We always strive to have your pool fully heated and ready the moment you arrive! To ensure this, we ask that you request pool heat at least one week prior to your check-in. Because it takes 24 to 48 hours to heat thousands of gallons of water, last-minute requests may result in the pool still coming up to temperature during your first day. In the rare event of a mechanical issue with a heater, we will communicate with you immediately and happily refund or adjust your pool heating fees for any downtime.

Honestly, we usually don’t recommend it from late December through early February. During the peak of winter, overnight temperatures in Hilton Head can dip into the 30s and 40s. Because our pools are uncovered, the heaters have to run constantly to fight the cold air and maintain 86 degrees. Between the high cost of propane required and the chilly air temperature when you get out of the water, most guests find it isn’t worth the investment.

Our standard target temperature is 86°F for pools and 102°F for spas. If you prefer a warmer pool, we can often accommodate higher temperatures for an additional fee to cover the extra propane. Just shoot our team an email prior to your stay, and we can provide a custom quote!

Thanks to Hilton Head’s beautiful semi-tropical climate, the summer sun naturally keeps our pools perfectly heated between the mid-80s and low-90s! On very rare occasions, an unusual cold snap or heavy summer rainstorm can temporarily drive water temperatures down. If that happens during your stay, just reach out to us and we can coordinate paid pool heating on a case-by-case basis.

Yes! We offer flexible options for guests enjoying longer winter stays. If you have family visiting for a specific week, we can easily turn the heat on just for that week. Alternatively, we offer a consumption-based model where we take a deposit, track the actual propane used, and allow you to enable or disable the heater. However, please keep in mind that the initial heat-up uses the most propane and takes 1 to 2 days, so we don’t allow toggling it on and off very single day.

Most of our homes feature a pool and spa that share the same plumbing and heating system. When the system is in normal mode (and you’ve paid for pool heat), both the pool and spa circulate at 86°F. When you are ready to use the spa, you simply use the spa-side remote to switch into “Spa Mode.” This isolates the spa’s water and redirects all the heat there. It typically takes about 30 minutes to reach 102°F if the pool is already heated, or 45 to 60 minutes in the winter if the pool is unheated. (Note: Homes with standalone spas, like Barefoot Bungalow, operate independently).