Staying in the Hilton Head - Savannah area for 3 days right after Christmas and wondering where it would be best to stay if we want to experience both and not waste a lot of time in the car. A friend told me the traffic on Hilton Head is terrible and you can spend an hour or so getting off the island. Is that true...even in December? Was thinking of stay on HH at a resort, but would be willing to stay in a hotel off the interstate somewhere if it would make moving between the two cities less stressful. But don't know where. Would consider a 3 or 4 star hotel. We will be on our way to Tampa, after we take a short stop in this area. Heard Savannah's historic district is not particularly safe after dark, from a different friend. Traveling with family ( hs/ college kids) so that didn't appeal. Any suggestions would be very helpful.
Sorry for the two posts...accidentally hit submit before ready.
Hilton Head & Savannah-Which city to stay?
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Traffic on Hilton Head during the winter is not "terrible" so don't let that be an issue, however it's a fairly large island and can take 30 minutes to drive from the tip of one end to the tip of the other end. Fortunately, it's not a "wide" island and the main road leading to/from the island is almost in the dead center so no matter where you stay it's pretty easy to get on/off the island.
Now, whether or not you stay on Hilton Head or in Savannah is really a personal decision and depends on what you want to do and see during your stay. Hilton Head is a "beach/golf resort" area, Savannah is a very charming small southern city. It's about a 40 minute drive from Hilton Head to downtown Savannah so it's very easy to stay in one area and visit both places. Your only decision is whether you want to get a hotel in a city or resort environment. One is not BETTER than the other, they are just different.
Because of the proximity of the two areas there's not much to be gained staying "off the interstate" (by that I guess you mean somewhere in between) since you'll still have to drive 20 minutes or so to get to either location and you'll get just that - an "interstate hotel/motel". You'll miss out on either the charm of staying in Savannah or the resort feel of Hilton Head.
Pick the location you think you'll enjoy the most and simply visit the other place on one day during your stay. If you are a "beach person" stay on Hilton Head. If you prefer a more urban feel stay in Savannah.
We vacation in HH once a year and are big fans. But in your case, especially given the time of year, I'd definitely stay in Savannah - in the historic district.
What attracts you to HH? Just want to see the ocean/beach? You can get that with a quicker trip to Tybee Island from Savannah. Looking to take advantage of HH's restaurants? You can get great food in Savannah. Looking to enjoy a beach resort? It's going too be too cold to really do that.
Traffic in December on HHI will not be bad at all. It's the quiet time (other than families coming to visit the folks). However, it will take you a while to get to Savannah from there - 45-60 minutes - and HHI is rather suburban rather than villagey - there are a variety of shopping plazas but it's not like you will have streets and streets to stroll on, like in Savannah.
Don't stay in a depressing hotel off the interstate. Either stay on the beach on HHI (and have morning beach walks) or stay in Savannah for easy shopping and strolling. Also, as mentioned, in Savannah if you really want a beach walk you are close to Tybee Island.
Here is a blog that shows restaurant openings around Xmas:
http://blog.savannahvisit.com/what-is-hot-in-savannah/2012-holiday/
Three excelleny posts!
I haven't stayed on HHI, but did want to say that I felt perfectly fine in Savannah's historic district after dark. We stayed at the Hampton Inn on East Bay, parked the car and walked most everywhere. I wouldn't expect you to have any problems just using common sense. The area did seem to change fairly quickly outside the district (we noticed this on our drive out to Bonaventure), so you want to make sure you get a hotel in the district and not "near" it, but otherwise I think you'd be fine.
Thank you all very much . Your responses were extremely helpful.. Booked a hotel in the historic district and decided to skip HH this trip. Thanks for the advice...this plan sounds much more relaxing!
I think you made a great choice. HHI's main draws are beaches, boating, and restaurants. It would be mighty quiet (read - boring) in December. Savannah is pretty even without the holiday decorations. You will have a lot to do and see and plenty of shopping.