It’s said that 1 in 5 grooms propose to their wife each holiday season. With all the love and joy in the air between Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s, it’s no surprise to us! If you’re one of the lucky couples who’ve decided to head to wedded bliss this holiday season, you might want to consider a Hilton Head wedding as the perfect place to tie the knot.

Whether you want a quiet beachfront affair surrounded by close friends and family or a lavish event in a beautifully-decorated venue with hundred of guests, Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort can help. Anne Graves, our catering and events manager can make your wedding dreams come true. If you’d like to see some of the beautiful Palmetto Dunes weddings we’ve had throughout the resort, take a look at our online testimonials.

 We also encourage you to keep connected with us on Facebook and Twitter as one bride, Marie, did. She was able to ask questions each day the week in advance of her Hilton Head wedding on Twitter, tweet us updates on the excitement while they were in town and then post all their amazing pictures on Facebook and Twitter to share with our online family. We enjoyed Marie’s wedding both online and offline!

We hope to hear from all you newly-engaged couples so we can help create your dream wedding. Please give Anne a call at 866.650.4130 or you can fill out a request form. Happy wedding planning from all of us at Palmetto Dunes!

Most people will start 2012 with a list of resolutions like:

1. Eat healthier
2. Work out 5 days a week
3. Be more organized
4. Stop procrastinating

We’d like to offer you a resolution list that’s not only more fun to achieve but also gives you tasks you can complete with your friends or family.

1. Try kayak fishing - The calm waters of our lagoon system make the perfect atmosphere for beginners to learn how to keep balance in their kayaks and reel in one of hundreds of huge red fish swimming beneath.
2. Become a pirate for the day - Grab your eye patch and hit the high seas on a sailboat out of Shelter Cove Harbour. Our Pirate Adventure cruise is only $30 a person and gives you the opportunity to help hoist a sail or take the wheel! 
3. Explore a little history- The historic Leamington Lighthouse sits on the Arthur Hills course and was built in 1879. This little piece of history is said to be haunted, and we dare you visit around Halloween for a fright!
4. Take a 2-wheeled day trip- Hilton Head Island is perfectly built for bikes. There are more than 50 miles of bike paths throughout the Island, and Palmetto Dunes has a little more than 5 miles of paths within the resort. Spend the day seeing all our island has to offer while also working on that boring “lose weight” resolution that’s on everyone’s list each year! Head over to Hilton Head Outfitters to rent the perfect bike for you and the whole family.

We hope these resolutions spice up your usual list and that on the very top of your 2012 list it says: Plan a Palmetto Dunes vacation! Happy New Year and we hope to see you all in 2012! 

While most of the country is bundling up and sitting by their fireplaces, here at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort we’re out and about playing in 70-degree weather. From tennis and golf to fishing and kayaking, the activities don’t slow down here in Hilton Head when winter rolls in. To keep our winter visitors, active we’ve got some great seasonal deals for the tennis, golf or outdoors fanatic.

Hilton Head Outfitters is offering unlimited biking, kayaking and canoeing throughout the winter.  For $49 per person you can rent a bike for the whole month or you can buy a bike for 25% off! Guests can also buy a year membership for $300 per couple or $199 per person, and enjoy unlimited kayak and canoe rentals!

Winter is actually the best time to start fishing in our lagoon system, because red fish, speckled sea trout and sheephead are bountiful. Head on over to Shelter Cove Harbour to take one of the many fishing charters with Captain Trent Malphrus. You’re sure to reel in a big one!

If tennis is more up your alley, you can purchase a monthly membership through February for only $200 per person that includes two hours of court time per day. Finally, if you’d like to play with us AND stay with us, we’ve got a 30-night resort accommodations package that includes golf, bikes, kayaks and tennis starting at only $1,200 per person. We think that’s a deal!

 Call us 866-744-7558 and find out all the ways you can save this winter season! 

December is a month full of shopping, decorating, eating and being with family. Watching movies together is a holiday tradition for many families who gather and watch the same flick year after year. Here at Palmetto Dunes some of our favorite holiday movies are, of course, based around a vacation! Check out our list and see if any of our favs are on your list too!

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) - This is the ultimate holiday vacation movie that will have the whole family in hysterics! The Griswolds prepare for Christmas by inviting their entire family to their home. As all the family members arrive from their travels you quickly see the Griswol’s genuinely just have the worst luck!

Home Alone (1990) - A true holiday classic, Home Alone is based on the McAllister family and their decision to vacation in Paris, France for Christmas. Things go haywire for their son, Kevin, when he’s left home alone on accident. While being home without his whole family seems incredibly fun at first, Kevin ends up spending Christmas Eve protecting his house from two crazy burglars!

The Holiday (2006) - If you and your family are more into romantic comedies, then this contemporary Christmas movie will do the trick. Two heartbroken women decide to switch houses in different countries for the holiday. Iris leaves her home in London to move into Amanda’s LA home, and Amanda travels to London to stay at Iris’ cottage. Both women might start their season off with boy-troubles but by Christmas they have both fallen in love!

So, hit the TV guide, Red Box, Netlfix or your movie collection and enjoy. Happy Holidays! 

If you’ve ever been to Hilton Head, then you know the most common form of transportation is bike! This 2-wheeled ride and Christmas have a long history together, as the bicycle is one of the most common items on a child’s wish list for Santa.

Hilton Head Outfitters has the new craze in bikes that’s on lots of kids’ lists this year. It’s called Zike! The Zike combines a normal bike with the workout of an elliptical machine. These super kid-friendly bikes have been featured on The View and Extra.

You can get the Zike in 4 different versions:

1. The HotShot- Great for ages 5-9 because it’s small but fast enough to keep them entertained. Adding the stepping motion increases balance and coordination while making fitness fun for children.
2. The FlyBy- This Zike is a step up from the HotShot with double chains for more speed! The handle bars are adjustable and it’s made specifically for kids 8-10.
3. The SlingShot- This hybrid scooter is more advanced and made for children older than 10. The speed on this Zike rivals a BMX bike!
4. The Saber- If your child is looking for the mack-daddy Zike, the Saber is the answer. With seven speeds and larger tires, your child will be zooming by their friends riding “normal” bikes.

All these versions come in multiple colors, including blue, green, red, yellow and more. If a bike is on your child’s Christmas list this year, why not try something different and fun with the Zike?! We guarantee they will have a speedy good time. 

It’s that time of year again … time to deck the halls and trim the tree!  Most of the decorating decisions come down to white or colored lights, which ornaments will be on the front of the tree and what bows to put on your wreath. Why not try something a little different this year with a beach-themed holiday? Here are a few ideas to make your winter décor feel a little more tropical.

1. Shell Wreath - Instead of the traditional holly wreath with a red bow, you can decorate your door with a wreath made of shells. Whether you use Styrofoam and attach shells collected from your last vacation or simply add shells to a more traditional wreath, it will look give everyone who comes through your door a little taste of the coast.
2. A Boat Themed Mantel- Coastal Living magazine has a great example of how you can combine garland, stockings and a small boat to give your mantel that warm, and nautical, holiday feeling.
3. The Beach-Themed Tree-  To give your tree a little taste of the beach, try only white lights and lots of white, clear, silver and blue balls. Fill in the spaces with beach-related ornaments, such as boats, crabs, beach chairs and flip flops, to really give your tree that vacation vibe.

This holiday, instead of just wishing you were out of the snow and in the sand, bring the beach to your home with your decorations. We’d love to see how your family decorated this holiday season so please feel free to share your pictures with us on Facebook! Happy Holidays. 

We thought it would be fun to share a little bit of history about the resort that so many of you call home, home away from home or vacation heaven.

It all started for Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort back in 1967 with the first major project being the development of the lagoon system. One year later, in 1968, development began on our championship Robert Trent Jones golf course

The early 70’s brought the addition of the Inn Villas, Beach Villas, Water Oak Villas, the Chimney Cove development and the groundbreaking of the Hyatt Hotel. In 1973, the Fazio course was started and the Jones pro shop was expanded. The following year our wonderful Tennis Center was completed and the end of the 70’s allowed us to finish Ocean Cove Villas, Turnberry Village and the Fazio Tennis Courts. We ended the decade with the acquisition by Greenwood Development Corporation.

The 80’s brought more growth in our accommodation arena by adding Captain’s Walk, Captain’s Cove, St. Andrew’s Common and more. In 1980 construction began on Shelter Cove Marina, making it an exciting year for us! Three years later came the dedication of Shelter Cove Harbour and the popular King Neptune sundial, the largest working figurative sundial in the world... In 1986, the Arthur Hills Course opened, completing our acclaimed, award-winning golf trifecta.

Over the past ten years, the resort built a new Tennis Center in 2001, and in 2002, the Robert Trent Jones course was completely renovated.

Look how far we’ve come since 1967! Who knows what will be in our future, but we look forward to all the great things to come and providing our guests with more activities than ever. 

Lots of women come through the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center each year, and one complaint that we’ve heard a lot is about their tennis bags. They are often too large and bulky for the average woman to haul around. That’s why we started carrying the very stylish and sleek Life Is Tennis JETPAC bag.

Designed by a female tennis player for women, these bags come in a variety of shapes and sizes while also allowing you to pick from lots of fun patterns. The Winter collection provides prints such as Enchantment, Reptilian and Silver Vogue. Here at Palmetto Dunes we carry many different styles, including small and large slings, as well as totes.

So this holiday season give the gift that will make dreams of days spent in our tennis clinics and nights spent on our lighted tennis courts. The Life Is Tennis bag is a must-give this holiday season for all the lady tennis players in your life!