If You’re Accustomed to the St. Regis…
Before planning our route and our stays for our April ‘22 trip, Terri received a newsletter from one of the RV media sites we subscribe to. In that newsletter was a review of a recently opened RV park in Bluffton, South Carolina. Bluffton was a planned stop for three days early in our trip and we had been hunting for an RV park with the standard amenities and full hookups. Hilton Head National RV Resort had opened literally six weeks before our arrival. In the newsletter review it looked nice and its “newness” was attractive. While the daily rate was a little high, we thought what the heck, lets book it.
Wow! To say this is a high-end, five-star RV resort is an understatement. It really is like staying at a St. Regis or Ritz Carlton. The arrival experience reminds me of my hospitality days, when Guest Service Agents, Bellmen and Concierges were at your service with a smile and a helpful hand. We had completed the pre-arrival form online, which expedited our check-in process. We were given our welcome packet with a property map, some restaurant discount options, and our key cards which could be used to open the park gates, access pools and bath house, and charge to our account at the on-site restaurant, and the adjacent golf course. We were then escorted to our site by a gentleman in a golf cart. He helped us back into the site and explained all of the hookups on the pedestal. I swear I felt like a St. Regis Butler was checking me into my guestroom. I asked if I could tip him and he declined.
Our stay at Hilton Head National RV Park was highlighted by visits with friends and an 18-hole outing on the golf course. Upon arrival at the park, my former Starwood colleague, Paul Gadomski (who lives only a 15-minute walk from our site) drove his truck over and picked us up for a quick tour of old-town Bluffton and some views of the May river. He then let us borrow the truck for the remainder of our stay so we could drive ourselves around the area.
On Tuesday night the 5th, Dawn and Kevin Trohalis invited us to their wonderful home in the Sun City community for dinner. It was great to catch up on the Judith Drive neighborhood happenings and hear about their new life in Bluffton. Prior to our visit and dinner, Terri and I drove over to the town of Beaufort. It’s a charming little town with shops and restaurants along Bay street. We were lucky to find that a classic Bentley collector’s group was in town for a rally. There were at least a dozen old 1920’s and 30’s Bentleys parked on the street and in a local public parking lot. All of them were in pristine condition. We walked the streets of Beaufort and had an excellent lunch at Panini’s. All in all a great first day.
Wednesday found us on the Hilton Head National Golf Course first thing in the morning. The golf course and RV park are part of the same complex, and the pro shop was a 10-minute walk (with clubs) from our site. Our round was very good considering we’ve only played indoors at GolfLounge 18 all winter. The course was very friendly and I only lost two balls and Terri didn’t lose any. To us that’s the measure of a great golf course. An added bonus was the pace of play and the round only took 4 hours. Believe it or not, after the round we were excited to use the RV park’s laundry facility as it was another 5-star amenity of the park. Dinner that night was at Truffles with Paul and Teresa.
Thursday found us back on the road again for the drive to LaGrange Georgia and the Liberty Hill Sporting Club. While the HH National RV Resort was expensive, it is definitely a park we will return to. Its feel is luxurious with all the amenities of a 5-star resort, and the Bluffton area has so much to offer.
