Palmetto Dunes: Upscale improvements

Travel + Leisure Family magazine recently ranked Palmetto Dunes on Hilton Head Island as the top family resort in the United States and Canada.

With three miles of beaches, 11 miles of lagoons, extensive pathways, three championship golf courses and a world-class tennis center, it's a pretty nice place to live, too. Ongoing improvements throughout the more than 2,000-acre property demonstrate a commitment to stay up-to-date in today's resort and residential marketplace.

Phil Schembra, broker-in-charge of Schembra Realty Company, Palmetto Dunes property owner and investor in the Hilton Oceanfront Resort summed up the challenge this way: "Everyone's objective is to make Palmetto Dunes the best it can possibly be. Being on the forefront of improvements means we keep our upscale vacationers and can sell our homes for more money. Today's guests are tomorrow's owners, and success begets success. We all win," he said.

CHANGING PROFILES

Greenwood Development Corporation acquired Palmetto Dunes in 1979, and the next year the company created the deep-water marina at Shelter Cove to anchor a mixed-use community of shops, offices and diverse residential properties.

Today, the company is known as Greenwood Communities and Resorts, and is responsible for resort and commercial operations in Palmetto Dunes and Shelter Cove Harbour. It's a role that evolves as the profile of the Palmetto Dunes vacationer shifts.

"For 10 to 20 years we have been known primarily as a golf and tennis destination," said Bret Martin, Greenwood's vice president of resort operations at Palmetto Dunes. "Now we are recognized more as a family, beach destination. Today's guests are interested in having new learning and cultural experiences, relaxing and participating in a variety of physical activities."

To offer guests better service, the company recently assumed Palmetto Dunes' accommodations operations, hired vacation planners and on-site concierges, and launched a new Web site, www.palmettodunes.com. It allows online booking for accommodations and golf, and soon will be able to bundle accommodations and activities (such as surf lessons and a shark fishing trip) into a single, online itinerary.

"When our software is complete, it will be an industry first," Martin said. "Our visitors won't have to hunt and find what they want to do when they get here. They can book it, know what it costs, and come ready to enjoy their entire vacation experience."

WHAT'S NEW IN 2009?

Greenwood recently updated Palmetto Dunes' logo (now a sun with palm trees) and will present new programs in 2009. Martin said an art festival featuring nationally touring artwork will take place over Memorial Day weekend and the Seafood, Jazz & Brew Festival will be Sept. 12-13. HarbourFest will continue for the 26th year, and the renovated Dunes House has reopened as a casual, beach-side dining option for Palmetto Dunes property owners and guests. Check www.palmettodunes.com for hours and entertainment.

UPGRADES AND DINING OPTIONS

Palmetto Dunes' newest restaurant is HH Prime Steakhouse, located in the space that used to house the Regatta Lounge, in the Hilton Oceanfront Resort. Together with the trendy, new XO night-club, these extensive renovations are the ongoing work of the investors who own the 324-room condominium hotel.

During the past four years, the owners have completed major upgrades to the hotel rooms and created Ocean Tides Spa and a work-out facility, Schembra said. He said the Palmetto Market will also re-open soon as a deli market offering cafe-style meals and a general market store.

David Sulak, director of sales and marketing for the Hilton Head Marriott Resort, said renovations totaling $27 million dollars were completed at this Palmetto Dunes luxury hotel about a year ago.

POWER OF PROPERTY OWNERS

Three years ago, the nearly 2,200 members of the Palmetto Dunes property owners association took over responsibility for the plantation's common areas and infrastructure from Greenwood Development. Since then, the association has developed short-term and long-range goals for maintaining and upgrading infrastructure, comfort and safety to allow owners and guests to live together in harmony.

POA general manager Bob Sharp said the organization spent more than one million dollars in 2008 to repair and maintain bridges and bulkheads, build a new guard gate at the North entrance and repair pathways. A lane is being added on Queen's Folly Road with a re-alignment of the bike path, and a new sign at the development's front entrance will go up soon.

In 2006, the property owners association membership approved a community enhancement fee, which is paid by buyers of any property in Palmetto Dunes into a fund used for projects to enhance the community. The fee is currently one-fourth of one percent of a property's sale price.

"We heard about it being done at Kiawah Island and felt it was the best way to provide continual improvement while having the least intrusive effect on the market and our property owners," Sharp said.