Hilton Head Travel Diary.

This past weekend was, for lack of a better word, out of a dream. Hilton Head Island invited Jess, Hallie, Caitlin and I down to the island for a long weekend full of golf (The RBC Heritage Tournament), R&R, and good Southern food. I’d never been before, so I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but I really just fell in love with the island. We stayed in the most amazing house in Sea Pines, right on the beach.

I brought my friend Elanah with me, and we took the 8am flight to Savannah, Georgia on Thursday morning. It was an amazingly quick trip and by noon, we were comfortably situated on the front porch of our house… ready for a day of riding bikes and exploring the island. It’s funny how much more relaxed I felt immediately, being on the beach and in the fresh air. I need to make it a point to get out of the city more often… the ocean is my happy place.

I’m wearing a Vineyard Vines Sweater (love the whale!), Rag & Bone Shorts (my faves.. I live in them if you can’t tell), and my gold birks. 

After a stroll down to the beach (these photos were literally taken in our “back yard,” we jumped on our bikes and rode to Coligny (a cute part of town with tons of shopping + restaurants.) Our friends had told us that we had to try out the Frosty Frog Cafe (delicious but super strong frozen drinks) so we made a point to stop in and try one. (so good, but so strong. I had the Jump Start – a yummy mango daiquiri.) On our ride into town we spotted an alligator across the creek from us. It was crazy seeing one so close! It would have been terrifying under ordinary circumstances but he seemed to be a lazy guy… more concerned with sunning himself and take a nap.

It has to be said, if you go to Hilton Head, rent bikes!!! There are bike paths everywhere, and it is so much fun riding around. We rode our bikes everywhere and used uber to get around at night.

Hallie and Jess got in a bit later than us, and we decided to have an easy night in… opting for a nutritious dinner (a cheese plate) with lots of wine.

The next day, Hallie and Jess went to the tournament, so Elanah and I went for a bike ride. We had heard the best things about The Salty Dog and the area surrounding the lighthouse, so that’s where we went!

(the sunglasses are Karen Walker and can be found here!) 

We both got the lobster rolls. Was there even a question?

Something you may not know: If you ride your bike to get ice cream, it cancels out the calories. So this ice cream actually had negative calories. We got skinnier from eating it. Magic, right?

After lunch we rode to the lighthouse. It was such a pretty part of the island (and nearby the tournament.) We had a cocktail in the sun, did a little bit of shopping, and then rode our bikes home. That night, we grabbed a late dinner in Coligny and made it home for a little wine (+ blogging time) on the porch.

I took a lot of photos of our house (Sandhill Crane 22) mostly because it was just so dreamy. I could have stayed forever and been very comfortable.

The beach was so beautiful when it was foggy out!

The next day it was our turn to head to golf (and take over the Hilton Head Instagram account) so we were off to the tournament. It was fun wandering around watching the tournament, doing a bit of day drinking, and checking out what everyone else was wearing (so many cute, bright sundresses!) To watch golf, I wore a Sara Campbell dress (bought at a local boutique) and my trusty elephant pouch.

We left the tournament around 3 and headed home to change into our swimsuits and soak up a little bit of sun. This Sundress coverup is one of my absolute faves right now. If you get one, note that it runs pretty big. I’m wearing a size small and it’s roomy.

And then it was time for yet another costume change (I swear I’m not high maintenance!!) for dinner… I wore this tropical dress from J.O.A.

Our dinner at Hudson’s was probably my favorite part of the trip. Golf was amazing, the house was perfect, and riding bikes was so much fun… but at the end of the day, I’m all about the food. The restaurant was unreal… we ate so much! Interesting fact about Hudson’s: They actually harvest their own oyster breed (sadly they were all out, so we had to settle for Bluepoint (my usual fave) as well as their own soft shell crabs. If you follow me on Snapchat, then you know we got to see the crabs which was kind of neat.

I had oysters, several bites of different appetizers (hush puppies, soft shell crabs, YUM) and an almond crusted Mahi Mahi for dinner. Beyond. I can’t say enough great things about this spot… it’s a must if you visit. (The sunset was also pretty spectacular!)

A big thank you to Hilton Head Island for having us; and for partnering on this post!