We rented a 3 bedroom villa in the Palmetto Dunes plantation (that what they call the developments down there...plantations). And while having three different families under one roof can be challenging (by that I mean that I'm a pain in the ass to live with...just ask the lovely wife), I think overall everyone had a good time.
Hilton Head Island is a very clean and family-friendly place. It's not like Panama City or Myrtle Beach, where they have tons of cheap motels and tourist traps. They have golf, tennis, and the beach. There are a couple of mini-golf courses, plenty of shopping, and a couple of areas that have kid friendly music or festivals. On Tuesdays at Shelter Cove, they have Harbourfest that includes shopping, activities, music, and fireworks.
The biggest surprise to me was how well El Presidente got along with his cousins LaLa and Ack. My niece LaLa is 13 and my nephew Ack is 10. I knew that they liked El Presidente, but I didn't realize how much they would interact and entertain. They seemed to have a ball. Everytime his cousins would go into their bedroom to watch TV, he would have to follow.
Another treat was getting to see my niece and nephew's first time at the ocean. We arrived late on Saturday evening, but we went to the beach anyway. They both jumped into the water in their clothes under the moonlit sky.
This is El Presidente's second trip to the ocean. Last year we went to Panama City Beach. It wasn't a successful beach trip for him because he wasn't big into water then. A lot changes in one year. He enjoyed playing in the sand, sitting at the edge of the ocean, and even getting into the ocean with me and riding the waves!
For El Presidente, the lovely wife, and I, our days at the beach were usually only a couple of hours long. Normally, he would have his breakfast, we would hit the beach, then come home for lunch and naptime. It worked out great and while we have the tanlines to prove we went to the beach, we don't have the sunburns.
After the beach, we would go out for dinner. Our meals, in order were at:
-Giuseppi's Pizza (very good)
-Old Oyster Factory (very, very good)
-Wild Wings Cafe (very good)
-Alexander's (very good)
-Grouper and Company (...okay)
-Spanky's in Savannah (good)
-La Hacienda (very good)
I also found my way to Kingfisher's for their happy hour dozen oysters. Not as good as Oceanaire or McCormick and Schmick's in Indy, but a hell of a lot cheaper and still tasty with crackers and cocktail sauce.
Plenty of alcohol was consumed on our vacation (though not as much as on my parents trip to the Smoky Mountains with my brother and some family friends...the stories are legendary!).
We took a day trip to Savannah for a ghost carriage tour. This is one of the most haunted cities in America (according to Duke University, or so I've been told). Savannah is one of my favorite cities. It has history, culture, and a wild side. It might be the no. 1 place I would want to move to if I were to leave Indianapolis.
The biggest challenge for me on this trip is figuring out how to handle El Presidente during the 11 hour drive. We drove through the night so that he would sleep. Which is fine, because I down about 6 frappacino's and I'm good to go. But we arrived on the island at 11am and couldn't get into the condo until 4pm. So we had no place to keep the boy cool, feed him, or more importantly, give him his nap.
We went to the mall with its indoor playground, and that was okay for a while. Then we took him to a movie, hoping he would nap. But "Get Smart!" was too intriguing for him.
The overnight drive works fine for the trip home, as we don't have to wait until 4pm to get into Four Square No. 266. But future trips, I'll probably spend the money to get a hotel room and just break the drive up into two trips.
When will I get to try that out? It's hard to say. I'd love to go to a beach again next year. And I know that El Presidente would like it too.
3 comments:
He looks like Cousin Eddy in that picture.
I'm assuming you mean the last photo. Yeah, he kinda does. Just another reason why he rocks!
Savannah is really cool. We went there a couple of years ago.
Great food. We took the Haunted Pub Crawl which got significantly more interesting after I had the house special at one of the bars.
...a can of PBR and a shot of Wild Turkey.
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