What does Labor Day mean to you? To me, it's usually an excuse for a day off work and my birthday weekend! This year, it was also the last big trip to top off this summer.
Chris and I were planning on spending a week during his online rotation month up in Connecticut and New York, but it didn't work out to make the trip this month. Instead, we started to search for RCI properties, that his parents are members of, that had last minute openings for a week over Labor Day.
We stumbled upon Hilton Head Island and thought we'd look a bit more into the available properties (very few) and see what the island had to offer. I had been to HHI once before, but only for a day trip when my friend Brittany lived in nearby Savannah, GA. After finally reserving a spot and getting my time off approved at work, it was time to pack our bags and venture 6 hours south to the gorgeous Hilton Head Island!
Hilton Head Island definitely has some of the best seafood I've ever had and many delectable restaurants which we highly recommend. We had lunch at Robert Irvine's restaurant Nosh one day, which I would highly recommend to anyone visiting the area. It's basically a burger and sandwich joint, but Robert Irvine somehow converted me and I now love blue cheese and pickled onions. The Salty Dog Cafe is another original to Hilton Head Island. Perched on South Beach, you can enjoy fresh seafood as you overlook the marshlands.
Of course we had to go big for my birthday! We were also celebrating Chris' birthday as it was the week before we left for vacation. The Old Oyster Factory was by far the best meal we had down there! Amazing calamari as an appetizer, a seafood platter for Chris (top left) and crab cake dinner (bottom middle) for me. We enjoyed a nice relaxing dinner on the outside deck that overlooked the marsh and watched the sunset.
After driving a few miles through beautiful scenery, we were ready to conquer Harbour Town. Harbour Town boasts the landmark of Hilton Head Island, the Harbour Town Lighthouse. The top of the lighthouse overlooks HHI's only PGA Tour golf course.
As Savannah, GA is only an hour south of Hilton Head Island, we decided it would be well worth it to make the drive and explore what the city had to offer. We were right - this city is full of history and charm. In my opinion, the best way to see any city in a day is to hop on board a trolley tour. This may be because I'm the daughter of the vacation planning queen, but I've always enjoyed these tours. They have the best tour guides who know details and secrets about the city that you just can't find anywhere else.
What's a vacation without a few tourist shots and selfies??
I have to say that I've never visited anywhere that is more biker-friendly than Hilton Head Island. Not only were there sidewalks, but there were bike paths leading everywhere. You could get around the whole island without ever biking on the main road. We were fortunate that the unit we stayed in provided us with 2 free bikes for our stay. We took advantage of them and biked around the community a few days.
All in all, it was a great vacation which provided much needed rest and relaxation! We will definitely be returning to Hilton Head Island in the future and highly recommend a visit to all our friends and family!
