REVIEW: Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort Packs in Lowcountry Charm

There is a little Disney secret tucked away on the edge of South Carolina.

When you think of a Disney vacation, you’re probably thinking of a busy theme park adventure or perhaps a fun and luxurious cruise. But there’s a mellow side to Disney, and you can find it at Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort.

We often spend time exploring all of the nooks and crannies of the Orlando theme parks to help you make the most of your family vacation, but we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t visit some of the under-represented Disney vacation spots, as well.

Resort Atmosphere

This resort is one of the Disney Vacation Club locations, and it’s a secret favorite among those who visit. Many folks who stay at Disney Hilton Head Island Resort plan annual pilgrimages with their family and have those yearly traditions. Just like other DVC resorts, non-DVC members can stay here and pay for the room with cash instead of points. But be advised, the DVC members here are loyal, and you might have hard time finding a cash room and might need to rent DVC points to secure your stay.

You won’t find a ton of over-the-top Disney character theming at this resort. It is fashioned after a 1940s hunting and fish lodge and combines local charm and simple pleasures with outdoor fun for the whole family.

The resort first opened in 1996 and has been maintained, but kept its same style and theming for the full 27 years of its existence. But starting in July 2023, Disney started to work on some room updates and will be renovating and refurbishing the resort to bring it into the 21st century. This means more USB ports, upgraded TVs, fresh new furniture, and hopefully a few more Mickey touches here and there.

The style and look of the renovation is very hush-hush. Even when we asked a Cast Member at the check-in desk if there were any pictures, she said it was all being kept closely under wraps, and even the construction workers and crew had to sign non-disclosure agreements! So, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for any release of these upgrades and keep you posted on how it looks!

In case you haven’t figured it out already, this is not your typical Disney resort. In fact, when Disney first expressed interest in opening a resort on the island, it was met with quite a bit of resistance from the community. The island didn’t want Disney to overrun its charming southern culture with cartoons and theme park food. So, Disney compromised. To gain approval to build the resort, Disney could keep with the Lowcountry theme and also not provide a lot of on-property stores or restaurants to encourage guests to get off of the resort and explore the rest of the island. We’ll get a little more into that later, so keep reading!

Stores

Remember what we just said? Well, you won’t find a ton of shopping at Disney’s Hilton Head Island. The Broad Creek Mercantile is located by the resort’s main pool (the Big Dipper pool) and offers your typical sundries, some basic groceries, and a few Disney souvenirs.

If you forgot to pack sunscreen, need to freshen up your stash of Pop-Tarts, or need a new Disney plush, this store will cover those bases. The one complaint we can imagine having is that though you can find DVC-specific items, you won’t find many Disney Hilton Head Island Resort items. So, if you collect resort pins or ornaments, those exist — but are in short supply, and you may find yourself a little disappointed.

Pools

Disney Hilton Head Island Resort has TWO pools. The main pool is at the resort and has a slide and all of the fun pool activities that you’ve come to expect and love at the Disney resorts, including trivia, cannonball contests, and fun and feisty Cast Member lifeguards.

The other pool is over at the Disney Hilton Head Island Beach House. This is a leisure pool in the shape of an “H” (for Hilton Head, get it?). There are plenty of lounge chairs and aquatic lounging for those looking for a break from the sand and waves of the ocean.

Dining

Though Hilton Head Island (and most of South Carolina, for that matter) is super popular for its food, this resort is not. Remember what we said about Disney scaling back some of its resort options to encourage guests to explore the island? Well, this is part of it.

There are two quick service locations, Tide Me Over and Signals, both located by the pools for guests to grab a quick bite. You will find some Disney staples like Mickey Waffles for breakfast and Mickey Pretzels and Dole Whip in the afternoons, but if you’re looking for a fine culinary adventure, you’ll need to head off of the property to one of the many Hilton Head Island restaurants.

But there is something utterly delightful about enjoying a Dole Whip with an ocean view!

Room Tour

Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort has four different types of room accommodations. The Deluxe Studio is a lot like a standard hotel room with a queen bed and double-size sleeper chair that accommodates 4 adults. The 1 Bedroom Villa can accommodate up to 5 adults and has a King bed, a Queen-size sleeper sofa, and a twin-size sleeper chair. The 2 Bedroom Villa can accommodate up to 9 adults and has a King bed, 2 Queen-size beds, a Queen-size sleeper sofa, and a twin-size sleeper chair.

These rooms have a similar layout to the Old Key West rooms, so if you’ve ever stayed there, these will be very familiar to you.

Let’s take a look around our room — a 1 Bedroom Villa.

The first thing you see when you come inside is the main common room with an open living room, kitchen, and breakfast nook.

Just past the door, you’ll see a little alcove with a bench and pegs to place items and hang bags. This is also where the washer and dryer are set for any laundry needs you have during your trip.

The room is equipped with washer, dryer, laundry basket, and detergent for 1-2 loads. If you’ll be staying longer or know you’ll need to do more laundry during your stay, you may want to bring some extra or plan a trip to a local Target or Walgreens to pick some up.

As you head into the main room, you’ll see plenty of natural light from large windows and the balcony door, and all of the decor is themed to nature as well. Here, you’ll find the Queen-sized sleeper sofa and Double-sized sleeper chair.

The TV has local channels as well as the Disney resort channel, which keeps you posted on the weather and activities around the resort. And there is a DVD player provided in case you want to check out some DVDs from the Broad Creek Mercantile.

And the coffee table is on wheels, so it’s easy to move around if you need to pull out that sleeper sofa in the evening for someone to sleep on.

The double-size sleeper chair is also a half-way size between a chair and a love seat and can comfortably seat two people.

The kitchen is fully stocked like you’d expect with a DVC room. You’ll find full-size appliances (dishwasher, stove, oven, microwave, coffee pot, blender, toaster, refrigerator with freezer and ice maker).

And we know how important coffee is, so they do have a full-size coffee pot and a stash of Joffrey’s coffee for your enjoyment.

It’s also stocked with plates, bowls, cups, glasses, silverware, and the basics you need for eating in your room.

And if you’re planning to cook a meal or two, you’re set up for that as well with a selection of cookware, and the basic utensils you’ll need.

You won’t find specialty items to make any gourmet meals during your stay, but if you’re planning to make a meatloaf or lasagna to supplement your dining out, you’ll find what you need. There’s also an inventory list of everything in the room, so if you find you’re missing something, you can call the front desk for a replacement.

Now, over to the main bedroom.

There isn’t a lot going on here, but it’s cozy! The king-size bed is large and soft, with plenty of pillows.

There is a comfy chair for some pre-bedtime reading, and a door from the bedroom out to the balcony …

…and a bench by the doorway, which is great for putting on your shoes before you head out. We also love that it has a drawer to store your shoes so they aren’t tripping hazards in the middle of the night!

There is a TV that is set on the chest of drawers across from the bed.

Nightstands are on either side of the bed, each with a drawer and a lamp. We found that our phone cords didn’t quite reach the outlets behind the nightstands and had to plug them in on the floor near the bed. Functional, but not ideal.

As we mentioned, this resort is currently receiving some TLC and hopefully will have some USB ports on the nightstands after the renovation.

Next, we’ll explore the bathroom. The room has a split bathroom, which is common among DVC villa-style rooms. There is one side of the bathroom with a tub, double vanity, and closet. The other side holds the walk-in shower, commode, and sink. This allows for multiple people to access the bathroom without blocking each other.

The first side of the bathroom has the commode, walk-in shower, and pedestal sink.

The shower is equipped with the mounted H2O products but also has some small soap ledges for your own toiletries.

The second part of the bathroom has the double vanity sinks, a large mirror, a closet, and jacuzzi tub with a window that opens up to the bedroom.

The closet is where you can find some of your other room essentials like extra pillows & blankets, a vacuum, a Swiffer-style floor cleaner, and your in-room safe.

The door connecting the two sides of the bathroom also has a full-length mirror. And you can find H2O lotion and facial soap available for your use on the sink, along with a soap dish and facial tissue.

…there is also a full-size hair dryer for your use.

Finally, let’s check out that balcony.

At Disney Hilton Head Island Resort, you can choose a Wood View or a Water View. The Wood View tends to look out over the resort property. The Water View will provide views of the marsh.

This is a large balcony with two rocking chairs…

… and a picnic-style table with four bench-style seats.

The balcony offers serene views of the surrounding property with large shade trees, and some of the resort amenities like hammocks, swings, or outdoor grills.

Our room was light and bright — would you stay here?

Overall Impression

Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort isn’t a luxury hotel; it’s cozy and charming. It’s also rather low-tech in the best way possible. If you’re looking for a vacation when you and your family members put down your phones and play games, ride bikes, or go fishing, then this is your style of vacation.

The resort provides a printout of the daily activities for the week that you’ll receive when you check in, and you can get an updated version any time from the main building, Live Oak Lodge. There are also tours available that you can book through the resort.

All around the resort, you’ll find free lawn games like bocci ball, cornhole, horseshoes, and even a miniature putting green! The resort does have rentals for bicycles, fishing poles, and crab nets, if you’re looking to expand your recreational activities.

Consider renting a bike for the duration of your stay. The island is only 14 miles from tip to tip and is very navigable by bike with plenty of safe, wide, and picturesque bike trails. You can bike around the resort, but also all around the island to the local shops, restaurants, and beach.

As far as the room goes, it was relaxing and cozy, the beds were very comfortable (always a good thing), and we loved the huge bathroom.

The resort is also on the smaller side and very walkable. But because of its size and loyal following, you may find some difficulty getting the room you want, when you want it. Those Deluxe Studios book up very quickly!

You will find some Disney characters out for meet-and-greets, usually Chip and Dale and Pluto. But you’ll need to check your resort activities printout or the activities board at Broad Creek Mercantile for their meet-and-greet times. And hopefully, once the renovation is complete, there will be some more Disney touches without compromising the southern charm and rustic luxury of the resort.

Be sure to check back with AllEars again soon for more Disney and Universal tips, tricks, reviews, and news.

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Have you stayed at Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort? Tell us about your experience in the comments!

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