If you click on the links in this post, we may earn money from the companies mentioned in this post, at no extra cost to you. You can read the full disclaimer here.
Ever since I was a little girl and I first visited Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, it has been one of my favorite travel destinations. I love swimming on the beach, eating great seafood from some of their great restaurants, taking boat tours, and just relaxing.
The only unfortunate thing about Hilton Head Island is there really aren’t a lot of lodging options that are affordable. When you do find an affordable hotel, it’s often nowhere near the beach. And the beach is my favorite part of Hilton Head. I really like it when I’m within easy walking distance of the beach so I don’t drag sand back into my car after visiting the beach.
But I think I have solved this problem and found the perfect hotel for visiting Hilton Head Island in terms of a bend of affordability and providing almost everything I would want in a hotel stay. And that is the Grand Hilton Head Inn, Ascend Hotel Collection!
This hotel really is affordable if you book your stay here. You’ll see just what a bargain that is once you read all the great features I’m about to tell you about.
Location
So as I mentioned before, proximity to the beach is a big selling factor for me when I pick out a hotel. And this hotel definitely has that.
Now, it is not right on the beach. You won’t get any oceanfront rooms. Which is definitely the main reason this hotel is as affordable as it is.
But it’s the next best thing as it is right across the street from Coligny Beach. The guy who checked us in told us it was a two minute walk to the beach, and we timed him and he was right. You just exit the hotel and cross the street and you’re at the beach entrance.
It’s also a very straight shoot where you don’t have to walk up and down stairs, which is great in terms of accessibility.
The hotel is also not far from Coligny Plaza which has a lot of great shops and restaurants. And really no part of the island is too far from the hotel. So it really is a great location.
Room
Whenever I stay at a hotel with a great location like this hotel, I do not expect the rooms to be huge. Especially if the price of the hotel is affordable.
So I was pleasantly surprised with this hotel when I first walked into my guest room.
There was so much room!
First of all, we were staying in a room for four people, and the room had two queen beds. That to me is a big plus versus two double beds like a lot of guest rooms near the beach have.
But the larger beds did not mean there wasn’t room. There was plenty of room for our stuff. In fact, there were multiple closets for our stuff, which is very rare for a non-suite guest room.
If I had one complaint about the room, it would have be the size of the bathroom. I would have preferred a bathroom with more space. It’s almost impossible for more than one person to be in the bathroom at the same time. Now, this certainly wasn’t something that would sour me from ever staying there again. But if having a large bathroom is high on your list of must-dos for a hotel, then I think it’s something you need to think about before booking this hotel.
Oh, and while the hotel is not right across from the beach, we still got great tree views from our room.
Free Breakfast
The other thing that kind of blew me away about this hotel was the continental breakfast. I have been to a lot of free breakfasts at hotels. But outside of Residence Inn Anaheim, I’m not sure I’ve been to one with such a great food selection. It was so good I didn’t even get to eat everything there that looked good.
First of all, they had two waffle makers, which I really like because it helps ensure that you won’t have to spend all morning standing in line to use it. But it had a pancake maker on top of that! I have never seen a hotel have both a pancake maker and a waffle maker. They also had great waffle toppings, like strawberry sauce, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream.
But they also had a lot of hot fresh breakfast food. They were good about replenishing the food, too, so it usually was actually hot. Their biscuits were especially good, and I am generally quite picky about biscuits but there’s were soft and good. The breakfast potatoes were also really good. So not only do you get a free breakfast here, but you get a good breakfast here.
Another nice thing about the breakfast is that there is plenty of seating. And on nice days, you can eat your breakfast outside and enjoy the beautiful trees and the beauty of the island.
Service
The service here was also really good. The hotel employees were really helpful in their recommendations and very nice. Every time we came back to the hotel, they were very nice when we walked in. This may sound like a small thing, but I’ve stayed at hotels where the employees were downright rude and trust me, it makes a difference.
Other Hotel Features
The hotel doesn’t have a large lobby since this is not a big hotel (after all, there is not an abundance of extra space in Hilton Head near the beach). But the lobby was very nice.
They also had a computer and printer.
They also have a pool, which is a nice change of pace from the beach.
It is not the largest pool you’ll ever see but it is still a decent size for swimming.
Price
So I know I have mentioned this numerous times, but the price is incredibly affordable. Especially when you factor in the free breakfast. Oh, and there’s free parking, too, which is quite rate with a hotel this close to the beach.
So I really don’t think you can get a better bang for your buck anywhere at Hilton Head Island. Therefore, we strongly recommend booking this hotel.
And you can find the best rate for this hotel here.
