Palmetto Dunes
Everything Worth Doing in Palmetto Dunes, Hilton Head Island
Championship golf on the Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course, three miles of beach, dining and charters at Shelter Cove Marina, and Harbour Town a short drive away. All of it starts steps from the estate.
3 golf courses · 3 miles of beach · Marina minutes away · 45-minute airport drive
No. 01
The Community
What Palmetto Dunes Is, and Why You Stay Inside It
Palmetto Dunes on Hilton Head Island is a gated oceanfront resort community on the island’s mid-section, built around three miles of Atlantic beach, three championship golf courses, and an inland lagoon system you can paddle. It sits between the Atlantic and Highway 278, which keeps the beach, the golf, and the marina all within the gates and only minutes apart. Most of what draws people to Hilton Head is either inside Palmetto Dunes or a short drive from it.
The estate, Low Country Luxury at 25 Starboard Tack, sits inside those gates. That is the part that changes the trip. You are not driving in from an off-island hotel each morning. The beach is a short bike ride from the door, the Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course is close enough to tee off early and be back at the pool by lunch, and Shelter Cove Marina is minutes away when the group wants dinner on the water. This page walks through everything around you when you book the estate.
One guest family wrote that they have stayed in Palmetto Dunes since 1984 and picked this estate for the location: early coffee by the lagoon, a short bike ride to the beach, and happy hours around the pool, all without leaving the community.
No. 02
Golf
Palmetto Dunes Golf Courses
The Palmetto Dunes golf courses give you three distinct championship layouts without leaving the resort. The Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course is the signature of the three, best known for its oceanfront hole where the fairway opens straight to the Atlantic. The George Fazio Course plays as the tougher, tree-lined test of the group, and the Arthur Hills Course winds through the lagoons and live oaks with water in play on most holes. Three names, three different rounds, all inside the gates.
For teams, this is why a golf retreat works here. You can rotate across all three courses over a few days, walk back to a private suite each night, and settle the scores on the estate’s in-home golf simulator after dinner. That pairing, real championship courses by day and a simulator in the evenings, is the differentiator no hotel offers.
Three championship courses out the gate, and a simulator waiting when you get home.
Harbour Town Golf Links, home of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage, sits a short drive south in Sea Pines if your group wants to add the island’s most famous course. Plan the golf side of a company trip at Golf Retreats.
No. 03
Beach
Palmetto Dunes Beach Access and Three Miles of Sand
Palmetto Dunes beach access is one of the reasons the community is worth staying inside. The resort fronts about three miles of wide, gently sloping Atlantic beach, the kind that stays walkable and family-friendly at most tides. Because Palmetto Dunes is gated, the beach never carries the crowds of a public access point, so the stretch of sand in front of the resort stays calm even in peak summer weeks.
From the estate, you reach it the way guests describe in their reviews: a short bike ride. Hilton Head is laced with paved bike paths, and Palmetto Dunes has its own network connecting the homes to the beach, the courses, and the lagoon. Load up the beach cart in the morning, ride over, and come back to the private pool when the group has had enough sun. One family called the ride to the beach short and sweet, and that is the whole point of staying inside the gates.
The beach is close enough to bike to and quiet enough to enjoy once you get there.
Shelter Cove Marina
Dining, Charters, and Dockside Evenings
Shelter Cove Marina sits on the calm Broad Creek side of Palmetto Dunes, minutes from the estate, and it handles the nights you want to leave the pool deck. The marina holds waterfront restaurants, shops, and a working harbor where the charter boats tie up, so a group can walk the docks, watch the boats come in, and sit down to dinner over the water without a long drive. In summer the harbor runs family evenings with live music and fireworks, which makes it an easy call for the younger crowd on a family week.
For anglers and for teams, the marina is also where the water time starts. Deep-sea fishing charters run out of Shelter Cove, and a half-day offshore trip is a standing part of the estate’s team building and family itineraries. Book the boat from the marina in the morning, and the group is on the water by mid-day and back for a dockside dinner by evening.
- Waterfront restaurants and dockside dining, minutes from the estate
- Deep-sea fishing and sightseeing charters from the harbor
- Shops and summer harbor events for the whole group
- Calm-water views on the Broad Creek side of the resort
A deep-sea fishing excursion from Shelter Cove Marina is one of the a la carte add-ons built into the estate’s corporate retreat packages.
Harbour Town
Harbour Town and the Rest of Hilton Head
Harbour Town is the postcard version of Hilton Head, and it is a short drive south of Palmetto Dunes in the Sea Pines community. The candy-striped Harbour Town Lighthouse sits at the edge of a yacht basin ringed with shops and restaurants, and it is the island outing most groups want to check off at least once. Climb the lighthouse for the view, walk the marina, and let the kids run the green while the adults find a table.
Guests routinely pair it with the rest of the island: the shops and restaurants at Coligny Plaza, the nature preserves and trails, and the boutiques scattered from the north end to the south. Staying in Palmetto Dunes puts you in the middle of the island, so Harbour Town to the south and Shelter Cove to the north are both short, easy drives.
The island’s most famous view is a short drive from a base that keeps you close to everything else too.
No. 04
Inside the Gates
The Lagoon, the Bike Paths, and Activity Passes
Not everything worth doing in Palmetto Dunes requires leaving the community. The resort is built around an inland lagoon system you can paddle by kayak or canoe, cast a line into, or simply watch over morning coffee, which is exactly how one guest family described their favorite part of the stay. The estate looks out over that lagoon, so the calm water is part of the view before you go anywhere.
The bike paths tie it all together. From the estate you can ride to the beach, toward the courses, or around the lagoons without touching a main road. Guests have also mentioned using XPlorie, an activity-pass program that comes with the stay and can cover admissions to local activities, so some of the island’s outings are already handled before you arrive. Between the pool, the lagoon, the paths, and the passes, a slow day never has to mean a boring one.
Guests have specifically praised the XPlorie passes and the peaceful lagoon mornings in their reviews of the estate.
Getting Here
Getting to Palmetto Dunes From the Airport
Most groups fly into Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, which sits about a 45-minute drive from Palmetto Dunes. That distance is close enough that a team flying in from three different cities can land around noon and be in the first working session at the estate by mid-afternoon, and a family landing Saturday morning can be at the pool by lunch. The drive runs a straight, easy route onto the island and into the community.
Once you are through the Palmetto Dunes gate, the car mostly stays parked. The beach is a bike ride, the courses and the marina are minutes away, and the estate holds the pool, the game room, the theater, and the golf simulator under one roof. Getting here is the last piece of logistics the trip really asks of you.
Land at Savannah/Hilton Head International, drive about 45 minutes, and park the car for the week.
Area FAQ
Palmetto Dunes Questions, Answered
- What is there to do in Palmetto Dunes?
- Palmetto Dunes packs three championship golf courses, three miles of Atlantic beach, an inland lagoon you can kayak, a full bike-path network, and Shelter Cove Marina with dining and fishing charters, all inside one gated resort on Hilton Head Island. Harbour Town and the rest of the island are a short drive away. Staying at the estate puts all of it minutes from your door.
- What golf courses are in Palmetto Dunes?
- Palmetto Dunes has three championship courses inside the resort: the Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course, the George Fazio Course, and the Arthur Hills Course. Harbour Town Golf Links, home of the RBC Heritage, is a short drive south in Sea Pines.
- How do you get to the beach from the estate?
- The beach is a short bike ride from the estate on the Palmetto Dunes bike paths. The resort fronts about three miles of gated, family-friendly Atlantic beach, so it stays calmer than the island’s public access points even in summer.
- How far is Palmetto Dunes from the airport?
- Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is about a 45-minute drive from Palmetto Dunes. A group can land around midday and be settled at the estate the same afternoon.
- What is at Shelter Cove Marina?
- Shelter Cove Marina holds waterfront restaurants, shops, deep-sea fishing and sightseeing charters, and summer harbor events, all on the calm Broad Creek side of Palmetto Dunes and minutes from the estate.
Ready to make Palmetto Dunes your base? Check availability and rates for a family stay, tour The Estate, or plan a corporate retreat.
Explore the Area
Go Deeper on What Surrounds the Estate
Three guides to what sits minutes from the door, each with the detail a trip planner wants.
- 01Golf Courses: the Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront, George Fazio, and Arthur Hills courses, all minutes from the estate.
- 02Beaches: three miles of gated Atlantic beach, a short bike ride from the door.
- 03Dining and Marina: Shelter Cove Marina’s waterfront dining and deep-sea fishing charters, minutes away.
Pick Your Path and the Estate Is Yours
Two paths, one estate, and either way your group gets it exclusively. Everyone you're bringing fits here. Pick your path.
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