Dog vacation on Hilton Head Island | thepupdiary.com

8 May

We love it when a vacation exceeds our expectations. And that is certainly true when it comes to our week adventure on Hilton Head Island! We thought the island was one big golf course. Instead we found dog-friendly beaches, great restaurants (some allowed dogs on their outdoor patios), beautiful scenery, hiking paths, lots of animal viewing (alligators- yikes!), and very friendly people. Oh, very beautiful sunsets, too!

Hilton Head Island

Getting there: We drove from NYC . . . it took about 14 hours and we stopped in DC along the way. We loved the Kurgo Booster Seat we used as a safe car seat.

Where we stayed: We rented a house in the Land’s End area of the Island in the Sea Pines Plantation — the very end of the Island on a rustic beach with great animal viewing. The house was listed on VRBO, but is now for sale so no longer available . . . There are several dog-friendly hotels. We toured the beachfront Omni and it was nice.

Land’s End House on HHI

When we traveled: We traveled in the off season so we would have fewer doggy beach restrictions and fewer tourists, too! Dogs are not allowed on the beaches from 10 am to 5 pm during peak season which is Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. We also did not want the really HOT summer heat. Our May weather was pleasant and around 70 each day.

Activities: We hit the beach every day- HHI has over 12 miles of sandy beaches! Dogs were allowed around the clock since it was the off season. HHI has the ocean beaches and also more rustic Calibogue Sound and Intracoastal beaches. We watched the dolphins swim by several times each day. We saw the horseshoe crabs crawl back to the water each day. We saw alligators, crabs, jelly fish, and many other small critters. The Sea Pines Plantation has a beautiful nature area where leashed dogs are welcome to hike with their owners. Many shops on HHI allowed the dogs and we found a few restaurants where dogs could dine with us outside. We love Hudson’s on the Docks and ate there 2 times for great seafood! We were also lucky to visit with our doggy friends, Millie LaRue, Tulip, Addie Mae, and Katie at their house on the Island!

Meeting up with Millie LaRue!

Day trips: Savannah, Georgia is about an hour drive from HHI and seemed very dog friendly. Shopping, walking tours, boat excursions, outdoor restaurants . . . Savannah is a beautiful city to visit for a day trip.