Who/When/Where:
Who: Sue (63), DVC Member
Holli (57), friend & co-worker
Vickie (57), Hollis best friend & college roommate
Dates: January 12 17, 2022
Resort: Disneys Hilton Head Island Resort
Experience: Very Experienced 25th stay at Hilton Head
INTRODUCTION:
Ive always gone to Walt Disney World over Martin Luther King weekend, but last year it was truly miserable. The crowds were ridiculous, and it just wasnt fun like it used to be. The previous month, while cruising was shut down, Holli & I had gone to Hilton Head in December (2020) for 4 nights and really had a great time with the fabulous Serg restaurants, lack of crowds, and total relaxation. I decided for MLK weekend 2022 Hilton Head was far more appealing than WDW.
I mentioned it to Holli, and she was happy to come along. In looking at the points charts, January is a very affordable time of year to visit (dirt cheap) and I was eyeing a grand villa. Theyre huge, gorgeous, and come with a fireplace. They sleep 12, so obviously booking one for 2 people would be ridiculous. I checked with cruise buddy Fran to see if she wanted to join us, but she has some event in NJ this weekend. A few weeks later Hollis best friend/college roommate Vickie came to Gainesville for a visit. Vickie was celebrating having finished a year of surgery & chemo related to having ovarian cancer. Holli wanted us to meet, so we got together during Vickies trip and really hit it off. Vickie also loves Hilton Head she & her husband vacation there.
Given Vickies cancer, I knew Holli wouldnt be able to make plans with her indefinitely so I suggested Vickie join us plus I really liked her. Vickie was onboard immediately shes no fool! With the grand villa we each have our own bedroom and bathroom. Vickie is big into fitness and is more active than the rest of us, but we all enjoy dining out, wine, and Hilton Head. Also, booking a grand villa for 3 people isnt ridiculous, although it does seem a bit extravagant. Were worth it though and my points are meant to be enjoyed!
Honestly, I figured Vickie might have a recurrence of the cancer around 5 years from diagnosis I never expected it would happen at 2 years. So, shes doing chemo again wanting to fight it aggressively to buy as much quality time as she can. Shes at peace with the overall situation. Basically, she has a week where shes recovered from the previous chemo before she has to do the next one, and she timed it so this trip falls in that good week. She told Holli no way was she missing the trip!
Obviously. January wont be beach weather. I can only hope itll be relatively mild, and not have any cold fronts or rainy weather during the trip. The average high is 60 and low is 40, so if that holds true it should be pretty nice during the day. After sunset were less likely to be outside. The day before the trip the weather projected for Sunday took a serious turn for the worse steady rain, 20-30mph winds from the north, lower temps. Based on that I made a last minute switch to the plans (swapping days) but well flip things around again as needed if the weather changes again.
Holli & I both love the Serg restaurants on Hilton Head, and especially look forward to Poseidon. Thats always the spot for the first night of the trip, and its so good it may get repeated. Wise Guys is another sure thing. Frankie Bones, Skull Creek Dockside, Skull Creek Boathouse and Black Marlin are all excellent as well but with only 5 nights here we wont have time (or stomach room) for all of them. Hilton Head Diner is the getaway spot for breakfast before heading home. Vickies favorite restaurant is Hudsons, so well be doing a lunch there one day. Im not a seafood fan, but they do have a BLT on the lunch menu <g>.
Last trip Holli & I did the Comedy Magic Cabaret and had hoped to do a dolphin cruise but the boat was having maintenance done at that time and our cruise was canceled. She checked with Vickie and we were all in agreement to do both this trip. The comedy show is completely different this time, so itll be new to all of us. Unfortunately, Captain Marks boat would be down for maintenance during our trip (again), so that wont be happening. Holli booked our comedy tickets but last week received a call from the owner. Due to so many of their staff being out with covid they made the difficult decision to just shut down for 2 weeks boo! No comedy for us. Hopefully we can get some resort activities to fill the gap!
I had called the resort about a week before the trip and was able to get us added to the Hilton Head Island Tour (by pool guy Mike) on Thursday and the resort walking tour on Saturday afternoon. When we arrive well stop by the recreation window to verify we actually got booked! Lets hope both of these actually happen.
The plans so far are:
Wednesday 1/12: Drive to HHI, Poseidon
Thursday 1/13: Hilton Head Island Tour, Dockside
Friday 1/14: Stacks Breakfast, Lighthouse, Wise Guys
Saturday 1/15: Hudsons lunch, Resort Tour, Poseidon?
Sunday 1/16: Frankie Bones brunch (rainy day)
Monday 1/17: Hilton Head Diner, Drive to Gainesville
DAY 1 Wednesday 1/12/22
Who: Sue (63), DVC Member
Holli (57), friend & co-worker
Vickie (57), Hollis best friend & college roommate
Plan: Drive to HHI, Poseidon
Actual: Today Holli and I worked until 10, then packed up the car and got on the road. At 1:30 we called for our covid team meeting, which ended just before we got to the resort. Vickie would be joining us a bit later at the resort, and not knowing when the villa would be ready I figured Holli & I could take care of checking that we were signed up for the tours, maybe get our bicycles, and make a trip to Kroger for groceries. Kroger was so busy! After checking in (room not ready) we walked over to the recreation window to check on our tours and they didnt have the list for tomorrow but did say we were booked on the Saturday tour. We browsed in the Mercantile before driving over to Kroger.
Once at Kroger I got a work phone call, with a crisis, and that tied me up while Holli shopped. Sometimes I really look forward to being retired! Eventually I was off the phone and we finished up the shopping. Since I provided the lodging I doubt Ill be allowed to pay for much of anything else, and Holli quickly swiped her credit card for the groceries. We got a huge number of small pieces of cheeses (under $5 each), along with a number of other items. The cheeses at Kroger are fabulous Ill definitely be back on Sunday to buy some to take home.
We managed to put the cold stuff in the cooler and got the rest of the stuff in the trunk, then drove back to the resort. Holli stayed in the car while I went up to the front desk to see if they could check on our room. The cast member was terrific. She could see the villa was supposedly done but not yet inspected, and went out back to call housekeeping. Another couple came in behind me and she was wearing a Nubble Lighthouse shirt. Nubble Light House is a beautiful place from my past, and we got to chatting about that.
When the cast member finally returned she informed me the villa was ready, and my request for marsh view was met! There are 5 grand villas but only 1 has a marsh view, so this was awesome luck/news. Were in building 18, which Id pointed out to Holli earlier as the one Id requested. The cast member noticed our keys needed to be redone, as they would not work to open the door. I had mine and Vickies so she redid those and issued a new key for Holli.
Holli was happy to hear the villa was ready, and we were both a bit surprised & disappointing that parking (this is the off season) was so tight. We found a spot, but everything else as far as we could see was taken. I grabbed one of the big wooden carts and we were able to unload the car. At building 18 we parked the cart off to the side in case anyone in the studio or 1 bedroom below us needed to use the stairs. We made a few trips to bring everything up to the 2nd floor, then took pictures of the villa before ruining it with our stuff.
Once the photos were done we brought the rest of the stuff inside. I showed Holli around and brought her upstairs, pointing out her bedroom (over the kitchen). We'll give the bedroom over mine to Vickie, since I dont think she snores <g>. Both bedrooms are basically the same in terms of size, with minor layout differences.
The original plan was for Vickie to meet us at Poseidon so I started to quickly set up the laptop and unpack a few things. Vickie called to say she was already on the island, ahead of schedule. She was about 5 minutes away so we decided to just meet her at the resort. I continued unpacking. She called again and was in the resort but was somewhat lost. She wasnt far away so Holli went out to the road to meet her while I finished unpacking.
Ive only met Vickie once before, but we hit it off immediately. When she came in today she greeted me with a hug and thanked me for including her. I thanked her for joining us! This is going to be a nice little trip. We took about 5 minutes for Vickie to freshen up and me to change from sneakers to boots, then we grabbed our winter jackets and headed out.
Since Poseidon is not far we chose to walk not only is it good for us, we dont have to worry about finding a parking space upon our return. Vickie put her parking pass in her car before we left the resort. What used to be the Kingfisher and then Captain Gillams restaurant is now gone just a dirt lot. It was demolished recently, but I have no idea if anything is slated to go into that spot. We passed by that and took the walkway along the water and out to the road to walk over to Poseidon.
Although it was 30 minutes or so into happy hour the bar had several empty seats and the row of 3 high-top table closest to the bar were all empty. Holli chose our table, and our server was over promptly with menus. I told him we were here for happy hour, so he brought that menu as well.
Happy hour here is really good - $5 house wines and a number of food items at a reduced price. Im sure they have some deals on beer and cocktails as well but I didnt pay attention to them since thats not what we drink. Holli & Vickie ordered the house cab and I got the pinot grigio & a cup of ice.
For food Holli ordered 6 Virginia oysters and the pimento cheese w/warm naan bread. I also ordered the pimento cheese and Vickie ordered the California rolls from the regular menu. Service was good and the food was great. Vickie ate a little of my pimento cheese, but I still had leftovers, which I took to go. In the past Ive either not had anything left or not enough to take with me, so well see if we end up eating this later in the trip.
We got another round of wine, except Vickie confided at this point in her life she wasnt settling for ok wine and chose to order from the wine list vs the house cab. When it arrived we could actually see the difference. She shared some with Holli, who confirmed it was much better. We had a very nice time chatting and enjoying the food/drink. Vickie had an oncology appointment yesterday and took a few moments to bring us up to speed on the latest findings mostly good, some not so good. Hence the decision to not waste time on bad wine <g>. Life is fragile, and none of us know what time we have left, so all we can do is be happy or make the most of whatever time we do have. Vickie gets that, and shes enjoying what she has rather than stressing over what she might not have. Kudos to her!
Vickie insisted on picking up the check so once that was settled we bundled up (me with gloves in addition to the winter coat) and walked back to the resort. We stopped at Vickies car to bring up the last items and returned to the villa. We all went to our bedrooms to get comfortable Holli in PJs, Vickie in sweats, me in SBs bathrobe and my new slippers. Were not glamorous but were comfortable!
The grand villa has a fireplace in the living room and the resort supplies the firewood in a bin outside our front door. Holli & I made a lame attempt at setting a fire. We discovered up on the mantle Disney had provided some fire starter blocks and a few lighters. Our attempt at a fire was lackluster at best. When Vickie came downstairs she rearranged the logs and tore up a paper shopping bag, and got the fire going properly. She & her husband have a fireplace in their home.
We poured wine red for them, white for me, and had a nice evening sitting by the fire and talking. This time a work issue came up for Holli it never ends. My grocery store issue had continued while settling in here. Ill be glad when its Saturday and work wont be an issue. Around 8:45 they both decided to turn in, so I went to the master bedroom to work on the trip report.
Tomorrow we hope were booked on the 11am Hilton Head Island Tour but never received a call from Megan to confirm that. I guess well find out in the morning. If for some reason the ball got dropped well come up with plan B.
Today was a good start to the trip, although I would have preferred for the villa to be ready when we arrived (thats not likely). Its great being back here and at this point I think its a much better choice than dealing with WDW this weekend. Poseidon was great and everyone is really relaxed and enjoying being here. This trip reinforces my happiness at having become a DVC member all those years ago (1997).
DAY 2 Thursday 1/13/22
Who: Sue (63), DVC Member
Holli (57), friend & co-worker
Vickie (57), Hollis best friend & college roommate
Plan: Hilton Head Island Tour, Dockside
Actual: Last night it was after 11 by the time I turned in, and then fell asleep almost instantly. I slept really well and didnt get up until almost 5;30. The room was silent, just the way I like it! When I opened the door and stepped into the living room I could still smell the remnants of last nights fire, which was a nice smell.
I made my cappuccino and took it back to bed. Holli was up making coffee and her breakfast a little after 7 so I went out to join her for a bit. At 6:01 this morning I finally got the text that our room is ready a little late for that Disney!
It was getting light out and it was pretty looking over the marsh. I made my breakfast (egg and slice of bacon) and took it to a living room chair. Yesterday Id shared my facebook post to the Hilton Head DVC group but learned from the administrator that the photos were not visible. He helped me through fixing it, so hopefully theyre visible now (had to change from friends only to public).
Vickie came downstairs and got her coffee & breakfast and we sat around the living room using our electronic devices for a while. Eventually I got up and washed my breakfast plate then went in to take my shower. After getting cleaned up, blow dried and dressed I came back out to find Vickie cleaning up the kitchen, and Holli was upstairs taking her shower. Vickie headed up to do the same (its so nice having separate full bathrooms for each of us plus we even have a spare, lol). I brought the laptop out to the living room and relaxed online.
After her shower Vickie went out for a walk. I was able to reach the recreation department and confirm we were signed up for the tour, and learned there would be 10 people. Well get over there a bit ahead of schedule to take care of the paperwork. Vickie was back by 10:30 so we headed over to the recreation window. She was hoping wed agree to renting bikes, and we did.
At the window we rented 3 bikes for the length of stay, which Holli paid for. We also signed the waiver for our tour and Vickie picked up the cost of at (member price $12.50 or $12.75 each). Once we got the bikes we rode back to the villa and parked them at a nearby bike rack and then walked back to meet the tour at the campfire pit. Pool guy Mike arrived, and we met the other people on the tour a party of 3 and a couple, so there were 8 guests plus Mike.
I was concerned at first when Mike mentioned this is a 2.5 hour tour. It had been listed as 2 hours (11-1) and I was confident that gave us plenty of time to get back & do the 1:30 covid call with work. Now its going to be tight. We got in the van (it seats 14, so plenty of room).
Mikes a very personable and funny guy spending 2.5 hours with him was fun and informative. He kept things moving and jovial, but we learned a lot about the island. Vickie and her husband have been coming here for years, as have I, and many of the things Mike told us were new to us. A lot was familiar, too but still nice to experience. Todays tour was the north end of the island he also does a south tour. During warm weather trips my focus is the beach (every day), so this was a great activity for this trip.
We got back at 1:28 and as soon as I was off the van I dialed in for the covid meeting. I put the phone on mute except when we needed to say something, and finished up the meeting after we got back inside the villa. Vickie cut up some of the cheese and we nibbled on that with some crackers.
Just before 2 housekeeping came by to pick up the trash, and we asked about firewood. I wasnt sure if we had to call or if it would automatically just show up. She offered to call for us, so that was nice. I brought what little bit was left in the bin outside into the villa and set it on the fireplace hearth. Vickie went upstairs to take a catnap, and Holli & I hung out in the living room. I realized it was after 2 so I caught most of General Hospital.
Once that was done Holli & I started a jigsaw puzzle of the Washington Monument, using one end of the dining room table. When Vickie got up she joined us and we worked on the puzzle until we left at 3:40 for Dockside. Vickie declared she would drive, so that worked for me.
We got to Dockside just after 4 (happy hour starts at 4) and the outside bar had plastic flaps down on all sides. That keeps the people inside a bit warmer, but kills the view. We took a table outside by the railing and with our jackets we were fine. We each had a glass of wine, which unfortunately arrived after the appetizers. The appetizers were a cup of she crab soup for Vickie and the bacon hushpuppies w/maple butter for the table.
For dinner Holli had a bowl of the red seafood chowder, Vickie got the ahi tuna & avocado tower, and I got the oven baked chicken meatballs. These were one of the few non-seafood appetizers, and I wasnt interested in a jumbo salad or entre. The meatballs were pretty good there were 5 of them in a skillet, and I ate 3 of them. I wont order them again but it was fine to try them. I had hoped the soup of the day was something Id eat, but it wasnt otherwise that would have been my dinner.
After dinner we stopped at Kroger to pick up a few things Holli & Vickie wanted, and also grabbed some of the weekly flyers. Theyre printed on newspaper, which make good material for starting a fire in the fireplace. Back at the villa we dropped our stuff off and rushed over to the pier, just missing the beautiful peak of sunset. We took a couple pictures, then walked back to the villa.
We got comfortable and sat around the dining room table working on the puzzle until it was completed, then moved to the living room. A roaring fire, wine and conversation filled the rest of the evening, until we realized it was approaching 10pm already! They headed up to their rooms to go to bed, and I stayed up to finish the report and get it posted.
Today was a very nice day, but it went by so quickly! So far weve only ridden our bikes halfway through the resort, and theres only 2 more days where riding will be possible (Sunday is 100% rain, thunder & wind).
Tomorrow were doing breakfast at Stacks then continuing down the road to Sea Pines & Harbor Town. Vickies husband arranged for us to have a pass that lets us into the gated communities to look at the beautiful homes and well have a drink at some clubhouse there. Well also visit the light house. Perhaps well ride our bikes, and Vickie still hasnt seen the Beach House. Our dinner tomorrow will be Wise Guys no need for lunch since were doing breakfast at a restaurant and will be at Wise Guys at their 4:30 opening.
DAY 3 Friday 1/14/22
Who: Sue (63), DVC Member
Holli (57), friend & co-worker
Vickie (57), Hollis best friend & college roommate
Plan: Stacks Breakfast, Lighthouse, Wise Guys
Actual: Once again it was a late night (11pm) and I slept really well. I woke up around 4:30 but didnt get up until after 5. I made my cappuccino and took it back to bed, then looked at changes to our plan since we learned on the tour yesterday that Hudsons (Vickies favorite restaurant) was closed until the 18th or 19th. Since people rave about Sergs Nectar Farm Table (or whatever its called I know Nectar is in the title) well substitute that for Hudsons. I think theyll both really like it, and I did find something Id order in the past I never wanted to eat there because the menu wasnt really appealing but I decided to give it a try.
I showered & dressed and was out in the living room shortly after 8. I wanted a little something in my stomach so I zapped a piece of the naan bread in the microwave and smeared some pimento cheese on it (leftovers from Poseidon). Another work issue came up, so I dealt with that as best I could via phone. It never fails that off the wall projects come up when I go away for a few days.
Soon Vickie was downstairs as well and we headed out a little before 9, heading to Stacks for breakfast. Its right down the road, and when we arrived immediately noticed the empty parking lot. Theyre closed. No doubt its just temporary, as the website had no mention of it. We continued down to the Coligney area and came upon Plantation Caf (serves breakfast all day, plenty of cars in the parking lot) so went there.
Interestingly, none of the workers wear masks in here, and obviously none of the customers. It didnt bother us at all, but it seemed unusual. Ill have to pay attention to see if theyre wearing them in other restaurants its possible they werent at Poseidon or Dockside either and I just didnt notice.
We ordered breakfast eggs benedict for Holli, eggs/raisin toast/fruit for Vickie, and the Cabin breakfast for me (2 eggs, hash browns & English muffin). It was good, but not so great Id make it a point to return. If I was staying in the Coligney area for some reason Id be more likely to make a return visit.
From there we continued just down the road to Sea Pines. Theres a $9 fee to enter, but a neighbor of Vickies has a place in here and had put us on the guest list. That meant we didnt have to pay how nice! It really irritates me to be charged a toll to come into a place where youd be spending money at their local establishments.
We arrived shortly before 10 and 10 is when everything opens up so we just wandered around a little bit. Vickie wanted to show us the lighthouse, which is also a museum. We paid the admission and were able to climb the steps up to the outside observation deck. Along the way on the walls and in each stairway landing they had lots of exhibits about lighthouses but also golf on Hilton Head island. We mostly just climbed the stairs going up and looked at the exhibits on our way down.
At the top it was pretty windy on one side and not as bad on the other. There wasnt a sky in the cloud and we could see for miles! Directly in our vision was the 18th fairway of Harbortown Links golf course. We enjoyed the view for a while, then went back inside. The person working in the shop asked if wed carry a couple books down to the lady on the ground level (another shop there) and we agreed. When we got down there that lady was asking a couple getting to climb up if theyd transport a bag of stuff to the person up top. I laughed and told her she needed one of those pulley systems like a dumb waiter, lol! She said when merchandise comes in theres no way to get it up top without carrying it up and recently they got cartons of heavy coffee mugs. They brought them up a couple at a time, probably carried by guests! She was very chatty, so we got her whole life story, why and when she & her husband moved down here, etc and she gave us a tip to check out the Beach Club while inside here.
We went back outside and browsed in a handful of shops, each of us finding something to buy. The shopkeepers were also very friendly and chatty maybe in the slow season theyre just desperate for another human to talk to, lol. It was very nice though. After finishing shopping we went back to the car and drove around. We enjoyed seeing the beautiful huge houses! I cant imagine what they cost, or what it costs to maintain them on an annual basis.
We found the Beach Club and pulled into the parking lot. Beach Club is right on the ocean, with a huge wide beach. Theres an oceanfront restaurant and outside bar, along with lots of seating. We walked on the boardwalk to the beach and were shocked it wasnt very windy out there today. It was really nice!
We headed back to the car and found our way out of Sea Pines & drove back to the resort. After a quick stop at the villa we went back outside and got our bicycles. We rode over to the Beach House its been many years since I did this and I dont remember there being so many hills along the way! Maybe Im just really out of shape, lol.
At the Beach House we walked out to the beach (beautiful, as always). After that we went up to the pool area. The pool bar and Signals are both closed, but they have the soda machines open for people with refillable mugs. We went back downstairs, got our bicycles and rode back to towards the resort. We stopped at Shelter Cove Harbor and rode around along the marine before going back and parking the bikes near the King Neptune sundial statue.
Very few shops were open, including the gourmet store Holli wanted to revisit and the Social Bakery. Many places closed for vacation after the holidays and wont reopen until the 19th or 17th (too late for us). Thats a shame, but its understandable. Its very much off season, although the resort seems pretty full. We browed through the couple shops that were open then got our bikes and rode back to the resort a little after 1pm.
Vickie cut up a small assortment of crackers and cheese. Holli & I had our covid call at 1:30 so Vickie took a small blanket/throw and went out to take a catnap in a hammock outside. Our call ended right around 2pm so then I caught some of General Hospital. Vickie came back in the last half hour and got the fireplace prepped for our fire later. She suggested working on another puzzle, so she & Holli got started and I joined them in 5 minutes after GH ended.
Today we worked on the 1,000 piece puzzle Id brought. We had fun and when we glanced up it was 4:15. We wanted to be at Wise Guys when it opened at 4:30 so we rushed out of there. Holli & I also had another covid call at 4:30, which I was hoping would be very short. Of course, we dont always get what we hope for.
The call started as we were pulling into the parking lot, and we stood outside while the call was happening. By the time it ended it was after 4;45. When we walked into Wise Guys the bar was pretty much full, which was disappointing. We took a high-top table in the bar area, and in no time at all there wasnt a single seat at the bar and most of the tables were occupied as well. This is the off season, but locals come to Wise Guys, especially for happy hour its a fabulous place.
Holli & Vickie had a red wine and I ordered a glass of sauvignon blanc. For food Vickie had a house salad and the French onion soup. Holli and I each got the boneless short rib sliders, which weve both had before. All the food was outstanding, especially the sliders. There are 2 of them, along with some house made chips that are not greasy at all.
After dinner we came back to the resort and went back to work on the puzzle, finishing it around 8:15 or so. In total it took us 3.5 hours we were impressed with ourselves, lol! We moved into the living room and Vickie lit the fire. The Magic Kingdom fireworks play repeatedly on the tv so we had that on for background stuff. Theyre so pretty!
My son Chris texted to say the lines in Epcot were unbelievable, and hed been in line 44 minutes so far waiting to order food from the kiosk in America. He finally got to the register at 52 minutes, then was in line to actually get the food. That's just ridiculous, and it reinforces I made the right decision coming to Hilton Head instead of going to WDW. Next year itll have to be Jambo House club level (with no parks) or Hilton Head again Im not doing the crowded parks thing.
We got to talking about our grand villa and Vickie wondered how many square feet it was. A google search told me its 2,363 square feet. We told her about the grand villa at the Grand Floridian and I was able to find a you tube video tour of one so we watched that, then one on the Poly bungalows. Vickie was impressed by the grand villa, and loved the outside of the bungalow (being on the water). She & Holli went up to their bedrooms around 9:30 and I stayed in the living room to finish up the report.
Today was a wonderful day! Once again it flew by too quickly, but I guess thats what I can expect on vacation (unfortunately). Wise Guys was excellent such a great choice! The bike ride was kind of nice I could have lived just fine without it, but it was ok. Vickie wants to do another one tomorrow, so one more day, lol!
Tomorrow were doing lunch at Frankie Bones and the 2:30 resort tour. Beyond that well play it by ear.
DAY 4 Saturday 1/15/22
Who: Sue (63), DVC Member
Holli (57), friend & co-worker
Vickie (57), Hollis best friend & college roommate
Plan: Hudsons lunch, Resort Tour, Poseidon
Actual: I was in bed by 11 last night and purposely left the laptop in the living room. I slept well again, not getting up until almost 5:30. The others had commented last night that they were sleeping really well their rooms and beds were very comfortable. After making my cappuccino I took it to the chair (with ottoman) next to the fireplace and relaxed out there doing online stuff.
Holli came down around 7:45 and made coffee and her breakfast. I got up and made my egg and bacon as well, and Vickie showed up around that time. We sat around the living room with our electronics for a while. It looks like the weather will be better than originally forecast. Today theres some sun (along with clouds) and then the rain starts after midnight but should end by early afternoon. Originally it was a whole day of heavy rain, thunder, and wind.
By 8:30 we started heading to our rooms for showers & getting ready for the day. This morning another bike ride was on the agenda I was willing, but not exactly looking forward to it, lol. Its been years since I rode a bike, and frankly I dont miss it. We headed north today, and that turned out to be a good decision because I could feel a bit of wind resistance and knew the return trip would be more enjoyable. Better to get the harder half of the ride out of the way first.
At first Vickie was leading, but then she dropped back so Holli could lead. Not sure if thats because there was such a gap between the little energizer bunny and Holli & I or not <g>. I claim old age. Vickie, even though shes in the middle of chemotherapy, can leave me in her dust with little effort! At Harolds Diner we talked about continuing or not. I decided to head back, Vickie wanted to go further, so Holli decided to ride with her. They were going to head not too much further, to the area where Vickie and her husband usually stayed.
I wished them well and had a nice ride back to the resort definitely easier in this direction. After parking the bike I walked around the resort taking a bunch of photos to post on facebook for today, then headed back to the villa. I was going to stop at the recreation window to ask how long the afternoon tour would last but they were mobbed with guests! I figured Id just call from the villa and not have to deal with the line of guests.
Holli & Vickie got back just after I did, and I remembered to call about the tour. They said its 30-45 minutes, so thats perfect. We sat around the living room for a while, and then around 11:30 or so we left for Frankie Bones.
We chose to sit in the bar area at a high-top table. The bar is so pretty here, and the high top tables are made of the same stuff as the bartop. Bartender Dave took care of us, and we had a very nice lunch. Vickie got a diet coke, Greek salad and scoop of tuna on the side. Holli & I each got a glass of wine and the schnitzel (pork). The schnitzel is a large portion and I brought half of mine home. The spatzel was good, and I didnt eat the red cabbage but Holli liked hers. Everyone enjoyed their food this is another great place.
After settling the check we headed back to the resort, with a detour for gas at Kroger in Vickies car. Our trash & towel service had been done and the bin for firewood had been replenished. Before leaving we brought what was left inside and stacked it up on the fireplace hearth. We were back around 1:30, with time to relax before our 2:30 resort tour.
The tour was led by Mark, who also works as a lifeguard at the resort. He said this was the first tour he was doing on his own, and other than looking at his notes more than expected he did a nice job. He was very personable and there were things even I learned about the resort. We walked throughout the outside and learned about the early days building the resort, some of the nature at the resort, and several hidden mickeys.
The last stop was Live Oak Lodge, where we went into Big Murgies Den after seeing a couple hidden mickeys at the front desk. From there we ended outside on the deck/patio where Mark let us know the tour had ended but he stayed and talked about food making several restaurant recommendations for different types of food. Many of them were restaurants weve gone to or will be going to, so its good to know we have good taste <g>. He was so enthusiastic when describing how amazing this food or that food was at a particular venue. For any new guests hes a great resource for restaurant recommendations, and he is eager to help. Very nice guy!
We walked back to our villa and the wind had picked up, so Vickie & I abandoned our plans to walk over to Belk. Instead, we sat in the dining room and played Phase 10 (a card game). I won, so it was fun <g>. The resort was doing songs, stories and smores at the campfire tonight, but we decided it was too windy to bother.
After the game Vickie went over to Kroger, while Holli & I stayed behind. Eventually we started setting up the faux concierge lounge. Id brought the bamboo cheese board Chris and Amanda gave me last year, and everything looked so nice. We had various cheeses, various crackers, olives, okra pickles, salami, prosciutto, hummus, celery and carrots. Well, to clarify they had all that. I stuck with crackers and cheeses <g>. We set it on the coffee table in the living room, where Vickie had lit a fabulous fire in the fireplace.
It was absolutely lovely having this fireplace (and unlimited firewood delivered upon request) has been such a treat! Vickie & Holli pulled up the menu for Nectar and both thought it looked wonderful. Thats our restaurant tomorrow, so I was glad theyre both so enthusiastic.
Eventually we settled on some HGTV this is the first time the tv has been on, other than for General Hospital a couple days. Its nice not having it on constantly. Were now in for the night, and looking forward to our last full day here.
Today was a great day! Despite my complaining Im glad I did the bike ride, and the resort tour was really nice. Frankie Bones is always terrific, and we did a nice job on our spread tonight.
Tomorrow its supposed to be raining the first half of the day, then dry up but be really windy after that. Im looking forward to trying Nectar, and if its not too crappy out we may do the hot cocoa by the campfire pit at 3:30. Our last evening will be another faux concierge lounge.
DAY 5 Sunday 1/16/22
Who: Sue (63), DVC Member
Holli (57), friend & co-worker
Vickie (57), Hollis best friend & college roommate
Plan: Frankie Bones brunch (rainy day)
Actual: Since we did Frankie Bones yesterday, todays new plan is Nectar for lunch. This is another Serg restaurant and is in the old Marleys location (Marleys closed during the pandemic). Last night we all retreated to our bedrooms at 9, and I went to bed around 10. I woke up early but didnt get up until almost 5:30. I expected to hear heavy rain during the night, but it was silent. When I looked outside everything still looked dry, which was a surprise. However, by around 7 it was raining. Its still supposed to end after noon, so its not bad at all.
I made my cappuccino and took it to the living room to enjoy while I watched HAL ships arrive in Port Everglades. Holli was up before 8 and Vickie a little later. I made my usual egg & bacon breakfast, and everyone else fixed themselves something. It was raining steadily outside but we were warm and dry in the living room!
Around 9 I put in a small load of laundry, and Vickie added a few things. The washer & dryer here is quite large and would hold a lot more clothes than the ones I have in Gainesville and Ft Myers. While that was running I took my shower and got dressed. Unfortunately, I left most of the umbrellas in the car only have a small travel umbrella. There are puddles everywhere outside so getting to the car will not be possible without wet shoes at some point.
I learned via text/email from the power company that my electricity in Ft Myers was out. I didnt really give it any thought as to the reason, until later Chris texted from WDW to say a tornado had hit the very nice community next door, along with other things along the way. I watched several of the local videos and was thankful to not see my neighborhood in any of them, but itll be a while before I know much more.
Around 10:30 Vickie asked about eating, so we finished getting ready and at 10:45 I stopped the dryer so we could leave. Everything was pretty much dry, so the timing was good. The rain was letting up and by the time we drove the couple miles to Nectar it was barely a drizzle.
The restaurant & parking lot were very busy and when we walked in people were sitting on chairs just inside the door. We assumed that meant wed have a wait, but we were taken right to one of the few empty tables. Guess those other people were larger parties. Here the food is farm to table everything fresh, never frozen, locally sourced. Its a bit eclectic (the menu) to me, but its right up Vickie and Hollis alley.
We skipped the wine since it was so early. Vickie had the shrimp salad sandwich which came out with fried potato slices. Shed ordered salad with it, so they sent that later but without dressing so she didn't really eat it. Holli had the bacon & tomato sandwich, made with thick bacon, fried green tomatoes, a feta goat cheese, bacon jam and some type of aeoli & arugula. It came with the same potato slices and she loved them both! I got the tomato hand pie think of an empanada but instead of being filled with meat they used diced tomatos, gouda cheese & some other cheese. It was in a flaky pastry and was different but very good. Id definitely get this again.
After getting our Disney discount and settling the check we came outside to sunshine. The clouds were mostly blowing away. We drove back to the resort and I checked more of the footage of storm damage down in Ft Myers. My fabulous ex-husband Tim headed over to check my place, which I really appreciate.
We decided to walk on the beach and after checking the weather conditions were not going to improve at all (in terms of temp or wind). It was actually pretty nice outside 60 degrees. But, it was gale force 3, whatever that means. We drove over to the beach house and walked out to the beach. Along the blue path we passed a few people, who all told us it was really windy out there.
Once we cleared the dunes and hit the beautiful wide open beach we were hit with the winds. We decided the smart thing was to walk into the wind so the return trip would be easier. We set out and barely got past the edge of the resort before giving up. The sand was blowing like crazy, the waves were really big, and nobody was really out on the beach anywhere. We took a few pictures and some video, then turned around and were almost blown off our feet.
While on the beach Tim had called but with the wind whipping I couldnt hear anything. I called him from the parking lot and learned my home & neighborhood were fine, but theres lots of damage on all 4 sides of the neighborhood. Sounds like the tornado (or multiple tornados) just skipped over or around us, for which Im really thankful! I also heard from my next door neighbor, who reported the same and then she let me know power finally came back on after 3pm.
We decided since we couldnt walk on the beach wed go visit the shops at Coligney. We drove over there and found a shop Holli really liked last year. Wed both bought stuff there last year, and this year she got something else. We also went into a toy store that had some nice 1000-piece puzzles but I knew we wouldnt get any of those finished tonight so we didnt buy any. We also found the Island Fudge Shop, which Holli & I had loved last year. We got a slice of chocolate raspberry fudge, she got a dark chocolate turtle and I got a couple pieces of milk chocolate bark yum! There was a sauce store hot sauces, barbecue sauces, salsas, etc. It was overwhelming with all the choices. Vickie bought something, and I got a bottle of local hot sauce for SB. Our last stop was the Piggly Wiggly, just for nostalgic reasons. Thats where I used to shop before the one by the resort because a Whole Foods when Kroger bought up the area.
Shopping down, we returned to the resort. It was Vickies idea, but we poured wine into the coffee cups, attached the lids, and went out to turn bocce into a drinking game <g>. Holli & I had never played, and we didnt keep score or anything. Its kind of fun a cross between bowling and pool. We played for quite a while then walked over by the marina to see the name a totally black ship there. Up close (as opposed to driving by) it wasnt nearly as impressive as we thought. A couple came by walking their 2 dogs and one of the dogs was making a quacking sound like a duck it was the oddest thing!
By 3:30 we were back at the villa. Holli took a book out to the porch to do some reading, Vickie got online in the living room, and I caught up the trip report before going into my bedroom to pack. I didnt want to have to deal with it later.
That didnt take long, and Holli came in from the porch at the same time so we opened up the other 500-piece puzzle (New York City). We worked on that for a while, and around 5:30 set up tonights board. Vickie lit another great fire, and we settled in for the evening. Besides cheese and crackers we had grapes, cherry tomatoes and prosciutto wrapped asparagus (well, they did I dont touch that stuff).
Everything was great, and we had another wonderful time. They started thanking me for the trip and I asked if there was interest in repeating it next year. The answers were a very quick yes! Vickie commented about the lack of drama on this trip. Drama is something I have no patience for Im not going to bring it to the trip and Im not including anyone who might bring some drama. Lifes too short. Id been looking at my dvc points and with juggling a couple things around I should be able to book a grand villa for the same timeframe next year.
We turned on the weather channel to give Vickie an idea of what shes facing tomorrow. At some point Vickie moved over to the puzzle table and I switched to the ABC news to see the footage of Ft Myers today. We dont normally make the national news <g>.
Im going to close out the report now and if anything interesting happens (or even not-so-interesting) Ill include it in the final report tomorrow. Today was so much better than expected weather-wise. I could have lived without the stress of wondering if a tornado had affected my home or neighborhood, but by some stroke of luck we were spared.
Tomorrow Vickies leaving early, as she needs to do her labs somewhere to be approved for her next chemo session on Wednesday. Shes 6.5 hours away, so shes scoped out sites that are close to her route. Holli & I will have breakfast at Hilton Head Diner before heading home, and I also want to stop at Kroger to check out cheese to bring home.
DAY 6 Monday 1/17/22
Who: Sue (63), DVC Member
Holli (57), friend & co-worker
Vickie (57), Hollis best friend & college roommate
Plan: Hilton Head Diner, Drive to Gainesville
Actual: Last night we enjoyed the fire, finished the jigsaw puzzle, and watched some trashy 90 Day Fiance on tv. Holli & Vickie went up to their rooms at 9 but I had to watch the rest of the episode (until 10). I stayed out in the living room since the fire was still burning, and it was really nice so much nicer than Gainesville!
I was up at 5 and had my cappuccino in the living room, sitting next to the fireplace. Its a shame to be leaving this beautiful grand villa, but hopefully in less than a month Ill book one for next year at this time. Turns out the 3 of us travel well together. Vickie commented last night that she was surprised (and pleased) that there was absolutely no drama. When I told SB he asked if I replied thats why I leave my husband at home, lol! The truth is I cant stand drama, and if you bring drama then you wont be back on any of my trips. Im just not going to put up with any of it lifes too short!
We were all running ahead of schedule, with Vickie ready to hit the road before 6:45. Holli helped bring her stuff out to her car, then brought one of the wooden carts back to haul our stuff. While she was gone I started carrying loads halfway down the stairs. We loaded up the cart, transferred it to my car and were off.
I stopped at Krogers gas station first, then we went to Kroger (the store). Wed forgotten to go back yesterday to get some of the small pieces of cheese, and this morning there was hardly anything in those bins. I only found 1 thing, so it wasnt a very productive trip. Since Holli bought all the groceries when we arrived, I wasnt going take any of those cheeses with me. Ill do a better job in May.
From there we drove over to Hilton Head Diner, which due to the labor shortage now doesnt open until 7am. Luckily it was a little after that, and we were the 2nd table seated. We both ordered their French toast, which is made with challah bread. Its delicious, and not something you see other places. After breakfast I got a piece of baklava to take home and we hit the road.
The drive was easy, but lots of cops were looking for ticket recipients in Georgia. We paid attention and got through unscathed. Just after 11:30 we were back home.
It was a really wonderful trip, from start to finish. The grand villa was perfect for the 3 of us, and the weather was mostly very good. We rode bikes, did a couple tours, ate out, shopped, did jigsaw puzzles, climbed a lighthouse, played games, and enjoyed the fireplace. Vickies a master fire maker, which helped!
My next trip is a HAL cruise with Fran & Holli. Were spending the night before the cruise at Saratoga Springs, then continuing down to the ship. Hopefully all will go as planned. As far as Hilton Head, SB & I will be going there in early May for a trip with friends Pete & Judy. That one will be beach weather!
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Sue Holland, mid January 2022, Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort
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