We’d never been to Hilton Head and decided to go there on vacation this year. We were there Tuesday-Saturday of last week. We stayed at Sea Pines Resort and it was a very laid back kind of place…loved it.
We arrived on the island about 3:00 Tuesday. After some initial confusion with our reservation, we were given a map to our villa. As we drove to it, we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful trees that lined the road. It felt as if we were in the woods, not at the beach.
Our place was on the second floor overlooking the pool…score! The condo was really large. It had everything in it, from a kitchen to a full sized walk-in closet in the bedroom. The bathtub was unlike any I had ever seen. It was very deep and to get in it, we had to climb up some stairs up and then climb down into it…hard to explain. It was crazy, but soaking in it was nice. Above the tub was a huge sky light which allowed us views of the sky and trees…relaxing.
Beside the pool was a lagoon. In the lagoon, was an alligator. There are many alligators over the Sea Pines Resort property. There are signs telling people not to feed them. What does one try to feed an alligator anyway? Cheetos?
Tuesday night we ate at a restaurant called Topside at the Quarterdeck. It was right on the marina and we were given a window view. The sun was going down and it was just gorgeous. I had filet mignon which was really good. Will had some kind of pineapple salsa pork chop which he also liked. For dessert, he had bourbon pecan pie, which he ate in about two bites. After dinner, we walked around the marina a while and then headed out to the beach. It was absolutely breath taking because the moon was full and it was lit up and it was just wonderful. Being out there that night released months of stored up stress in seconds.
Wednesday morning, we got on our bikes and headed to a bakery. I guess I should tell you about the bikes. At this resort, you rent beach bikes, which are nothing like the spin bikes I am used to. Beach bikes have huge seats and loose handlebars. Spin bikes have tiny seats and stationary handle bars.
I didn’t think I would have any problems on the beach bike. WRONG! I quickly realized as we headed out that when people passed me going the opposite way, my bike would lean into them instead of away like I told it to do! Oh yes, I was talking to it. By the end of the trip, I was saying some words to it that nice southern girls don’t say.
I had the worst time trying to get used to that thing. The biking itself was very easy. It required little physical effort. It was the trying not to hit people part that was hard. I never did get used to it the entire time I was there. I screamed a lot and crashed a lot. Will, on the other hand, loved them. And, he loved making fun of me.
After breakfast, we headed to Lawton Stables where we had an appointment to go on an hour long horseback ride. Neither one of us have ridden many horses. The first thing we had to do when we got there was sign a waiver of course. Then we were directed to a bench with a can of bug spray and were told that it was “highly suggested” that we apply bug spray. If you live in the south and someone tells you that you should probably put on bug spray, how many of you would do it? Raise your hand. Just as I thought, all of you!
Well, this one dang city slicker decided she was too good for bug spray so I was like, whatever, you will learn. Once we were directed over to the horses and told to wait in a line, she got bit by something and about had a cow. And, I about had a cow laughing! I’m laughing now just thinking about it. It was just too hilarious! Guess what she did next? Had her son run back to the bench to get the bug spray where she proceeded to spray it on herself with the horses right beside us. Guess who doesn’t like bug spray? Horses! They started neighing…is that how you spell it…and having a fit. I then gave city slicker the look that said it all.
Ok, while we waited in a line, we were sized up by a man who would get a horse and then scan the line for the person that he thought would be suitable for it. I’m guessing that weight was a big factor. Will got picked to ride a horse named Bonita. He was given basic instructions on how to direct the horse and went and waited in line with the others.
My horse’s name was Tiger Lily and it was an adventure getting on her. For one thing, right when I had one leg over, she started trying to walk. That was really fun. Then once I finally got up there, the stirrups were too long and it took them FOREVER to fix them. Everyone else waited patiently for me. I keep telling them just to let my feet hang, but they told me I needed them in case we galloped. I don’t know who they thought was going to be doing any galloping, because I sure wasn’t! When I finally got near Will, I was like, “Were you scared that the horse was going to throw me off?” He said he didn’t even know the entire time that anything was wrong. Men!
Finally got on the trail and took an hour ride through the woods. It was really beautiful. We saw a snake and a gator. There was one problem though. About 10 minutes into the ride, I started hurting…my thighs and bootie. The girl in front of me, whose horse had major gas, told me that I would be sore in my abs the next day. She was right. I was pretty much sore everywhere. But, I don’t regret doing it. It was fun. Will really enjoyed it as well, more than he thought he would.
Once we got back to the stable, Will’s horse decided she wasn’t waiting for all the other horses. She tried to squeeze through all of us to get to the front and when that didn’t work she backed up and went the other way. Will was like, “Hello? Hello?” She wouldn’t do anything he told her to and I greatly enjoyed the laugh.
At the end, they take pictures. They told me and Will to get side by side on the horses and they would take the picture. Let me tell you, Tiger Lily was not about to take any pictures! They kept telling me to pull tighter on the reins so she would stop. I couldn’t have pulled any tighter. She wanted to get back in line with the other horses. The staff told me that she is the most temperamental horse that they have and that’s when Will proceeded to tell them that they picked the perfect rider for her. He’s a wiener. Anyway, they snapped the pictures the best they could.
After the horse ride, we went to the beach for a while. It was way too hot and we didn’t bring our umbrella. And Mr. Will refused to wear his bathing suit…because he likes to drive me utterly insane…so we couldn’t get in the water. We went back to the room and took a nap until it was time to get ready for dinner.
We chose a BBQ place that was supposed to be really good. It was off the resort and we were really looking forward to it. Will ended up loving his ribs. I got pulled pork and thought it looked exactly like pasta noodles. It was gross.
Next we went over to a little shopping center. We went into one place that had different kinds of bird things, like key rings, coffee mugs, etc. We are always on the lookout for Willis look-alike stuff so we looked forever in that place for him. We couldn’t find anything. We were disappointed, but on the way out, I glanced at a shelf and could not believe my eyes! There was a figurine that looked just like Willis! I had a little celebration right there in the store. It was only $14 and we love it.
Next, we walked by a shop that had a Macaw outside of its shop. Her name was Tiki. It was crazy because the bird just gets out of its cage when it wants to and walks down the sidewalk! Once it got down and started walking far away so Will went in to tell the owner and I got down there with her and tried to convince her to go back to her cage. Yes, the people walking by thought I was insane. The owner came out and told us that the bird likes to walk in the shop next door and pull the clothes off their racks! I sat there and played with that bird for like an hour straight. I had to get out my Willis statue, of course, to show the owner.
While we were talking to him, some punk kids came up and tried to harass the poor bird. The owner pushed one of them and told them to leave and I thought we were getting ready to be involved in a lovely little brawl. “Daddy and Mama, Can y’all come get us? We done got in a fight up in here at the Hilton Head and this is the only call we get.” I was sad to leave Tiki and wish I would have taken a picture of her.
Thursday morning, we slept in and then went and had lunch at a little place on the beach. We had picked up a beach umbrella the night before so we were prepared for the day. But, once we got on the beach, I noticed that it was way too windy for the umbrella. Do you think stubborn head would listen to me? Noooooo! He tried to put it up and it flipped inside out and flew off and it was all he could do to keep it from hitting some people behind us. We provided lots of entertainment while we worked to get it put away.
We sat out at the beach awhile and then headed home to get ready for dinner at an Italian place that I was excited about. It was a fancy little place and we loved it. I had homemade ribbons of pasta with marinara, veal, pork, and beef….yummy stuff. Will had duck which he absolutely loved. He did think of Willis once but the guilt passed quickly. For dessert, we had Tiramisu. I had mine boxed up but drank some very good coffee while I waited on him to finish. We went out to the marina afterwards and walked around a while.
Friday morning, I was determined to get some more beach time in. We had a quick breakfast and then got out there fairly early. We were able to set our umbrella up this time and opened it when we got hot. We even got in the water once. I couldn’t believe it. Since the whole sting ray incident (another story), I usually don’t get in the water. But, it was fun and I stayed close to Will so I could jump on his back if anything weird came by in the water.
We stayed on the beach the better part of the day. Late afternoon we came home and got our bikes and rode them on the beach. I really enjoyed that because there weren’t any people to hit! It was relaxing.
We had dinner at a place on the golf course. It was a little too snooty for us and the food wasn’t good. Also, I don’t think they like it when you wear your lime green flip flops with the blue parrots on them in there.
Saturday morning we packed up and headed home. I was very sad to leave, but was glad to get home as well. It was a good trip.
We arrived on the island about 3:00 Tuesday. After some initial confusion with our reservation, we were given a map to our villa. As we drove to it, we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful trees that lined the road. It felt as if we were in the woods, not at the beach.
Our place was on the second floor overlooking the pool…score! The condo was really large. It had everything in it, from a kitchen to a full sized walk-in closet in the bedroom. The bathtub was unlike any I had ever seen. It was very deep and to get in it, we had to climb up some stairs up and then climb down into it…hard to explain. It was crazy, but soaking in it was nice. Above the tub was a huge sky light which allowed us views of the sky and trees…relaxing.
Beside the pool was a lagoon. In the lagoon, was an alligator. There are many alligators over the Sea Pines Resort property. There are signs telling people not to feed them. What does one try to feed an alligator anyway? Cheetos?
Tuesday night we ate at a restaurant called Topside at the Quarterdeck. It was right on the marina and we were given a window view. The sun was going down and it was just gorgeous. I had filet mignon which was really good. Will had some kind of pineapple salsa pork chop which he also liked. For dessert, he had bourbon pecan pie, which he ate in about two bites. After dinner, we walked around the marina a while and then headed out to the beach. It was absolutely breath taking because the moon was full and it was lit up and it was just wonderful. Being out there that night released months of stored up stress in seconds.
Wednesday morning, we got on our bikes and headed to a bakery. I guess I should tell you about the bikes. At this resort, you rent beach bikes, which are nothing like the spin bikes I am used to. Beach bikes have huge seats and loose handlebars. Spin bikes have tiny seats and stationary handle bars.
I didn’t think I would have any problems on the beach bike. WRONG! I quickly realized as we headed out that when people passed me going the opposite way, my bike would lean into them instead of away like I told it to do! Oh yes, I was talking to it. By the end of the trip, I was saying some words to it that nice southern girls don’t say.
I had the worst time trying to get used to that thing. The biking itself was very easy. It required little physical effort. It was the trying not to hit people part that was hard. I never did get used to it the entire time I was there. I screamed a lot and crashed a lot. Will, on the other hand, loved them. And, he loved making fun of me.
After breakfast, we headed to Lawton Stables where we had an appointment to go on an hour long horseback ride. Neither one of us have ridden many horses. The first thing we had to do when we got there was sign a waiver of course. Then we were directed to a bench with a can of bug spray and were told that it was “highly suggested” that we apply bug spray. If you live in the south and someone tells you that you should probably put on bug spray, how many of you would do it? Raise your hand. Just as I thought, all of you!
Well, this one dang city slicker decided she was too good for bug spray so I was like, whatever, you will learn. Once we were directed over to the horses and told to wait in a line, she got bit by something and about had a cow. And, I about had a cow laughing! I’m laughing now just thinking about it. It was just too hilarious! Guess what she did next? Had her son run back to the bench to get the bug spray where she proceeded to spray it on herself with the horses right beside us. Guess who doesn’t like bug spray? Horses! They started neighing…is that how you spell it…and having a fit. I then gave city slicker the look that said it all.
Ok, while we waited in a line, we were sized up by a man who would get a horse and then scan the line for the person that he thought would be suitable for it. I’m guessing that weight was a big factor. Will got picked to ride a horse named Bonita. He was given basic instructions on how to direct the horse and went and waited in line with the others.
My horse’s name was Tiger Lily and it was an adventure getting on her. For one thing, right when I had one leg over, she started trying to walk. That was really fun. Then once I finally got up there, the stirrups were too long and it took them FOREVER to fix them. Everyone else waited patiently for me. I keep telling them just to let my feet hang, but they told me I needed them in case we galloped. I don’t know who they thought was going to be doing any galloping, because I sure wasn’t! When I finally got near Will, I was like, “Were you scared that the horse was going to throw me off?” He said he didn’t even know the entire time that anything was wrong. Men!
Finally got on the trail and took an hour ride through the woods. It was really beautiful. We saw a snake and a gator. There was one problem though. About 10 minutes into the ride, I started hurting…my thighs and bootie. The girl in front of me, whose horse had major gas, told me that I would be sore in my abs the next day. She was right. I was pretty much sore everywhere. But, I don’t regret doing it. It was fun. Will really enjoyed it as well, more than he thought he would.
Once we got back to the stable, Will’s horse decided she wasn’t waiting for all the other horses. She tried to squeeze through all of us to get to the front and when that didn’t work she backed up and went the other way. Will was like, “Hello? Hello?” She wouldn’t do anything he told her to and I greatly enjoyed the laugh.
At the end, they take pictures. They told me and Will to get side by side on the horses and they would take the picture. Let me tell you, Tiger Lily was not about to take any pictures! They kept telling me to pull tighter on the reins so she would stop. I couldn’t have pulled any tighter. She wanted to get back in line with the other horses. The staff told me that she is the most temperamental horse that they have and that’s when Will proceeded to tell them that they picked the perfect rider for her. He’s a wiener. Anyway, they snapped the pictures the best they could.
After the horse ride, we went to the beach for a while. It was way too hot and we didn’t bring our umbrella. And Mr. Will refused to wear his bathing suit…because he likes to drive me utterly insane…so we couldn’t get in the water. We went back to the room and took a nap until it was time to get ready for dinner.
We chose a BBQ place that was supposed to be really good. It was off the resort and we were really looking forward to it. Will ended up loving his ribs. I got pulled pork and thought it looked exactly like pasta noodles. It was gross.
Next we went over to a little shopping center. We went into one place that had different kinds of bird things, like key rings, coffee mugs, etc. We are always on the lookout for Willis look-alike stuff so we looked forever in that place for him. We couldn’t find anything. We were disappointed, but on the way out, I glanced at a shelf and could not believe my eyes! There was a figurine that looked just like Willis! I had a little celebration right there in the store. It was only $14 and we love it.
Next, we walked by a shop that had a Macaw outside of its shop. Her name was Tiki. It was crazy because the bird just gets out of its cage when it wants to and walks down the sidewalk! Once it got down and started walking far away so Will went in to tell the owner and I got down there with her and tried to convince her to go back to her cage. Yes, the people walking by thought I was insane. The owner came out and told us that the bird likes to walk in the shop next door and pull the clothes off their racks! I sat there and played with that bird for like an hour straight. I had to get out my Willis statue, of course, to show the owner.
While we were talking to him, some punk kids came up and tried to harass the poor bird. The owner pushed one of them and told them to leave and I thought we were getting ready to be involved in a lovely little brawl. “Daddy and Mama, Can y’all come get us? We done got in a fight up in here at the Hilton Head and this is the only call we get.” I was sad to leave Tiki and wish I would have taken a picture of her.
Thursday morning, we slept in and then went and had lunch at a little place on the beach. We had picked up a beach umbrella the night before so we were prepared for the day. But, once we got on the beach, I noticed that it was way too windy for the umbrella. Do you think stubborn head would listen to me? Noooooo! He tried to put it up and it flipped inside out and flew off and it was all he could do to keep it from hitting some people behind us. We provided lots of entertainment while we worked to get it put away.
We sat out at the beach awhile and then headed home to get ready for dinner at an Italian place that I was excited about. It was a fancy little place and we loved it. I had homemade ribbons of pasta with marinara, veal, pork, and beef….yummy stuff. Will had duck which he absolutely loved. He did think of Willis once but the guilt passed quickly. For dessert, we had Tiramisu. I had mine boxed up but drank some very good coffee while I waited on him to finish. We went out to the marina afterwards and walked around a while.
Friday morning, I was determined to get some more beach time in. We had a quick breakfast and then got out there fairly early. We were able to set our umbrella up this time and opened it when we got hot. We even got in the water once. I couldn’t believe it. Since the whole sting ray incident (another story), I usually don’t get in the water. But, it was fun and I stayed close to Will so I could jump on his back if anything weird came by in the water.
We stayed on the beach the better part of the day. Late afternoon we came home and got our bikes and rode them on the beach. I really enjoyed that because there weren’t any people to hit! It was relaxing.
We had dinner at a place on the golf course. It was a little too snooty for us and the food wasn’t good. Also, I don’t think they like it when you wear your lime green flip flops with the blue parrots on them in there.
Saturday morning we packed up and headed home. I was very sad to leave, but was glad to get home as well. It was a good trip.
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