Hilton Head Island Resort Area Tour

The Top Resort Areas of Hilton Head

Hilton Head Island is one of America’s favorite island destinations, voted “Top Island in the United States” by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine and “#1 Island in the Continental US” by Travel+Leisure. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and scenic Calibogue Sound, Hilton Head is an oasis of scenic waterways, wildlife refuges, nature preserves, quaint villages, marinas and 12 miles of unspoiled Atlantic Ocean beaches.

Visitors to Hilton Head are welcomed by natural beauty, Lowcountry charm and an abundance of outdoor activities. Hilton Head Island is one of the top golf destinations in South Carolina and is home to 24 on-island championship golf courses along with world-class tennis facilities nestled in the island’s lush plantation resorts. Our guests enjoy action packed activities including dolphin tours, parasailing, deep sea charters, wave runner and jet-ski tours, ziplining aerial adventures and helicopter tours along the coastline.

When it comes to shopping, dining and entertainment, Hilton Head Island does not disappoint. From the bustling Coligny Plaza and downtown Hilton Head to the quaint marina villages and luxury plantation resort hotels you can shop and dine to your heart's content and enjoy year-round events, live entertainment and family-friendly festivities.

Hilton Head Island vacation accommodations are set in unique resort communities within the island's plantation resort areas. Each plantation and each community has its own unique personality, set of adventures and island attractions.

Getting Around Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island is only 12 miles long by 5 miles wide and is easy to explore on bike, foot or one of the seasonal trolleys that makes getting around Hilton Head Island so easy! Hilton Head is one of only 25 communities in the US to receive a gold biking award and this small island has over 60 miles of public pathways and scenic nature trails to explore.

SEA PINES RESORT AREA

Top Sea Pines HHI Attractions: 5 miles of Beaches, Harbour Town Lighthouse, Harbour Town Marina, South Beach Village & Marina, Sea Pines Plantation Forest Preserve, Baynard Cove Ruins, Indian Shell Ring, The Harbour Town Golf Links, Heron Point Golf Course, Atlantic Dunes Golf Course, Sea Pines Racquet Club, Lawton Stables.

The Sea Pines Plantation resort area is a vacation destination in itself with the iconic candy cane Harbour Town Lighthouse, Harbour Town Marina, the New England inspired South Beach Village & Marina, world-class golf, award-winning tennis and attractions and activities for every age and energy level.

Sea Pines Plantation resort area is Hilton Head’s original and largest plantation, taking up a third of Hilton Head Island at 5,000-acres. This popular Hilton Head plantation resort borders the Atlantic ocean and Calibogue Sound with 5 miles of pristine sandy beaches and lots of beach access throughout the plantation. In addition, Sea Pines offers guests paved trails for hiking and biking, nature trails winding through forested wetlands, scenic lagoons and lakes at the Sea Pines Plantation Forest Preserve, and the oldest known archaeological site on Hilton Head Island.

For the active and energetic, Sea Pines is home to the Harbour Town Golf Links, Heron Point Course, the Atlantic Dunes Golf Course, the award-winning Sea Pines Racquet Club and the Lawton Stables. Head to the Sea Pines marinas for an abundance of watersports, cruises on the Calibogue Sound, tours of Daufuskie Island and nearby Savannah, fishing charters and fun water adventures for the kids and teens!

There are four unique Sea Pines neighborhoods giving guests the option to stay oceanfront on the Atlantic, overlooking the tranquil Calibogue Sound or in the heart of the plantation on the rolling fairways of a world-class golf course. The Sea Pines Plantation resort area truly caters for each and every visitor to Hilton Head.

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Palmetto Dunes RESORT AREA

Top Palmetto Dunes HHI Attractions: Dunes House, George Fazio Golf Course, Arthur Hills Golf Course, Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course, Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center, Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina.

The Palmetto Dunes Plantation resort area is located in the heart of Hilton Head Island and is consistently ranked the “#1 Family Resort in the USA and Canada” and “Top 25 World’s Best Family Resorts”. This family-friendly Hilton Head plantation offers 2,000 acres of oceanfront living surrounded by lush, Lowcountry landscapes, three miles of immaculate Atlantic Ocean beaches and award-winning Hilton Head sports facilities.

Whether you’re booking a beach vacation, golf getaway or annual tennis trip, Palmetto Dunes has it all! The Atlantic Ocean and 11-mile Palmetto Dunes lagoon system offer watersports, golfers have a choice of three championship golf courses including the Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course, and the resort is home to the world-renowned Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center for tennis lovers.

You’ll find oceanfront dining at the Palmetto Dunes House and a selection of restaurants at the Palmetto Resort hotels. For more shopping, dining, entertainment and some of Hilton Head’s top activities and adventures, you can walk, bike or hop on the Palmetto Dunes Buggy to Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina.

Stay oceanfront with Atlantic Ocean views, in the palmetto palms alongside the lagoon or on the fairways of one of Palmetto Dunes famous golf courses. Wherever you choose to vacation in the Palmetto Dunes resort area, you’re only minutes from the ocean for a true island experience on Hilton Head Island.

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FOREST BEACH REsort area (“Downtown Hilton Head”)

Top Forest Beach Hilton Head Attractions: Coligny Plaza, Coligny Beach Park, Adventure Playground.

If you’re looking to stay walking distance from Hilton Head’s downtown restaurants and nightlife and steps to the ocean, this is the best Hilton Head neighborhood for you! The Forest Beach neighborhood puts you in the heart of the downtown action and steps from the award-winning Coligny Beach and the bustling Coligny Plaza.

Hilton Head’s Forest Beach resort area lies between the Sonesta Resort at Shipyard and the Sea Pines Plantation on the south end of Hilton Head Island. Forest Beach is divided into two neighborhoods - North Forest Beach runs from the Coligny Plaza to Shipyard Plantation’s Sonesta Resort and South Forest Beach from Coligny Plaza south to Sea Pine Plantation’s Ocean Gate.

Coligny Plaza lies at the heart of this Hilton Head neighborhood with a boardwalk leading to Coligny Beach Park and the Atlantic Ocean. Shop, dine and enjoy live entertainment at Coligny Plaza, people watch from the shaded swings on the boardwalk or get busy with beach activities on the award-winning Coligny Beach. Staying in Forest Beach means you can park your car, switch to island time and enjoy a seaside vacation with the best of Hilton Head only a short walk, scenic bike cruise or convenient trolley ride away.

Our Hilton Head Island rental homes near Coligny Plaza range from oceanfront complexes with swimming pools overlooking the Atlantic to spacious family homes steps to the beach. Wherever you stay in Forest Beach, you can start your day with coffee in hand, toes in the sand and a perfect Hilton Head sunrise.

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PORT ROYAL RESORT AREA

Top Port Royal Plantation HHI Attractions: Islander Beach Park, Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club, Port Royal Arboretum.

Port Royal is a smaller resort plantation on the northern curve of the island bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and historic Port Royal Sound. This quiet and pristine oceanfront community has beach access to one of the best beaches on Hilton Head, the family-friendly Islander Beach Park and is only minutes to Hilton Head’s top attractions, shopping and dining.

Golfers enjoy three championship courses and one of the top exotic golf courses in the world, for tennis lovers the Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club is ranked one of the top 25 tennis resorts in the world. There are miles of trails to explore, lagoons for fishing, historical sites and the Port Royal Arboretum for nature lovers.

The villa communities of Port Royal Plantation offer guests spacious townhomes on the fairways, chic beach condos overlooking the lagoons, resort-style amenities with swimming pools, BBQ grills and picnic spots, and even golf carts to cruise around the plantation. Whether you’re traveling with family, friends or planning a golfing getaway to Hilton Head, Port Royal Plantation ensures a scenic and tranquil Hilton Head vacation.

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SHIPYARD RESORT AREA

Top Shipyard Plantation HHI Attractions: Private beach access at Shipyard Beach Club, The Sonesta Resort, The Shipyard Golf Club, Van der Meer Tennis Complex, Close to Coligny Plaza & Beach Park.

The Shipyard Plantation resort area is the smallest of the Hilton Head plantations, a tranquil oasis only minutes from the downtown Forest Beach area and Coligny Plaza. Visitors to Hilton Head Island choose this naturistic plantation for its quieter neighborhoods with scenic nature trails, picturesque lakes and lagoons, sub-tropical foliage, oak-lined fairways and private beach access. This tranquil setting invites an abundance of wildlife and bird watching opportunities within the Shipyard Plantation.

The Shipyard Plantation is also one of the best places to play golf and tennis on Hilton Head Island and is home to three award-winning golf courses at the Shipyard Golf Club and one of the top ranked tennis facilities in the world, the Van der Meer Tennis Complex.

Being the smallest of the plantations, wherever you stay in Hilton Head’s Shipyard Plantation you’re a short bike ride or walk from golf, tennis and private beach access at the Shipyard Beach Club. The Shipyard villa complexes offer sunny swimming pools, calming golf course views and leisure trails leading to the Atlantic Ocean. Low country charm and all the comforts of home when you stay in Shipyard, Hilton Head Island.

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Hilton Head Island Vacation Rentals

Sunset Rentals has a portfolio of 225+ Hilton Head Island rentals in our care and have been welcoming guests to Hilton Head for over 28 years.
Our on-island team are here to match you with the ideal vacation rental for your group and offer first-class service to make certain your precious vacation time is spent the right way, on island time!

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