Vacation Company

3rd Annual Hilton Head Island Restaurant Week Begins 1/21/2012

January 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Restaurant Week Hilton Head

Restaurant Week, HHI, SC, 1/21 - 1/27/2012

Welcome to a week of savory fun at participating Hilton Head restaurants! 

A group of our famous restaurants will be offering prix fixe dinners at discounted menu prices from January 21 – January 27, 2012 to celebrate and inspire great island cusine, while galvanizing the public to get out of their winter caves and try places they haven’t been.

This year a contest has been added for restaurant-goers to vote for their favorite Restaurant Week establishment.  Everyone who votes will also be included in a random drawing for dinner for two at one of the participating restaurants.  Also new this year is a partnership with Foodspotting, an online picture gallery of dishes from foodies’ favorite places.  The website invites diners to upload pictures of the dishes they are about to eat, and then also send in a review for others to evaluate before they head out to a Restaurant Week business and make their own choices.

The whole celebration is much more interactive this year, engaging customers and restaurants in website activities to keep everyone informed and bring word-of-mouth advertising to our popular local restaurants. For more information, lists of restaurants and menus, go to the Chamber of Commerce Restaurant Week web page.

From all of your friends and Guardian Angels at The Vacation Company, Bon Appetit!

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Harbour Lights – A Harbour Town Happy Holidays!

December 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Harbour Town, Hilton Head, 
Annual Tree-lighing

What a pleasure it is to enjoy Harbour Town in the off-season, especially during the Christmas season off-season.  And while the lighting of the tree was the focal point, it certainly wasn’t the only attraction this past Friday night.

Harbour Town, Sea Pines,
Lighted Displays

Truly impressive were all the light displays dotting the Harbour Town campus around the tree and in front of the Crazy Crab.

Gregg Russell Entertains, 11/25/11

Even better?  Gregg Russell entertaining under the Liberty Oak again.  A Harbour Town Holiday kick-off couldn’t get any better.
And where can you get the best luxury vacation rentals marina side?  Call a Guardian Angel for more information, 800-845-7018, or view our selection online.

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Trattoria Divina, Excellent Taste of Italy, in Park Plaza Restaurant – Review

November 20, 2011 By 1 Comment
Trattoria Divina Main Dining Room, Park Plaza, HHI, SC

 

   ”Like Hilton Head Island needed another restaurant,” you say.  Well, YES IT DID!  And what a winner we have in Trattoria Divina, an Italian restaurant in Park Plaza just outside the main Sea Pines Gate, a few doorways down from the theater.  My husband and I ate there this past Friday night just before our 6:50 pm show, (big date night), and were just delighted with the whole meal and friendly staff.  The bartender, Paul, greeted us around 5:00 just when they had opened and kindly showed us around, including the bar/pool room they were preparing to open next door (more on that in another blog, but right now I can say, WOW).
One of several wall murals 
by Wyatt Ramsey 

One thing to mention about both the pool room and the restaurant, are the stunning murals painted by Isaac McCaslin, a senior at SCAD, and his friend, Wyatt Ramsey, two bright talents whom we will most definitely be hearing more about down the road.

When we returned to the restaurant, our waiter, Brendan, made all the right menu suggestions and we didn’t go wrong in any of our choices. We were pleasantly delighted with everything from the artisan bread made exclusively for Trattoria by a Sicilian baker working from a recipe that had been in the family 1000 years (now, I understand the phrase, Old World), to my entree of Orecchiette Gamberetti E Broccoli (homemade pasta tossed with spicy black shrimp, prosciutto, broccoli, Tuscan white beans, mixed in a white wine/zest of lemon sauce, to the molten chocolate cake with vanilla gelato.  Johnny started his dinner with a generous portion of tuna tartare, with slices of fresh tomato and chopped, chunky and ripe avacodo, was probably the best appetizer we’ve had in many a moon.  Then he moved on to an angel hair pasta dish with large seared scallops, black tiger shrimp, tossed in a light, zesty tomato sauce with freshly chopped tomatoes.

Salmon Scallop Chef’s Special

My husband ordered directly off the a la carte dinner menu, while I had the two-course 5-6:15 pm menu for $16.95.  The price was right however you order and with wine appetizers, three glasses of wine and large bottle of sparkling water, the check was still just under $100.00.  All the staff were very attentive, checking on us frequently, keeping our drinks and bread basket full.  Very professional and also friendly; not an easy combination to achieve so fluidly.

Chef Hugo Lee, originally from Mexico City, has an amazing resume that demonstrates a recognized talent that was essentially discovered and recruited all the way to Hilton Head.  From his early training at Il Fornaio in San Diego, to a scholarship at the CIA culinary school, and a stint working for famed Thomas Keller of the French Laundry, Lee wowed himself through a stellar pedigree of training and restaurants.  How fortunate for us he wound up here!

 

    That concludes this, my first food review for HiltonHeadsup.com.  Hope you enjoyed it and will give this restaurant a try while enjoying your stay in one of our luxury vacation rentals. Grazie.
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The 2nd Annual Italian Heritage Festival on Hilton Head is a Total Success!

September 28, 2011 By 2 Comments
Booth at the 2nd Annual Italian Heritage Festival

      The Italian Heritage Festival could well draw seasonal culture-seeking crowds in years to come  like the RBC Heritage Classic draws spring golf-lovers.  Into its 2nd year, the Italian Heritage Festival, held at Shelter Cove Park, had nearly double the crowds, tickets, sales, and overall fun over the first year – which, by the way, was an excellent premier in and of itself.  
      Familiar faces graced the booths again this year, and you could easily spend the entire five hours of the day having so much fun eating the freshest, best, Italian dishes, prepared and presented for people to walk around or sit, eating, drinking, and playing.  Bocce Ball, the restaurant booths, the wine and soda bars, everything was laid out for a seamless day of fun in the autumn sun.  Nothing was overlooked.  Not once, did I think, “I wish they had placed more recycle bins over by the band where people sit and finish their drinks,” because they thought of everything, these people!  This year, an eating contest was added, more restaurant booths, and a dunk tank, featuring The Vacation Company‘s part-time spokesperson, Johnny D and his best friend, George!

    
      What a wonderful event they put on for us, by THEY, I mean of course, the Italian American Heritage Club of Hilton Head (IACHH).  Monies raised go towards all local charities like the Deep Well Project, The Children’s Relief Fund, American Cancer Society, Programs for Exceptional People (PEP), Bluffton Boy’s and Girls’ Club, Volunteers in Medicine (VIM), the Grace Center, Hospice Care of the Lowcountry, and college scholarships.  Interested in participating, joining the IACHH, or donating to their many worthy endeavors, just go to http://iachh.org/contact-us/.
      If you just want to make sure you are here on Hilton Head this time next year for the festival, check out our exciting line-up of luxury vacation home rentals.  Or, call a Vacation Company guardian angel at 800-845-7018.
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Rainy Days; NOT That We Get Any, But On Occasion…

July 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

For those of you visiting this week, we extend our deepest thanks for putting on a brave face and checking out The Vacation Company blog for ways to enjoy this gorgeous island no matter what, darn it.  Besides an index listing of past blogs highlighting activities that don’t require sunlight to enjoy,  here are a few more that I think will lighten the mood around the ping-pong table and boob tube.

1.) Coastal Discover Museum 843.689.6767

Learn about Loggerhead Sea Turtles at the
Coastal Discovery Museum. 

Honey Horn Location
70 Honey Horn Dr
Hilton Head Island, SC  29926

60 acres of interactive fun, including a butterfly exhibit, plus a converted plantation house full of displays and indoor educational activities for kids.

Museum Location*
100 William Hilton Pkwy (Hwy 278)
Hilton Head Island, SC  29926

The original museum is also open with dioramas and historical displays, loggerhead turtle exhibit, and movies.

*This location open only until the end of summer 2011, when all exhibits and artifacts will be moved to their permanent home at Honey Horn Plantation.

2.)Movie Theaters:
Below are listed according to proximity to Vacation Company home and villa rentals.
Park Plaza Cinema 843.715.0479

33 Office Park Rd.
Hilton Head Island, SC  29928
Directions

With 6 movie screens, a lounge with nightly entertainment, and a cafe, there’s something for everyone here. A favorite with locals and visitors alike.

Coligny Theatre 843.686.3500
1 N. Forest Beach, Building 1-5
Hilton Head Island, SC  2928

Located next to the Earle of Sandwich Pub in Coligny Plaza, just off Coligny Circle with accesses from Pope Avenue, Avocet St., North Forest Beach Dr., and Lagoon Rd., Coligny Theatre is Hilton Head Island’s first theater and the only one for many years.  Remaining a single-screen theater through the years, it specializes in 1st-run, independent and art-house films, and is a true island gem.

Click here for a map of Coligny Plaza to help you find it.

Northridge Cinema 10, HHI 843.342.3800

435 William Hilton Pky.
Hilton Head Island, SC  29926

A little further up the road on the right, off Hwy 278, just past Port Royal Plantation and the Matthews Dr. intersection, this multi-plex shows all feature releases, 3-D, and has facilities for kids’ parties.

3.) The Batters Box 843.715.2737
2 Southwood Park Dr.
Hilton Head Island, SC  29928

This place has it all, especially if you want to bring the outside in, and cabin fever may be getting the best of everyone.  Reservations recommended.  Click here for directions.

4.) The Art Cafe 843.785.5525
Located next to the Frosty Frog lounge in Coligny Plaza.  A “paint-your-own potter studio,” this place has rainy day activity written all over it.

5.) Home Video Making.
If none of the above ring your bell, get out the video camera, or call The Vacation Company 843.686.6100 and see if we have a Flipcam still available, and shoot some home videos.

WHY, you should ask?
Because we want to make you a star.  Read on for exciting details.

*MAKE A COMMERCIAL FOR THE VACATION COMPANY, promote the property you’re renting or a special feature about it that your family is loving, and we’ll post the finished product on our website and give you a copy for your own family media websites, such as, Flickr, Flipshare, YouTube, Facebook, etc.
*MAKE A VIDEO SUBMISSION FOR the Getting Away Together casting call (limited days left for entries).  For details, click here, or check out our recent blog posts for details, or the Blog Angel at 401.935.1586 for more information.

Edited video sample made by recent Vacation Company guests shot with a Flipcam.

If you’re not interested in making your own video, but would like to see some others, being that it is a rainy day, and you guys really have nothing else to do, besides eat chips, drink beer, play video games, watch movies, or Facebook yourselves to death with status updates like, ‘drank my last beer,’ then go to the Hilton Head Chamber of Commerce and Getting Away Together voting page and vote for your favorite submission.  

See you at the movies!

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‘Getting Away Together’ Hilton Head Style! The Vacation Company Wants to Help You Get Selected For Next Season’s PBS Reality Show.

June 30, 2011 By 1 Comment
      We know you like telling everyone back home about what a great time you had on Hilton Head Island. That’s why we want you to have a dvd movie of your vacation that you can WOW them all with.  And this next month especially, you will want to take advantage of this offer because PBS is filming this next season’s series, Getting Away Together, on Hilton Head Island, and they want vacation home video submissions from Hilton Head vacation rental guests starting, like yesterday – seriously, June 27, 2011 was the start of this incredible Cast Call – and continuing through July 25, 2011.  
    That’s not alot of time, so if you’re heading this way, be sure to bring a video camera, or call us at The Vacation Company, 800-545-3303, ext. 136, and ask how to get in on our special FREE home video deal.  For details, check out the YouTube video below, or just keep reading….

     Blog Angel Screen Test: Chance at Stardom with 
    The Vacation Company – Call for Details, 800-845-7018
    
    Knowing that everyone wants to capture their vacation moments on video to share with their friends back home, we at The Vacation Company, asked ourselves, “Selves, what’s the best way for our guests to share their family vacation joy without toting expensive video equipment all the way here and then to the beach, the links, the courts, and on their bikes”?  Then, the thought occurred, “What if the guests could shoot their vacation home movies on a Vacation Company handheld, lighter-than-air Flipcam while they’re here, and  we send them the dvd version the following week, edited and ready for the big screen”?  Does it get any better than this?  
    “Well, yes it does”, we said to ourselves!  Pay attention now…. you get to be the director, photographer, and actor, in your own home movie, ALL FOR FREE, COMPLIMENTS OF THE VACATION COMPANY.  You can be a star on your own Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, FlipShare, and YouTube accounts, while we show you off on our own social media accounts.  And we will be sure to post your videos where we know the Hollywood agents are looking for fresh new talent;  Where else, but The Vacation Company website! 
***And now, more than ever, is the best time to get your vacation footage, because PBS will be filming a series about the vacation rental industry here in the fall.  If you are interested, and would like to learn more, Click Here for submission guidelines.***
    Email me now for more information on how you can get your free vacation home movie made while you stay in one of our fabulous oceanfront beach homes this summer.  Or call 800-545-3303, ext 136 and ask for details.  From all of your Guardian Vacation Angels and Property Managers, good luck with your submissions, and we look forward to seeing you here soon.
    
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Over-the-Top Vacation Fun, Off the Beaten Path!

May 9, 2011 By 1 Comment
Guided kayak tours through The Sea Pines Resort

     At the beginning of every season we, at The Vacation Company, try to come up with all new and exciting lists of things to do on Hilton Head for our guests – NOT that there is a dearth of ideas for outdoor fun, but repeat guests who have baked every day on the beach, played all the golf courses, run the lighthouse stairs, watched the sunset from the Quarterdeck, and listened to Gregg Russell under the Liberty Oak, year in, year out, sometimes on occasion ask if there is something else to do around here – NOT THAT THE AFOREMENTIONED AREN’T FUN ENOUGH – it’s just that the kids eventually grow into teenagers and don’t want to sing outside every summer night and you’re watching an even better sunset this year nightly from your OCEANFRONT BEACH HOME RENTAL FROM THE VACATION COMPANY! And nobody makes better mojitos than you while enjoying that view, right?…  wait… where was I….

Up Close And Personal on a Guided Sea Pines Resort Eco Tour

       Okay, NEW outdoor activities on Hilton Head Island; almost every year, new activities are added to the roster and it can be daunting trying to figure out which ones to make time for.  This week, I’m giving you the contact information and highlights of an under-the-radar one-stop-shop for outdoor fun that I only stumbled across while Googling for extreme activities on Hilton Head.
     Within Sea Pines Resort, is the Recreation Department, which is highly organized and with-it in the area of blazing outdoor trails and know how best to show off the island’s supreme natural beauty under the guise of entertaining activities.  After all, they do understand that you can’t tell your kids that these tours are educational while on vacation because that would sound BOORRRING, so parents can relax and fall in line without too much preparation.   The only gear suggested by the recreation coordinator that I spoke to was to wear, secured shoes; ie no flip-flops or sandals. You don’t want a creepy crawler nipping an exposed toe while trekking through the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. Other than that, all you have to do is show up on time at the designated location and the tour guide will take it from there. 

     Below are a selection of springtime Eco Tours, designed to enlighten while entertaining; these are great for the whole family.  Click here for a pdf version of the full 2011 Spring Resort Guide of tours and events.  For more information and a list of activities, call 843.842.1979, listen to the menu of activities and let them talk you through.

Alligator Boat Tours: a perfect way to see these incredible reptiles while getting a safely guided tour from  a knowledgeable professional. 843.686.5323
Kayaking Tours: a clinic is included, so experience is not mandatory for this remarkable tour through Calibogue Sound where you may see manatees, dolphins, otters, and minks.  843.671.4386
Stoney/Baynard Ruins Tour: Fascinating, informative tour of the ruins of a Hilton Head plantation home.
Sea Pines Forest Preserve walking Tour: Explore a 4,000 year old Indian trail and grounds where relics have been preserved, over boardwalked paths that take you through ancient woods.
Forest Preserve Hayride: Relax and listen to the experienced guide take you through the Forest Preserve
Beach Discovery: Stroll Sea Pines shoreline while a local guide identifies starfish, shells, and sand dollars.

     Hilton Head is home to an incredible wildlife dynamic, at once jarring and extreme with alligators, snakes, egrets, coyotes, and deer commingling, seemingly nonchalant in their meanderings over fairways, sand dunes, residential roads, and back porches, while hosting a delicate ecosystem that needs constant care and diligent preservation so that the frogs, turtles, bats, mosquitoes, and lizards can help keep it all balanced.  We often forget how fortunate we are that this lowcountry habitat thrives while undergoing constant development and traffic. Wildlife tours such as these and others – some of which have already been journaled  about in Hilton Heads Up – are numerous on Hilton Head and fun.  Take a day to learn about this amazing island while you are here.  You will be so glad you did.

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We Congratulate Brandt Snedeker on a Well-Earned, 2011 Heritage Title

April 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Snedeker wins annual Heritage Tournament!

An exciting Easter/Heritage weekend kicked off the Hilton Head season like no other.  The Vacation Company was proud to participate again this year as a sponsor and host to players and sponsors of the tournament.  This year’s event was made even more special by the support of the whole island community and the Heritage Classic Foundation.  Thank you, Tournament Director Steve Wilmot, for another plaidtastic annual Heritage, and Christina Lobello for your amazing player/VIP coordinating skills.  Without the tireless efforts of the staff, volunteers, and sponsors, the Heritage could not survive, and Hilton Head spring season kick-off just wouldn’t have any kick.

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Happy Easter, From the Vacation Company

April 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Sea Oats swaying on the beach, Hilton Head Island
    Flowers in bloom, sunbeams shine through swaying sea oats, children laughing in colorful apparel, large straw hats and fancy scarves, lowcountry cooking, fine wine, good vibes, perfect weather, 
graceful golfing, no cell phones, pink sunrises, painted sunsets, hushed and grateful crowds… 
it must be Easter on Hilton Head Island. 
    From all of us at The Vacation Company, have a joyful Easter weekend with your loved ones.     
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No One Knows the Truffles I’ve Seen

March 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Truffles Cafe’s signature tomato dill soup
    One of the many pleasures of being an on-again off-again resident, sometime vacationer, sometime just home-for-the holidays kind of islander, is getting to grow up with some of the people and businesses who have managed to stick around and do just fine – actually, they do quite well, thank you very much – like Price Beall and Truffles Cafe.  This restaurant, and it’s siblings on Pope Avenue, and Bluffton, have stood the test of time, seasonal business, and a fickle economy, for more than twenty-five years and show only signs of future growth and prosperity.  Being a hands-on businessman, employing many islanders through the years (and in my case, more than once), and participating in and contributing to many area charities, owner,  Price Beall has become a good neighbor and friend to many islanders and visitors.  
     As a business model, Truffles is certainly in a class by itself; quietly evolving with the times by redecorating periodically, adding to the menu, changing server uniforms, expanding an eclectic and thorough wine list, and opening  new venues.  All the while, Truffles turns out a stellar product, an innovative menu known for its         fresh preparation and uniqueness, yet always consistent in presentation, taste, and service.  And ALWAYS open.  
Truffles Cafe Owner, Price Beall
     As a  Vacation  Company staff member, it’s a pleasure sending business Truffles’ way because one never worries that guests or visiting family might be disappointed.  You   just know it’s one of the safest bets in town, like catching a great sunset in Harbour Town, or spotting an alligator on a golf course in June.  Duh.

    And apparently, I’m not the only one who feels that way, since Ruby Tuesday’s has recently signed a licensing agreement with Gourmet Market, Inc. (Truffles’ parent company) to replicate Truffles in other locations, such as Lenox Mall in Atlanta which opened Truffles Cafe in the fall of 2010.  Fortunately for us, Price Beall views Hilton Head as home, and Truffles will continue to flourish here, serving up long-time favorites like its signatures tangy tomato dill soup, flavorful chicken pot pie, perfectly seasoned southwestern chicken salad,  and tasty rack of ribs, and let’s not forget who put the fabulously sinful, blondie with ice cream on the map.

Locations:                                                      Phone Number:

Sea Pines Center, Lighthouse Rd.,                  
Hilton Head Island, SC                                  843-671-6136                           
Pope Avenue, Hilton Head Island, SC            843-785-3663
Belfaire Town Village, Bluffton, SC                 843-815-5551
Lenox Road, Atlanta, GA                               404-364-9050

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