Such a bad blogger, I am....

I promised myself that I would add to this blog at least every other day... so far, no good. But I am back and this time with news of the perfect vacation cottage now available for rental on Hilton Head Island in beautiful Sea Pines. Well, it's my house, but I do think it's pretty wonderful.

To see it yourself, go to www.vrbo.com/93146 and check the calendar for dates you just might want to visit the Island.

And while you are here, you will definitely want to try several of our fabulous restaurants. My friends/clients, Darby and David, submitted their choices for "best on/off Island" and I will have to concur. They like 211 Park, Sage Room, and Michael Anthony's for "nice" restaurants, and I love each of these. Must haves are Surf and Turf Pizza at 211, the Snow Pea Martini (not a drink!) and Tuna Tartare at Sage Room, and the Turbo (fish) or Ossa Bucco and Chocolate Soufle at Michael Anthony's. AL DELISH!!

Favorite nice/casual restaurant is Truffles, with locations in Sea Pines and also in Bluffton at Belfair, and soon to be opening on Pope Avenue, South end of Island. Yummy salads, tomato dill soup, great burgers, always fresh fish, and even fabulous ribs! Must have here is the "Blondie": blond brownie with homemade vanilla ice cream and homemade fudge and butterscotch-- go ahead, say you're on vacation even if you're not, and love it!

Best very casual is Captain Woody's at Palmetto Bay Marina for the Island's best (lightly) fried shrimp, and for ultra low $$ Mexican, you must go to Fiesta Fresh at Fountain Center (south end). Good, fast and cheap is maybe not the prettiest description, but it fits!

Ice cream? We have LOTS! But the very best is still Hilton Head Ice Cream at Fountain Center. ALL homemade from scratch. My favoite, Oreo, is made from Oreos and Cream, not Oreos folded into ice cream. Decadent but soooooooo worth it. (Truffles, as well as many other Island restaurants, use their ice cream!)

I promise to be back soon with other bests! The weather is beautiful-- come visit!

Today on the Island

Greetings from sunny HHI! Yesterday we had much needed rain, but the rest of the week is forecasted to be one that is evidence of why we live here-- sunny and warm. The Beach Club at Sea Pines looked to be busy today with vacationers already, plus a few residents, too, I imagine. Sea Pines offers so much to do and, as I talked about last week, was THE original planned community. In fact, the acronym PUD didn't even exist before Sea Pines. See www.seapines.com for complete details on the doings and happenings this unique resort community. I love living in Sea Pines. Harbour Town and South Beach Village are just bike rides away from my front door, leisure trails abound at every corner, shopping and dining are right here! Also see www.trufflescafe.com for one of my favorite Island restaurants, located in Sea Pines Center. Memorial Day weekend also means the return of an Island tradition-- Gregg Russell concerts nightly (except Saturdays) through Labor Day under the Liberty Oak in Harbour Town. One more site: www.greggrussell.com. When you visit Hilton Head during the summer, you MUST attend at least one concert while you are here--pure fun for everyone! And speaking of Gregg, I am off to a new gourmet to-go shop, Christine's to Go Go, at Coligny Plaza, to pick up dinner. Proceeds this evening benefit the charity Hilton Head Heroes, founded by Gregg and Lindy Russell, which brings critically ill children and their families to Hilton Head for a fully paid vacation. I will expound on this wonderful cause a bit more next writing... I mean posting. I'm getting the hang----

Our Unique Island: Part Two

The sun is shining, humidity is low, sky is blue here on the Island-- what a beautiful day! I often feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful place. Actually, I always feel blessed, but many times I even stop to appreciate the moment......

More of what makes our Island different from other resort islands: Nature! Hilton Head is still a wildlife and environmental "sanctuary" in many ways, despite being a sporting, beaching, shopping, and dining mecca as well. Have you crossed the bridge to HHI and noticed Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge? This 4,000 acre refuge comprises Pinckney and several other small islands and hammocks (very small islands) and is home to numerous white ibis, herons, and egrets, as well as other wading birds, as 67% of the refuge is made up of salt marsh and tidal creeks. Fourteen miles of trails are available for hiking and biking. See http://www.fws.gov/pinckneyisland/ for details, activities, and history of the refuge.

Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island is also home to a 572 acre Forest Preserve, dedicated by the Fraser family in the late 1950's. The Preserve is home to leisure trails, which were constructed in the 1970's and followed antebellum rice dikes (built by hand into he 1840's) and old logging trails built in the 1950's. The Preserve also boasts small lakes, bridle paths for horseback riding, observation decks, picnic areas, and fishing docks.

Getting the picture? We co-exist with nature, and it benefits all who call this place home-- even if it is only home for a week of vacation into he summer! Homes and retail establishments blend in to the natural scenery, signage is small, lights are dim at night. Special and unique, a blend of old and new, serene but happening..... a very unique Island is Hilton Head!

Our Unique Island: Part One

A unique coastal island....Hilton Head? Aren't we surrounded by water, with a beach, lots of golf, swimming and tennis? What's so unusual about that? Ahh, but Hilton Head is far from usual!

For instance: Hilton Head as we know it today was developed by a visionary man named Charles Fraser, beginning in the early 1950's. Mr. Fraser's concept of balancing nature, people, sport, and dwellings has been often imitated in the years since, but never quite duplicated. Did you know that Mr. Fraser's Sea Pines Plantation was the first community in America to weave a golf course in and around homes and villas?

In fact, that is what we call condominiums here on the Island-- villas.

Another unique fact of Hilton Head: We have more tennis courts per capita than any other locale in the country, with Islanders and visitors enjoying lessons, tournaments, and play year 'round!

As for golf-- we do a little of that, too. In fact, there are 15 courses on the Island, and another dozen in the immediate area of the South Carolina mainland and on neighboring Daufuskie Island. Private Long Cove Golf Club and public Harbour Town Golf Links are ranked by Golf Digest among the top 100 courses in the country, and both among the top 3 in the state. Mainland courses named to Golf Digest's 100 best in USA are the those in Colleton River and Berkeley Hall Pantations.

I will blog tomorrow with other unique-nesses of our special Island, including our dedication to nature and wildlife preservation, and the Town of Hilton Head's dedication to keeping land from development.

Or, you could also just come see for yourself... It's a beautiful day on the Island!

Welcome to Hilton Head Digs....

News, scoop, and info on Hilton Head DIRT-- real estate, that is!

We will be sharing our knowledge with YOU so that you can make the very best decisions in buying or selling residential real estate on our wonderfully unique island. For instance: did you know that Hilton Head is the second largest barrier island on the east coast? (#1 is Long Island, NY)

Oh, and also....we're going to tell you all about the REAL Hilton Head--where the Islanders go, what they do, what they eat, what they recommend. Why? because we live here, eat here, sun and fun here.

It's a great life-- Come join us!