Marriott's Surfwatch

“Fun for family”

We went in the off season (over New Years) and found the place a great location for family and kids. Multiple pools (heated), hot tub, on the beach and lots of activities to keep adults and kids happy. They had a magician (which I initially thought would be hokey and boring) that was funny and en… more

We went in the off season (over New Years) and found the place a great location for family and kids. Multiple pools (heated), hot tub, on the beach and lots of activities to keep adults and kids happy. They had a magician (which I initially thought would be hokey and boring) that was funny and entertaining for kids and adults. The next day there was a women who brought multiple live owls to talk about them and show them to the kids. Hot chocolate, hot dogs, brats, all available for guests. MY shower was HUGE and I felt like I was in a car wash, with all the nozzles knocking the dirt off of me

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“Another Great Vacation”

We returned from a 10 day stay at Surfwatch in a 3 bedroom garden view room. We have visited Surfwatch over the years and it did not disappoint this time. We enjoyed the games put on by the Activity Center personnel. Music bingo was a big hit with our group. The water aerobics class instructor was… more

We returned from a 10 day stay at Surfwatch in a 3 bedroom garden view room. We have visited Surfwatch over the years and it did not disappoint this time. We enjoyed the games put on by the Activity Center personnel. Music bingo was a big hit with our group. The water aerobics class instructor was energetic making for a very enjoyable but intensive workout. The best food at Sea Salts was the weekend menu. The wings were outstanding. We tried our hand at fishing receiving good tips from the attendant (sorry I don’t remember his name) where we rented the fishing poles. We ended up feeding the turtles more than catching any fish. There were local produce, pastry, and other low country goodies available for purchase on Mondays. One person in our party felt the villa needed a soft refresh particularly in the bathroom. Other than that it was another great trip to Surfwatch.

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“SMALL & QUAINT WITH ATTENTIVE STAFF”

This was our first visit to SurfWatch but have been coming to Hilton Head Island for 30 years as we are owners at Grande Ocean on the other side of the Island closer to Sea Pines. This was an easy exchange through Interval International (trading a Marriott Aruba week)and it did not seem to be bu… more

This was our first visit to SurfWatch but have been coming to Hilton Head Island for 30 years as we are owners at Grande Ocean on the other side of the Island closer to Sea Pines. This was an easy exchange through Interval International (trading a Marriott Aruba week)and it did not seem to be busy this time of year. The resort is small and quaint, not very large, only comprising of six buildings with villas (one building closer to Ocean, two courtyard buildings, and two garden view buildings and one in the main building where you check-in) with two pools and an indoor pool. We can now say that since we have stayed at all the Marriott Beach locations in Hilton Head (Monarc, Barony, Grande Ocean and now Surfwatch), this is our least favorite resort. The reason for the “8” rating is because it is not directly on the beach or easy access. Surfwatch was quiet the week we were there, however, Surfwatch lacks the character and “resort” feel that we prefer at Grande Ocean (that is very spread out, with easy beach access, 4 pools and an indoor pool, a larger beach area and lots of sitting areas). Surf Watch is a long walk to the beach but if you’re up to it, it is a nice stroll along the boardwalk. There are NO views of the ocean from the courtyard or the garden view buildings. Cabanas can be rented at the pool close to the ocean but there are no view of ocean from the Cabanas (in my opinion, they should be free on a first come basis). We found the beach area very small (not sure if high tides) but the week after, we spend at Grande Ocean with a very large beach area, biking on the beach and a much better beach experience. We also found there to be lots of “kissing bugs” and or flies (not sure if because of the “swamp” area but didn’t experience this at Grande Ocean the following week. Our villa was a first floor unit in the Tide 5500 building with views of the back pool, it was typical Marriott layout with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, a stacked washer and dryer (although at Grande Ocean there is a full size washer and dryer); the kitchen is well equipped and the dining room and living room are standard. There is a large balcony with 4 chairs and table. The master bath had a very large walk-in shower that was amazing with dual controls and shower heads. It was a nuisance in the 5500 building with the elevator that could only be used IF a staff member came to operate it. Therefore, every time we wanted to go up or down, we had to wait for a staff member to come to run the elevator. We were told by staff that the elevator situation has been going on for months and each time it is repaired, it has problems again. They did fix it the last day of our stay. We also had to get a shuttle to the pool up front or to the beach. The entire week, were were only able to use the beach once or twice due to very short beach and high tides. The staff is very attentive and helpful and aim to please; the activities were fun and tokens were given to winners that could be redeemed for prizes at the of week. We prefer Grande Ocean hands down so don’t plan on returning to Surfwatch.

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