The Sea Pines Resort

We got on married on 10÷10÷15 and could not have been happier with our venue selection. Growing up, my dad — being the avid golfer that he is — made our family walk the 18^th hole of Harbour Town while vacationing each year. It was so special to me that he was able to walk me down the 18^th lawn aisle! The new clubhouse is INCREDIBLE, the food was fantastic, the cake was perfection and our entertainment (Deas-​Guyz) kept the party going. Diane Hardy really guided us through the wedding process and remained incredibly patient as we bombarded her with questions. One critique is that the table set-​up was not 100% what we wanted so I would recommend taking a photo of optimal set up and providing it ahead of time. Other than that, the day was more than we could have ever dreamed of!

If you ever get a chance to go to Hilton Head Island, you must jump at that chance. I guess I got lucky b/​c my parents happen to own property there, so I get to go when I want to. And my family has been going for the last 20 + years.
One thing about this property is that it is one of The most desirable of places to stay on the island if you stay on HILTON HEAD.
There are so many years and so many memories, I can’t begin to count them. All I am grateful for is providing both my lovely Daughter and handsome Son the benefit of having these times be lasting memories to them. They both still remind me of times I remember, but at the time those happy times were happening, I wasn’t sure if they would remember them. They did. :D I could only do my best so it shaped them into law-​abiding citizens. And not brats who feel entitled. I taught them «The World owes you a living, but you have to work hard to collect it». «Teach your children well…» (Crosby, Stills Nash & Young). ;)) I’m immensely proud of both of my kids for the station in life they’ve chosen and for what they’ve accomplished.
I am rambling, but it’s so hot out…
You know those circular traffic circles in La Jolla that snake down Mission Blvd? Well, HHI has them too, but they’re 5X as big and incredibly more difficult to tell whose turn it is, so careful out there, cause there’s a lot of crazy drivers out there.
The only other thing I will say about my parent’s property is that every single time I stayed in the «treehouse «, I would always recall a Pat Conroy novel… set in Savannah, Georgia, «The Prince of Tides». (Highly recommended read.)
Now? My mind wanders and ponders why all this Racism exists in the country now. It’s closely tied to racism in the Deep South, alive… and, unfortunately, all too well.
You may say I’m a dreamer by wanting racism to go away, but Racism will never go away. As long as there is this pervading ignorance of some people who don’t believe that All Men Are Created Equal, and some should be treated badly, well… our maker will decide for us all in the end. That, I am sure of.
Moving on…
A little bit of country-​accented locals (how cute)
A little bit of soft sandy beach,
A little bit of unique shopping,
A little bit of great restaurants…
And the horses. I’ve been riding since I was 17. Love horses!
I always feel comfortable in the Low Country…
With a LOT of First Class All the Way.
Bring lots of money. Lol.

It’s my last day in Sea Pines. Enjoyed my week, great place to vacation. Beach, bikes, salty dog, hour town and more.

Absolute 5 star resort. From the hotels, golf, restaurants, shopping and staff, they spare no expense.

Imagine our surprise when my husband and I arrived at the entrance to the Reserve and when asked if they gave a military discount were told, «Thank you for your service!» and given free entry! If you have a valid military I.D. card, make sure you have it out when you arrive at the gate. The six dollar charge is not exorbitant, but save it for a souvenir at one of the quaint shops at Harbor Town. The locals are friendly and seem almost ridiculously patient with the overwhelming numbers of tourists driving past their homes. The area is well kept and there is an abundance of wildlife you can catch a few glimpses of as you meander through its winding paths. If you want to see how the 1% lives, take a walk on the promenade at the lighthouse. The yachts are gorgeous and you may even spy a dolphin or two surfacing nearby. There are bikes you can rent and many excursions to choose from at the harbor. Plan on spending a day, but be prepared for the pricey shopping and restaurant offerings. Better yet, grab lunch at a sandwich shop and picnic in the park area. Also, don’t expect to be able to get a hot cup of coffee or a latte after 2 p.m. anywhere near Harbor Town. The only place closes early and the only other place to get a quick «to-​go» coffee is a general store with a push button coffee machine
Visited March, 2015

Great vacation at the Sea Pines Resort: wonderful pet friendly rental property; clean and safe and expansive grounds; numerous activities (my favorites were biking, walking the beautiful beaches, exploring the forest preserve and tennis). I will definitely go back and highly recommend this resort as a vacation destination. Oh, and I had the best tuna tacos of my life at the Ocean Gate outdoor beach restaurant — I would go back just for those tacos!

The Sea Pines Resort is located on the southern tip of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. It’s a quiet, luxury community/​resort composed of homes, condos, and villas that blend in with the lush nature of the island. The resort is rather large at well over 5,000 acres. It’s considered the most exclusive development on the island with plenty of things to see and do including biking, horseback riding, golf, tennis, water and beach activities, a forest preserve, and shopping and dining. The resort is perfect for low-​key, family-​friendly vacations.
I grew up vacationing at Sea Pines with my family. For the longest time, it was known as Sea Pines Plantation. It wasn’t until 2005 that «Plantation» was replaced with «Resort.» We’d come here at least once a year. I still visit Sea Pines to this day, but due to work and other commitments, I don’t get to visit as often as I used to or would like.
If you decide to vacation at Sea Pines, you can either stay at one of the official resort properties (e.g. The Inn at Harbour Town) or choose to rent one of the many vacation rentals by owner. I recommend booking through Destination Vacation:
. As a property owner or official guest of the resort, you get discounts on just about everything it has to offer from retail to food to tee times. If you decide not to stay at the resort, but would still like to visit, you just have to pay a $ 6 entry fee at the gate.
Sea Pines is home to Harbour Town (
) where the iconic red-​and-​white-​striped lighthouse (
) is located. There’s a yacht basin (marina), boutique shops, restaurants, a playground for kids (
), and a world-​famous golf course and tennis facility. The golf course, Harbour Town Golf Links, was designed by Pete Dye. Each spring, it hosts the PGA Tour’s Heritage golf tournament.
In addition to the golf course at Harbour Town, Sea Pines has two additional courses: Ocean Course and Heron Point. Ocean Course, as its name implies, borders the ocean (specifically, hole no. 15). Heron Point used to be known as the Sea Marsh course until 2007 when it was renovated and renamed. Also designed by Pete Dye, it underwent more design changes in 2014. I’ve played Harbour Town, Ocean Course, and the old Sea Marsh course and all three were outstanding. I highly recommend them to golfers of any skill level. I think Ocean Course is considered the «easiest» of the three. Expectedly, Harbour Town is by far the most challenging track with narrow fairways, low hanging trees, and tiny greens. I’ve yet to play Heron Point, but look forward to in the future.
Heron Point’s 2014 re-​opening coincided with the opening of the new and absolutely beautiful Plantation Golf Club. The clubhouse is home to Live Oak, a contemporary, farm-​to-​table, «Lowcountry-​inspired» restaurant, which I think is one of the best restaurants on the entire island (
).
Going back to when I was a kid and even up until today, one of my favorite activities to do in Sea Pines is bicycling. Sea Pines has a bike shop (
) where you can rent bikes for hours or days at a time. There are other bike shops too (e.g. The Peddling Pelican:
). The resort is covered in safe and fun-​to-​ride trails. These «leisure trails» exist in pretty much every neighborhood of the resort so it’s easy to get everywhere on your bike. I like to bike to Harbour Town as well as bike on the beach. The hard-​packed sands of Hilton Head are ideal for bikes.
The northwest side of Sea Pines, the same side where Harbour Town is located, faces the Calibogue Sound. The south/​southeast side of Sea Pines is where the beach is located. Sunrise and sunset are always great times to be out on the beach as the views are picturesque and breathtaking. I think the best thing about the long beach at Sea Pines is it’s not overcrowded. Like the rest of the island, Sea Pines has done a good job overseeing/​controlling development in the interest of the environment. Many stretches of the beach are calm, quiet, and essentially private. It’s nice.
If you’ve ever been to the islands and beaches of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, then you’ll know what to expect out of the beaches of Sea Pines. There aren’t soft white sands and blue oceans like Florida, the Caribbean, or Hawaii. Instead, the sand is various hues of grey and the ocean appears darker as a result. The beaches of the Carolinas and Georgia are different, yet still exquisite in their own right.

We come to Sea Pines everytime we visit Hilton Head. We love it. We try to make it a point to stay inside Sea Pines. It’s very beautiful, great bike trails. Great places for my kids. Easy beach accesses. Great scenery! LOVE LOVE LOVE this place!

Coming to sea pines since I was 5 held some great memories. Recently moved to the area and had some friends in town and wanted to check out a new resturant. The guard at the gate was an ex military bald condescending skinny old man that treated us like criminals because we didn’t know the resturant closed at 10. When we told him where we wanted to go he responded with an… Oh really? That’s funny because that resturant closed at 10 and then made some other remarks that made us feel bad. I’d expect more from a resort catering to people that wanted to come spend money there. This guy needs to be talked to about how to treat people and sone general respect.

My review is for the Inn at Harbor Town in Seapines.
My fiancé and I went here back in June and fell in love with this place, we will most certainly be coming back and staying here. From the moment we got there to the moment we left it was bitter sweet. The staff there went above and beyond to try and make our stay the best one possible.
When we arrived we sat at the sign in desk which was nice because it felt more personable and Matt (from London) spoke to us like he wanted to get to know us instead of checking us in. Once we checked in he gave us a tour of the Inn. Knowing where everything was made us feel more comfortable. They even offered us champagne for our tour/​welcome. He then walked us to our room in which our bags where waiting for us and showed us everything. We even had a person card hand written to us from the Inn. (We thought it was a great personal touch) Before leaving he even gave us recommendations on where to eat later that night.
The next day my fiancé went to go play golf and I relaxed by the pool. It was nice relaxing and right next to the golf course so it was quite. done with the pool I decided to go for a bike ride. (they offer complimentary bikes) While biking I found the resort to be absolutely gorgeous. I was in a different world. The best way to get around in the resort is bikes so for them being complimentary is a great bonus and saves you money on having to rent them.
Everyday the front desk (all from London) always asked us if we needed anything. They made us reservations for messages, dinner reservations, and even gave us ideas in where to have fun.
My fiancé and I just got engaged about a week before coming to hilton head. We feel in love with this place so much that we decided to look at possibly having our wedding there. Once they found that out they had sent to our room a bottle of champagne for we could celebrate with once again a hand written note congratulating us.
I HIGHLY recommend this Inn for any couple or family who wants to have a relaxed vacation, play golf, and be treated with the best customer services one can get.

My four star rating is an average: Five stars for the plantation itself — great beaches, beautiful forests, nice bike paths, lovely relaxing place. Three stars for the accommodations. I would really rather give 3.5 stars (instead of four), but I’m being generous.
My husband and I have gone to Sea Pines for four years in a row, and that alone says something. The beaches are beautiful, it’s not too crowded, the bike paths and resort amenities are great. The new beach club and golf clubhouse this year are really nice updates to the property as well. There are a lot of negative reviews on here about the entrance fee — but that’s honestly part of the appeal when you rent there. Because it’s a gated community, the beaches tend not to be overrun with people, and they’re really well maintained. I love hanging out at South Beach, at the very tip of the island: you can catch shrimp and crabs, it’s pretty calm and not at all crowded, and you can watch dolphins. We even brought our Kayak with us and paddled out in the sound, and we were within ~20 feet of them! Because it’s a no wake zone down there, it’s great for paddling around, and you can get up into all of the tidal marshes and inlets.
The condition of the homes, however, varies WIDELY — everywhere from 5 stars to 1 star. We’ve stayed in the Harbor Town hotel (lovely), a condo in the South Beach area (good price, convenient), and a rental home (very poor maintenance). It seems to me that the quality of maintenance has either been decreasing, or is totally inconsistent: our rental home this year had some serious problems: a door that had fallen off it’s hinges, a giant hole in the ceiling, and various smaller issues. And this was a $ 2000+/wk «premier» rental. When we contacted SeaPines, they quickly sent someone out to fix the problems and gave us a partial refund, but I was still appalled that no one had bothered to fix it beforehand. It seems like the property management company is wildly inconsistent and does sort of the minimum possible maintenance. One example we saw was they had a landscape crew come out and trim the hedges and clean up storm debris… but they only trimmed the hedges directly visible to the road, and left the sides and back to grow wild (they clearly hadn’t been trimmed in months). I think in the future we will be renting from a different property management company — not sea pines. I don’t know if they just don’t check carefully enough or they don’t care, but it’s disappointing to say the least.
Overall though, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend sea pines. It’s great for couples and families, and there’s plenty to do. If you like outdoor activities, I’m not sure you could do better on HHI — it’s definitely much more pristine than Palmetto Dunes or Shipyard. Yes, it’s a bit snooty, but you can ignore your fellow guests and focus on the ocean :)

I have mixed feelings about the Sea Pines Plantation resort. First off we were here on a family reunion trip with around 30 people and were spread out around 5ish different condos. One of the problems was the variety of quality in the villas. For instance, the villa my fancy stayed in was very very outdated, with showers not working properly, doors being warped and not closing, and even the couches and carpeting being old/​dirty/​outdated. The other places other families stayed at were renovated and new.
The bike paths throughout the resort were very nice to get around considering the roads were almost always packed with tourists. Also, the pools that were around the villas were pretty dirty with a lot of random stuff floating around inside.
Overall I feel that the stay was nice, but the large amount of people, along with the older rooms, made this trip a little less enjoyable as it could have been. That’s why the place only deserves a three stars out of 5 from me today.

The Sea Pines Plantation (Resort) comprises one third of Hilton Head Island. This resort offers private condos and homes for rent by property owners, real estate companies, and resort rental companies. I highly recommend checking out rentals by the property owners themselves through websites such as
. Do not limit your rental search to
. You would miss out on hundreds of fantastic Sea Pines rentals if you do.
Sea Pines has miles and miles of bike paths. Aside from time at the beach and being out on the greens families enjoy taking rides to explore the land. Charles Fraser developed Sea Pines with nature in mind. Stop in and visit the 600 acre Forest Preserve while staying in Sea Pines. The Beach Club, South Beach, Harbour Town, and Sea Pines Forest Perserve will be places your family will make memories that last a lifetime. I have been coming to Sea Pines for the past twenty-​five years… and long to be here when I am away.

Over-​rated «finer» dining restaurant. And relatively over-​priced as well. But, this is Hilton Head.
Fish mains of Corvina and the daily special were $ 27−28…not too bad. But still, $ 12 for Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc by the glass a little bit much, when a bottle goes for $ 18 retail, max. We spent $ 72 for food, and $ 62 for 5 glasses of wine. Better off buying a bottle, especially here.
Pecan pie dessert carries the weird price of $ 6.59.
I don’t need to return.

Very Beautiful resort, we went in January and it was cold! So it was a little disappointing there isn’t much to do when the weather is bad. But will go back and give it a try during the fall. The service was amazing the help is all from London that works the front desk they were all very sweet. THE FOOD WAS GREAT!

This was mine and the HB’s first trip to Hilton Head Island and stayed at The Sea Pines Resort. It really is quite the neat place, we have never been to anyplace like it before. We were lucky enough to stay in a townhouse owned by one of my brother-​in-​laws (HB’s brother) coworkers.
It, The Sea Pines, takes up one third of the whole island; and is a gated community… it has something for everyone; If like golf, there is golfing… if you like swimming, you have your pools and the ocean… if you like tennis, you have your courts… if you like fishing, you have your fishing… if you like to go shopping, there are lots of shops to tool around in… and then you have your bars, restaurants, hiking, and last but not least you have your BIKING… everyone here owns bikes, rents bikes, rides bikes… bikes, bikes everywhere!
Nature wise. the flora and the fauna is just beautiful… the cedar, the Spanish moss, the palms… everything is just so dense and colorful! Fauna wise… there are animals everywhere… alligators, deer, bird life… alligators!
We were here in August so what I hear, we are here in the quiet time of Summer (with kids going back to school) so it is quite emptier than usual… which I’ll take in a moment.
We had a fabulous time and hopefully we will be back.

A) you have to pay for admission. This just gripes me, because it’s not «paying for parking» or anything like that, you are only allowed to enter in a car, and there is no way to see any of the landmarks on that end of the island unless you pay the fee.
B) it is lovely, but no more so than the rest of the island.
C) the restauraunts are mediocre, definitely not worth a special trip.
D) the stores sell the same stuff as they do at the stores at Coligny Plaza, which is free and just as fun.
Don’t waste your time, in my opinion. It might be a nice place to stay, but I generally object to the gated community concept anyways, so I’ll probably never explore that option.

I had visited many beach communities in South Carolina over the years, but never Hilton Head, so I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to attend a work related function for 4 days at the Sea Pines Resort. I thought this community would be like many other with over developed strip malls, too much signage, and just outright tacky homes and lodging. I was totally off base on that assumption.
Hilton Head is a very well mannered beach community that has very controlled development and requirements as it pertains to the look and feel of the community. Some may think that sounds very Stepford Wives like, but it was a very clean and nice place to visit.
The Sea Pines Resort was no exception. This very large resort fills the majority of the southern tip of the island and though it is a bit spread out there is a good reason for it.
This resort has a long list of amenities to select from while on your stay. You can select from Golf, Tennis, EcoTours, Pools, Playgrounds, Equipment Rentals (Bicycles), Fitness and Spa and of course plenty of Dining and Evening entertainment. It has a little bit of everything and something for everyone.
From a golf perspective, I was impressed with the facilities with Driving Ranges, Putting greens, and practice bunkers for every course. There are 3 courses that I know of on in the resort. In addition, you can attend golf clinics or even take private lessons.
Tennis is no slouch either with a premier resource for tennis enthusiasts. They have instruction programs and 23 clay courts in which to play.
EcoTours span a range of activities from Forest walks to riding horses, to exploring the island via bicycles. With over 605 acres of Forest Preserve you’ll have plenty to do. There are also other activities while you are there to enjoy such as Kayaking, Parasailing, Powerboat rentals, Sailing, Stand up Paddleboards, Water skiing, and Waverunner rentals.
For my visit I basically enjoyed the beaches and dining in Harbor town (another review to come…). The staff is very professional and willing to answer any and all questions. This is a big family resort, but also enough space for a romantic getaway.

People on bicycles, be warned: Sea Pines don’t like your kind round here. Or at least that’s the message I got when five of my friends and family biked 6 miles or so on 1-​speed bikes and were denied entrance to Sea Pines because we weren’t in a car.
If we were in a car we would’ve been welcomed (with a $ 5 fee, +$ 1/​bike). We could have then cycled around the Pines, left the property and cycled back in at our leisure. But there was no way they would let us pay the fee on bike and cycle in. Wouldn’t a gated community want less car congestion?
At any rate, we went to another security gate, where a family on bikes came up behind us when we were on the verge of an argument with the security guard about the absurdity that we couldn’t get in after biking for almost an hour just to eat at Salty Dog Café and check out the Baynard Ruins.
The family told the guard they forgot their pass in their car, which was within Sea Pines, and he told them they could go ahead — if they brought us in as their guests. Um… what? So they won’t let us pay to get in, but will let us go in with people we don’t know for free?
We went in and had a great time. The place is amazingly beautiful and a great way to spend the day, as long as you can get in.
Like another reviewer, I find it sad that such a huge part of Hilton Head Island is private, especially considering that one of the island’s biggest tourist traps, Salty Dog Café, is within its confines.
I HIGHLY recommend that Sea Pines management reconsider this inane policy against cyclists who want to spend their money within Sea Pines. We’re staying at another private resort and would love to stay in Sea Pines next time, but likely won’t due to this.

We stayed inside the Sea Pines resort yes there’s a $ 5.00 fee but if your staying at Sea Pines it’s only a one time fee with unlimited in and out access.
The resort includes a world-​class tennis center, five miles of pristine beaches, 20 miles of bike and nature trails, a 600-​acre Forest Preserve, an equestrian center, 10 restaurants, two conference centers, and the world-​famous Harbour Town Yacht Basin with it signature, candy-​striped Harbour Town Lighthouse, and you really do have a resort that’s a step-​or-​two beyond the average.
If your into golf you’ll have three golf couses within Sea Pines to choose from and the PGA Verizon Heritage is played here in April at the Harbor Town Golf Links. For $ 250.00 a round plus a caddy you can play the same course the pros play.
Sea Pines is a beautiful place and I hope I’ll be able to return here again!