There is nothing like the sandy beaches of barrier islands, and Hilton Head is one of the best. Also, I don't like high-rise resorts and the congestion that comes with them.
I love to relax and get away from it all. Lying on a beach simply takes me to another place. But there is also a lot to see at the beaches: sailboats; parasailing; sand dollars (feel for them with your toes); star fish; and horse-shoe crabs. (Parasailing is a real kick, if you are the adventurous type.)
Egret Point is just about the perfect get-away. If you are a golfer, it is next to a golf course. Shipyard Plantation has a wonderful network of paved bike paths, one of which leads right up to Egret Point. After a nice evening dinner, my wife and I love biking around looking for alligators or caimans.
My family also loves going to the follie (a sort of brackish or salt-water marsh) to fish or crab. We catch blue crabs and we eat them, but the fun is in the catching and experience of nature's beauty. I also like to use a cast net to catch small fish, shrimp, and some places the occasional oyster.
Hilton Head has a spectacular array of restaurants (and shops). I like informal places with great food, and my favorite is the Sea Shack. A great place for breakfast is Signey's, which I think is my wife's favorite. Hilton Head is located in South Carolina's "low country," which features unique dishes emphasizing seafood.
To keep costs down, we also cook a lot in our Egret Point villa. It has a full kitchen and there are gas grills outside for cooking steaks or shrimp slathered with pesto (another favorite of mine).
If you want to add a little history to your vacation, try a day trip to either Charleston or Savannah. Both are gorgeous, but they are also quite different in layout and architecture. Charleston was where the Civil War began, and you might want to take a harbor tour by boat. It will take you to the island where there was a Union fort, commanded by Abner Doubleday (of baseball fame).