Hilton Head Island (Charleston, Summerville, Beaufort: condo, houses, buy) - City-Data Forum

DAVID_S · 09-05-2006, 07:42 AM

I recently returned from a week in Hilton Head, and what an experience that was. Never in my life have I met such rude and obnoxious people. I expected a nice, friendly town, but that miserable burg is anything but. What's funny is how the residents there think they have found paradise lost, when what they really have is just another backwater burg. Nasty, nasty people. They certainly dislike tourists there, even though their city officials advertise their town nonstop in South Florida. I met some people visiting from Ohio, and they said the same thing; they'll never go back. That place is the real redneck riviera.

Not only are the people incredibly unfriendly, the town is about the most BORING place on the planet. There are basically two things to do there: play golf or go bike riding. The beaches are disgusting. Being from Florida, we have much higher standards. We are used to well-maintained beaches --the city brings in equipment each and every morning and cleans the beaches. The beach in Hilton Head was horrible--seaweed, junk and garbage washed up on the shore, lots of branches and sticks--yuck! Besides, the golf courses are nothing to brag about. We've got a municipal course here that blows away anything Hilton Head has to offer.

Oh, and where do the people that live there eat?? We asked around for the 'best' restaurants on the island, and the places we were sent to was a joke. People in South Carolina have a whole hell of a lot to learn when it comes to dining. In every restaurant we went into, the service was AWFUL, the waitstaff RUDE, and the food PATHETIC. We kept trying restaurants, which were supposed to be the best in the area, and they all stunk. I could have whipped up a microwave dinner that was better than the meals served in that town. Again, being from South Florida, we have much higher standards. A restaurant in Hilton Head would be out of business after a week in Florida. Guess the locals are just used to McDonalds and Dennys, and think they have it made.

We also took a day trip to Charleston. Yet another over-hyped town. I've been told that Charleston was just wonderful. Well, it is a complete joke. Just another boring, small, miserable little town, with nothing there. Old houses? Big deal. Most of them looked like nothing I'd ever want to live in. You want to see nice homes, go to Palm Beach. There were, however, plenty of rude, obnoxious people, just like in Hilton Head. Forget Charleston, it's a real dump.

Of course, I'll be back in South Carolina, but only to drive through, not to stop. In fact, I'll be sure to top off my tank with gas in Georgia just before crossing the state line, to make sure none of my tax dollars go to any of the crass people that live there. The state of SC should take off the "Smiling faces and beautiful places" on the license plates. It's a lie.

ChristopherinSC · 09-05-2006, 10:11 AM

Well, sorry you had such a bad time here. But you should not judge the entire state just by the experience that you had at that one place.

springfield · 09-05-2006, 10:14 AM

I had an experience like yours several years back--they would have to PAY me to go back to Hilton Head. After all I had heard about it I was looking forward to a lovely time--WOW, was I surprised.

baily · 09-05-2006, 04:26 PM

well i from fl and i been to both places and i really enjoyed myself everyone was really nice to me .as for s.fl the food is good and there our lots of nice people there also it's up to you how your treated .look at your words on this i say it might be the other way around my friend .look in the mirror

anonymous · 09-05-2006, 05:10 PM

What were you expecting? Hilton Head is a big yankee retirement home, kind of like south Florida. It almost sucks as bad as south florida, too. It's expensive, full of yuppies and old people, just like south florida!

but besides that, surely you are just ignorant. if you can't find a good place to eat in Charleston or a cool bar to hang out in, that's your fault! If you couldn't afford a decent golf course or a decent meal on your vacation, that's your fault too. they play PGA tour events all up and down the SC coast every year. if you skipped out on Kiawah Island or Fripp Island, that's your fault. Saying Hilton Head and Charleston just have "Denny's and McDonalds" is the most ridiculous thing I've heard today.

And "ewww the seaweed and sticks!"
LOL
you must be a real outdoorsman. just because you don't like perfectly natural ocean processes, doesn't mean that the beach is less clean. perhaps we don't run destructive beach-scouring procedures because of marine wildlife like ghost crabs, loggerhead turtles, etc.

and SURELY someone who would post an inflammatory post on a state's message board can see the irony in your statement: "Never in my life have I met such rude and obnoxious people."

DAVID_S · 09-05-2006, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anonymous

What were you expecting? Hilton Head is a big yankee retirement home, kind of like south Florida. It almost sucks as bad as south florida, too. It's expensive, full of yuppies and old people, just like south florida!

but besides that, surely you are just ignorant. if you can't find a good place to eat in Charleston or a cool bar to hang out in, that's your fault! If you couldn't afford a decent golf course or a decent meal on your vacation, that's your fault too. they play PGA tour events all up and down the SC coast every year. if you skipped out on Kiawah Island or Fripp Island, that's your fault. Saying Hilton Head and Charleston just have "Denny's and McDonalds" is the most ridiculous thing I've heard today.

And "ewww the seaweed and sticks!"
LOL
you must be a real outdoorsman. just because you don't like perfectly natural ocean processes, doesn't mean that the beach is less clean. perhaps we don't run destructive beach-scouring procedures because of marine wildlife like ghost crabs, loggerhead turtles, etc.

and SURELY someone who would post an inflammatory post on a state's message board can see the irony in your statement: "Never in my life have I met such rude and obnoxious people."

My post serves as fair warning to those that may be considering a trip to Hilton Head or Charleston. The two towns simply do not live up to the hype. We didn't find anything particularly expensive, just overrated. Oh, and I don't mind old people -- they have to live somewhere. Who can blame them for fulfilling their life long dream and moving to Florida? Besides, South Florida is a tolerant, vibrant and interesting area, anyway. Quite unlike SC, where I kept expecting to see a KKK march at any minute.

No, we didn't dine at McDonalds or Dennys. Next time, try to read with comprehension. However, two restaurants for example that we did go to in Hilton Head were Alligator Grill and Kingfisher. What were supposed to be two of the best in town were less than subpar. It was like ametuer night in those restaurants. After the fourth evening, we gave up on dining out -- it was just too horrible. As we had rented a condo, my wife simply headed to Publix (thank God for a Florida grocery store), and prepared our meals there.

Plus, I didn't meet any "Yankees" in either Hilton Head or Charleston, unless you consider people from Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, Tennessee, or Florida "Yankees." I will say, though, that the "Yankees" I've met (even those in Manhattan), are quite a bit more accomodating and polite than people in the "Low Country" of SC. For some strange reason, SCians have a very low tolerance for outsiders. Just spotting the Florida license plate on the car in a parking lot was enough to draw glares of disapproval from the locals.

As for Charleston, we did dine out at a forgettable restaurant in the "downtown" area, and did check out a couple of other places there, too. They all turned out to be real dives, with the Confederate flag hanging on the wall, pool tables, and local yokels sitting around nursing their beers. Again, a very low tolerance for outsiders that don't look/sound "Southern." (It probably didn't help that I had a University of Miami polo-style shirt on, but that is my alma-mater, after all.) My wife even commented to me that perhaps I should buy a shirt right then and there and change! Of course, I told her to forget it, and we headed back to Hilton Head in disgust.

Also, the beach in Hilton Head wasn't only covered in seaweed. It had garbage on it, like bottles and cigarette butts everywhere, even a tire washed up on the shore. That has nothing to do with being environmentally friendly, or the "natural ocean process," as you put it; it is just a lack of maintenance on the part of the municipality. Either the city is too broke or too incompetent to remove the debris from the beaches. We have two kids, and took them to the pool, instead.

We also visited Beaufort, Summerville, Mt. Pleasant, N. Charleston, Georgetown, and Walterboro. Savannah, GA, as well. All forgettable towns. It's too bad, too, since we had looked forward to our trip there, and invested a great deal of time, money, and effort in the vacation. Oh well, a lesson learned -- all that 'Southern hospitality' is dead and buried in South Carolina. Sad, really.

DAVID_S · 09-05-2006, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChristopherinSC

Well, sorry you had such a bad time here. But you should not judge the entire state just by the experience that you had at that one place.

It's too bad you've got so many bad apples running around there. We are always looking for a vacation destination we can drive to. Next time, we'll have to bypass SC, though. Just too bad of an experience.

shamus · 09-06-2006, 12:56 AM

Clearly no one here visited the Salty Dog Cafe or Crabby Bills (i think thats the name?) or else you would have had positive dining experiences.

salatheel · 09-06-2006, 05:53 AM

I can't vouch for Hilton Head but I do love Charleston. The Hominy Grill cooks one of the best breakfasts in the country.

scjj · 09-06-2006, 08:11 AM

I find it hard to believe that all 9 towns were so inhospitable and horrible. I see you've thrown GA into the mix now, guess you'll just be driving through that state now without stopping too. Before it's over you'll be driving all the way to Canada nonstop!

SC is a big tourist destination, especially Hilton Head and Charleston. Outsiders are a normal occurence, they come and go everyday from everywhere, all over the world. Locals don't even give it a second thought, it's just the way it is and they're used to it. Some visitor from Florida is not going to upset everyone. The locals gathered around to "glare" at you when you parked your car? That is so ridiculous it's almost comical. How exactly do you even know they were locals? Did they have a sign around their neck? It's more likely that you arrived with a pompous superior attitude and people picked up on it. Negative people tend to bring out the negative in people. Something tells me that you're not well liked no matter where you go.

Oh and your comment about the KKK is totally way out of line and complete BS. You just proved that everything coming out of your mouth is ignorant, exaggerated and bogus. Your credibility is nill.