Excursion

Low-Key Living Awaits on Hilton Head Island

- Michele Huggins

Hilton Head Island, located four hours from Charlotte in the South Carolina low country, offers families opportunities to relax seaside along with fun excursions to keep all ages busy on and off the sand. Wide, flat swaths of sand that meet gentle waves and tide pools make it the perfect family beach for relaxing, running, playing games, flying kites and swimming.

Resorts are plentiful on the island, as are house and condo rentals, tucked under oaks dripping in Spanish moss. The Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island was ideal for my family of four. Located in Shipyard Plantation, its oceanfront location makes it easy to dash from the well-appointed room to the beach and then back for a quick dip in the zero-entry pool — a great thing for parents with preschoolers. On cool days the hot tub, which is located by a second smaller pool, is inviting as well.