Hilton Head Rental Homes

Before you start looking at Hilton Head rental homes, you want to have a sense of island geography. The more you know, the better poised you'll be to make the "right" choice among available Hilton Head rental homes. The island is small, barely 12 miles long and five miles wide. Its habitats are rich and varied. The freshwater wetlands, saltwater marshes, grass-topped sand dunes, and wide beaches are home to a diversity of wildlife.

Shaped like a boot and nestled close to the shore of South Carolina, Hilton Head stands on tiptoe just above the Georgia border. The bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway comes in at the ankle. Almost cut in two by Broad Creek, Hilton Head is crisscrossed by lagoons, creeks, fairways, and bike paths. To the east are 12 miles of Atlantic beach.

Driving on Hilton Head can be confusing, in some part because local restrictions calling for road signs to blend in with the landscape mean that you can't always see them well. The highway you'll travel to reach Hilton Head rental homes is 278, the William Hilton Parkway. It runs from the bridge into the heel of the boot, along the sole, and into the toe. The seven-mile Cross Island Parkway was built in 1999. A toll road, it runs from the ankle into the center of the island.

Where to Find Hilton Head Rental Homes

Hilton Head rentals are available across the island. The largest of the gated communities for which Hilton Head is known is Sea Pines. It is also the oldest and encompasses the entire toe of the island. Just over the bridge from the mainland are the predominantly residential Hilton Head Plantation, Windmill Harbour, Indigo Run, and Spanish Wells. In the heel of the boot is Port Royal, the site of the Civil War's largest naval battle. In the sole of the boot are Palmetto Dunes and Shipyard.