Hi
I'm booking a first time four day trip to Hilton Head. I'm having trouble figuring out this whole plantation bit. Can someone give me a general synopsis? Is there an actual "town" on the island that I would want to be near? We mostly want a good beach and a nice area for restaurants and a little shopping/other activities. I see Sea Pines has it's own "village"...is this way overpriced compared to other areas? I could also use points to stay at the Hilton hotel. Thanks in advance for the advice!

My advice is to stay somewhere in SeaPines. We have been there over 15 times in the past and love Sea Pines. Sea Pines and Palmetto Dunes have large paved bike trails. However, once we did stay at the Hilton. It was a great hotel and beach area. I would be careful in booking an ocean view room because we did that and saw a tree and a peak at the ocean. It was not worth it. If you do not want to stay in Sea Pines you can buy a pass for $5.00 a day to visit the area. It has Harbor Town with the light house, shops, and playground--which is wonderful. It has South Beach which has other shops and the Salty Dog restaurant. Crazy Crab is also a great place to eat out on the island (I prefer this one over the one at Harbor Town because of the marsh view). Good luck and have a great time! The plantations are just names of different areas on the island so that you can associate where you are on the island. They are not different towns. Wherever you choose to stay, I would advise staying on the OCEAN side and not the Sound side of the island. Also, I think that Sea Pines is the only place that charges you to enter its plantation. Hilton Head Ice Cream is Delicious! There are shops all over the island. I may be partial, but I LOVE Hilton Head! We drive 16 hours every year or two for a week in one of the homes. We rent through ResortQuest.com--they are located on the island and are very helpful when you call. I hope this is helpful and please excuse my jumping around on subjects. There is just so much to tell...

The plantations on HHI just divide the island into pieces. Some plantations are gated; some are not.There is no real town, just a main road with carefully planned commercial areas. Sea Pines has Harbour Town and South Beach which are more small commercial areas than towns.I only stay at Sea Pines and use www.southbeach.com. The Hilton is very nice and it would be a shame to pay when not necessary.It has a beautiful beach, etc. Compared to our cost of living these days, the $5 per day Sea Pines fee is peanuts and well spent.

In the very broad sense, 'Plantation' is just another word for neighborhood or area.

Just make sure wherever you stay is near the beach. Some of the villas and houses in the plantations are actually pretty far from the beach (a few hundred yards). If you go when it's hot, which is anytime June-September, that walk can be miserable.