Hilton Head or Myrtle beach In April

[Tattylou]

I'm looking for some help, tips, insights, ideas about Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach in April. We would be driving from Boston and it would be mid-April (looking at April 2019). Travel party is myself, DH, my parents (age 71 in 2019), my 2 sons (ages 8 and 10 in 2019). So, which do you think is better? What's the weather like mid-April? Can we swim? What are the best spots/locations? Any suggestions on lodging (open to hotel, condo, or house rentals)? Has anyone stayed at Disney Hilton Head resort? What is there to do at each besides the beach? Any suggestions of stops along the drive? We would definitely be staying over someplace, not driving straight through.
If miraculously we got lucky and airfare on spring break/Easter week was reasonable, what's the closest major airport to Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach? How bad is a drive from Atlanta airport to either? Boston to Atlanta tend to be cheap flights even on vacation weeks.
Thanks in advance!

 

[OhhBother]

I live in Pawleys Island, about 20 minutes south of Myrtle Beach. The only swimming you could do here in April would be at an indoor pool. It could 75, or it could be 35. You just don't know -- April weather is fickle.

There is a large airport in Myrtle Beach -- it's served by all the major carriers. Spirit Airlines flies non-stop from Boston to Myrtle Beach.

There are plenty of places to stay here, but you'll likely not want to stay right in Myrtle Beach. I'd recommend looking at Cherry Grove, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach or Pawleys Island. All are more of a family environment than the "strip" in Myrtle Beach. Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort in Pawleys Island is across the street from my house and is very nice. There are also several large resorts/condo developments in North Myrtle Beach.

As for Hilton Head, I'm a DVC member and have stayed at the resort there. It's very nice, but it's not at the beach. You have to take a shuttle to access the beach. So that's inconvenient.

 

[Wishing on a star]

You need to go further South in April.
WAY further South.
Even Destin on the FL Panhandle can be chilly in April. There on the Gulf.

The Atlantic will not begin to warm up until June.

 

[Tattylou]

@Wishing on a star We have gone (and are going this year) to the St Pete beach area of FL for April vacation. I realize SC will not be that level of warm. We are trying to find another destination that we can drive to relatively easily. The airfare to fly to Florida on April vacation when April vacation and Easter align can be minimum over 500 each ticket (DH is a teacher, our dates are sadly not flexible). Keep in mind, we will be leaving a long and very crappy Boston winter- even 70s would be ok with us. If we can't swim, are you saying there is nothing else to do there in April? I don't want to bother if it is too cold to swim and there's nothing else. If it is too cold to swim, but there's other stuff to do then it might be ok. Thanks!

 

[Hikergirl]

It really depends on your level of comfort. My dad travels to Myrtle Beach every April and swims. He describes it like swimming in Maine in the summer water temp wise.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I think Myrtle Beach is a better choice, especially with kids. There's much more to do there than in Hilton Head. From HH, you could do day trips, including Savannah & Charleston. IMO, you'd need them to attempt to fill a week with active kids in HH. You don't really need to leave MB to find enough to do to fill a week. My extended family goes to MB every year. They prefer the North Myrtle Beach area. They always rent a home on the beach, which I wouldn't recommend that early in the year. People who have been there more recently than I have could probably offer better hotel suggestions. I agree you need an indoor pool, preferably with other indoor activities, for either destination. An outdoor hot tub should be okay that time of year. I personally don't like the location of Disney's HH Resort.

 

[Wishing on a star]

OMG, I know what you mean about airfares.
That can be an issue during the Spring Break time!
We had planned a 'cheap' cruise that I had found, but didn't book airfare right away, prices went up...

Thank goodness we didn't book the air immediately. We had to cancel due to a Medical situation with DH. The past month here has been rough! Wish we were planning a getaway!

It might be a tough call, personal choice...
Hilton Head would be further South, but would also be the quieter more 'removed' place to vacation.

Myrtle Beach would probably have a lot more to offer, as far as activities and 'vibe' if you are wanting more of a 'fun' factor.

 

[HeatherC]

We are Hilton Head Lovers! We think the island is very pretty and like that there really aren't high rises lining the beaches. We also find plenty of things to keep busy. There are miles of paved bike trails, golf, mini golf, tennis, fishing, crabbing, parasailing (not in April though),tons of shopping and tons of great restaurants. There is also a zip line and adventure park which the kids love. You can go horseback riding too. The beaches are beautiful and wonderful to bike. I personally think there is more than enough to fill a week. We always leav saying we didn't have enough time to do all we wanted.

In under an hour you can visit Savannah which is a very charming city with beautiful public squares throughout the city. We love to do a Segway tour there.

Charleston is about 2 1/2 hours away but is a great stop either on the way down or the way back.

We love to stay in Palmetto Dunes Resort and rent villas through vrbo.com. It is mid island and great spot to see all the island has to offer. We like Fazio Villas or Queens Grant Villas. But they do have oceanfront Villas as well.

My parents live in Bluffton...right before the bridge to HH so we do the drive from central Mass frequently. It takes us 16 1/2 hours. We usually leave at 6am, drive to Lumberton, NC (6pm roughly), stay overnight at the Best Western there. The next morning we sleep in, have breakfast and are on the island by like noon or 1pm.

Coming home always feels longer, but we do that straight through. We leave around 6am and have always made it home by 10:30 or 11pm.

One of our favorite places and we have always had a great time on our April trips there. Weather can range from 50's to high 70's usually. Most years it has been on the warmer end.

Hope this helps! Have fun whichever you decide!


PS. I would say just to give you an idea, Myrtle Beach would be more like Old Orchard Beach and Hilton Head more like the Cape if that makes sense. Both fun in their own way but different too.

 

[kirstenb1]

I love HHI, but with kids, MB has more activities for kids. Plus, it looks like every resort has some type of lazy river deluxe pool, which for my kids, would have been everything at your kids age.

 

[Tattylou]

@HeatherC The Cape / OOB comparison is super helpful. I totally see what you are saying. Thanks for all the details too.
@Hikergirl We are no strangers to swimming in Maine in the summer...that is some frigid water even in July... If it is like that then my kids will swim.
@Wishing on a star I hope your husband is doing better asap.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts, ideas, suggestions. I appreciate it!

 

[ols386]

We went to Hilton Head in April one year, and it was quite chilly. Not sure about Myrtle Beach, but it’s further north than HH.

 

[QueenIsabella]

We typically go to Myrtle Beach in March. We live fairly local, not much of a drive for us, so bopping down for a few days is easy.

My kids don't swim in the ocean. And we're from New Hampshire, so cold is less of an issue. I always pick a resort with indoor water activities (in addition to outdoor ones), as a "just in case". I think the outdoor pools are heated, though--last year we were there in March--the week before Easter--and my kids lived in the outdoor pool/lazy river. We did see people swimming in the ocean, and they had activities like banana boating and parasailing that began/ended in the water.

Beyond that, there's a ton of stuff to do in Myrtle Beach. My kids love, love, love Wonderworks. Even DH said he'd like to spend more time shopping at Broadway on the Beach--how often do you hear THAT? We also did an escape room, but your kids might be a tad young for that. There are helicopter rides, Ripley's Believe it or Not, mini-golf, waterparks (some affiliated with hotels, some free-standing), a ferris wheel, a boardwalk--literally, hundreds of things to do, places to eat, etc. Make sure to pick up one of the coupon-type books, not only for the bargains, but for some ideas on what you'd like to do.

If you would prefer a quieter, more resort-like feel, you'd probably be happier in North Myrtle Beach, which isn't quite as action-packed. You still would be a 15-20 minute drive to the hotspots, so a day trip or two would be very do-able.

I can't speak to Hilton Head, but HeatherC gave you a great description.