My friends and I have been travelling to golf resorts for 15 years and just went to Sea Pines. From first entering the property, the management could not have made it more difficult for us. They forget to give to passes at check-in; they won't store golf bags for next day's rounds; if they don't know the answer to a question they tell you to find someone else rather than help find out the answer for you; and even though you may have a round of golf on Sunday morning before you head home, they try to milk you for a $$$140.00 charge for an extra three hours so you can shower in your condo before you head out!. So if you are going here, expect to be treated like an outsider and DO NOT SCHEDULE A ROUND OF GOLF FOR SUNDAY MORNING since you won't have a decent place to shower before you leave to catch a flight home. (They jokingly told us to shower in one shower stall for the four of us!) You are much better off going anywhere else-in any other location-than here where you will be treated like dirt as we were.

I have been going to Sea Pines for over 40 years .In that time I have noticed that every year they seem to take something away from you .Yes ,they have great tennis ,golf ,bike paths ,great restaurants ,pools and beaches .That is the good ,the bad is,
They advertise 12 miles of beaches ,and they are beautiful ,however they only designate a few hundred yards of an area called The Beach Club.There are other beach areas ,the water tower and South Beach.
Now South Beach is a beautiful quiet beach looking out at Dafauski Island ,there are many access paths but NO PARKING ANYWHERE!!The water tower has about 60 parking spaces but an ominous sign NO PARKING OR BEACH ACCESS UNLESS YOU ARE A PROPERTY OWNER.YOU WILL BE CHARGED WITH CRIMINAL TRESPASSING if caught ,and yes security checks often even in October or November .Go further south you come to South Beach a number of access paths but the signs are every where .In South Beach Village you can park ,but only to shop ,buy your item and leave ,don't dare to park if you want to access the beach.The signs spell it out for you .
Well there are only 3 ways that I can see that you can use South Beach 1) rent an extremely expensive villa on the beach 2)walk or run from the Beach Club ,but then you have to come back ,a round trip of around 10 miles.So if your'e under 20 years old you might make it.3)Trespass,take a chance and risk the consequences whatever they are ,one can only envision an arrest in handcuffs.
I do want to point out that the islanders seem to be so nice and many have told me they don't understand why the police are hassling tourists in the fall .I guess they don't have much to do .
Then there is the Sea Pines Racquet club in Harbourtown.Years ago I used to come to Sea Pines in July ,it was always upsetting to find that out of 27 tennis courts ,sometimes 23 might be taken for lessons .The clubhouse would open at 8.45am by 9am all the courts were taken .Then they came up with a plan to bring in rock groups ,so they put up a tent all summer which took up 3 more courts ,so if you wanted to vacation here for a week ,chances were you might be out of luck for playing in the morning ,but you could play in the afternoon when the temperature would hit 100.Then they tore down a beautiful club house promissing to build a new one soon .After 10 years or so they are still in a leaky trailer.
So why do I go back?well it was once a great place ,they welcomed tourists ,now they tolerate them .You want to stick your toe in the water Sea Pines will tell you where.For your rental fee you get a red pass that gets you past the gates,from there on they restrict you in many ways as afore mentioned .It's all about money and the intent of Sea Pines is to maximize the amount of money they can relieve you off while giving you as little as possible.
It's too bad things have turned out the way they have here ,it was such a wonderful place for families in the 70's .Now you have traffic jams ,empty stores ,the recession is hurting them ,you would think the welcome mat would be out for tourists ,i'm afraid not .I have a friend who is going to Palmetta Dunes next year ,he's had it.I should point out that I have rented dozens of villas ,most of them great ,this is more of a review about the resort.

Sea Pines is a vast mixed use vacation property. Its sheer size can sometimes be overwhelming! We needed our GPS simply to navigate the areas of the resort! Some areas are not well marked. It offers many facilities including beach, pools, golf, tennis, riding and spa facilities. Easy access to Harbortown and other vacation areas and restaurants.

There is little in terms of guest services. We stayed at a Condo that was being rented out by Sea Pines. The condo was quite comfortable with an excellent view of the Harbor. A full kitchen with utensils was provided. There was no maid service provided and a change of linens cost extra.

Sea Pines is a great vacation opportunity if you know the area or know someone who has stayed there. It is quite daunting to the unititiated.

I have written previously about the Inn at Harbour Town (one component of the Sea Pines Resort complex), and I am going to comment further about it, as well as about the beach and dining experiences available to visitors of Sea Pines Resort.

I will begin by saying that my traveling mate and I went down to breakfast this morning at The Tartan Room, which is located in the dining area/lounge overlooking the golf course at The Inn. A sign was posted asking guests to wait to be seated, but after several minutes and no host, we simply sat down at a table and started to help ourselves to the minimalist continental buffet (croissants, bagels, pastry, cold cereal, yogurt, some brie and fruit, and various juices). An omelet station was visible, but unattended. We saw a few kilted young men (the Inn's staff) moving about and chatting in the kitchen, but were shocked that they did not come out to greet us or find out if we needed anything. After we were eating for about 10 to 15 minutes, one young man came out, bid us good morning, and then immediately asked to see our "guest amenity card," which is what one is supposed to present to have the meal charged to the room. No "do you have everything you need?" or "can I get you anything?" He was certainly a nice young man, but clearly under-trained. We went ahead and requested omeletis and he agreed to provide same. They were fine.

The next surprise came when our "server" gave us a bill, and we saw that we were being charged a 20% gratuity fee. Mind you, this was A BUFFET and we were a PARTY OF TWO!! Good God, sub-par service at a premium! For shame, really. We will not be making any additional visits to the Tartan Room during this stay, needless to stay. Better make that 20% last!

My buddy and I spent the next several hours biking through the local forest preserve, which was quite beautiful, and we did make use of the complimentary bicycles available to guests at The Inn. We would loved to have then gone for a swim at the neary pool, but did not bother given the awful condition the pool had been in the day before. So, we instead decided to drive to the other pool, near the beach, to check it out. This time, we were also sure to grab towels from our room as no pools at Sea Pines provide them for you! We drove a few minutes down the road, found the other pool, and nixed it immediately. It was tiny, ugly, overcrowded, and filled with children. For me, the absence of a beautiful, well-kept pool for adults at a resort of this size, in a climate as hot and tropical as this, is RIDICULOUS!!!!

So, we then headed to the Sea Pines Beach Club....our hopes were soon dashed again by yet ANOTHER huge letdown. First, we stopped for a drink and a bite at "The Surfside Outdoor Grill." This "joint" is a mediocre, "sandwiches in baskets" kind of place. The menu is limited, offering mostly fried fare, there isn't a single beer on tap (nor a single wheat or blonde ale on the menu.....but you can get all the Bud Ice Lime you want!), and the general ambience is akin to a "Denny's by the sea." Many of the higher end items advertised on the menu we received at The Inn were not even on the menu when we got to the beach. As for the rest of the "Beach Club," there really wasn't one. Merely a several hundred feet wide expanse of oceanfront filled with the same rag tag array of condo renters and time sharers that make up the majority of Sea Pines Resort guests. The "Beach Club" provides outdoor showers and indoor bathrooms, and that's it. Guests must bring their own towels, chairs, unbrellas, and everything else they and their families will need. Hundreds of weathered and beaten-up steamer chaises and umbrellas are set up and available to those wishing to pony up $30 to rent them for the day (apparently this goes down to $18 for the subsequent days, if paid in advance). We considered doing this, and found it could not be charged to the room, so decided to just go for a quick swim and leave.

Again, this was but one more of a multitude of ways in which Sea Pines fails miserably to be anything resembling a top flight resort or spa. It was said in another review, but bears repeating; SEA PINES RESORT FAILS TO DELIVER AS A BEACHY/LIE BY THE POOL AND RELAX KIND OF PLACE!!!! If you want golf and a Bud Ice Lime, fine. Tennis in 98 degree heat, fine. If you want anything else besides a comfy room, don't expect to get it here. The resort is populated 95% by renters and time sharers and there is nothing to distinguish the services provided to them from those provided to guests of The Inn. This is a huge error in service delivery and branding, in my opinion, and I will simply never return, for any reason. For me, it also delivers a major ding to Trip Advisor's credibility, as The Inn at Sea Pines Resort Harbour Town is rated number one of all hotels on Hilton Head. Yikes!!!! If you want a high end beachy/poolside experience, you will probably have to leave The Good Old South. Go someplace cushy in Florida, or fly to the Caribbean, Mexico or California. Have a good time.

On the positive side, The Inn at Harbour Town offers free parking and free wi-fi. The staff is also generally very friendly, if not always on point.