I visited the Friday before Easter and stayed to Easter Sunday. The accommodations were top notch. I had a 2 bedroom ocean view and the kids loved the full sized beds that windows opened out to the ocean view. The Master bed was so comfortable. The decor was great. The rooms were a bit narrow, and had a washer/dryer and TVs in all rooms. They had great activities for the kids from the pools, game room with pool tables-PS2 tournaments-air hockey, and more. They had Pizza Bingo, Crafts, and Easter Egg hunt that your kids could take pictures with the Easter Turtle. The check in was a breeze, and the staff were helpful. They also had really comfortable beach chairs and covered areas to relax on the beach, while your kids float on the lazy river pool.

We stayed the first week at Seawatch in Myrtle Beach and had the second reserved for Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach. We drove by Ocean Blvd. during our first week and although I had reserved the towers I quickly made a last minute change to the Cottages. One thing that I think is valuable in Myrtle Beach is on site secure parking which is sheltered. It was apparent that you could not be guaranteed this in the towers. There are at least four towers and at least one is across the street from the beach with no view. Some of the units in the four on the beach do not get a view either.

In a timeshare situation you can choose the resort but not the unit. The Cottages units were individual cottages in a neighborhood type of setting. Guests have the option of using the amenities of the Towers but with new amenities just opening up at the Cottages that will become less of a need overtime. We did go through the towers building to get to the beach and were happy that we had chosen the cottages as the resort of our choice. The units are very large. We had a three bedroom. Parking is on site of your own cottage and underneath and so somewhat sheltered. There is a Jacuzzi off the master bathroom and a pool and party area with gas grills at the end of the road. There was a store in the towers but not close enough to the cottages and I did not see a restaurant on the property. However pizza delivery made staying in and not cooking still an option. We were very comfortable and relaxed and would definitely return.

Best Things Nearby:
The beach is just across the street. There are plenty of golf courses within a 15-minute drive, and there are all types of dining options, family activities, and shops. You are 25-30 minutes from Myrtle Beach.

Best Things About the Resort:
The resort is only 1-2 years old. Definitely family-friendly, with scheduled activities. The concierge desk is very helpful in scheduling tee times, show tickets, and dinner reservations.

Resort Experience:
Fairfield at Ocean Boulevard is a new 17-story building that towers over the neighborhood, which consists of a mixture of other hotels, condos, apartments and houses in varying degrees of maintenance. However, there is clearly a development renaissance going on, as there is new construction going on everywhere (more on that below).

The building’s first three levels are the inside parking garage for guests, with the front desk attached to the first level garage. The elevators are actually off of the garage (think of a typical big city downtown hotel). The "first" floor above the parking has access to the indoor and outdoor pools and the exercise and sauna rooms. The outdoor pool is of a decent size, with a large concrete patio and plenty of lounge chairs. The condos on floors 2-14 have balconies that overlook the pool and face the ocean.

Our three-bedroom unit was large enough for all six of us to be comfortable. Upon entering you first come to a large round dining table with seating for eight. There are also two tall chairs by the counter that separated the small but full kitchen from the dining area. Immediately to your right is one full bath (with tub); to your left is a nice-sized bedroom with a king bed. The other two bedrooms are off of the dining area. The master bedroom also has a king bed and a bath with both a soaking tub and a separate shower. The other bedroom has two double beds. All bedrooms have TVs. The dining and kitchen areas lead to a rather small living room, which has a pull-out couch and three chairs. Off of the living room is the balcony that overlooks the pool. The unit is fully furnished for ten. It also has its own washer/dryer unit. Being only a couple of years old, everything is in good condition.

We had two notable negatives to the resort. First, the sound insulation is poor, particularly concerning the water pipes. When our neighbors wanted to run the water for their bath, you knew it. This was a big disappointment for such a newly constructed facility. What’s particularly interesting is that the external insulation was very good, as we rarely heard people at the pool or the construction across the street. Second, our view of the beach/ocean was limited. In part, this was because we were only on the third residence floor; I’m sure that the view improved the higher you went. HOWEVER, Fairfield purchased the property directly across the street and is constructing two new towers for additional condo units. While I’m certain that these will have awesome views because they will face the beach, they will, in essence, eliminate any views from the units in the building we were in.

Overall, if you don’t care about your view, and if you bring a small fan to block out the internal noise, this is a nice facility for your family vacation.

• Unit Type: 3 Bedroom
• Activities: Good
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Good
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Very Good

Best Things Nearby:
Beach, grocery store, shopping malls!

Best Things About the Resort:
The location, the accommodations, the exercise room, the whirlpool in the room, the indoor and outdoor jacuzzis, and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

Resort Experience:
This Fairfield is located just across from the beach. All rooms face the ocean with great views. The rooms are very spacious and extremely comfortable. The two-bedroom unit had a queen bed in the master bedroom and two double beds in the second bedroom.

The whirlpool tub was huge and relaxing. The exercise room is fully equipped and not cramped. The outdoor pool is a good size. The indoor pool is mainly for lap swimming. Both indoor and outdoor jacuzzis were nice and spacious.

I would recommend having a car because it's far from the airport.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Good
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

Best Things Nearby:
It is directly across the street from the beach.

Best Things About the Resort:
This resort has only been open for three weeks and even though the building is across the street from the beach, all units have a nice ocean view. We could even see the ocean from the living room of our unit.

Resort Experience:
We stayed on the eighth floor in a three-bedroom unit. Our unit had a terrific view of the ocean and pool. All units face the ocean and the only units where you probably could not see the ocean would be the first two floors because they are low. When you walk into the unit, to the right is a bathroom and the closet where the washer/dryer are located. The first bedroom is to the left and then the dining area which has a very large round table and chairs. The kitchen is a little bit smaller than some of the other Fairfield resorts, but is very well equipped with dishwasher, garbage disposal, coffee maker, microwave, stove, refrigerator with ice maker, etc. The living room, kitchen, and dining area are all one large open area and just off that are the master bedroom and the third bedroom. The master bedroom has a king bed and bath with jacuzzi tub and separate shower. One of the two bedrooms has two double beds and the third bedroom has either a queen or king bed. There is a sofa bed in the living room. The balcony is off of the living room and had three chairs and two tables.

• Unit Type: 3 Bedroom
• Activities: Good
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent