VACATIONS FROM HOME: Commando Time Is Over

Despite shivering away the days as winter rapidly approaches us in the Northeast, Team VFH remains resolute. Summer soon will come again; although not soon enough. Winter never holds much more appeal than football season and hot chili. We’re not skiers or ice skaters, and after the initial ooh and ah of a glorious autumn spiked with colorful leaves, we are left with a rapid descent into darkness and cold temperatures.

UGH.

I hate winter

The allure of the holiday season is short-lived. The stress of Christmas shopping and the amateur night antics of New Year’s Eve makes this year-end stretch difficult. Even toasty fireplaces lose their charm after a time and who has money to escape to warm climes for a weekend? Certainly we don’t have that latitude and so we are stuck with the winter doldrums and our only respite is of fond memories from last summer and planning summer dalliances for next year.

Ah! Last summer was wonderful and exceptional. You may remember fair reader that your favorite cheapskates went on an extended road trip through the lowcountry of South Carolina. Memories of great food, wide beaches and warm water makes facing winter all the more grim. After wonderful stops in Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet, Charleston and Beaufort, we headed out to Hilton Head Island for a week with friends.

Hilton Head was so very different that the rest of South Carolina. Our hosts in Hilton Head, Sally and Dave, are charter members of Team VFH, but they are less inclined to travel on the quick as our pocketbooks dictate. We need to sniff out deals, but our hosts are star-bellied Sneetches comparatively. Thankfully Team VFH leader, Janet, is a long time bosom buddy with Sally so they gladly overlooked our relative poverty and invited us into their summer home at Hilton Head.

Hilton Head breathes affluence. It is a rich person’s golfing mecca as there are a gazillion courses to play in the area. Human forms of star-bellied Sneetches on Hilton Head Island are often represented by denizens wearing plaid pants and toting a putter everywhere, even into the supermarket. Multi-million dollar homes are often torn down by new buyers to erect better abodes in sequestered gated communities called “plantations”.

I love summer

After having traveled the length of South Carolina lowcountry, skirting the shoreline, Hilton Head was certainly a change for your intrepid explorers. Since Hilton Head is in South Carolina one would think the genteel arms of southern hospitality would embrace us while there, but those attitudes quickly dissipated. It’s not that people weren’t nice, it’s just that things were more quickly paced as visitors scurried to their tee times or meal reservations. Plus the charm and culture of the lowcountry was somewhat missing at this vacation destination. Gullah culture, like basket weaving or delicious shrimp and grits, prevalent throughout the area practically vanished on Hilton Head Island, or, when found on the plantations it had an almost “Disneyland” quality to the presentation, as if visitors needed to be reminded where they were vacationing. Of course examples of this purest form of West-African culture can be found on HHI, but one will have to get off the plantation and look for it. Here's a link that may help if you are so inclined. If you decide to travel only to Hilton Head and nowhere else in South Carolina, take a day to explore this rich and enduring history.

Gullah Culture on Hilton Head

Conversely, Team VFH's HHI vacation last summer was in two parts, two separate, completely different vacations in South Carolina. Our trip began at the Grand Strand of Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet and continued through the charming cities of Charleston and Beaufort and the surrounding countryside. We ate and explored the culture of the area at a leisurely though determined pace, and there was much to see. Upon our arrival on Hilton Head we settled, quickly, into relaxing mode and our exploring ended. Of course, we did get to experience a different culture in Hilton Head, but it was moneyed and tony. Most of the people we encountered were not from South Carolina. The island, off the plantations, was fast-paced. It was an expensive beach town/island with lots of shopping and golf courses, but there was no “city” or “town square”. Though it was in South Carolina, South Carolina was not necessarily found in Hilton Head. It could have been anywhere, but it just happened to be located on this beautiful sneaker-shaped South Carolinian sea island.

And, it was beautiful. Overlook all the “nuances” that made Hilton Head so very different than the rest of the lowcountry and you are left with a great place to vacation. Golf if you must, but with 12 miles of wide, sandy beaches Hilton Head was an absolute delight for this wannabe beachcomber. Although access to some of the beaches was private all of it was public, from the surf to the high water mark. There is ample parking for the day traveler as there are several areas that had meters, or you can purchase a day pass to the Sea Pine Plantation, our home for the week, for access to the south beach area and Harbor Town area.

Head Head Island beach particulars

The Atlantic here is warm and clean. Starfish and sand dollars are abundant and little sting rays frolic sometimes at the surf line. When it is low tide, the sand gets firm and flat and riding bikes is a great way to travel, although a head strong breeze makes the process a bit laborious.

There are several places to rent bikes for the day or the length of your stay on Hilton Head and I would highly recommend doing this if you decide to visit. Our morning conversations were often about the low tide, and we would plan our daily ride along the shore accordingly. The island does cater to bikers as there are paths everywhere on Hilton Head and in Sea Pines, our vacation home for the week, trails allowed us to go anywhere without the use of a car. If not for the allure of some very good eating on HHI we would have never gotten into the car for the duration of our stay.