Deals in Hilton Head? Not so much.

It had been a while since I visited HHI. But the trip made me wonder about the validity of the recent claim by Orbitz that Hilton Head constitutes the best beach vacation deal for August. Maybe airfare is relatively inexpensive… maybe… and maybe you can find a good deal on a hotel and a rental car (which you’ll need to get around the island). But once you’re there, the deals end.

It’s hard to find a spot on the island for a good, casual dinner without spending $25+ per person just on your entrée. During the day, if you’re sticking around the hotel pool, you can expect to pay $3 for a bottled water and $5 for a Corona in a can. That can add up quickly. And forget about room service - $15 for cereal and a bagel? Are you kidding me? Even the mini-golf is expensive.

Had we been staying longer, it would have been worth it to rent a condo or house, and then cook most of our own meals. And maybe we would have succumbed to the timeshare pitch in order to get the $100 restaurant certificate. Maybe.

This is not to say that we didn’t have fun… great beach swimming, lazy afternoons, a round of golf. But if there were deals to be had on HHI, we certainly didn’t find them.