We awoke to another chilly morning in Hilton Head, South Carolina. As with most vacation mornings, I was the first to arise and greet the day. I snuggled into the family room couch with my laptop, Diet Coke, and Clif Bar to do some writing. The previous day we explored Harbour Town Lighthouse and shopped with Emily’s brother Glen. After Emily’s parents arrived in the afternoon we enjoyed dinner at Skull Creek Dockside Restaurant. Today, we were looking forward to our afternoon pontoon boat rental and spending time on the water. One by one the other members of the Hayes tribe awoke and joined me for their morning rituals.
I took a break from writing and headed out to enjoy a sunny Hilton Head morning walk. Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort is located on a boat marina which houses an assortment of sea vessels. I strolled along the walkway overlooking the marina in order to get a better view. Our main event for today was an afternoon pontoon boat rental. I took the opportunity to check out the boat pickup location which was across the marina. The morning colors of the marina and surrounding area were beautiful. It was a great way to start the morning.
I returned to the room to discuss the morning plans with Emily. Emily and Glen planned to visit the local TJ Maxx in order to do some bargain shopping. This has become their new tradition to shop the Maxx and explore the local deals. Hunter, PopPa, and I wanted to bike on the beach and Sawyer and Grandma wanted to chill in the room.
Morning Activities – Shopping, Biking & Chilling
Hunter, PopPa, and I were eager to hit the paths so we could make it out to the beach. The mid-morning weather warmed a bit, providing the perfect temperature for the ride. It took us 15 minutes to navigate the sidewalk path to Disney’s Beach House, providing access to the beach. Prior to leaving we did our research ensuring we would arrive at low tide (something we failed to do on a prior visit!). We rolled our bikes onto the beach and started biking northeast, against the wind. On a prior biking adventure we didn’t consider wind direction, starting our ride with the wind at our backs. This caused us to bike out too far, only to struggle into the wind on the ride back. The wind was light today so we rode to the tide break in the beach.
The bike ride was enjoyable but was more exercise than we anticipated. We returned to the resort and picked up Sawyer so he could bike around the resort. Emily and Glen finished their disappointing trip to TJ Maxx without much to report on. They moved on to Kroger to pick up the ingredients for dinner. Hunter, Sawyer, and I worked on our basketball skills which definitely need work.
Tide Me Over Lunch
After working up an appetite throughout the morning we were ready for lunch. Emily texted to meet them at Tide Me Over, so we headed over to the quick service location. With a bit of chill in the air, we quickly secured a couple tables in the sun. Kerly was working the window and took our lunch order. She immediately said hello and that she remembered us from our previous trip. The cast members at Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort are truly amazing! We enjoyed our food and the scenery looking out over the water. Our lunch fueled us up for our afternoon activities so we were ready to roll!
Pontoon Boat Rental – Hilton Head Island
After lunch we headed back to the room to grab our sweatshirts and cooler and departed for Outside Hilton Head across the harbor. Glen offered to drive Kee, the boys, and the cooler to our destination. Upon arriving we were greeted by an employee of the Outside Hilton Head company. After a quick overview, we signed our lives away in forms and were ready to go. The weather could not have been nicer with temperatures at their warmest of the week. After a brief tutorial on the boat and waters we would be navigating, Glen took us into the inter-coastal.
In 2017 we took a dolphin boat tour and enjoyed being on the water. That tour helped us understand the waterways, giving us the confidence to get our own pontoon boat this year. The ride was enjoyable as we relaxed and took in the sights and sounds. We even spotted a few dolphins along the way. The pontoon boat rental was for two hours, giving us time to make it to the Harbour Town Lighthouse, where we were the prior day. The highlight of the trip for Sawyer was peeing off the side of the boat. A right of passage for any male boater. We returned around 4 pm after a chilly ride back to the Shelter Cove Marina.
We arrived just in time for everyone to sprint off the boat to the nearest restroom. Much to our luck, they were conveniently located next to the gift shop. I was hoping to have a chance to peruse more crap! Emily, Kee, and Glen then left in the car to go to a local store to try to find a Hilton Head Tervis for Glen. Colonel, the boys, and I walked back to the resort to start dinner preparations.
Back at The Resort & Grilling Out Dinner
After enjoying a dinner out the previous night, we were ready for a cozy dinner in. Emily and Glen had purchased the fixin’s for steak and chicken fajitas during their Kroger’s visit. They also picked up a bag of charcoal which I brought out to the open faced grill behind our resort building. This was my first experience cooking on an open grill. While I was grilling the meats Emily was working on the peppers and pasta salad. We timed everything out well as I finished cutting up the meat just as the sides and toppings were finished. We relaxed in our resort room and enjoyed our delicious creation. Maybe it was the boat ride that worked up an extreme hunger, but everyone agreed this was one of our best ever meals on the island!
While we were preparing dinner, Hunter took a walk down to the check-in lobby area. Each afternoon they put out cookies and lemonade for guests to enjoy. Hunter wanted to bring a few cookies back for he and his brother. He was greeted by our new friend Connie who works at the resort. Connie not only got Hunter loaded up with a bowl of cookies, she also provided him a pitcher of lemonade to take back to the room. By far our favorite story of the trip!
Ice Cream & Game Night – Hilton Head Island
Although it was a bit chilly, the group decided that it was the perfect night for a trip to Kilwin’s for some ice cream. Colonel decided to stay back and rest after his active day. The rest of us piled into the car and drove five minutes to the nearest location. After arriving, we did a quick loop around the stores in the shopping center that were still open, before joining the line at Kilwin’s to get our ice cream. Although the weather was a bit chilly for ice cream we weren’t the only ones enjoying our chilly desserts. We got our cones and grabbed a couple of benches and enjoyed our cones full of sugar.
After returning to the resort Sawyer requested a game of Hit or Miss, so we grabbed our spots in the family room area. Game night is a constant reminder that I have married into a competitive family. You would have thought that the winner would take over the loser’s land and cattle the way this group jockeyed for their answers. After a few rounds it was time to retire to our beds for the evening. A morning bike ride and an afternoon pontoon boat rental made for an amazing day on Hilton Head Island!
