We spent a week at the Barony. This is our 6th trip to Hilton Head and fourth location (3rd Marriott). The grounds of the Barony are great. I wish we could have spent more time at the hotel. The beachside pool was excellent - albeit unheated and thus cold. The heated pool was small and crowded. There is an indoor pool, which is certainly a plus, but fortunately the weather cooperated and we never used it.

We had an interior view from the Live Oak building. It looked out over the grounds (in between pools). It was uninspiring, but quiet at night which is a big plus for us with two 8:00 bedtimes.

The unit needed minor details updated, but overall was in very good shape.

The location is ok. It's not near anything - so you need to drive 10-15 minutes to get anywhere of interest.

Only downside:
Although we didn't stay there, you don't want to be in the two buildings behind the Westin - Gardenia and ----- (a name I can't remember). They are across the street from the main resort. However, it sounds like the unit you receive it luck of the draw. You don't know what you are getting until you get there.

We have owned here from the pre construction days in 1998 and have never stayed here. We have used the amminities every year though beacause as owners you can get your "day pass" for as many days as you need while in HH. This year we decided to extend our Christmas/NewYears holidays by coming down and staying in our home resort the week after New Years. We expected to be put in the garden villas but were pleasently supprised that they put the owners in the ocean side first. so we were placed on the 5th floor with an extended balconly and had a great view. Our private Consiarge was outstanding and gave us her private number if we needed her. I can say we did not "need" her but did take her up on the ofter and had her make our reservations so we did not need to and it all worked out fantastic. We even changed our minds on her day off and she still changed tee times and golf courses for us. All in all we loved it and will be back at our home resort again. Thanks for a wonderfull stay

The good...
Stayed for 3 days and 2 nights only. Family of 4, together with my sister and brother-in-law. The hotel was very nice. The first bedroom has a king size bed and second has 2 full-size bed. Outside there's a sleeper sofa too. Both bedrooms had their own bathrooms, plus their own whirlpool tubs. The bathrooms had sinks inside and there are sinks outside where the whirlpool tubs are. Plenty of drawers and closets. 3 TVs, one huge plasma outside, then each bedroom has a TV. Nice size kitchen with all the pots, plates, utensils, etc you need. They even provide you with a starter kit, which has coffee, cleaning products, etc. They have a washer an dryer too. Just perfect really.

We booked via hotel, which cost an arm and a leg. We got the last unit available, which is at the farthest building from the beach. Even then, the walk was okay. Even the 7 year old who usually complains was fine with the walk.

The bad...
There were minor issues, not enough to prevent us from going back. There's a gate before your car can enter the area and the cards that they gave us sometimes would need to be swiped several times. We had 3 cards and all were the same, we just kept swiping all 3. Too lazy to go back and ask them to replace the cards. Also, since we booked via the hotel on a nightly basis, the cleaning should have been included. But when I specifically asked the front desk, they said it's not included. Funny part is they eventually called us to inquire when is a good time for housekeeping to clean. We had washed all the towels at this point, so really did not need housekeeping anymore.

Another thing that we did not like and has nothing to do with the hotel was that the waves were too rough. Not sure if it's because we went later in August, or perhaps there was some storm coming. The waves became so huge and rough that at one point it knocked down all of us. We decided to get out and enjoy the pool instead. The pool is plain with some waterfalls and a sloping entryway. It was okay until some lady decided to put beach chairs on the sloping entryway and she and her sister chatted away. I was waiting for some hotel staff to say something but nobody did.

My wife and our three children (13, 10, and 7) recently spent a week at the Barony Beach and loved it! We had an ocean-front, fourth-floor suite (five story building), which provided spectacular sunrises, sunsets, and starry skies. We slept with the sliding doors open every night and loved the sounds of the waves.

The room was very large (app. 1300 square feet), and had just been refurbished with new carpet, furnishings, beds, etc. It was spectacular and clean, clean, clean!

If you go, rent bikes for the week, as it is tremendous fun to ride up and down the beach in the early morning, Also, the Barony had lots of programming for the kids, including movies by the pool at night on a giant screen TV. The exercise room was quite nice. (Joggers might not need the exercise room at all because the sand on the beach is compact, solid, and very easy for a long run.) Overall, the resort was almost perfect.

We have only two mild criticisms. First, the pools were not attended to on Thanksgiving and the following day. I would chalk it up to a shortage of staff on the holidays, and it was not a big deal. Note that only two pools are heated -- the indoor pool and the adjacent outdoor pool.

Second, folks who are interested in an ocean front view should consider where their building is in relation to the entire property, and specifically the Westin Hotel. The hotel fans are quite loud and for some (though not us) would be bothersome. Also, although the cleaning crew was very thorough and nice, we noted that our rooms usually weren't touched until 4 pm or later. Maybe this was due to Thanksgiving, and we didn't really care, but if you are expecting your room clean by early afternoon, then make certain the staff is aware of your expectation.

Thanksgiving Day found the beach full of families having a wonderful holiday -- it's easy to see why families come here year after year.