Independent Living Hilton Head Island: 5 Communities
The five independent living communities on Hilton Head Island: two you rent by the month, and three continuing care communities with a health center on site.
Independent Living for Rent, With No Entrance Fee
421 Squire Pope Rd, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926
A rental community on the water at the north end with no buy-in fee: apartments and the waterfront Villas, with assisted living brought to residents in their own apartment.
110 Gardner Dr, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926
Independent-living apartments rented by the month, with dining and activities on site, off Gardner Drive near Main Street.
The Bayshore is on Squire Pope Road at the north end, looking across Skull Creek. Besides its apartment building it has The Villas, free-standing patio homes on the Intracoastal Waterway. If a resident needs help later, The Bayshore brings assisted-living care to their own apartment, at four levels, so they don’t have to move.
Holiday Indigo Pines on Gardner Drive is a rental apartment community with dining and activities on site. It offers independent living only, so a resident who needs daily care moves elsewhere: see assisted living on Hilton Head.
Independent Living at a Continuing Care Community
700 Tidepointe Way, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
A continuing care community run by Vi on Broad Creek: apartments and cottages for independent living, with assisted living and skilled nursing at Broad Creek Care Center on campus.
20 Ladyslipper Ln, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926
A life plan community on 100 acres in Hilton Head Plantation where residents own their homes, with The Preston Health Center on campus for nursing, rehab and memory care.
300 Woodhaven Dr, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
A nonprofit continuing care community founded in 1982, near Sea Pines Circle, with apartments for independent living and Fraser Health Center on campus.
TidePointe, The Cypress and The Seabrook are continuing care retirement communities. Residents start in independent living and have a health center on the same campus for assisted living, nursing or memory care later. TidePointe charges an entrance fee, at The Cypress you buy your home, and The Seabrook sets its own terms. The contracts are compared on the Hilton Head CCRC page.
Rent or Entrance Fee: How to Choose
Renting at The Bayshore or Indigo Pines keeps your capital free and lets you leave on a month’s notice. Care later is either brought to you (The Bayshore) or found elsewhere (Indigo Pines).
A continuing care community costs more up front, and in return the care you may need later is already arranged on the same campus, usually with priority for residents.
If you want a house in a 55-plus neighborhood rather than a senior-living community, look at Sun City Hilton Head and Latitude Margaritaville, just across the bridges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there independent living on Hilton Head Island without an entrance fee?
Yes. The Bayshore on Squire Pope Road and Holiday Indigo Pines on Gardner Drive both rent by the month with no buy-in. TidePointe charges an entrance fee, and at The Cypress you buy your home.
Can you get assisted living in an independent living apartment on Hilton Head?
At The Bayshore, yes: it delivers four levels of assisted-living care in the resident’s own independent-living apartment. At TidePointe, The Cypress and The Seabrook, more care is given in the campus health center.
Keep exploring
Memory care on Hilton Head Island: Harbor Cove, The Pines, the Preston and Fraser health centers, and the Memory Matters day program.
The Cypress of Hilton Head: a life plan community inside Hilton Head Plantation where residents own their homes, with The Preston Health Center on campus.
The Seabrook of Hilton Head: the island's nonprofit continuing care community near Sea Pines Circle since 1982, with Fraser Health Center on campus.
The Bayshore on Hilton Head Island: rental independent living on Skull Creek with waterfront villas and assisted living in your own apartment, no buy-in.
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