We returned to South Beach this year but rented a Condo next to the Inn. The Condo was even a better deal because it was bigger and had a nicer kitchen. We were staying a week so it was worth every penny. My mother stated that this was the most relaxing vacation she's ever had. She would swim every day, her and Dad take a stroll by the shops and have some ice cream. Evening sunsets at the Salty Dog with music and having a cold drink on a hot summer day. What more can you ask for? They have all sorts of restaurants from fine dining to casual that are good. This is not top of the line, though you can get that to in Sea Pines. This is just a nice, casual place for families to enjoy. Eatting lunch by the golf course and bike rentals are highly recommended. Fun for everyone!

Very pleased with our room for the price. The rooms were large. We were disappointed that there was no where around the hotel for breakfast (the Wreck of the Salty Dog was closed). Other than that, the location was great and you can't beat the size of the rooms for the nightly rate you pay offseason.

My wife, two kids, and I all arrived to Hilton Head Island and to the hotel rather early at 11 AM. As expected, the people staying in the room had not checked out yet. No worries, so the friendly people took my name and cell number down and off we were to rent some bikes for a few days. While riding the island’s network of shady, paved bike trails and taking in the beautiful scenery, the Inn called me around 1 PM letting me know that our room was ready...outstanding! Peak season check in is 4 PM, so I was pleasantly surprised. We headed on to the nearest public beach on the Atlantic Ocean, I left the family to their fun on the beach, and I biked back alone to check in.

It took me about 15 minutes by bike to get back to the hotel from the nearest public beach on the Atlantic Ocean (with the family, about 25 minutes). The commute was quite relaxing and invigorating. By car, I’m guessing that the commute would be no longer than 5 minutes or so. The beach that is a 2-minute walk away is actually a beach that is on the Calibogue Sound, not the Atlantic. Although it was uncrowded, it wasn’t the pounding surf that I had in mind. We did take the kids to that beach one night with our video camera spotlight and went on a search for crabs. The boys aptly named their favorite Mr. Crabs from Spongebob Squarepants.

The hotel had the charm of a New England boat dock. It’s located on top of the Salty Dog Café as others have said and there are two other restaurants in the complex as well as stores selling all of the Salty Dog paraphernalia you might need. If you’re bringing the kids, there’s a Salty Dog kids activity booth, where among other activities, Cappy the Clown will do face painting for free (tip bucket for Cappy). There are crafts there as well. The hotel is a hot spot for dining and entertainment in the evening as South Beach is a great, mellow hangout next to the marina where a guy sings and plays guitar at a pleasant volume as the temperature drops with the sunset.

The hotel is on a marina and the whole theme is kept in the décor of the rooms with the wooden plank floors and marina-type decorations. There are the three internet workstations in the lobby, comfortably plush chairs, and there’s the free library of recent movies, VHS and DVD. There are plenty of shops (or shoppes if you prefer) in the complex to browse or spend your money, there’s dolphin excursions, people who rent anything that floats, a bike rentals (with any type of bike you could imagine), the pool, and tennis courts. The kids loved the parrots that hung out near the hotel office and the cats that sauntered around. One of the parrots waved at me...freaky.

The room we stayed in was exactly what we were looking for. There were no surprises as the hotel’s web site (---sbinn---) shows all of the rooms’ amenities and has plenty of pictures, all very accurate and not at all misleading as many hotel web sites tend to be. We didn’t have to pay the fee to get onto the island because we were “resort guests” and as such, we were allowed to enter the island gate with the residents (shorter wait) instead of the visitors and had access to all areas with the pass. We shopped at the Publix grocery store 6 miles away, right outside of the gate, and stocked up on any of the food we needed for our daily trips to the beach and other bike trips. Parking was never an issue for us at the hotel (and I’m one of those picky parking spot people).

I loved the island and the South Beach Marina Inn fit in very well with the simple and relaxing lifestyle that the island provides. I chose the South Beach Marina Inn because I saw how well they did on this web site. Before I left, they were ranked 8 and now they’re 5, despite the fact that they are ranked side-by-side with hotels twice the price. Their success in these ratings is very well deserved. The family and I plan on returning next year, except we’ll be staying a week.

After reading the reviews of this inn on TripAdvisor we decided to give it a try. We are so glad we did! From the moment we first walked into our room to our last day on the island we were all smiles.

Firstly, the inn had more of a Bed & Breakfast feel than a sterile hotel. The rooms were nicely decorated, clean and "homey". There were dishes in the cupboards, ceiling fans and plank wood floors. In the morning we made ourselves coffee, ate breakfast in our room and then were off to the beach. When we returned, the beds were made, we had fresh towels and clean bathrooms, the dishes were washed and the coffee pot was ready for the next morning. The beds were comfortable and the sheets soft and clean. There was a VCR in the room and residents had access to over 300 movies free of charge.

The rooms sit above the South Beach shops including the Salty Dog Cafe and the more upscale Wreck of the Salty Dog. There was easy access to ice cream, pizza and frozen drinks (both virgin and alcoholic.) The marina village was a popular spot and there were many people enjoying themselves during the afternoon and evening. The great thing was we honestly couldn't hear them when we were relaxing inside. South Beach is located in the beautiful Sea Pines plantation. A very lush, green environment.

The beach near the inn is not one you really want to swim in. It is part of the Calibogue Sound and you can see Daufuskie Island on the other side. To swim, we recommend driving to Coligny Beach where you are swimming in the Atlantic and the kids have great waves to boogie board in. However, if you like fishing, crabbing, dolphin watching then hit the sound. We went out at midnight with flashlights and had a great time catching blue crabs and even had a run-in with a 2 1/2 foot Guitarfish! There are deep sea fishing vessels and dolphin watching boats that leave the marina 2-3 times a day. There are also kayak trips and waverunner rentals only a minute from your room.

There is a average size pool which can only be accessed by residents. It was always packed with swimmers and the water temperature was quite warm, but then again it was 91 degrees so I guess I can't complain much. The pool and grounds were clean and there were plently of water toys for kids (and adults) to use.

Within Sea Pines is a free trolley system which can get you around the plantation without using your car. We will admit that parking was a challenge sometimes. We used the trolley to get to Harbourtown for additional shopping and to see Gregg Russell, a family-friendly singer.

Overall, we had a wonderful stay and will not hesitate to stay here again. If you are looking for a comfortable place to lay your head without spending a fortune this is it.