What a great sunny winter day go to meet at the “Salty Dog” café and outdoor bar – one of Hilton Head’s most famous spots. And another great day vacay in Sea Pines Resort, S.C – the South Beach Marina Village.

When a sunny December day comes my way, I pop in my SUV and pay the $6 entry fee to get access to the resort for a day vacay. With my new home, I am only 15 minutes away, so it has become a weekly adventure to relax and reflect around at the resort.

This Resort Girl also needed a cool sweatshirt, so went to the Salty Dog store at the Marina. www.saltydog.com

They have a great selection of fun resort-themed apparel, hats and huggies, many of which feature the Salty Dog’s famous mascot, Jake the Dog. When visiting a store, I always ask about the top sellers to keep Resort Girls in the know. This time one is a new item and so cute – Salty Dog socks. They have paw prints on the bottom of each foot! What a conversation piece – and young RGs will love them as well.

After a little shopping, this Resort Girl was off on her next adventure – a sunshine-lit walk on the Marina Village boardwalk, visiting the shops and discovering water opportunities.

The brochure said the marina offers rentals for waverunners, kayaks and paddle boards. There are also many fishing opportunities as well as bike rentals. I have ridden my bike so many times from South Beach (there is an excellent and safe bike trail for the entire family.)

There is no beach parking there, so beware, but the Village offers a quaint Inn and condo accommodations around the area. www.SBInn.com

This breathtaking part of the Sea Pines is called the Calibogue Sound—a coastal inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. Here you can see the Harbour Town lighthouse from the end of the beach and also Daufuskie Island across the sound.

And when this relaxing day ended, I was joined by a local seagull on my walk back on the boardwalk – it was a sunny and memorable Resort Girl December day beach vacay!

Want extra perks, extra services, and upgrades galore – and sometimes even the whole place to yourself? Travel in the off season.

Today, I ventured to one of my favorite spots on the island, and I pretty much had the spot to myself. Some may find this a bit lonely… others may find it heavenly. I am one of those who enjoy the peacefulness of winter beach days.

That is the nature of resorts… they run in seasons, just as nature does. The spring and summer are abundant with buds, bees, and beautiful blooming trees AND packed coastal resorts. Everyone is ready to shed their winter gear and chill out in the sunshine.

But in December, the birds remain at the ocean, and those 70 degree temperatures make many days a glorious day in the sunshine. Today was such a day as I walked on the beach.

Don’t get me wrong, I love winter resorts as they offer some really cool adventures (which I will be sharing this winter.) I don’t shy away from them, even though I love the warm weather resorts.

You may have to wear a light sweater over your suit, but it is a delight to be sunlight and walk barefoot on the sand, Resort Girls – just like the tiny birds!

Many of your favorite sunny spots may be closed, but others remain open, and they will take extra care of you… and remember you when the crowds come once again!

To me, there is something cozy about seeing the sunset at the ocean while bundled up around a bonfire, or having a party at your resort clubhouse deck around an outdoor blazing fireplace heating up all the fun. It makes the crowds come closer and the conversations too.

And many times, the chefs will treat you to something extra special, Resort Girls. The off-season gives them time to make it up JUST for you! From past experience, I can tell you this holds true for me!

So, walk with the winter birds this winter Resort Girls and write your name in the sand….

What’s it like to play like a PGA Pro? I’m not sure about that, but I did get to experience what it’s to relax like one.

As I was finishing my breakfast, Megan the hostess at the Harbour Town Links, invited me to a private tour of the (now fully operational) men’s locker room. If you play the historic Harbour Town course at Sea Pines Resort in S.C., both men and women get access to the beautifully renovated new Clubhouse — and locker rooms.

As blogged earlier, I got to sneak into the men’s locker rooms after hours. But this time, I got to live the life of a PGA Tour Pro – for 15 minutes. Many thanks to Mr. Dave Thompson, one of the many who run this impressive relaxation area, for letting this Resort Girl experience it – and boy is it the man cave of all man caves!

First, the view is spectacular from the second story deck overlooking the fairways, putting green and driving range.

That’s what the pros are here for, as well as the everyday golfers… to enjoy the historic Harbour Town golf course. I played it long ago when I lived at Sea Pines. In fact, Sea Pines is where I first took up the game of golf and got my first lesson.

But today, I was Resort “Guy” relaxing. First, Mr. Thompson showed me the delicious menu offered in the locker room featuring everything from delicious chicken wings and bison sliders to fried white cheddar pimento bites. Also, there are big canisters of free treats to just snack on while relaxing in the room.

While eating or just relaxing, a Resort Guy can play cards, watch the big screen TV or even have a putting contest. He could also chill with a cocktail on the rocks (or whatever a RG likes), watching others practice and play from the impressive second story deck.

Resort Guys can relax like Resort Girls do in our spas, in a comfy white robe after showering in some pretty impressive marble showers. The most spectacular place for some relaxation and rest is in the impressive sauna. The blue tiles and manly size makes it a pretty awesome site for the eyes and, I think, for the body too… but remember I am a Resort Girl, so will have to just imagine that experience.

It was fun imagining I was a PGA Tour Pro for the day! Mr. Thompson and the entire team at Harbour Town made it an experience for even the amateur Resort Guy golfer.

I am just not sure which PGA Pro locker I would like to imagine using….and, you know, it was not much different than being a Resort Girl amateur player for the day on this beautiful golf course and relaxing in the awesome women’s locker room.

Hasn’t every Resort Girl desired to be mermaid at one time in her life or another?

One of my favorite places as a little girl was sitting on the bottom of our clear, blue-watered pool and having tea with my make-believe underwater friends. It was my personal quiet place – the water was my calm cocoon.

There is something about looking up and seeing the maze of waves with sunlight streaking through as your view. To this day, one of my favorite things to do is be the first person to break the tranquil surface of our community pool, then be a mermaid and dive deep below to the bottom.

Once at the bottom, I relished the sensation of looking up to the sunlight – just as I did as a little girl – a water baby. If you haven’t already, you should try being the first to do this. It’s also nice to have the pool to yourself, so your surroundings are as calm as the waters.

Mermaids, with the allure of their fish tails emerging from human torsos and long flowing locks, have played a role in many mystical and romantic tales. What woman does not want to swim under the sea with all of the glorious sea creations and creatures? Being one with nature brings out the beauty in all things.

All Resort Girls have their own unique beauty… as beauty comes in so many forms. Each Resort Girl has a mystical mermaid that resides inside of her:

Her beauty glides
Alongside
The creatures of the sea
With ease and grace
In a cherished place
Of peace and tranquility

Let your beauty glide with the tides, Resort Girls. Be a mermaid for a day or two and relax in your place of tranquility among the creatures of the sea.

From sports and travel mates to coaches and resort and hotel associates – your RG team partners make your life beautiful, Resort Girl.

There are many famous sporting partners. The first that come to mind are famous golfers and their caddies. Then, many doubles who are victorious on the courts, grass or clay. These sports professionals’ skills complement each other and their minds work in balance and conjunction. As the saying goes, two minds are better than one. And now, when you add technology, there are those emerging winning equipment partnerships too.

As I was researching famous sports partnerships, I noticed that about 75% of them were among males. It made me wonder, “Is it the same in sports as business, that women are lagging in legendary sporting partnerships? If so, why?” It could be that the women’s sports field is still an emerging industry. Women now have more time to enjoy the sporting life with advances in technology at home, flexible work schedules and more time to enjoy retirement.

But still, as Resort Girls, we are pioneers – forging our way into new territories while building our RG lifestyle. We are forming our RG partnerships with other women, coaches, clubs and resorts.

Resort Guys have it down from years of locker room talk and sporting celebrations and outings which began when they were in high school! But as women, we are, in many ways, entrepreneurs forming our own ways of enjoying the sporting and resort life.

Below are some beautiful ideas to get you started:

• Relax with a Resort Girl on a remote island or beach hideaway just to get away from the modern day noise.
• Reflect during a mountain yoga retreat on your next “what” in life.
• Recharge with your tennis and golf partners by forming seasonal outings around the country – and perhaps the world – to experience the best course and court conditions.

Each of these adventures may require a set of partners, ranging from your favorite hotel and resort hangouts to skilled coaches. And, of course, you always need your RG BFs, who enhance your life and are compatible sports and travel mates.

These are the Resort Girls who help you relax, reflect and recharge. They do not drain your batteries but recharge you. They compete on, but not off, the courts. And they always are your best cheerleaders and, sometimes, coaches.

Seek out your Resort Girl partners to form legendary and supportive relationships. Think of the “Who” in your Perfect Life Plan and share this post with them. You can also share travel pictures to show how you are relaxing, reflecting and recharging with the hashtag #ResortGirl.