Sumer and Winter Vacations in Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach is a town with a variety of activities. The beach is really nice, although not as wide and white as some destinations in Florida.

Myrtle Beach has two nice outlet malls with a variety of shops, including some of my favorites, like Carters, Stride Rite, and Polo. They also have a huge number of golf courses. There is a large variety of restaurants around the area. The area has mini golf, music shows, and an aquarium. We visited the aquarium on our last trip to Myrtle Beach, and the entire family enjoyed watching all the different fish and exhibits.

I have visited Myrtle Beach twice. The first trip was in July and the second trip in February. The weather was not so great either trip. In July it was cloudy and rainy almost every day we were there. I had planned to spend lots of time on the beach and in the sun and was not able to due to the weather. The second trip was pretty cold, but we knew it would be before we went. We were offered a free trip in exchange for my husband singing at a turkey convention and a restaurant, so we went anyway.

During the summer vacation, we stayed at the Holiday Inn on the beach. I would not recommend this. The location was not good to me. The hotel was directly on the beach, but across the street was an amusement park with rides and then a strip through town that was like a fair midway. It was not the relaxing beach trip I was looking for. I also did not feel as safe and secure as I probably would have if the amusement park wouldn’t have been there.

The second trip was a condo in a more secluded area. We stayed at the Myrtle Beach Resort. It was next to an RV park, though. The condos and grounds were guarded and seemed really nice. The beach was not very wide in this area, though. The condo group offered several different pools indoor and outdoor, plus hot tubs and restaurants that were open during the summer. They had a play ground for the children and ponds with bridges across them and ducks swimming in the waters.

I will probably not visit Myrtle Beach again anytime soon. Florida is closer, and I like the area and beaches better.

Quick Tips:

Research the area you will be staying in. See what all is nearby and make sure you are not near the amusement park if you are looking for a quiet beach vacation.

Best Way To Get Around:

On both trips to Myrtle Beach I flew. The first trip the flights went good and did not have delays, but on the last trip we were delayed leaving and then missed our next flight, so it ended up taking us about 6 hours longer to get home than it was supposed to, which is not a good thing when you are traveling with a 1-year-old. We also rented a car both times because things are pretty spread out.

During my second trip to Myrtle Beach, I stayed in a condo called the Myrtle Beach Resort. It was in a semi-secluded area next to an RV park. The condos and grounds were guarded and seemed really nice. The beach was not very wide in this area, though. The condo group offered several different pools indoor and outdoor, plus hot tubs and restaurants that were open during the summer. They had a play ground for the children and ponds with bridges across them and ducks swimming in the waters. They also had an arcade in the building we stayed in and a weight room. I think this would be a nice resort for the summer. The building we were in was the tower building, though, and having to go back and forward from one of the top floors to the pool and beach could take a while in the summer. The building was also under construction, but I’m sure it was because we visited during their off-season. There was a lot of construction going on all over town during this trip.

We stayed in a two-bedroom, two-bath condo on the seventh floor of the tower building. They had several elevators, but getting one may be a problem during the summer since the building is so tall. The lobby and front of the building were both under construction while we were there. Our room was really nice. Our living room had a balcony that overlooked the beach and ocean. The furniture in there was really nice, and there was a nice television. Then there was a small kitchen with all the appliances, but the appliances were a little dated. There was a bedroom and bathroom on both sides of the living area. There was also a dining area connected to the living area. The master bathroom had a queen bed, closet, and nice-sized television. The master bathroom was rather small. The second bedroom had two queen-size beds and a nice closet. Then the second bath was also pretty small. There was not a washer and dryer in the room, but a Laundromat on the first floor.

We could walk out of our building and follow boardwalks directly to the beach. I’m not sure what all there is to offer on the beach since we were there during the winter. If I visited the area again, then yes, I would be interested in these condos again.

During the summer vacation we stayed at the Holiday Inn on the beach. I would not recommend this. The location was not good to me. The hotel was directly on the beach, but across the street from the hotel was an amusement park with rides and then a strip through town that was like a fair midway. It was not the relaxing beach trip I was looking for. I also did not feel as safe and secure as I probably would have if the amusement park wouldn’t have been there.

The hotel itself was nice and clean, with plenty to offer. They had a dome with an indoor pool and also an outdoor pool. They also had a fitness center and restaurants. The rooms were clean and had the normal for a hotel. We had a balcony and plenty of room.

The hotel was located directly on the beach, and the beach offered the umbrellas, chairs, and all the beach activities you would want. We were close to mini golf and restaurants, and not too far from the airport.

We did decide to come home from this vacation a day early, and the hotel was very nice about refunding our money for the last day that we did not stay. The staff was friendly and worked with us.

I would not stay at this location again just because of where it is located.

Joe’s Crab Shack is a neat seafood restaurant in Myrtle Beach. This is a very loud and lively casual-dining experience. There is sometimes a wait for a table, but they offer a bar area to wait in. They also have music playing, and at times the servers will stop and dance and even dance on the table. It is an entertaining place to eat. This would especially be good for children to keep them entertained while waiting on a table or food. The service and food were both really good. This is a restaurant I would like to visit again sometime soon. The tables are wooden, and they have a bucket and a roll of paper towels on the table, so if you eat something with peels or that is messy you are covered.

We ate at the Hard Rock Café during our last visit to Myrtle Beach. The location is pretty good, as it is located at the Broadway on the Beach, which offers many things, including a huge number of shops and restaurants. There are also shows and the aquarium there.

The building was really neat and nice. It is shaped like a pyramid and looks really nice. The interior was clean and nice. The service and menu was not so good. We were asked for our order as soon as we were seated, and we asked for a minute to look at the menu. Well, about 20 minutes later, we finally flagged someone down and told them we were ready to place our order. The menu mostly had high-priced sandwiches. I have eaten at a Hard Rock Café in Maui, which had many different seafood plates on their menu, so I was really disappointed. The sandwich was fine, but definitely nothing special and not worth the wait or price. After placing our order, it took forever to receive our food and then another long wait for our check.

I would not recommend this restaurant. There are many better choices around the area.

Our entire family enjoyed the aquarium. When you walk in, they take your picture in form of an aquarium, which, of course, later on you view and have the option to buy. There was a Titanic exhibit when we were there, and pictures and stories told about the Titanic’s sinking. They also had a huge aquarium of very brightly colored fish. They had a show with a diver feeding the fish and another out front with us telling about all the different fish. We all really enjoyed watching them feed the fish and learning about all the different fish. There was an area where the kids could pet different sea creatures. Then there was a huge aquarium you walked through. The aquarium surrounded you, and it was like you were walking though a tunnel. This aquarium was full of sharks swimming around. This was a really next experience, seeing the shark so close but being safe at the same time. They also had a snack area and gift shop. We spent a couple hours there, and the entire family really enjoyed the time.