January is the month where many Americans are gung-ho with their list of New Year’s resolutions. Lots of people are hitting the gym and checking out the health food isles at the grocery store, but we’ve also heard many people say they also resolve to spend more time with family. If you’ve been trying to get your immediate, or extended, family together for a while or want to plan a family reunion, why get the gang together at Palmetto Dunes?

Between our beautiful homes and villas, three world-renowned golf courses, tennis, bikes, fishing, shopping and the beach, every person in your family will be happy and entertained. What many people don’t realize when deciding where to stay Hilton Head is that when you stay with Palmetto Dunes, you get the best deals available on all the activities at the resort, as well as lagoon activities and boat charters out of Shelter Cove Harbour. You also get two free hours of tennis time each day!

Shelter Cove Harbour, just across the road from the resort, is also a great place to take the fam, because there are plentiful restaurants to enjoy each night and a variety of shops to peruse. Our group planners can even help create a special dinner at The Dunes House or a more formal party to celebrate your family reunion.

So, ring up your family, start matching up calendars and settle on a date. Then give us a ring at 866-744-7558 or click here and we’ll handle the rest.

We hope to see your whole gang here soon! 

So you’ve set the date, picked the location and asked your friends to be in your wedding party but you just can’t ask the boss for an extra week off for your honeymoon quite yet.

The honeymoon is the icing on your wedded bliss cake but for many it’s extremely challenging to plan more time off after the wedding planning week amidst work or school schedules. That’s why we’ve created the Mini Moon Package.

This mini vacation after your nuptials will give you the much needed breather you need but will allow you to go back to work or school without taking too many extra PTO days! This package is also ideal for those looking for a long weekend getaway to rekindle the flames for Valentine’s Day with all the spa, food and romance you could want.

 The Mini Moon package includes:

• 4 days /3 nights in a resort view villa at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort
• One $100 Dinner certificate to your choice of Bistro 17, Conroy's, HH Prime or Ela’s
• A 50-minute couples massage (includes 20% gratuity) 
• Luxurious Facial Treatment or Therapeutic Body Scrub for 2  (includes 20% gratuity)
• One-day bike rental for two to explore miles of paved pathways beneath towering live oak trees and to ride on three miles of pristine beach
• Two hour double kayak rental to paddle along a peaceful 11-mile lagoon waterway
• Two hours of tennis court time per day per villa or home at the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center
• Preferred rates and priority access to all resort activities and amenities

Be bold and follow in the footsteps of William and Kate and Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries (except try to stay married longer than 72 days) and try our new Mini Moon. Call us at 866-744-7558 for more information and make sure to visit us at www.palmettodunes.com . 

We’re gearing up to see lots of people on the Island and throughout our resort in the next several months. Between Valentine’s romantic getaways, spring break travelers and summer vacationers, we’re going to be seeing lots of you.

But you’ve got to get here first and so we’ve gathered some great tips on packing, as well as traveling with children to help you get here without a hitch.

Packing tips for the pros:

1. Ladies protect your bras by using these cleaver cases by CupCase. This way you won’t have to bend the underwire or worry about creases. They’re stylish too and can be put in the suitcase or carried alone as a bag.
2. If you don’t want the soles of your shoes to touch your clothes while in your suitcase, place them in a cheap shower cap.
3. Pack your bikinis in one of these cute bags so they’re easy to find and they’re also waterproof so you can pack wet suits at the end of your trip.
4. Pack baby powder because it’s known to get sand off your skin quickly and easily!
5. Also, don’t worry about packing your beach chairs, umbrellas or fishing rods because Hilton Head Outfitters has all of those for rent!

Here are also just a few awesome traveling with children tips:

1. Want to pack healthy strawberries as a snack but don’t want the mess with the kids biting the tops off? Go ahead hull strawberries quickly with just a plastic straw!
2. If your kids love cut apples but they brown too quickly, cut the apple and while it’s still all together place a rubber band around it to prevent browning.
3. It seems like everyone has an iPad and iPhone these days and here’s a great lists of travel game apps that will certainly keep the kids -- young and old -- busy!

Do you have any great packing tips or ideas for traveling with kids? Please share! We hope to see lots of you in the next several months! 

We know that many of you are experiencing chilling temperatures, snowy skies and icy roads. While we can’t make it summer any earlier and we can’t raise the temperatures to the lovely mild days we’re experiencing here on Hilton Head, we can give you live updates and visuals of the beach every day! We have two webcams set up on the resort, one at The Dunes House and the other at The Robert Trent Jones Golf Course.

If you’re in need of a little golf action on a cold day, check out the webcam at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course. This beautiful course was renovated in 2002 to reshape fairways, trees, greens and bunkers. We were also able to improve the natural draining of the course by linking it to our 11-mile lagoon system. The Jones Course has 11 holes that run by the lagoon and 10^th hole has a spectacular view of the ocean! This webcam is sure to make you want to pack up your clubs and head down to Hilton Head.

If you’ve had a rough week and need a minute of rest and relaxation from work, then check out The Dunes House webcam. The Dunes House is known for their awesome fish tacos and amazing view of the ocean. This webcam is situated in the perfect place to give you a view of guests enjoying lunch and watching the waves rolling in! If you’re a romantic, check this webcam on the weekends for a chance to see a wedding happening live on the beach!

We want to bring you a little piece of Hilton Head and all that Palmetto Dunes has to offer whenever you want it by maintaining these webcams. The best part is the next time you’re here you can tell your family or friends to tune in to see what a great time you’re having on vacation! 

The Gullah culture is all around us here in Hilton Head but it’s in full bloom each February when we celebrate Gullah Heritage month. Gullah is more than a language or the name of the people; it’s a way to preserve the traditions and struggles of those West Africans who were brought to South Carolina and Georgia as slaves.

Since 1996, The Gullah Celebration has been celebrating and honoring all things Gullah on our Island by holding daily events from February 1- 25. The overall goal of the Celebration is to raise awareness and funds to support minority-owned businesses and to bring this historic culture to tourists.

Each event showcases an aspect of the Gullah culture, such as food, music, arts and history. You’ll be amazed at the beautiful voices of Gospel singers, the intricate weavings of sweetgrass to make a basket and the amazing tales coming from a group of storytellers.

Put on by the Native Island Business and Community Affairs Association, Inc. and Native Islanders Property Owners Association, these events are sure to provide entertainment for your whole family. Saturday, February 4 will bring one of the most popular events, The Taste of Gullah, which gives you the opportunity to taste classic Gullah dishes for only $10.

Many events are free and open to the public, and we hope you’ll check out the complete list of all the happenings during Gullah Celebration Month. If you’ll be with us in February, be sure to make time taking in a little bit of the history that truly makes Hilton Head something special! 

We’re kicking off 2012 with four wonderful tournaments for all our golf and tennis friends out there. While we know many of you are stuck in snow and ice, why not head to Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort and spend a little time outside in milder temperatures at one of these entertaining events.

On  January 21, we’ll hold the Martin Luther King Golf Tournament at our Arthur Hills course. Locals will invade our golf course to play in honor of the great Martin Luther King Jr. Next, during the first weekend in February, the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center will host the No-Snow Tennis Classic from the 3^rd – 5^th of the month. Grab your racquet and head down to Hilton Head for some great tennis play with a guarantee of no snow!

We’ll also honor all those in the food and beverage industry in Hilton Head with our annual F&B Golf Tournament on February 16. This will be the tournament’s 8^th year at our George Fazio course and you can enter now by simply clicking here. This tournament is all about the locals and at least one person from your team needs to be in the food and beverage industry.

The 26^th Annual “Luck of the Irish” Doubles Tournament will bring us into March with tennis teams that are sure to please. We hope to see lots of men’s, women’s and mixed doubles team this year. It’s only $45 per person for one event or $55 a person for two events. You can register your doubles team by clicking here and filling out the entry form.

We feel very lucky to have such amazing events happening this winter season and to be able to engage with all the Hilton Head locals and out-of-towners through these events. Whether you “love” tennis or golf, we hope this blog post got you on “par” with some tournaments to enjoy this year! 

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner so why not get your love something different this year? Forget the extravagant floral arrangements, the chocolate and stuffed animals and think about a romantic retreat to Hilton Head, South Carolina. We’ve worked out an amazing package for all the love birds out there and it’s the perfect getaway for Valentine’s Day.

This package includes:

• 4 days /3 nights in a resort view villa at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort
• One $100 dinner certificate to one of our wonder restaurants
• The Omni’s Ocean Tides Spa Massage- choose a Calming Currents 50-minute massage, a Couples 50-minute massage, or a Coastal Cabana Massage
• Luxurious Facial Treatment or Therapeutic Body Scrub for 2  (includes 20% gratuity)
• One-day bike rental for two to explore miles of paved pathways beneath towering live oak trees and to experience riding on three miles of pristine beaches
• Two hour double kayak rental to paddle along a peaceful 11-mile lagoon waterway
• Two hours of court time per day per villa or home at the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center
• Preferred rates and priority access to all resort activities and amenities.

You and your honey will be relaxed, rejuvenated and in love with the fact that you can do all these activities without ever leaving our resort. This romantic package provides relaxation, adventure and wonderful accommodations. We look forward to making your Valentine’s Day the best it’s ever been! 

It’s that time of year again! Time to start thinking about spring and summer vacations and we hope you choose Hilton Head. We’re offering some great deals if you book your vacation here at Palmetto Dunes early and we wanted to highlight one of our wonderful Hilton Head rentals.

We know you want to spend your vacation in total paradise and 2526 The Morrings is pretty darn close! This two bedroom, two and a half bath villa comfortably sleeps six people, perfect for a family or group.

 The location is ideal within the resort because you’re very close to The Dunes House, the beach and you’re right at the pool. The master bedroom has a king bed while the guest bedroom comes with two queen beds. The kitchen is open to the living room and den, allowing you to easily cook dinner while chatting with your family.

For those early birds who book now, we’ve got  a great deal if you stay 5 or more nights. Call us at 866-744-7558 and you’ll only pay $250 to reserve your vacation, plus we’ll throw in free bikes and two hours of tennis court time each day! Your remaining deposit won’t be due until February 15, 2012.

This 2012 Early Booking Special won’t last forever but the memories in this beautiful villa will! We hope to see you all in Hilton Head soon!