Ocean Oak Resort by Hilton Grand Vacations

Ocean Oak Resort by Hilton Grand Vacations is located on Hilton Head Island, in South Carolina. Hilton Head is a barrier island located in Beaufort County, South Carolina. The year-round population here is over 37,000 residents and the area boasts over 2 million visitors a year. The island feels less developed commercially than other beach towns in the area, while still offering so much to experience.

Hilton Head, like most in the area, refers to the island as having world-class gold experiences and some of the nicest beaches on the East Coast.

Video by Riley Aerial Drone Works

Day One Travel & Arrival at Ocean Oak Resort by Hilton Grand Vacations

My journey is fairly short to Hilton Head, it is just a short trip down from Virginia and it makes for a nice easy trip. If you are coming from farther North or South, you may take I95 for a large portion of your trip, then venture off once you get close to the coastal part of South Carolina. For my own trip, I use older state highway roads because they save me about 40 miles on the trip.

When you come to the Hilton Head area, you may want to stop on the way in as I did, and get some food items since the suites do have a full kitchen at this resort. I stopped at Kroger, which is one of many grocery chains on the island. There is also a Publix which many seem to enjoy. A whole foods market, Piggly Wiggly, and a Harris Teeter on the island. I think it is the best-served beach community for grocery stores I have ever seen.

For those that prefer Walmart, there is even a location on the Island.

My stop was for breakfast items, one prepared dinner or lunch, snacks, and a 6 pack of beer, just in case. I enjoy eating out on vacations but also like to make breakfast at least on 1 day of most trips. That day when you overdone it the day before and went to move slowly the next morning.

Checking In

They make check-in a breeze which was nice. There is a $20 self-parking fee for the first car and for a second car $14. Seems odd that some resorts charge for self-parking for me. But it is what it is.

Here the location is ideal and the suites are top-notch. One thing that I find consistent with the Hilton brand is cleanliness. Their resorts are well designed and finished, but always cleaned to a high standard, and that I appreciate. This brand is certainly one to stay at for the people who are bothered by any cleaning issues they might find.

Honestly, I value that more as I age, and much more if I am bringing guests, or family members along on my trip. We all want the best for our loved ones.

I have traveled a great deal over the last few years, especially before COVID. I now look for certain indications of the actions great resorts take. Of all brands, Hilton is the most consistent I have stayed at. There are many other amazing brands and resorts. TZort has the best resorts in the world that they work with. I just find Hilton does a great job.

I am not alone to see what recent reviews of this resort are like.

Recent Reviews

Very nice facility and was easy to find, quiet, and well maintained. The staff was excellent. Loved the text to the front desk feature to ask questions or make requests. The kitchen was stocked with utensils and dishes for basic meals. Excellent bath/shower/large, stand-alone tub. The bedrooms were very comfortable. The only thing I could complain about was that you could not turn off the glaring nightlight in the bathroom so you had to keep the door closed while trying to sleep.

INCREDIBLE PROPERTY!
This was HANDS DOWN, one of the best hotels we have ever stayed at. I was beyond impressed. Yes, it could possibly be on the pricier side depending on when you go, but IMO 10000% is worth it. The room was amazingly huge and spacious and felt more like an upscale apartment than a hotel room. The views were fantastic. The property itself is beautiful and very well maintained. The pools seem a bit on the smaller side, but because there are two of them, there is plenty of space for everyone. The beach access was great, and the amenities provided were top-notch. We have already decided we are going back here for our anniversary every year (we went for our anniversary this time and the staff were so nice about everything, and we loved all the surprises!)
To the staff: Hats off. This place is a gem, and you have just earned yourself two lifelong vacationers!

For a couple’s low-key getaway, this resort was just right for us! The resort is only five years old and was as neat and clean as you could hope for! We felt safe and enjoyed the nice, not crowded pool, and the access to the pristine beaches. The staff was cordial and happy to answer our questions. The oceanfront balcony 2-bedroom suites are worth it!

The resort is incredible. The access to the beach is super easy, having two pools gave us choices, and the grounds were very nice. The rooms were clean, and comfortable and even our “non-ocean view” had a pretty incredible ocean view. Will definitely be back.

I am not sure how this is only a 3 Star hotel, this place is gorgeous. Tons of beachfront away from the crowds and two nice swimming pools, if you prefer that. The staff is great and the rooms are wonderful. I am glad that we happened upon this place when we arrived at Hilton Head Island. The location is right on the beach and convenient for stores, restaurants, and other fun activities. If you are in the area or planning to visit, this place is worth your time.

The Ocean Oak Resort at Hilton Head is a hidden gem, especially in the off-season. Our December stay was exactly what we were looking for a quiet get-away with tasteful Holiday decorations on the grounds and responsive full-service staff. Location is very convenient – on the beach, with private access, but close enough to a wide variety of shopping and dining options. Rooms are spacious, with everything we needed to relax and enjoy.

You will learn from me about my own time here, but you can see many guests just love this location. The suites are amazing and so is this location. My room had a great oceanfront view and a balcony that gave you that front-row seat you want to spoil yourself with. There are also 2-bedroom suites that have just an ocean view, and others that have different views from their balcony. If you can’t book an oceanfront because it is booked, do consider the other 2-bedroom suites here because the resort has such great public areas it makes it worth it.

My Thoughts

This resort is very large, and the scale provides access to large outdoor pools, great beach access, and many amenities. When you stay at a Hilton resort you can expect well-maintained properties, trained staff, and clean rooms. Each Hilton property I have stayed at also has a certain level of fit and finish to it that I appreciate. Things are well laid out and designed from the rooms to the public spaces.

This resort books solid fast, so you want to book months ahead to get a chance at prime weeks, and months ahead for normal summer stays too.

The rooms available here are the 2 bedroom suite accommodations you find in many other Hilton Grand Vacation locations. They follow that time-tested formula closely and with a great results. This resort is so popular if you see a booking available you have to jump on it fast. No time to consider the options because this is so popular. Often I travel to the resorts when there is a last minute availability, those likely never come up at this resort. It is that popular. I assume they may have a waiting list of folks.

Villa Amenities

Then the resort itself offers all of these options.

Resort Amenities

After getting into my room and settling, I had a look around the resort and a peek at the beach. Here you are almost right on the beach. The typical short beach path walk over small dunes (that you find in the Carolinas) is present here as well. Once you reach the beach, you can see available beach chairs and umbrellas. You get a great feel for this in the drone video we shared in this article.

Oceanside Bar & Grille

Here the beach bar and grill area are so nicely situated near the pool that it just feels perfect. They have a limited menu here but it is nice to have a hot food option on site for those times when you just do not want to leave the pool and beach area.

Marketplace

They also have a marketplace store on site that offers convenience store-style offerings with snacks, and sodas, as well as some pre-made sandwich options. This location also provides a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu, which is nice.

Tour over for now, I stopped and had a bite to eat before the bar and grille closed. Both onsite options are available 9 AM-5 PM 7 days a week. It seems odd that they close the bar down at 5 PM. Maybe they find most guests going offsite to eat in the evenings?

I just barely made it before they closed after checking in at 4 PM and looking around. I will not drive the cook mad and do the last-minute thing every day for sure.

Day Two Beach Time

How can you stay somewhere right on the beach and not just spend an entire day with your feet in the water or the sand?

The beaches of Hilton Head see some rough water at times when the wind is up or there are storms offshore. You can see this at low tide, looking at the sand off the beach. (Seen in the video well on this page). In the Carolinas, one thing to be very careful of for yourself and your kids is the undertow. When I was a child, I saved a cousin’s life and even helped my father in the waters of a beach not far from here. Even if you are a great swimmer, do not go far offshore here without a swim buddy with you. If caught in the undertow, let it take you out but try to swim across the undertow, not against it. Swim to the side. The few times I have had to deal with it in 50 years, I might have ended up a mile down the beach, but I was safe and so was my cousin.

If you are just splashing around in waste-deep water here, you can have fun playing in the waves on a calmer day and really have a blast. The water here is pretty safe other than the undertow. If there are any advisories, the local community does a good job of getting the word out.

The beaches on Hilton Head feel raw and untouched. Even with these major resorts so close to the beach, they still seem like the resort is not even there when you are facing the ocean. I spent at least 4 hours just alternating between playing in the water like a kid, to laying on my beach chair and thinking about life listening to the ocean.

On my trip, there were not many kids nearby. Part of me appreciated that, but also missed it at the same time. I understand the whole of living through others’ feeling these days. I can sit and relax somewhere and see kids enjoying themselves and be transported back to a simpler time for a few moments. If I was to guess, I would think you see more adults at this resort than families, especially during the fall, winter, and early spring. I am sure spring break sees more families, as does much of summer.

It was late May on my trip so the water was cool still and the outside air was in the upper 70s, warm enough to dry you off without feeling cold in the air in the sun. Just not hot enough where the ocean or air made it feel like a warm bath yet.

You seem to see less surfing here than you do on the Outer Banks of NC, or nearby Atlantic Beach for example. Likely because so much of the access to this part of the beach is through larger resorts.

I had a larger late lunch since the bar and grill close at 5 PM. I wanted enough to tide me over. The suites do offer full kitchens, so I also had a pre-made dinner from the local grocery store nearby. Hilton Head seems to have the most grocery stores in any beach town in the country. There are tons of options for food if you want to cook.

Day Three Tee Time

I have only played golf for a few years now. Yet, I have come to enjoy the sport more than I thought I would. On islands like Hilton Head they have many great courses but whether you will enjoy the play often depends on the wind. It is a simple thing really, but when you are on an island not protected from strong winds at all, it can put a hamper on the game.

I was able to find a foursome to join and complete. That is something that many clubs can do it helps you find someone to play with when you book through the pro on-site. Today I have a friend coming to stay later in the day but she could not make it in time for golf. So, I am doing this early in the morning.

This morning my round was at Oyster Reef Golf Club, and the course is visually impressive for sure. The round was $180, which given the location and features I thought was a reasonable rate. Thinking about it, maybe in my younger years I played less golf because of the expense. I never thought of it that way, but for a few hours of entertainment for a young guy that is a chunk of change. Worth it, but still pricey.

I did fine in my game, not winning but not performing the worst of my foursome. Given how little I have played, I was very happy with that. I worry still that I will get out and play with others and play so poorly that I frustrate the other strangers I am playing with. I have a decent handicap, however, so I seem to hack my way through most attempts.

After the golf, it was time to head back to the resort to meet my friend. She was coming in for the day and night as my guest. I had come down midweek and she could not get off until the weekend from her job.

We met for lunch at Skull Creek Boathouse restaurant. Here you will find many great seafood options, including low country boils of several seafood favorites together with great sides, all as a boil brought to your table and served for 2 or more.

We did the extravaganza, which offered shrimp, snow crab legs, mussels, clams, and oysters. It was an amazing meal and when combined with some beer, we were both happy folks. The menu here is extensive and if it is surf or turf, you will probably find what you are looking for.

After a great late lunch, we headed to the resort to enjoy some time talking and walking on the beach together. I had spent the last day on the, so I already knew the area well for a walk and talk session.

Afterward, we enjoyed the great accommodations and a few more beverages in the room that I had picked up on my grocery stop the first day.

If you want an amazing trip to this resort book early and through TZort.