Hilton Head Island's luxury communities rank among the best in the world for luxury living, vacation rentals, golf, and tennis. Hilton Head Island didn't have any of these neighborhoods until 1956, when Charles Fraser started Sea Pines; and since then, the island has experienced incredible population and economical explosions! Plantations now cover approximately 50% of the Island.  Housing arrangements vary among single-family homes, multi-family buildings, resorts, villas, and condos (it's easy to confuse villas and condominiums, but remember that villas tend to rent out to vacationers whereas condos are residential). 
    Keep in mind when looking for real estate here that prices do not always reflect the lot's acreage.  Instead, prices are calculated by considering the property's view, amenities, community, and surrounding real estate values.
    Of the 11 communities, all but one (Spanish Wells) have security gates.  Sea Pines Resort is the oldest and largest at over 5,000 acres; the next closest community in size is only slightly smaller, Hilton Head Plantation.  The smallest plantation is Windmill Harbour at less than 200 acres, but it has a great location: the first plantation off the bridge to the mainland. 
    Tennis and golf are two of the most popular attractions for Hilton Head Island, followed closely by boating, fishing, and water sports.  Many of Hilton Head Island’s plantation communities have earned reputations for excellence in such activities.  For example, Sea Pines annually hosts the Heritage golf tournament and Palmetto Dunes’ Disney Resort attracts thousands of families each year.  Shipyard contains the elite Van der Meer tennis facility and Stan Smith directs the Sea Pines Racquet Club.  Wexford, Indigo Run, Hilton Head Plantation, and Windmill Harbour attract boaters (Wexford and Windmill Harbour offer sophisticated lock-system technology), while Daufuskie Island—a nearby island full of history—and Shipyard plantation offer more privacy and less traffic. 
    Some of the communities, such as Palmetto Hall and Long Cove Club, are strictly residential but other plantations like Palmetto Dunes (home of the Hyatt, Hilton, Disney, and Marriott) offer world-class resort accommodations.  Hilton Head Plantation alone has an award-winning residential complex strictly for senior citizens.  While each of Hilton Head Island's plantation communities offers something unique, together they create a charming destination where every visitor and native can find a niche.