17 replies to this topic

[sin city]

suggestions, stories, warnings? Also, will be taking the family truckster there, so any sites to be seen along the way are appreciated. Other than your house, that is.

[crease]

We used to vacation there when I was a kid. Stayed in Sea Pines plantation (which is best known by the iconic lighthouse that's a fixture of the PGA Heritage Classic golf tournament). Loved going. Warning: It gets pretty congested there in the summer. Long waits at restaurants and heavy traffic are the norm. But it's a really fun place for a family vacation.

[TJENZ]

on your way there, make sure you stop and see the world's largest rubberband ball

[elcorazon]

we went there about 23 consecutive summers. It's a great family vacation spot. Wonderful wide beaches that go for miles, a fair number of good restaurants of all shapes and sizes (definitely can get crowded), good golf, if that's your thing, lots of miniature golf, too. We generally stayed in Palmetto Dunes and I recommend you try Fratello's for a good italian meal just outside the gate to the plantation. Are you driving in? Do you know your dates yet? Where you're staying? If you drive in on a Saturday or Sunday, expect LOTS of traffic heading onto the island. Make sure you stop to pee (and the kids pee) before you get stuck in the traffic. If you can take a hokey, smart alecky folk singer, Greg Russell does a fun show for the kids every night at Harbortown (really crowded there), gets kids up to sing, it's funny the first few years you go. Watch out for jellyfish. They're plentiful there (although I've never been stung myself, several in our crew have been). It can be damn hot depending on when you go, obviously, and humid too. Have a good time. Let me know if you've got specific questions.

[crease]

I second the motion on Greg Russell. It's a fun way to spend a night with the kids. Also, grabbing beers in Harbor Town and gawking at the mega-yachts moored there is good stuff. If memory serves, they'd built a bypass to the main drag onto HH Island (which was perennially clogged with traffic). When we went a few summers back and took the bypass (you might have to pay a toll), it wasn't bad at all. ps -- we thought Hudsons--which is a big shrimp shack that attracts tourists in droves--was a huge tourist trap. Also, the South Beach district in Sea Pines is a hidden gem. Quieter than the other parts of Sea Pines. But lovely.

[sin city]

We used to vacation there when I was a kid. Stayed in Sea Pines plantation (which is best known by the iconic lighthouse that's a fixture of the PGA Heritage Classic golf tournament). Loved going.

Warning: It gets pretty congested there in the summer. Long waits at restaurants and heavy traffic are the norm.

But it's a really fun place for a family vacation.

we will be staying at the Sea Pines and will be there very early in the season. And I do plan on golfing..

[Kate]

Also, will be taking the family truckster there, so any sites to be seen along the way are appreciated.

www.roadsideamerica.com

[ParticleHustler]

Haven't been in a few years, but my parents have a time share there and we used to go fairly regularly when I was in high school in Georgia. Great place. I like the way they have allowed the commercial aspects to be concealed somewhat by leaving trees and bushes up along the streets. I can remember trying to find Wal-Mart and having a hard time because you couldn't see the sign from the street. Which, after you cuss and do a U-turn, is admittedly pretty nice to see in a vacation spot.

[norton]

A buddy of mine goes down there every year with his family and I know he's got nailed by the cops on his way down more than once -- especially in the mountains. Watch your speed!

[jasmine]

Vacation Planning Time!, This years selection: Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island? Are you going to wear plaid golf pants, too? Is your new wife named Muffy? Do you talk on a brand new, blinged out, too cool for the 'o' Razr phone?

Just kidding, dude. Have fun. My parents used to take me there when I was little and we always had fun. Except for that one year when "red tide" hit and the beach was covered in dead fish. That was a buzzkill.

My dad actually met Alan Hale (the Skipper from "Gilligan's Island") there back in the really early 80's.

[sin city]

Vacation Planning Time!, This years selection: Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island? Are you going to wear plaid golf pants, too? Is your new wife named Muffy?

I am and she is! I finally bagged me a Lake Forest broad! and not "the help", either!

[jasmine]

Vacation Planning Time!, This years selection: Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island? Are you going to wear plaid golf pants, too? Is your new wife named Muffy?

I am and she is! I finally bagged me a Lake Forest broad! and not "the help", either!

You're awesome.

I drove through Stickney with my mom the other day. Nice to see they've finally gotten a police station...

[zolacolby]

Me, I'm headed down Mexico way this Thanksgiving. Spending the week in Cancun. No turkey for me this year. Or relatives. Woo Hoo! Anyone been there b4?

[elcorazon]

Asheville is a cool town to visit along the way. If you're taking a couple of days to drive, it's not a bad place to hang. Also a few miles to the south in Hendersonville, there's a park with this huge rock that the kids love to slide into the water from (Sliding Rock?). Smokeys are great generally, if you've got time to spend there. You can either head thru Louisville or Cincy - check out the Bat Museum if in Louisville, and/or the Kentucky Derby Museum - you can also go to Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington (possibly even arrange a tour of a Horse Farm, if you're so inclined). Only one speeding ticket in all my years heading down there. Got it on my way out of town, in South Carolina near the NC border. Speed limit is 70 now, so the trip is WAY faster, it seems (might even be 75 in places). Did get stopped once on the road onto the Island, but the cop didn't give me a ticket - probably felt sorry for me with all the whining kids in the car in a hurry to get to town. Marley's is a fun restaurant, on the pricey side, but good fish especially - disappointing mojito, though, at least to me. Has an attached ice cream joint with excellent ice cream, too.

[sin city]

Me, I'm headed down Mexico way this Thanksgiving.
Spending the week in Cancun.
No turkey for me this year. Or relatives. Woo Hoo!
Anyone been there b4?

went every year for about 10 years, and it's been about 12 since I've been last. Quite a few changes from when we first started going- used to be just a few hotels and resorts, now it's jam packed. I highly recommend some deep sea fishing, visiting Tulum and Xel-Ha, and maybe even a day trip to playa del Carmen- a much quieter town and less crowded beach. In town there was a place called Margarita & Marijuana's that was always a lot of fun, don't even know if it's still there. I recommend going into town and going to the market (the one the locals go to) and buying some fruit and beer to keep in the room- much cheaper. pick up some cheap blankets and souvenirs on the first day and forget about it for the rest of the vacation. The northern tip of Isla Mujeres is where most of the nudists hang out. That can be good and bad. I wouldn't recommend snorkeling in the channel near the north end (closest to town) of the strip- the waters are crystal clear and the life abundant, but drunk boaters/jet skiers suck complete ass. Not worth the risk. Save the snorkeling for Xel-Ha- it's amazing. and I recommend SPF 5,000.



again, it's going on 12 years, so pretty much everything above could be entirely wrong. With the exception of the sunscreen recommendation.

edit: oh, and using the bus is MUCH cheaper than the taxi's.

[norton]

Me, I'm headed down Mexico way this Thanksgiving.
Spending the week in Cancun.
No turkey for me this year. Or relatives. Woo Hoo!
Anyone been there b4?

went every year for about 10 years, and it's been about 12 since I've been last. Quite a few changes from when we first started going- used to be just a few hotels and resorts, now it's jam packed. I highly recommend some deep sea fishing, visiting Tulum and Xel-Ha, and maybe even a day trip to playa del Carmen- a much quieter town and less crowded beach. In town there was a place called Margarita & Marijuana's that was always a lot of fun, don't even know if it's still there. I recommend going into town and going to the market (the one the locals go to) and buying some fruit and beer to keep in the room- much cheaper. pick up some cheap blankets and souvenirs on the first day and forget about it for the rest of the vacation. The northern tip of Isla Mujeres is where most of the nudists hang out. That can be good and bad. I wouldn't recommend snorkeling in the channel near the north end (closest to town) of the strip- the waters are crystal clear and the life abundant, but drunk boaters/jet skiers suck complete ass. Not worth the risk. Save the snorkeling for Xel-Ha- it's amazing. and I recommend SPF 5,000.



again, it's going on 12 years, so pretty much everything above could be entirely wrong. With the exception of the sunscreen recommendation.

edit: oh, and using the bus is MUCH cheaper than the taxi's.

sin's comments pretty much OTM. If you're into cigars, there's a great little shop in the "old" cancun, by the markets, etc. The woman there packaged the Cubans I bought in a cedar box with a window in it, hiding the labels and sealing it with a "Hecho a Mexico" sticker and shrink wrapping the whole thing. She also gave me some great recommendations and her prices were much lower than the Habana shop in one of the malls on the strip.

I din't think the snokeling off Isla Mujeres was that great. I'd stick with Tulum and down by Playa del Carmen. We're currently planning our spring break and are planning to rent a house in either Playa del Carmen or down in Huatulco (way south on the Pacific side). These rentals are like palaces and are a lot cheaper than hotels, especially when having an 18 year old son causes you to get a second room at a hotel (their rules, not mine).

[sin city]

I din't think the snokeling off Isla Mujeres was that great. I'd stick with Tulum and down by Playa del Carmen.

yeah, that didn't come out right. The channel I'm speaking of is the one that runs the length of Cancun, not Isla Mujeres. The snorkeling on Isla Mujeres does suck.

[zolacolby]

I'll be staying at an AI (all inclusive). 24 hr room service, top shelf everything. I will miss going out to eat at the local spots, but, oh well. I do get a free trip to Chitzen Itza, but I hear Tulum might be better/less crowded. Cigars are a big YES. Both to smoke there and bring home. No sunscreen for me. Just tanning butter.