The Sea Pines Beach Club-a welcome addition to Hilton Head Island

Our family vacations at Hilton Head Island some summers.  It’s a great place to relax, but one thing that has always been lacking is another place to eat and drink where you can see the water or go on the beach.  The Beach House near Coligny Plaza was that one place, it’s still is great and we’ll go there again.  However, the Sea Pines Beach Club has just reopened, having undergone an 18 million dollar renovation and contrary to some tourists on Hilton Head Island, it’s open to the public.

Sea Pines is a massive, private community on the south end of Hilton Head.  When you first approach the area you’ll have to pay a $6 entry fee unless you’re staying on their property.  Harbour Town is there with lots of shopping, boats, the Gregg Russell Town Playground (awesome!) golf courses and more.  The Sea Pines Beach Club has always been there to some degree, but the renovations that have been done put that area in an entirely different field for many reasons.

They leveled the old beach club.  Gone are the volleyball pits and stereotypical outdoor showers.  It’s been replaced with a sprawling facility with three restaurants, live entertainment 6 nights a week, and a massive deck to watch the ocean.  What was a pleasant area for drinks and snacks is now a relaxing coastal resort with the same prices, more seating, better views and a deeper menu.

The open air bar looks the same as it was, but the decking has been replaced, seating is brand new and they have TVs all over the place.  It’s not a sport bar atmosphere, just a relaxed place to get a drink and watch some television.

If you’re in the mood for more of a sit down meal the prices are reasonable for resorts.  A burger will cost $13-14, while seafood dishes will run you a bit more.  Drink prices are normal for the area, about $5 for a tap beer.  The service was quick and very polite.  When we went there was no line, which the servers were quick to point out that earlier in the week it was a very long wait.

We went on a Friday night.   Most of the weekly rentals go from Saturday to Saturday, so people were packing or had already gone out to eat as much as they could during vacation.

Also when we went the upstairs was not finished.  The manager at the time was kind enough to let us pop upstairs to see what’s there.  The upstairs is what will really elevate certain aspects of Hilton Head nightlife and business meetings.

The large middle area will be a meeting room.  This is why those businesses that I’ve never worked for have their conferences in resort locations.  The view, complete with a finished guard rail (and not the one in the picture) are certain to end meetings and increase productivity.

At the far end of the upstairs is another bar.  This bar has a smaller deck that overlooks the facility, beach and water.  Any of the bars there are certainly great, but the view on this one made me want to sneak up there with my mojito ASAP.

The $6 entry fee into Sea Pines is worth it to eat or drink at the Sea Pines Beach Club.  It’s also a great perk if you’re visiting Hilton Head and evaluating places to rent.