Marriott's Harbour Club — Hotel in Hilton Head Island

I've enjoyed several stays at the Marriott Harbour Club. Here are ten things to know about this Marriott Vacation Club:||1. Sea Pines is my favorite part of Hilton Head Island. The lush trees, endless sidewalks, and fabulous restaurants contribute to the unmistakable charm. Harbour Club is adjacent to a picturesque harbor. It's an ideal location if you want easy access to restaurants and shops. It's less ideal if you're going to the beach (only a few miles away, but it feels infinitely further).||2. Marriott Vacation Club departs from a few of the Marriott norms. There is no breakfast, and elite benefits do not apply. But WiFi is still complimentary. And the café next door serves a delightful breakfast. Pro tip: Get there before 8 am to avoid long lines.||3. Marriott Vacation Club offers a standard array of adults' and kids' activities. The small and sleepy resort, though, means the activities are often not well-attended. ||4. The pool scene feels like a standard hotel. There's no swim-up bar or pool service. It's just a pool next to a spacious and newly renovated hot tub. The pool earns a grade enhancement for the lagoon view. At least you’re not looking at buildings or roadways.||5. The fitness center is wedged into a four-walled room on the first floor. Two twin treadmills are practically on top of each other, and a few other basic cardio machines are packed into the room. It's a place to get in a workout when the weather does not cooperate (pro tip: August is the rainiest month, and we've found that to be the case).||6. The two-bedroom villas are spacious. The best features are the extra sink and makeup area in the second bedroom, along with two queen-sized beds. A washer and dryer are extra handy to lighten the load. The front door could use a soft close; they slam abruptly.||7. Speaking of a washer and dryer, it comes in handy to wash pool and bath towels. You’ll get a nice detergent starter pack – enough for four loads. Marriott now charges for towel replacement, among other housekeeping fees.||8. Don’t overpack to avoid multiple trips in the singular elevator. But if you do bring a lot of things, bring some patience as well. Wait times can be long during peak times (Friday & Saturday afternoons, Saturday & Sunday mornings). On the plus side, the hotel has plenty of shopping and luggage carts to transport your stuff. ||9. The reception area is only open during business hours. If you arrive late, call a central number, and they'll arrange for villa access.||10. All rooms have a lagoon view. Interestingly, the best view is from the fifth-floor outdoor walkway facing the harbor. Rooms facing that direction would have been next level. On the plus side, though, anyone can ascend to a higher floor and soak in the sunset.||Overall, the Harbour Club is a relaxing spot in the heart of Sea Pines and Harbour Town. It’s ideal for a quiet, leisurely vacation. But if you’re harboring for the beach and activity, I recommend Grande Ocean (just in front of the Sea Pines gates) or Monarch (just...

The young man at the front desk was polite and provided a quick verbal overview of the property along with a couple of handouts. Which turned out to be of minimum help.

My wife commented that he seemed a little flat and almost uninterested. When I went back to the front desk this morning to see if they had any better maps and info the same person was still the only one there!

There is a huge labor shortage on the east coast and this poor guy may have been manning the front desk for a 24 hour shift.

After entering the unit I went into the bathroom. When I lifted the toilet seat it came off in my hand! Good thing I didn't try to sit on it.

In the morning I picked up the toaster to plug it in and one of the crumb trays fell off and I had to reinstall it.

Our unit sleeps 6 but there are only 5 chairs at the dining table.

This property is a bit substandard compared to every other Vacation Club we have visited. The kitchen cabinets fixer upper quality and barely above fixer upper condition. The amenities are pretty scarce and uninteresting.

Before booking the resort we asked about using vacation points for meals and activities. We were told that we would have access to the 5 other Marriott properties on the island that are close by and could use our points.

Turns out one of the properties is at the end of one of the tram routes. The next closest property, the Grande Ocean is 2 miles past the last tram stop.

When we drove to the Grande Ocean property to talk to the concierge, oh ya, our property doesn't have a concierge, we were stopped at the entrance and told we could not park on the property. So we parked across the street and started to walk in towards the office when we were stopped again and told we could not enter! After an exciting exchange of words the attendant finally agreed to call someone and we were...

We were told at check in that all rooms had views. Our view was treetops. The pool only has sun in the morning. The remainder of the day is all shade. If you are staying here to be close to Harbor Town and ride bikes, this location is perfect for you. If you are staying here to be near the beach or relax on you balcony and enjoy the view, this place is not for you. I got to stare a movement ceiling tape that covered cracks in the ceiling for a week. When I asked how many rooms had this movement tape, it was just ours. Lucky us. No view and tape watching ceiling cracks. The door didn't lock which we reported. Nothing. The faucet in the main bath had a leak in one of the sinks which I kept a washcloth around and wrung out at night. No, I didn't report it. They didn't care about a door that didn't lock, why would they care about a leaky faucet? Besides, we didn't want to be known as complainers nor do we want to be known complainers. They did try to reach us (they used our landline) and the unit's phone. When I returned the call, they weren't available even though the Manager said to have her paged. She was in a meeting the first time and the second time while we were in the lobby waiting, she was on the phone. She finally called us back as we were on the Interstate heading home. We normally love Marriott's. We realize that exchange people get second choice over owners, as it should be. But in speaking to other people, they had views and weren't owners. I just felt like we were...