For those looking to have fun outside the DVC resort.....this was in the Charlotte Observer's Travel section last Sunday.
Posted on Sun, Sep. 04, 2005
Nightlife sizzles in Hilton Head
Cold drinks and hot spots heat up late-night partying on this island favorite
MARY SUE LAWRENCE
Special to the Observer
Nightlife sizzles in Hilton Head Cold drinks and hot spots heat up late-night partying on this island favorite Mary Sue Lawrence
Put on your strappy top and heels and head to Hilton Head Island, because it's gotten hot -- not hot-hot, but Paris Hilton-hot. Toss aside those images of preppie golfers in pink and green and sedate poolside drinks.
With visits from celebs such as John Travolta and Madonna, Hilton Head is on top and it's got a nightlife to prove it.
This S.C. resort island, just northeast of Savannah, Ga., is still popular with families, golfers and senior citizens ... who retire early to catch the morning worm. Catch your own in a tequila -- or better yet, a tasty margarita -- at Sante Fe Cafe, where a coifed crowd of young professionals cozies up to an outside fireplace on cool evenings. It's where the young and beautiful dig into enchiladas with elegant Tex-Mex sauces and daintily lick margarita salt from their lips.
On sultry afternoons down on the beach, flip-flopped singles at the Tiki Hut at the Holiday Inn Oceanfront get the poolside party started with frozen concoctions and cold beer. Lined with volleyball nets, this chunk of the beach, heavy with the scent of coconut oil, has long been a favorite gathering spot. If you can find one, grab a stool under the straw umbrellas and settle in for some great people-watching.
Just behind the dunes is Coligny Plaza, with a nice bakery and a coffee house, in case you slept in and missed breakfast -- or just need a strong espresso to keep the frenzied beach-to-bar pace. In the same strip mall, the Big Bamboo Cafe has a World War II-era South Pacific/military camp theme and live reggae or rock bands a couple times a week.
Happy hour means half-price appetizers and deals on the cafe's popular margaritas. The place fills up late, late night with the food and beverage crowd.
Barhopping made easy
Get used to the mix of bars and coffee shops thrown in with fine dining and retail. On Hilton Head, which lacks a traditional downtown area, even nightspots are clustered in strip malls -- bizarre but convenient for barhopping. Just park and hop. The "tucked-away-ness" of many of these malls, along with light-pollution ordinances that prohibit neon signs and excessive lighting, can make it difficult to find your destination; keep an eye out during the day so you can easily return later.Nicknamed the "Bar-muda Triangle," Hilton Head Plaza is several bars in a neatly landscaped area, including the Lodge, a martini-and-cigar bar with two stone fireplaces, antler chandeliers, pool tables and shuffleboard. The wood-and-booths decor of Reilley's Pub throbs with the enthusiasm of 20-somethings, who group dance on its outdoor patio.
Jump & Phil's is a laid-back spot, much like the two guys who own it. A sports bar with a fireplace and a core clientele of Green Bay Packers fans, it appeals to an older crowd.
On Wednesdays, check out the Hilton Head Brewing Co., better known as "the brew pub," when a DJ with an Afro wig comes out spinning disco tunes for dancing, which goes on until 3 a.m.
If Hilton Head Plaza is considered the Barmuda Triangle, Park Plaza -- another shopping center just outside the entrance to Sea Pines -- is the nightlife destination where you're most likely to get lost.
Here, between a Harris Teeter and movie theater, are six bars/clubs and eight restaurants -- and just as big a variety of customers. For an idea of how much barhopping goes on, notice the availability of plastic cups near the entrances of these establishments.
The latest hot spot is the Metropolitan Lounge, a tiny martini bar where urbanites 25 to 50 perch on its couches and red velvet barstools, their green apple-tinis glowing like antifreeze atop the glass bar.
With its open floor plan, 211 Park Wine Bar makes it easy to spot others ... and for them to spot you. Its long bar is the perfect place to start off the evening with a glass of wine and appetizers.
Marley's Island Grille, a Caribbean restaurant with a great bar scene, is a civilized hangout for the clean-cut office crowd. Snack on inventive appetizers, such as Thai pizza and sausage-stuffed peppers, at the funky Brick Oven Cafe, with its fancy martinis, velvet drapes and dark booths.
Next door, the dance club Monkey Business heats up Friday nights with a pulsating orgy of 20-somethings. If the onstage dancers, with tied-up shirts and minis, are not enough entertainment, there are videos of silhouetted naked dancing girls playing on screens around the crowded room. Other nights might feature Jell-O wrestling or teen events.
More traditional, partner-style dancing is kept alive down the sidewalk at Wingo Hall by the 30- to 50-year-old, shorts with belts-and-loafers crowd.
In the same mall one recent late night, at SunDown Bar & Grill, I got an update on club-dancing -- "grinding" -- from a 24-year-old. "No, no!" he kept insisting when I flailed my arms about. It's all in the hips, baby.
Stop here for late-night breakfasts and empanadas, too.
Resort chic to Wild Wing
Some of the island's longstanding night spots are on its resorts. Turtles at the Westin is still one of the best and only places on the island to enjoy views of the surf along with cocktails. Shag-dancing and Motown are forever in style at the Regatta Lounge at the Hilton, where longtime bands Target and the Headliners maintain a loyal following. Few outsiders know about Iguana John's; with a 10 p.m. closing time, it's nestled into Palmetto Bay Marina.
Also off the beaten path is the Jazz Corner, a romantic nook with live jazz nightly in the Village at Wexford shopping center.
One single resident describes Hilton Head as a "hip Mayberry," and you'll know what she means at Wild Wing Cafe. Energetic bands, hot wings and buckets of beer are the tradition. Groups of friends pile into oversized booths and then chat-up the groups around them.
A good place for cheap eats, Wild Wing is family-oriented until about 9:30 p.m.
On Tuesday evenings from Memorial Day to Labor Day, there's an impressive fireworks display in Shelter Cove Park. Watch it with the after-work bar-goers on San Miguel Restaurant's outdoor patio, a margarita in hand, overlooking the water. "Every night there is a different place to go for the best crowd," says Albert Keyter, an intern at the Westin Resort who hails from South Africa. "Casey's has $1 drinks on Tuesdays and lots of women, Carolina Grill has free wine on Thursdays."
The young and hip -- and lots of others, too -- tote picnics to the Summer Concert Series, which features live bands throughout the summer and is usually held at Sea Pines on the tennis courts or in Shelter Cove.
"Everybody sits in the bleachers and the bands are great classics like Earth Wind & Fire and Journey," says resident Elizabeth Simpson.
And then there's what local singles call the party of the year, the annual MCI Heritage Golf Classic at Sea Pines, held each April.
"This is the happening event; the island pretty much shuts down for it," says one islander. It's easy to meet people; just about every spectator who comes off the 18th green ends up at the Quarterdeck for aftergame drinks, and there are parties in nearly every boat in the harbor.
Who knows, Paris might show up any day.
Hot, Hot Hilton Head
Sante Fe Cafe, in Plantation Center (near Palmetto Dunes entrance),(843) 785-3838.
Tiki Hut at the Holiday Inn Oceanfront, (843 ) 785-5126.
Big Bamboo Cafe, Coligny Plaza, (843) 686- 3443.
The Lodge, Hilton Head Plaza, (843) 842-8966.
Hilton Head Brewing Co., Hilton Head Plaza,
(843) 785-2739.
Jump & Phil's Bar & Grill, Hilton Head Plaza,
(843) 785-9070.
Brick Oven Cafe, Park Plaza, (843) 686-2233.
Monkey Business, Park Plaza, (843) 686-3545.
Marley's Island Grille, Park Plaza, (843) 686-5800.
211 Park Wine Bar, Park Plaza, (843) 686-5212.
Metropolitan Lounge, Park Plaza, (843) 785-8466.
SunDown Bar & Grill, Park Plaza, (843) 686-7788.
Wingo Hall Music Cafe, Park Plaza, (843) 785-4343.
Wild Wing Cafe, 72 Pope Ave., (843) 785-9464.
The Quarterdeck, Harbour Town, (843) 671-2222.
The Jazz Corner, Village at Wexford, (843) 842-8620.
Regatta Lounge at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort, Palmetto Dunes,
(843) 341-8080.
Lodgings
Most of the bars and clubs are on the south end of the island. Try the Holiday Inn Oceanfront to be in the thick of it all (843-785-5126, rooms $129-$259). The Holiday Inn Express is within walking distance of the beach on the island's south end (843-842-8888; rooms from $65). Another choice is the Westin Resort (843-681-4000; rooms $159-$209), with private balconies and minibars in each room, poolside bar, golf, tennis, outdoor pools and hot tub, indoor pool, restaurants and more. Hilton Oceanfront Resort, in Palmetto Dunes, has three golf courses, 24 tennis courts, two hot tubs, spa, three restaurants, a deli, lounge, etc. (843-842-8000; www.hiltonheadhilton.com; rooms $119-$299).
Bites to Eat
For a quick, affordable meal on-the-go (so you can keep on partying), try Baja Tacos. It's counter service under fluorescent lights, but the condiments bar is loaded with fresh toppings andyou can watch Mexican soap operas while enjoying sweet rice milk shakes and homemade tamales.
Skillets, in Coligny Plaza, serves breakfasts huge enough to cure just about any hangover.
Resources
GETTING THERE: Hilton Head Island, S.C., is due south of Charlotte, about a four-hour drive (254 miles), one way. Take Interstate 77 South to Columbia, then Interstate 26 East to Interstate 95; take I-95 South to U.S. 278 East; take U.S. 278 E. to Hilton Head. Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce Visitor & Convention Bureau: (800) 523-3373; www.hiltonheadisland.org. Photos By Staff Photographer Patrick Schneider
Posted on Sun, Sep. 04, 2005
Nightlife sizzles in Hilton Head
Cold drinks and hot spots heat up late-night partying on this island favorite
MARY SUE LAWRENCE
Special to the Observer
Nightlife sizzles in Hilton Head Cold drinks and hot spots heat up late-night partying on this island favorite Mary Sue Lawrence
Put on your strappy top and heels and head to Hilton Head Island, because it's gotten hot -- not hot-hot, but Paris Hilton-hot. Toss aside those images of preppie golfers in pink and green and sedate poolside drinks.
With visits from celebs such as John Travolta and Madonna, Hilton Head is on top and it's got a nightlife to prove it.
This S.C. resort island, just northeast of Savannah, Ga., is still popular with families, golfers and senior citizens ... who retire early to catch the morning worm. Catch your own in a tequila -- or better yet, a tasty margarita -- at Sante Fe Cafe, where a coifed crowd of young professionals cozies up to an outside fireplace on cool evenings. It's where the young and beautiful dig into enchiladas with elegant Tex-Mex sauces and daintily lick margarita salt from their lips.
On sultry afternoons down on the beach, flip-flopped singles at the Tiki Hut at the Holiday Inn Oceanfront get the poolside party started with frozen concoctions and cold beer. Lined with volleyball nets, this chunk of the beach, heavy with the scent of coconut oil, has long been a favorite gathering spot. If you can find one, grab a stool under the straw umbrellas and settle in for some great people-watching.
Just behind the dunes is Coligny Plaza, with a nice bakery and a coffee house, in case you slept in and missed breakfast -- or just need a strong espresso to keep the frenzied beach-to-bar pace. In the same strip mall, the Big Bamboo Cafe has a World War II-era South Pacific/military camp theme and live reggae or rock bands a couple times a week.
Happy hour means half-price appetizers and deals on the cafe's popular margaritas. The place fills up late, late night with the food and beverage crowd.
Barhopping made easy
Get used to the mix of bars and coffee shops thrown in with fine dining and retail. On Hilton Head, which lacks a traditional downtown area, even nightspots are clustered in strip malls -- bizarre but convenient for barhopping. Just park and hop. The "tucked-away-ness" of many of these malls, along with light-pollution ordinances that prohibit neon signs and excessive lighting, can make it difficult to find your destination; keep an eye out during the day so you can easily return later.Nicknamed the "Bar-muda Triangle," Hilton Head Plaza is several bars in a neatly landscaped area, including the Lodge, a martini-and-cigar bar with two stone fireplaces, antler chandeliers, pool tables and shuffleboard. The wood-and-booths decor of Reilley's Pub throbs with the enthusiasm of 20-somethings, who group dance on its outdoor patio.
Jump & Phil's is a laid-back spot, much like the two guys who own it. A sports bar with a fireplace and a core clientele of Green Bay Packers fans, it appeals to an older crowd.
On Wednesdays, check out the Hilton Head Brewing Co., better known as "the brew pub," when a DJ with an Afro wig comes out spinning disco tunes for dancing, which goes on until 3 a.m.
If Hilton Head Plaza is considered the Barmuda Triangle, Park Plaza -- another shopping center just outside the entrance to Sea Pines -- is the nightlife destination where you're most likely to get lost.
Here, between a Harris Teeter and movie theater, are six bars/clubs and eight restaurants -- and just as big a variety of customers. For an idea of how much barhopping goes on, notice the availability of plastic cups near the entrances of these establishments.
The latest hot spot is the Metropolitan Lounge, a tiny martini bar where urbanites 25 to 50 perch on its couches and red velvet barstools, their green apple-tinis glowing like antifreeze atop the glass bar.
With its open floor plan, 211 Park Wine Bar makes it easy to spot others ... and for them to spot you. Its long bar is the perfect place to start off the evening with a glass of wine and appetizers.
Marley's Island Grille, a Caribbean restaurant with a great bar scene, is a civilized hangout for the clean-cut office crowd. Snack on inventive appetizers, such as Thai pizza and sausage-stuffed peppers, at the funky Brick Oven Cafe, with its fancy martinis, velvet drapes and dark booths.
Next door, the dance club Monkey Business heats up Friday nights with a pulsating orgy of 20-somethings. If the onstage dancers, with tied-up shirts and minis, are not enough entertainment, there are videos of silhouetted naked dancing girls playing on screens around the crowded room. Other nights might feature Jell-O wrestling or teen events.
More traditional, partner-style dancing is kept alive down the sidewalk at Wingo Hall by the 30- to 50-year-old, shorts with belts-and-loafers crowd.
In the same mall one recent late night, at SunDown Bar & Grill, I got an update on club-dancing -- "grinding" -- from a 24-year-old. "No, no!" he kept insisting when I flailed my arms about. It's all in the hips, baby.
Stop here for late-night breakfasts and empanadas, too.
Resort chic to Wild Wing
Some of the island's longstanding night spots are on its resorts. Turtles at the Westin is still one of the best and only places on the island to enjoy views of the surf along with cocktails. Shag-dancing and Motown are forever in style at the Regatta Lounge at the Hilton, where longtime bands Target and the Headliners maintain a loyal following. Few outsiders know about Iguana John's; with a 10 p.m. closing time, it's nestled into Palmetto Bay Marina.
Also off the beaten path is the Jazz Corner, a romantic nook with live jazz nightly in the Village at Wexford shopping center.
One single resident describes Hilton Head as a "hip Mayberry," and you'll know what she means at Wild Wing Cafe. Energetic bands, hot wings and buckets of beer are the tradition. Groups of friends pile into oversized booths and then chat-up the groups around them.
A good place for cheap eats, Wild Wing is family-oriented until about 9:30 p.m.
On Tuesday evenings from Memorial Day to Labor Day, there's an impressive fireworks display in Shelter Cove Park. Watch it with the after-work bar-goers on San Miguel Restaurant's outdoor patio, a margarita in hand, overlooking the water. "Every night there is a different place to go for the best crowd," says Albert Keyter, an intern at the Westin Resort who hails from South Africa. "Casey's has $1 drinks on Tuesdays and lots of women, Carolina Grill has free wine on Thursdays."
The young and hip -- and lots of others, too -- tote picnics to the Summer Concert Series, which features live bands throughout the summer and is usually held at Sea Pines on the tennis courts or in Shelter Cove.
"Everybody sits in the bleachers and the bands are great classics like Earth Wind & Fire and Journey," says resident Elizabeth Simpson.
And then there's what local singles call the party of the year, the annual MCI Heritage Golf Classic at Sea Pines, held each April.
"This is the happening event; the island pretty much shuts down for it," says one islander. It's easy to meet people; just about every spectator who comes off the 18th green ends up at the Quarterdeck for aftergame drinks, and there are parties in nearly every boat in the harbor.
Who knows, Paris might show up any day.
Hot, Hot Hilton Head
Sante Fe Cafe, in Plantation Center (near Palmetto Dunes entrance),(843) 785-3838.
Tiki Hut at the Holiday Inn Oceanfront, (843 ) 785-5126.
Big Bamboo Cafe, Coligny Plaza, (843) 686- 3443.
The Lodge, Hilton Head Plaza, (843) 842-8966.
Hilton Head Brewing Co., Hilton Head Plaza,
(843) 785-2739.
Jump & Phil's Bar & Grill, Hilton Head Plaza,
(843) 785-9070.
Brick Oven Cafe, Park Plaza, (843) 686-2233.
Monkey Business, Park Plaza, (843) 686-3545.
Marley's Island Grille, Park Plaza, (843) 686-5800.
211 Park Wine Bar, Park Plaza, (843) 686-5212.
Metropolitan Lounge, Park Plaza, (843) 785-8466.
SunDown Bar & Grill, Park Plaza, (843) 686-7788.
Wingo Hall Music Cafe, Park Plaza, (843) 785-4343.
Wild Wing Cafe, 72 Pope Ave., (843) 785-9464.
The Quarterdeck, Harbour Town, (843) 671-2222.
The Jazz Corner, Village at Wexford, (843) 842-8620.
Regatta Lounge at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort, Palmetto Dunes,
(843) 341-8080.
Lodgings
Most of the bars and clubs are on the south end of the island. Try the Holiday Inn Oceanfront to be in the thick of it all (843-785-5126, rooms $129-$259). The Holiday Inn Express is within walking distance of the beach on the island's south end (843-842-8888; rooms from $65). Another choice is the Westin Resort (843-681-4000; rooms $159-$209), with private balconies and minibars in each room, poolside bar, golf, tennis, outdoor pools and hot tub, indoor pool, restaurants and more. Hilton Oceanfront Resort, in Palmetto Dunes, has three golf courses, 24 tennis courts, two hot tubs, spa, three restaurants, a deli, lounge, etc. (843-842-8000; www.hiltonheadhilton.com; rooms $119-$299).
Bites to Eat
For a quick, affordable meal on-the-go (so you can keep on partying), try Baja Tacos. It's counter service under fluorescent lights, but the condiments bar is loaded with fresh toppings andyou can watch Mexican soap operas while enjoying sweet rice milk shakes and homemade tamales.
Skillets, in Coligny Plaza, serves breakfasts huge enough to cure just about any hangover.
Resources
GETTING THERE: Hilton Head Island, S.C., is due south of Charlotte, about a four-hour drive (254 miles), one way. Take Interstate 77 South to Columbia, then Interstate 26 East to Interstate 95; take I-95 South to U.S. 278 East; take U.S. 278 E. to Hilton Head. Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce Visitor & Convention Bureau: (800) 523-3373; www.hiltonheadisland.org. Photos By Staff Photographer Patrick Schneider
