Hilton Head Harbor

Given the well-healed surrounding isle that you have transported yourself to, it should be an assumption that whatever you experience here on HHI is going to cost a bit more, feel a bit smoother and last a bit longer in the memory banks of moments shared. This incredibly well-landscaped, pet-friendly RV outpost sits on the northwestern corner of Hilton Head and from the very moment you exit Route 278 / William Hilton Parkway, you will feel as though you’ve been whisked away to a secluded wooden forest of ancient and live oaks bathing the sunscape in Spanish moss as you make your way to the entrance of Hilton Head Harbor RV Resort.

Upon entry, you’ll be confused as to where to park as there’s plenty of roadside (apparently public) parking with your first view of the water, which isn’t quite yet the Atlantic, but instead, Skull Creek. While you will be attracted to stop and pull over here as the amazing view will lure you to steer to one of the number of vacant parking spaces, don’t. Instead, take a left and head to the main office where you’ll check-in, but be careful, what looks like the main office, actually isn’t – that first small building you’ll spot is just for rentals and tours (despite the sign indicating RESERVATIONS), so keep on heading in the direction of the larger building just beyond the first one. And while the scenery is amazing, we were less-than-impressed by the non-existent staff at reception – in fact, reception was closed when we arrived… at 8am, mind you, on a Saturday morning nonetheless, when me thinks most folks would be checking in – and we were told to wait until someone opened up the office, which didn’t happen for another 1½ hours. Once checked in, you’ll easily find your slot here amongst the 200 or so back-in (no pull-thru sites that we saw) RV slots all of which offer up 30 / 50 amp electric, water & sewage.

Amenities include: tennis courts, (2) heated pools and jacuzzis, bath house and restrooms, horseshoe pits, kids playground, designated dumpsters, covered pavilions, fishing pier, boat, kayak and jet ski rentals, recreational area, assorted picnic areas, dolphin, fishing& watersports tour facility, sun deck, marketplace, fuel dock, exercise room/ gym, WiFi, cable TV, laundr-O-mat, 5 star on-site restaurant (see below Insider's Tip #1), wet & dry saunas, full-fledged working marina and, of course, direct access to the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and the amazing beaches that await you here at HHI. One huge bummer is that none of the sites have a fire ring, which seems like a basic thing, especially at a luxe location like this.

This RV campground offers up concrete pads in an incredibly well-manicured space that offers up 12 amazing oceanfront sites (#53 - 65) that will provide you with walking distance access to the amazing Sunset Grille restaurant along with a designated picnic area. If you are not fortunate enough or don’t want to splurge on such accommodations, you’ll have your pick of 10 or so other RV micro-communities here, so depending upon whether you want to be as close to the action (sites #182 – 200), which places you around the tennis / pool / hot tub / bath house fulcrum, or on an outer loop (either #24 – 52 OR #1 – #23) or one of the 6 interior loops, there’s a very smooth, well-appointed concreted slab of paradise awaiting you here.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) While you are obviously aware of the substantial dining options available to you here at Hilton Head, made even more abundant if you were to include not too distant Savannah, you’ll be blown away by the fact that you don’t need to jump in your RV or vehicle to find some succulent servings, in fact, just head on over to Sunset Grille, which is connected to this RV resort and has startling views of the Atlantic Ocean all while offering up typical low country dishes like shrimp & grits, buttermilk fried pork chop and brined fried chicken; (2) At $199 / night for waterfront sites during peak seasons and $119 for interior sites during the same time frame, I find this RV depot somewhat overpriced, but hey, it’s Hilton Head – if you want value for $ being this close to the water, then manage your expectations or head southwest to Alabama Shores – otherwise, enjoy the ritzy RV life here; (3) If you would like to become educated on the area that you are laying your head down at each night, then it is worth the time investment to check out Gullah Museum of Hilton Head, which has absolutely amazing exhibitions and a wonderful facilitated tour of the historical significance of Hilton Head Island and the surrounding area; (4) Should you elect to get some decent hiking in, just about 15 minutes from where you are parked there’s Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve; (5) If you are on the look-out for some amazing encounters with nature, we were able to spot dolphins, manatees and stingrays from the dock here at the resort!; and (6) In the event that you need to load up on any supplies, just head due east and within 7-10 minutes, you’ll encounter a Jarvis Creek General Store, Walmart Supercenter, Publix and Harris Teeter.

Happy Camping!

We stayed here twice in the last two months. First time was fine but not exceptional. The RV park itself is highly variable. Each site is owned by different owners and the RV park has rights to rent them out. None of the sites have fire pits. Some have chimneas. The sites are also maintained in a highly variable way. The electrical on the second site we stayed at was very sketchy. Hard to describe except the plugs were broken and the electrical panel itself was ragged and broken. We recently did a side trip that had us staying two days at this place. We reserved two weeks in advance and we're glad to get the site with no issues. When we showed up the lady at the front desk was out right rude. They are what I call "fake nice". The lady told me that because they change reservation systems and we didn't pick out a say on the reservation system that they did not have a site for us for two days. They offered us two different sites on two different days. Not only is that a huge pain in the butt but ruined our plans for the day because we had to stick around and wait to move and pack up everything. What infuriated me was the attitude of the people in the front office. They did not give a rip and basically told me to take it or leave it. They didn't offer any discount or concession or anything. They only said that because of the new reservation system they had a rough week. I'm not sure that I'm supposed to feel sorry for them considering the money I'm paying to park there. Also infuriating was my wife had called ahead of time to confirm our reservation and their phones would never would get answered. We will not be staying here again. There's a much nicer option further in on Hilton Head and a really nice new place coming in to Bluffton. Take your money where it will be appreciated maybe these people will learn.

This resort looks absolutely beautiful. When we made our reservation they told us they did not reserve specific sites that we could pick our spot when we arrive. After looking at the map we noticed that all the slots were oriented to facilitate your departure. We arrived after the office was closed and picked up the list of available site. As we started driving into the resort the roads were wide enough for only one camper at a time. We started to go and look at the available sites and noticed not all sites are the same size. This started to concern me that we may not be able to to find a site for our 42ft camper. After navigating the resort we were able to find a site that we liked. These sites do take some practice getting into and some have trees close to the pads. While we were there we saw a guys hit a tree backing into his site. This trip was our third outing in our camper and after 15 minutes we were able to finagle our camper onto the pad. Overall the resort is really nice. The staff was friendly and very helpful and even offer onsite RV repair. The resort is nestled up against the harbor and is very peaceful. While standing on the dock we were able to watch dolphins swim and even saw some sting rays. The staff says that they often have manatees that come into the harbor for a visit. The resort is a 10-15 minute drive to Coligny Beach. If your in the mood for some dole whip, the Disney Resort is just a few minutes away. Recommend staying at the resort during your stay at Hilton Head Island.