Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island

For the price point, this was an extremely disappointing conference hotel. Everything is under construction. My room had very little water pressure and it was difficult to wash my hair. The overall temperature in the hotel and conference area was ridiculously cold. People were wearing winter coats indoors. The renovations appear nice, but are poorly done. Brand new bathrooms near the conference rooms had bathroom doors that didn’t shut because they are installed incorrectly. The location on the beach is fabulous and the staff are great. The hotel itself- not worth the money currently.

BEWARE. There is major construction going on that makes relaxing on the property impossible during the day. Sonesta did not notify me of this until 5 days before I checked in! Management there is a mess. I was told the hot tub was available to use, but from what I can tell it hasn’t even been built yet. I was told that I could use the beach chair free-of-charge for my troubles, but the stand to get them is always empty. I do not recommend staying here at all.

Based on my reviews from other travelers, I surprised that this hotel was rated so high. I think the best part of this establishment in the winter, as you travel for the holidays you end up in a gated community as this is where the Sonesta is located. The hotel was under a pretty major construction and the lobby and restaurants were closed down. There was not much to do there. We did not use the indoor pool, unable to enjoy much else but still charged an activities fee. The unit itself was updated but seemed worn. We noted that one of our neighbors ate in their room and left dirty dishes outside for pickup. For the two days we stayed there, they remained there. The entire hotel seemed short staffed. We hunted someone down to assist us in taking our luggage from the car to our room. I would definitely give the hotel just an average rating at this point in time.

The resort is currently under major construction until April 2025. The whole first floor and lobby are unavailable. The hot tub is closed for the season. There is construction next to the pool with jack hammers in use all day. The rooms were a bit outdated but beds were comfortable and rooms were soundproof. With all that said we made the best of our 2 night midweek stay by walking the beach and visiting other nearby areas for shopping and dining. Its possible that weekends are quieter by the pool, we checked out Friday morning and it seemed quieter. I’m sure the renovations will be beautiful when complete. The staff were all very helpful and friendly.

While it was a very pretty resort with courteous staff, I had a couple of issues despite being there only one night. - When checking in, the staff didn’t give us a “lay of the land” and what was available to do. It would have been helpful to know about beach access, pool hours, towels, chairs, etc. - in my 35 years of travel, I’ve never had an allergic reaction in a hotel room like I had at this Sonesta. The fragrance seems to be pumped through the HVAC and I was terribly allergic to it. I was on the 4th floor and I don’t know what difference it may make, but this was a crazy experience. I guess it is just personal sensitivity, but again this is the first time I ever experienced this. If you are sensitive to fragrances, it may be worth checking in advance to see if there’s any way around that. - the shower was barely more than a drip. If I was there more than one night, I would have contacted the front desk.