Overall Rating: 3.2		Program Design: 3		5
Accommodations: 3		Activities/Services: 3
Staff: 3		Cost: 4

Overall Rating: 3.2

Hilton Head Health Institute is a nice place to relax, take in some exercise classes & lectures, take a bike ride or walk on the beach.

Program Design: 3

This is another one size fits all program, where you basically decide what you want to do from the existing schedule. Everyone is on the same calorie base as well. The testing here is dated. Microfit is not an accurate way to test fitness levels, and in my opinion was a huge waste of money. The metabolic assessment is also not with the times. The information from the testing is strictly for your knowledge also, and is not applied during your stay here, meaning, there is no program design utilizing the testing. However they did do a blood test both at the beginning and at the end of your stay to assess cholesterol, etc and took blood pressure, so that was reassuring. There was no one-on-one nutrition or therapy sessions, no coaching, the information was just dated.

Accommodations: 3

The Facility itself is nice, with large open areas, and a really nice eating area for meals, nice conference areas for workshops, etc, however the fitness equipment here is outdated and the gym area is the smallest room in the whole place. No state of the art equipment here! The living accommodations are privately owned residences that are leased by Hilton Head on your behalf, so they vary as far as theamenities of each one. My lodging was very dated and worn, although clean. No high tech gadgetry here. Think, Old school TV’s with Rabbit ear antenna. All residences are connected by walking/biking path and are within 2 miles of the main facility. You have to walk back to your room after dinner in the dark too, so hopefully you don’t get placed in one of the farthest one’s. I was scared an alligator was going to get me (I did see a few on my morning walk, maybe that’s how they get you to run faster).

Activities/Services: 3

The fitness classes are rotated every other day, so there really isn’t a very large list to choose from, your other option is to go on a bike ride or walk on your own. I wouldn’t call this place a very good fat farm. I found the classes to be in general also pretty dated. The feel of the classes generally comes from the instructor, and a couple of them reminded me of 80’s jazzercise instructors. The classes are also pretty repetitive, so I wouldn’t recommend a long-term stay here, as you will have been there, done that. You can get a massage, but there really weren’t any other spa options available, and the meal plan is 1200 calories for everyone, so if you are a 250+ lb person, you will be hungry! No customization here. The lectures are informative, but again, they are repeated on a two-week cycle. There is only 1 personal trainer on staff, so as you can guess, advanced fitness is not a key element here.

Staff: 3

The front desk staff here were very nice, and helpful and ran the place very efficiently it seemed. They do have that part down. However I feel that the staff needs to embrace new ideas and new scientific knowledge to really reach those of us who want a program that is scientifically based. Teaching that the food pyramid (a new food pyramid is coming out this year) is a good gage of nutrition for individuals of all ages and health conditions, is not in my opinion up to date and helpful. We learned about this in grade school for goodness sakes. The fitness staff was very small, there were some good instructors and some bad, just not enough. Also, the website indicates like 15 professionals, and all the lectures that were given were from one therapist and the program director. There wasn’t a nutritionist that I could see, there weren’t any lectures from a fitness professional on working out or motivation, etc. There was one girl who signed up for 2 weeks of the program and never left her room except to go to the local grocery store to buygroceries and cook her own food in her apartment. I’m not saying that the staff is responsible. You will find these people at every place you go to, what I’m saying is that the staff would never even know because once you’ve checked in, it’s all up to you. No “family” vibe was felt by me here.

Cost: 4

The cost for the program here is relatively inexpensive, however fees do add up as you add on extra services. 7 Night stay $2,500 Metabolic assessment $100 3 Personal Training sessions $240 Microfit Fitness Assessment $100 Exercise Prescription $100 3 Cardio Tennis Classes ($45 each) $135 Bike Rental $35 2 Massages $240 Shuttle to/from Savannah airport $150 Grand Total: $3,600 WEATHER: While not Sunny and 70’s all year round, the temperatures are pretty nice in spring/summer/fall and although brisk in the winter, if you bundle up you can still enjoy the outdoors.