Road Tips

The Black Marlin Bayside Grill - Hilton Head, SC

During our trip to Hilton Head, we were continually looking for good seafood places along or near the water.  I'm not quite sure how we happened upon The Black Marlin Bayside Grill, but I'm certainly glad we found it.

The Black Marlin is located at the Palmetto Bay Marina on Hilton Head Island (see map).  I have to tell you up front, it's rather difficult to find if you don't know exactly where to turn, or if your Hertz Neverlost has you trying to turn left onto a road where there is no left turn.  We had to drive across the causeway that goes over Broad Creek - pay a $1.75 both ways - to get back over to the area where we knew The Black Marlin was situated.  We finally were able to find the road - a right turn, that took you to two successive left turns, that took you under the causeway bridge along the water front up to the parking lot of the Palmetto Bay Marina.   The parking lot was packed because there were some other restaurants in the area.  I let Cindy out at the front of the building and found a parking spot toward the back.

We had our choice of eating indoors or outside.  We initially opted for inside dining until I got a look at the patio seating outside.  The Black Marlin was, indeed, a classy place and their outdoor seating featured heavy duty glass-topped metal tables with heavy metal woven chairs.  Each table had their own umbrella and there were tiki torches around perimeter to keep the mosquitoes away.  Our hostess took us outside and sat us at a table that, unfortunately, was near the air conditioning unit for a condo that bordered the patio.  It was a little loud, to say the least.  I asked Cindy if she wanted to go inside and she said, "Ah, this is fine.  We can just talk a little louder."

Our waitress came to the table and got our drink order - my Bacardi Limon and lemonade (yes, they had real lemonade - I asked before I ordered!), and Cindy got a glass of their house chardonnay.  We immediately ordered up a dozen oysters on the half-shell and a pound of cold peel and eat shrimp.  The waitress said, "Is that all you'll want, then?"

I said, "No, no.  We're going to order dinner.  That's just our appetizer."

She sort of chuckled and said, "Well, OK, then..."

Actually, I saw they had fish tacos on the menu and I thought I'd just get a couple of those ala carte after the oysters and shrimp.  Cindy was intrigued with their special "catch of the day" - a red snapper "mojo de ajo" (roasted garlic and chipotle peppers cooked in lime juice and olive oil), and also topped with broiled shrimp and chunks of fresh garlic.  Well, Cindy does jumping jacks for garlic anything, so she had to have that.

Our waitress came out with our order of peel and eat shrimp and our oysters on the half shell.  They don't season the shrimp at The Black Marlin with cajun seasoning like they do at many of the other places we'd had shrimp at while on vacation.  But the shrimp was still very good - large and meaty.  I eagerly devoured a large portion of the shrimp while helping Cindy peel the shells off of hers.  (I'm such a good husband.)

Here is a picture of our oysters.  They were big and plump, good and meaty.  They served them with cocktail sauce, so I asked the girl for fresh ground horseradish and some Tabasco.  She seemed a little surprised.  "Oh," she exclaimed.  "They didn't put a horseradish container on the tray.  I'll go get y'all one right away."  And she was back in about 30 seconds with the horseradish.  She said, "I took off with the tray before they realized that it didn't have the horseradish on it.  They came looking for me and caught me just inside the door."  We had great service at The Black Marlin Bayside Grill.

We finished up our shrimps and oysters and Cindy really wanted the red snapper topped with "mojo de ajo" (roasted garlic and chipotle peppers, diced and cooked in lime juice and olive oil) and grilled shrimp special.  I ordered up a couple fish tacos.  We sat and enjoyed the evening, even though the air conditioning unit ran non-stop while we were there.

Our dinner showed up about 15 to 20 minutes after we ordered.  I have to say that Cindy's red snapper with the mojo de ajo with the grilled shrimp on top looked unbelievable.  It came with a side of rice and a corn, lima bean, tomatillo medley.  Once Cindy took a bite, she had that look of "Oh my God!" on her face.  She said, "Oh, God, Will.  You've got to try this."

And it was good.  Very good.  The red snapper was light and flavorful.  The mojo de ajo sauce was a great complement to the fish giving it sort of a smoky, garlic taste.  It was very, very good.

My fish tacos?  Well, I guess I need to ask how they prepare their fish before I order fish tacos again.  Fish tacos to me are grilled white fish, topped with lettuce or cabbage and pico de gallo.  The fish tacos at The Black Marlin were deep fried pieces of fish - not quite as bad as plain ol' fish sticks, but I'm not a big fan of fish that is deep fried (or really anything that is deep fried).   It was topped with a pico de gallo which was very fresh and flavorful.  It's not that the fish was bad, I just wanted it to be grilled or broiled at the very least.

Our waitress came over and asked how everything was.  The excited, yet blissful look on Cindy's face as she was chewing on another bite told the waitress everything she needed to know.  I, on the other hand, told her that I thought the fish tacos would be grilled or broiled, not deep fried.  I said, "I guess it's my fault.  It seems like the only place I can ever find fish tacos that are cooked that way is west of the Rockies."

She said, "Oh, goodness, no!  We could have broiled the fish for you instead of deep fryin' it.  Do you want me to take these back and get you the broiled fish tacos?"

Well, by this time I'd already eaten one and was two bites into the second one.  I declined, saying that the tacos were still good.  And they were for deep fried fish tacos.  I've had some deep fried fish tacos where, I swear, they took common frozen fish sticks and deep fried them, chopped 'em up and put them on the tortilla.  Horrible.  Just horrible.

I was pretty stuffed by the time we finished, but being that we were on vacation, we had to share a dessert.  We decided that it was going to be pretty tough to beat the Key Lime Pie we'd had earlier at Uncle Bubba's and The Lady and Sons, so Cindy wanted to try The Black Marlin's signature Kentucky bourbon glazed pecan pie drizzled with caramel.  I'm not big on pecan pie, but it sounded so sinful that I readily agreed to that.  Cindy ate the bulk of the piece of pie, but it was pretty damn good.  There's something about the taste of pecans that doesn't agree with me.  But if you glaze pecan pie in bourbon, then pour some warm caramel on top, it certainly helps the taste.

After dinner and paying our tab, we took a short walk down along Broad Creek to watch some of the boaters enjoying a late day sail.  It was our last night on Hilton Head and we knew it was going to be very difficult to leave.  It was really a very nice, laid back time we had on the island.  But we'd already committed to going back to Savannah and were excited to get back to enjoy some more of the city.  It wasn't long before some very large mosquitoes began to make their presence.  And for some reason, mosquitoes love me.  I'm the first person they nail, long before they bother anyone else.  Cindy thinks it's the alcohol that I sweat out that attracts them.  But even if I haven't been drinking, they nail me.

Although I was disappointed in my fish tacos - but I readily admit that it was probably my fault for not asking beforehand how they're prepared, especially in the South - everything else about The Black Marlin Bayside Grill was wonderful.  Our service was impeccable and our waitress received a generous tip for her efforts.  While it's a little tough to find, the Black Marlin is worth seeking out if you get out to Hilton Head Island.

A Couple Lunch Spots on Hilton Head Island

While on Hilton Head Island, we did take time out of our lazy days to go out for lunch at a couple of places.  The first place we went to was Reilley's North End Pub, a little restaurant/pub tucked back in a corner of a strip mall not too far from our hotel (see map).

We entered Reilley's and found it to be sort of dark and cozy with a lot of wood paneling throughout the dining room.  They had a small bar area off to the left and a pretty good sized dining area.  We were seated in a nice wood booth and given menus. 

Reilley's first location opened in 1982 when Tom and Dianne Reilley started a small pub - Reilley's Bar and Grill -  in a strip mall on the south side of the island.  They moved across the street in 1995 after a fire destroyed much of the strip mall the restaurant was in.   The location on the north end of the island opened in 1988.  It underwent extensive renovation a year ago.  It's actually very nice on the inside.   

We were given a few minutes to go over the menu and in the meantime I ordered a Bacardi Limon and lemonade and the waitress brought out pink lemonade with my rum.  I said, "Oh, pink lemonade?  You don't have regular lemonade?"

She said, "No sir, I'm sorry.  We have sweet tea if you're looking for something more sweet." 

I said, "No, no!  Pink lemonade (which is usually infused with grenadine) is sweet enough.  I was looking for more of that tart lemon taste." 

I asked her if they had just the raw lemonade before they mix in the grenadine and she said, "No, it comes in a mix that is already made up for us."  Oh well.  I just had the one drink before switching to a beer. 

Most of the lunch food at Reilley's North End pub was basic bar food - burgers, sandwiches, salads.  They have a much more extensive dinner menu that includes steaks and seafood.  One item on the lunch menu that piqued my interest was Reilley's Meat Load Sandwich - a healthy chunk of homemade meatloaf topped with cheese and friend onions.  I thought that to be a little too much for lunch, so I went with the tuna melt - an open faced tuna sandwich on a toasted English muffin topped with cheddar cheese.  Fries came with the sandwich, but I knew I wouldn't eat any of them. 

Cindy got a patty melt served between slices of dark rye bread.  She also got a side of Reilley's cole slaw - creamy cole slaw infused with raisins.  I had a bite of it, but I'm not big on raisins, so I didn't care for it.  Cindy liked it, however.  She likes raisins. 

My tuna melt was pretty good.  The English muffin had a generous amount of tuna on top and it was very tasty.  Cindy declared her patty melt as "good".  She offered me a bite and I gladly accepted.  It was very good - the burger had good flavor and was very juicy. 

Reilley's North End Pub was good, a nice little place to go to lunch.  But the lunch spot that we were thoroughly impressed with was the British Open Pub. (see map)  As I said in my post from earlier this week, golfing is king on Hilton Head Island with over 25 great courses on the the island with another 35 courses within a 60 minute drive.  One of my long-distance friends, John Stewart of Fort Myers, FL, is an avid golfer and he spends at least a week a year on Hilton Head.  He suggested I try the British Open Pub - not just for the food, but because he knows I love sport memorabilia.  He said the British Open Pub was chock full of neat stuff to look at.  

And John certainly wasn't wrong on the amount of memorabilia.  The Titleist Bar at the British Open Pub was pretty cool.  I especially loved the glass topped bar that featured the portraits of Americans who have won the British Open framed by Ti tleist golf balls.  There was a number of flat-screen televisions throughout the bar area (and actually in the dining room, as well).  It was the quintessential sports bar geared more for golf.  I used to golf a number of years ago and admire anyone who can hit a golf ball straight, so I was pretty taken in by all the stuff they had to look at.

The British Open Pub has two dining rooms that also have a lot of memorabilia on the walls.  I absolutely loved a lot of the old pictures and panoramic photographs of some the legendary British and Scottish golf courses where the British Open has been played. 

The B  ritish Open Pub on Hilton Head Island is the first of three opened in 1998 by a trio of entrepreneurs, Damian Hayes, Walt Rinaldi and John DeAngelis.  There are two other British Open Pubs - one in Okatie, SC at the Okatie Creek golf club; and the other in nearby Beaufort, SC on Cat Island, next to South Carolina National Golf Club. 

We were seated in a very spacious booth and given menusto look over.  John had suggested the Lobster Pot Pie at British Open Pub - a small crock of fresh lobster meat, with carrots, celery and herbs added, cooked in a Newburg sauce and topped with a puffed pastry.  John told me, "It's not cheap, but boy, is it good."  Man, that sounded good when he described it to me.  But it turned out that they only served it after 5 p.m.  We were sort of bummed about that. 

The British Open Pub also served traditional English dishes such as Shepherd's Pie, a steak and mushroom pie, "Bangers and Mash", and fish and chips.  They also had an extensive list of "sandwedges" - a play on the terms sandwich and the sand wedge golf club.  Unfortunately, when I was a golfer, I knew my sand wedge all too well. 

I ordered up a Wexford Reuben - British Open Pub's slow cooked corned beef with sauerkraut and swiss cheese topped with 1000 Island dressing served on homemade dark rye bread.  Cindy saw something on the lunch specials menu board that got her interest - a lobster roll sandwich.  It was fresh lobster meat made up sort of like a tuna salad and served open faced on a hard roll with a side of fries.  It wasn't cheap - $19.99 for the sandwich.  But, we were on vacation, so what the hell.

And it was very good.  She offered me a bite and it was just scrumptious.  I was overly happy with my Reuben, as well.  We had great service at British Open Pub, as well.  It was a very busy place during the 1 p.m. hour. 

 If we would have spent more time on Hilton Head, we probably would have come back for dinner at least one night as the British Open Pub also featured nightly specials, as well as steaks, chops and seafood.  But we really wanted to do nothing but eat the fresh seafood while we were on the island.  The Lobster Pot Pie would have been pretty interesting to try.  Still, just for lunch, the British Open Pub was a winner all around.  

Hudson's on the Dock - Hilton Head, SC

While on Hilton Head, Cindy decided that I needed a pair of swim trunks for our walks along the beach.  For some reason, she deemed my khaki shorts as "inappropriate beachwear".  I didn't pack any because I wasn't going to get into the water above my knees since I couldn't be immersed in water for four months after my last hip replacement.  But she was adamant that we go get a pair of swim trunks for me. 

We found a Wal-Mart on the island and went in to get some trunks.  When we came out, there was a kiosk where a lady dispensed information on condo rentals, time-shares and local restaurants.  We had read up on a local seafood place, Hudson's on the Dock, where they had their own fishery and fleet of crab/shrimp boats.  The lady was trying to entice us to go to a couple of other restaurants by offering coupons.  Cindy said, "What do you think about Hudson's?"

The lady sort of turned up her nose and she said, "It's OK.  But I don't like to go to places where I can make the same food at home."  

Well, we were on vacation, we didn't have a home - let alone a kitchen - to cook in.  We declined her offer of the other restaurants and went with our instincts and went over to the west side of the island for dinner at Hudson's that night (see map).  

We were glad we did.

Hudson's isn't fancy or high-brow compared to other places on the island.  It's located at the end of road next to a marina full of fishing boats.  There's a small parking lot near the building, but a larger one down the road where overflow parking can go.  We saw the place and immediately fell in love with it. 

The history of Hudson's dates back to 1912 with the construction of an oyster factory next to the water.  In 1920's, a local gentleman by the name of J.B. Hudson bought the little oyster factory.  The Hudson family served oysters to the locals right in the factory.  Part of the Hudson's on the Dock restaurant is where the old oyster factory used to be.

In 1955, J.B. Hudson's son, J.B. Hudson, Jr., had now taken over the operation and added shrimp to the menu.  He also expanded seating in the restaurant a few years later.  In the early 70's, Brian and Gina Carmines, who had grown up on Long Island, but had been transplanted to Atlanta for Brian's business, bought Hudson's on the Dock.  In the early days, Brian was the cook, chef, and manager.  Family members waited on and cleared tables, washed dishes and glasses and manned the bar area.  Over the years, the Carmines added to the restaurant to a present day capacity of 345 seats.

This is the main dining room at Hudson's, with huge windows that looked out onto the docks with the fishing boats moored to the docks.  There was a nautical theme to the dining room with fishing nets hanging around the room.  The old wooden tables also had comfortable high-backed chairs to go along with them.  We went early - around 6 p.m. - and the main dining room was filling up with people.

We were seated at a corner table near the window and were given menus by our very friendly hostess.  I immediately ordered up a Palmetto Pale Ale, a beer brewed up in Charleston.  It was very good.

We decided to go for the seafood overload that evening.  The menu had all different types of seafood combinations from a catch of the day, to boiled or grilled shrimp, fresh crab, anything that you could think of - and cooked anyway you wanted it. 

One of their featured fresh catches that day was 1 lb. of soft shell crab claws served cold.  I talked Cindy into that.  I wanted shrimp, boiled and seasoned with cajun spices.  But we also started out with a dozen of freshly caught oysters on the half shell.  Cindy also got a side of what they called "Seven Day" cole slaw - a sweet, 7-day marinated cole slaw.  Hudson's is famous for their Hushpuppies - deep fried balls of cornbread - so she got an order of those, two.  And she also got a side of sweet snap peas.

Cindy decided that she wanted some wine that evening so I ordered up a bottle of the Franciscan chardonnay, one of our favorite white wines.  The waitress - an older lady who had worked at Hudson's for over 20 years - brought it chilled to our table when she brought out the oysters on the half shell.

Oh, my God!  The oysters were plump, meaty and flavorful.   They were served with a side of fresh ground horseradish along with Tabasco.  We had eaten a couple before Cindy suggested we take a picture of the oysters before they were all gone.  Our waitress, who had a great sense of humor, assured us the oysters were caught earlier that morning and put on ice in the fishing trawler.  She said, "We save the 7-day-old oysters for the people we don't like."  They were just outstanding.

It wasn't long after we finished off our oysters when the waitress brought out Cindy's soft shell crab claws and her sides, and a heaping order of boiled shrimp.   The crab claws were huge and came with a slightly spicy remoulade sauce.  Hudson's also provided a nutcracker to get all the crab shells cracked.  Cindy had some trouble getting some of the crab meat out, so I had to help her.  As my reward for helping her, I got to sample some of the crab claw meat.  Oh, man!  Was it great!

Cindy also tried of Hudson's signature Hush-puppies.  The look on her face told me they were good.  She offered me one and I said that I really didn't care for Hush-puppies.  She said, "They put some sort of seasoning or herbs in them.  They're not like regular Hush-puppies."

She was right.  They were excellent.  They had a hint of an onion taste to them, along with some other herbs that I couldn't quite identify right away.  They were completely different from the Hush-puppies I'd had in the past.

This is my plate of boiled shrimp.   They were huge!  And they were great - by far the tastiest shrimp I had during our whole vacation.  Once again, our waitress told us the shrimp were caught earlier that day.  She says, "We never have to freeze our seafood.  We usually sell out of our daily catches."  I found out that Hudson's sells over 5 tons of oysters and a ton of crab each year.  They'd sell double the amount of crab if they could catch more.

The boiled shrimp was so good I finished the pound I had on my plate.  I motioned for the waitress to come over and I ordered up another pound.  The second pound was just as good as the first.

For dessert, Hudson's featured their homemade Key Lime Pie.  We ordered a slice with two forks.  It was good, sort of heavy, but not as good as what we'd had earlier in the week at Uncle Bubba's and The Lady and Son's.  Honestly, we never had Key Lime Pie the rest of the week that came close to what we had at Paula Deen's restaurants.  Except for one place.  I'll tell you about that in a later post.

We walked around the restaurant after we finished dinner and looked around the expanded dining area on the north side of the restaurant.  This is a picture of the nautical themed bar area.  A few people were having dinner in the bar area, but I didn't seem to see any bartender while we were in there.  I did notice the waiters and waitresses going behind the bar to grab beers and drinks, so maybe they make and fetch their own drinks at Hudson's, I don't know.

We walked outside to the dock and looked in the windows of the fishery where the fresh seafood would come off the boats each day.  Outside the fishery, next to the dock, was a large pile of oyster shells.  There had to be 1000 pounds of oyster shells in the pile.  They certainly do go through the oysters at Hudson's

We walked down the dock looking at the boats and enjoying the evening along the water.  I'm telling you, I achieved seafood overload that evening.  A couple pounds of peel and eat boiled shrimp did the trick.  But I really wish I would have been able to try the blackened cajun scallops they had on the appetizer menu.

All in all, Hudson's was just outstanding.  Quite possibly the best seafood restaurant we ate at during our vacation.  And we ate at a LOT of seafood places.  If you're looking for a fancy place to eat, Hudson's ain't the place.  But if you want GREAT seafood in any setting, Hudson's is the place.

As we left Hudson's on the Dock, Cindy said, "You know, we should really go back to Wal-Mart before we leave Hilton Head and tell that lady at the kiosk that she was completely nuts!"

Hilton Head Island

After spending a few days in Savannah, we took the short trip up the coast to Hilton Head Island.  Although it's only a 45 minute drive via back roads up to Hilton Head, the differences between Savannah and Hilton Head are vast.  There's really no old historic feel to Hilton Head like there is in Savannah.  There really isn't a central area on the island and it's much more tourist driven than Savannah.  If you're a golfer or a tennis player, Hilton Head is heaven.  We went for the rest and relaxation on the beach.  We found the island to be great for that.

 

Hilton Head is the second largest barrier island on the East Coast, behind Long Island.   As seen from space, the island looks like a big Nike shoe with a backwards "swoosh" logo.  It was first explored by Europeans in 1521 and was named by British sea captain, William Hilton, who explored land in the Caribbean for King Charles II of England in the mid 1600's.  Hilton, who was actually looking for Barbados, spent several days on the island and named the "head" of the island after himself.  The island also was known as "John's Island" and "Jenkin's Island", but it was eventually named Hilton Head Island by people who settled there. 

The island was an important part of Civil War history as it was used by Confederate forces as an outpost to help keep the Port Royal pass open for ships to travel up two navigable rivers to keep commerce and trade open in South Carolina.  In November of 1861, with the largest Navy armada ever assembled by Union forces up to that point, the Battle of Port Royal began.  Within 10 days, 12,000 Union troops stormed the island and took over Fort Walker.  The fort became a Union outpost that helped choke off shipping in and out of South Carolina, further crippling their cotton trade during the war.  

Today, the island annually hosts an estimated 2.25 million visitors.  While the beach is the main attraction, there are a number of world class resorts on the island.  There are also over 250 restaurants to choose from on the island, with a varied mix of cuisines to choose from.  

We stayed at the Hilton Oceanfront Resortwhile we were on Hilton Head.   The hotel had all the amenities you'd want to have at an oceanside resort - great beach access; good restaurants (although we only ate breakfast there), an attentive staff and a great view from your hotel balcony.  This is our view from our fifth floor room looking southeast over the family pool (which did get sort of loud during the day) out toward the ocean.  We got there early in the afternoon and they had our room waiting for us.  As much as I loved Savannah, I could have stayed at the Hilton on Hilton Head for a week.

Our room was rather large with a King-sized bed, a sitting area, a large balcony, plus a small kitchenette in the room.  With the wind coming in off the ocean, it was very tough to keep the sliding doors shut.  We had a refrigerator that allowed us to stock ample supplies of beer, white wine, and lemonade for an occasional Bacardi Limon and lemonade drink.  I have to say that there was nothing more relaxing than sitting on the balcony in the early morning light watching the waves roll in on the beach.

  

This is the adult pool at the Hilton where no screaming little shits could come and disrupt the calm and quiet of the area.  I spent a good portion of one mid-day camped out on a chase lounge, reading, napping and just hanging out.  The pool was very inviting, but I couldn't get in because of my incisions from my hip replacement surgeries.  I couldn't submerge my hips into either chlorine or salt water for up to four months after my last surgery.  And that's too bad because they also had two large hot tubs that would have felt great on my legs after some of the long walks we hand on the beach.

Speaking of the beach, here is a shot of low tide on Hilton Head beach around 6:30 in the morning.  We would get up early each day we were there and go out and walk up and down the beach.  Eventually, we were joined by scores of other people who were enjoying the early morning breeze coming off the ocean.  Dog owners could run their dogs on the beach without a leash up to 10 a.m. each day.   We just loved the roar of the ocean and the tranquility of the surroundings.  God, I love being at sea level.  

 

Fishing and shrimping is big on Hilton Head Island with a number of fisheries headquartered mainly on the west side of the island.  A few of these fisheries feature restaurants that serve a lot of fresh seafood caught earlier in the day.  Here is a small fleet of shrimping boats docked at a marina next to a restaurant Cindy and I ate at one evening, Hudson's on the Docks.  This may have been the most pleasantly surprising meal we had while on vacation.   You'll read about Hudson's in my next post. 

If there is one area that is considered a "central" or "downtown" area is the Sea Pines Resort, although a lot of the locals still refer to its long-time name, Sea Pines Plantation, or simply, "The Plantation."  The resort boasts a world-class championship golf-course (Harbour Town Golf Links), stadium tennis courts, shopping, restaurants, private homes and condos, and the famous Hilton Head Lighthouse.  For non-residents and non-guests of the resort, it cost five bucks to drive onto the property.  We went out at dusk to watch the sunset and to check out the lighthouse.  Parking was a pain in the ass at the small public lot near the lighthouse.  I thought about parking at the Sea Pines Resort hotel, but I saw people getting towed from that lot if they didn't have a tag on their car for the resort.  

I let Cindy out so she could walk out onto the pier to take some pictures.  There were dolphins swimming along in the bay, their dorsal fins popping up out of the water from time to time.  A number of people were hanging out on the pier enjoying the evening and the sights.

I talked Cindy into walking up to the top of the lighthouse.  She's scared of heights, but the stairs were inside the lighthouse structure.   It cost $3.00 a person to go up.  They got you coming and going if you want to see the lighthouse.  We got to the top and walked around the outside taking some pictures.  This is a shot of the marina at Sea Pines, as well as some of the shops and restaurants on the left, with some condos on the right.  There was an outdoor music show going on that evening featuring a troubadour entertaining younger kids.  I have to say there may have been a crowd of 600 or so along the marina listening to the music.

I was talking to a guy on top of the lighthouse who hadn't been to Hilton Head in over 10 years .  He said, "They've really changed this out here.  There was nothing out here 12 to 15 years ago, just the lighthouse.  Now they've got this resort and restaurants and stuff.  They ruined the scenery out here."  

All in all, Hilton Head was a great place to chill out and de-compress.  The time we spent there was too short.  I found that I could be a good beach bum when I was on Hilton Head.  It was probably a little too expensive and a little too "high-brow" for my taste, but it was very nice, to say the least.  I'm sure that if we go back to Savannah, we'll book more time for a few days at Hilton Head.