I took my family to the Palmetto Dunes Resort in Hilton Head, South Carolina last year, and have been dreaming of it every since. I have been an avid golfer for years and this was quite a treat for me, but there were still plenty of other things for my wife and kids to do. We all agree that this was, by far, one of the most relaxing vacations we had ever taken!

When we arrived there we were greeted right at the door by staff. We had a beautiful hotel room overlooking the ocean. The hotel room in my opinion was very luxurious--and we had a "middle of the road" room! The staff was very kind and was very concerned about our comfort during our stay.

I was very impressed by the unique atmosphere in the resort--and by that, I mean the golf courses, of course!. Palmetto Dunes  has three beautiful courses. My favorite was the Robert Trent Jones course: it had a beautiful view and there was nothing like golfing while smelling the ocean and hearing the waves hit the beach. The grounds also had a beautiful pro shop that had everything I needed.

When my family could pull me away from the links, we made an afternoon of going on a sailing cruse. We went for a three-hour cruise around the area on a beautiful yacht. The staff was extremely nice and very accommodating. The next day I took my son and went on a fishing charter while my wife and two daughters went shopping. I believe this was the first charter that I have been on where we actually caught fish and not blue crab. My son was very excited and we got a lot of pictures taken with "the big one."

The kids wanted to do a kayak camp. It was only a few hours long but it gave my wife and I a break (which she insisted should be golf-free). I was very impressed that they supervise the kids so we didn't have to stand there the entire time. The staff was very courteous and safety oriented and we felt very comfortable leaving the kids with them.   We used this time to take off and spend a little time alone. We decided to play a game of tennis and hit the local bar for a drink before picking the kids up from camp.

There were so many things to do at Palmetto Dunes it seemed impossible to get everything done! This was a wonderful resort with many things to do. My son even wrote a story about our vacation in school and told everyone about how great of a time he had there--and you know how hard it is to get the adolescent stamp of approval on anything!

This first-hand account of a Hilton Head holiday was brought to you by Bryan Harmer.