last night. I was up at 5:30 with my cappuccino and watched a couple HAL ships sail into Port Everglades. Around 7 or so I went out to the living room and made my breakfast, eating it on the sofa again. Holli came down and made her breakfast, and Vickie was up just after 8. We did our online stuff and decided to switch up the plans a bit today.

They wanted to do yoga again (shorter version) and then go to the hot tub. Neither of those are my things, so it’ll be a good chance for them to have time with just the 2 of them (not that they’d mind it being all 3 of us for everything). I figured I’d go for a walk through Shelter Cove Harbour while they were at the hot tub. I went in to take my shower & get dressed.

When I came out they were upstairs on the loft area doing yoga. I took apart the jigsaw puzzle and then noticed the trash had been emptied in the kitchen. The recyclable trash was gone too. However, the coffee hadn’t been replenished, so I didn’t know what was going on. Today is our “trash & towel” service and I do want it. After yoga they changed into swimsuits (with pants and coats) and went to the pool area to soak in the hot tub. I finished updating the report, changed into my sneakers and headed out for a walk.

As I stepped off the bottom step, I saw Holli & Vickie walking back to the villa! I asked what happened and learned there was too much chlorine in the hot tub, so they drained it. The cast member said it may be up at 2pm. I stopped at the front desk to let them know I still want trash & towel service and requested it be after 11 (when we’d be out). The cast member checked in the computer and our villa had not been marked as being done, so they will definitely be back.

I headed across the bridge and made a brisk and very windy walk to the end by Ela’s restaurant before turning around to walk back along the shops. The bigger shops were open, with their long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts on sale racks outside each store. The gourmet shop Holli likes opens at noon today and is closed tomorrow. San Miguel’s and the bakery are both closed temporarily (off season). Several other people were out walking, and there seemed to be more larger boats than usual (yachts) in the marina.

When I returned to the villa Holli was in the living room and Vickie was upstairs taking her shower. She came down around 10:30 and we got ready to head out for our next adventure. Our next set of trails was the Audubon Newhall Preserve. We found this one easily enough, without having to make any u-turns. The parking lot is tiny, with room for maybe 10-12 vehicles, so I can’t imagine trying to go here during the busy summer season. As it was, the lot was more than half full today.

I had a small map which came in handy. The trails were well marked, but the map gave us the perspective to choose wisely between this way or that way. Many of the trees were identified via signs on the ground, and the trail itself was pretty smooth and easy to walk on. The trees and plant life were such a vibrant green! Walking was mostly single file, as the trails were not wide, and they were dirt covered with pine needles (not paved).

We covered the entire area, including around the pond. On the map it looked like it might have been a bigger area than it actually was – we did it all easily. There were signs informing that alligators were here but being rather chilly out we didn’t see any. It was a nice little morning activity.

By the time we got back to the parking lot it was time to head for lunch – Vickie especially was hungry. The leanest, fittest of the group, she has the biggest appetite (and best metabolism)! We drove to Frankie Bones, arriving right around noon. We were seated immediately, in a booth in the regular part of the restaurant. Normally we sit in the bar area, so this was a nice change.

The menu and food here are terrific – you really can’t go wrong with anything and even I (very much a picky eater who tends to repeat the same item at each place) have had several different menu items over the years. Today we all went with the lunch combo meals – the 2-way for Holli & I and 3-way for Vickie. Mine was a half BLT with cole slaw, Holli’s was half chicken parm sandwich & Caesar salad, and Vickie had the half tuna salad sandwich, cole slaw & cup of soup. Everything was excellent – lots of bacon & tomato in my BLT, Holli’s chicken parm was huge (thick piece of chicken) and overall, it was another winner of a meal. Holli & I each had a glass of wine, while Vickie enjoyed diet coke. Dessert wasn’t even considered, and after the Disney 10% discount was applied, we settled the check and headed out. The restaurant and bar were full by now, with people waiting for a table. Isn’t this the extreme off season??? Just goes to show how good this place is.

We drove back to the resort and the trash & towel service hadn’t been completed yet. Vickie was heading upstairs to lay down with a heating pad for about an hour so I told her to put any old towels and her trash can out by the stairs so she wouldn’t be disturbed if them came during this time. Holli & I hung out in the living room, and I updated the report.

When Vickie came back down, we walked over to Shelter Cove Harbour to browse through the shops that were open. They made minor purchases – Vickie a handmade bar of soap and Holli one of her favorite bottles of wine. Nothing really called out to me today. On our way back we stopped in Big Murgie’s Den for the cookies, and I remembered they’re nothing special and not really worth the calories. They each had an oatmeal raisin, and I had a chocolate chip w/candy pieces.

Back in the villa we opened the Monopoly world traveler edition game. It’s similar to regular monopoly, but there’s no such thing as bankrupt (it says pay what you can – seriously!) and the winner is the first person to hit four (4) of their travel goals. That was me today, and it keeps the game shorter than the original, which is a good thing. There are no houses and hotels – you simply buy a property and when someone lands on it they pay you the “tour fee” unless it happens to be one of their travel goals. Holli shared her new bottle of wine with Vickie, and I poured some of my white wine in the fridge (Stonehaven sauvignon blanc). We also watched HAL’s Eurodam sail away as we played.

We finished up just before 5 and put the game away. Vickie went upstairs to call her husband and I called SB. We reconvened in the living room to relax until it was time to leave for the Comedy Magic Cabaret. Just after 7 we left for the show and arrived a few minutes before the doors opened at 7:15. We were seated in one of the raised booths, which is what Holli had booked. This venue is small, with 2 rows on the floor, a row of raised booths, and then barstools at a counter as the top/4th row. No seat is bad, since the venue is so intimate.

We ordered wine to drink and for snacks the hot pretzel and the spinach/artichoke dip with tortilla chips. Everything was very good. Some short video clips played just before the show, including a really funny one poking fun at millennials. It was true, and although we thought it was hysterical the few millennials near us were stone-faced. That made it even funnier to us, lol.

Right at 8 Kerry came out to do his show and right off the bat the laughter was loud & steady. He improvises a lot based on who in the audience he’s picking on and it’s all done within the framework of whatever “trick” he’s doing. He performs for almost 2.5 hours without a break, and it’s just so much fun from start to finish! For one trick he brought a lady up from the audience, and then for another he got 2 guys from the audience. All of them were great sports and did terrific. Vickie really enjoyed this so I’m glad she was finally able to see it on our third attempt!

As we were getting ready to leave the lady who’d helped on stage came over to introduce herself as a trip report reader – what a small world! It was nice meeting Julie, and I’m pretty sure she enjoyed the show as much as we did! We headed back to the villa and went to our respective bedrooms immediately. I finished up the report as quickly as I could (by 11) and hope to turn the lights out before much longer.

Today was another wonderful day – we’re all just loving being here. The morning trail and lunch at Frankie Bones was great. The show tonight was outstanding, as always. Tomorrow we’re planning on brunch, shopping at Coligny and then happy hour before coming back for one last evening by the fireplace.

I had the Poseidon beef sliders for lunch - they were great. During happy hour I always get the pimento cheese. Not sure if the elevator will be stopping on the first floor or if it's just second floor.

DAY 5 – Sunday 1/14/24
Who: Sue (65), DVC Member
Holli (59), friend & co-worker
Vickie (59), Holli’s best friend & college roommate

Plan: Brunch somewhere, nature walk, happy hour (Poseidon?)

Actual: After such a fun night I slept well again – the others must have too, as they were up later than usual <g>. I knew two HAL ships were sailing in this morning (including Rotterdam which Holli, Fran & I will be on in 53 days) so I was up by 5. I made my cappuccino, brought it back to bed, and watched both ships arrive while doing my usual online stuff. Around 7:30 I got up to shower & dress, coming out to the living room at 8:15 to find I was the only one up.

Today is our last full day, which is really sad. It also means packing, which is a pain. I figured we’d be busy more of the day than usual, so I got the last puzzle started. This one is only 500 pieces so we should be able to complete it today.

The others came down just after 8:30. Holli made coffee and sat on the sofa reading her book. Vickie got a cup of coffee and went back up to her room to relax with a heating pad for a while. That seems to help manage her pain/discomfort. Eventually Holli went up for her shower and we were all ready to head out the door a little after 10.

We walked over to Top Dawg Tavern and were among the first few tables to arrive. We were given a big booth inside and had a nice brunch/lunch. Vickie got bloody mary mix without the alcohol while Holli & I stuck with water. For meals Holli had the breakfast sandwich (came with breakfast potatoes and warm cinnamon apples), Vickie the breakfast tacos (also came with breakfast potatoes) and I had the appetizer filet mignon bites (atop mashed potatoes w/horseradish sauce on the side) from the regular menu. Everything was excellent – they raved about the breakfast potatoes especially. Mine was a smaller portion than last year, but that’s a good thing since I was able to eat most of it.

From there we walked back to the resort and walked to the end. The others saw the construction at building 28 and agreed it doesn’t look bad and it’ll be nice to have an elevator there. We cut through the pool to confirm that the hot tub was operational, as they plan to go there later. After that we went up to our villa and found the housekeeper doing the trash service. I changed from my boots into sneakers and left my jacket behind – the sweatshirt I was wearing would be enough. We then went to the car and drove down to Coligny.

As usual we park by Piggly Wiggly because that’s where we’ll end. Holli was looking for a couple specific stores, Vickie had one in mind as well and the fudge store always calls my name. Once again, we all found some treasures so we consider it a successful shopping trip. At the fudge store we each had a small sample – it’s so delicious here! None of us wanted to buy a slab of fudge but I got 2 small bags of their foil-wrapped Christmas milk chocolate candies (BOGO). Since there’s just for me to enjoy, it doesn’t matter that they’re Christmas-themed. I also got some different fish seasoning from a local vendor (SB eats fish).

Coming back to Piggly Wiggly we put our bags in the car and headed inside to look at the local section. Holli bought a couple pre-packaged cobbler mixes that you just add water (maybe something else too) and bake. She’d liked the one she bought last year and wanted more. Vickie may have got one too.

We drove back to the resort and relaxed in the villa. Wine was poured and we finished the jigsaw puzzle by 2pm. Vickie went upstairs to spend a little time with the heating pad up there (she keeps another in the living room but it’s different) while Holli read her book and I did online stuff. They’re doing yoga online at 3 up in their “studio” – the loft area above the living room, lol. After that they’ll hit the hot tub and then after that we’ll see if we still want to head to Black Marlin for happy hour or just stay home.

While they do yoga and hot tub, I’ll watch the Rotterdam sail (scheduled at 3:45 but could be later) and pack up what I can. Around 2:45 I decided to drive over to Kroger to fill the gas tank and while there check out the small pieces of cheese in case there’s something I want to bring home.

Parking is so tight here at the resort, and although it’s the off season, the construction has caused some spaces to be unavailable. You’d think it would balance out since some buildings are unavailable, but I’ve never seen it this bad in January. I had some jumbo SUV parked next to me so I could not back up and turn towards the exit. Instead, I had to drive through the entire resort to turn around at the circle at the end – the only empty space along the way was not one where I could have pulled in and backed out to go the direction I wanted.

At Kroger I got my gas then went into the grocery store and found three small cheeses. I paid for those and headed back to the resort. Once inside my plan was to watch the ships sail but the internet was not working right – it kept dropping constantly. It’s been better than last year, but this is still not acceptable. In 2024 reliable internet should not be a luxury or “good luck”.

I started watching from my phone but then the internet came back for good right at 3:45. Ft Lauderdale was foggy, misty and somewhat cold – not a great sailaway for all those people. The ship didn’t start backing up until just after 4, so I didn’t miss anything. Holli & Vickie’s yoga ended at 4 so they changed into swimsuits (under warm clothes), poured wine in a paper coffee cup, and headed to the hot tub for a little while. I don’t want any part of chlorine water and then having to get out into the cooler air!

The damn internet went out again just as the ship was moving into the channel, so I gave up! I pulled it up on my phone instead and watched Rotterdam sail away. With this sort of aggravation, it makes me look forward to going home. Perhaps later it will be more reliable, but this continued the whole time they were at the hot tub. I gave up and played a downloaded game on my tablet. They got back a little after 5 and we decided to just stay in tonight. We’ve got plenty of cheese & crackers left, plus we don’t know how crowded happy hour would be this late into it. They said the hot tub was nice, but then kids were headed in so that clearly is the time to leave! Too bad they didn’t have a family hot tub and an adult one, although I’m sure the kids would take them both, and their parents would let them.

Holli cut up a bunch of the cheeses and then we walked to the pier to catch sunset. The sky was a pretty color but unfortunately without any clouds it wasn’t going to be dramatic. We stayed out there a while taking pictures and eventually realized it wasn’t going to get significantly better and headed back to the villa by 6.

Holli made some more candied bacon, and we settled in for the night. The internet is back up but who knows for how long. Vickie started a fire and then she & Holli took some stuff down to the cars while the bacon was in the oven. The bacon turned out great again – just as good as Pinnacle Grill on the HAL ships!

We had a delightful last evening chatting around the fire while enjoying the food and wine. I’ll be missing this tomorrow, despite the internet challenges. Around 8:15 we realized we were missing 90-day Fiance so we turned that on. It’s such a train wreck, and I’m the only one who really watches it on a regular basis. I doubt everyone is going to make it until 10pm, but I will <g>.

Today was another nice day. It’s amazing how quickly the days fly by on vacation – that’s the only negative aspect. Tomorrow we all head home, with Vickie having the longer drive. Holli & I will do breakfast at Hilton Head Diner and will probably be out the door before Vickie. She’s not planning to join us for breakfast.

Thanks for sharing and all the tips! DH and I are planning a HH trip and this is very helpful.