Trip help: Myrtle Beach

[big a]

Hey Guys, I'm trying to plan a vacation for the wife and I to Myrtle Beach and had a couple questions for any locals or anyone that goes there often. I plan to call some places to ask the same questions but always like to get first hand experience if I can. I plan to do a night or two on the beach than maybe the remaining 5 days at broadway on the beach.

1. Has anyone ever stayed at the Fairfield or Holiday inn at broadway on the beach? If so, was it an easy walk from the hotel and any feedback?

2. What places have you stayed on the beach and would you recommend them?

3. Being our first trip I have had to plan, is there any tricks to getting the best rates? I have been looking at the big online sites and plan to call after i have firm resorts and dates.

Any help would be great. Thanks in advance guys.

[jjirons69]

Andrew, I was born and raised about 35 miles from MB. Not a lot of hotel experience, but the optimum place would be on the beach side of Ocean Blvd. You can easily walk to the beach from there. Anything on the far side of Highway 17 would not be advisable, as there are 6-8 lanes of busy traffic and usually 3-5 blocks of walking. There are tons of nice places to stay, just search around on the web for discounts and reviews. There are tons of golf courses and you should drive up to N Myrtle Beach to Nick's Cigars right off highway 17. Also, go south to Murrells Inlet for some great seafood fare. Have a blast!

[shilala]

Andrew, if you head down south a bit to Litchfield/Pawley's Island, it's missing the zoo atmosphere and is downright enjoyable. The beach population is thin enough to where it's perfect. Tons of room for everyone.
There's easy access to run up to Murrell's Inlet, which is downright cool. You can always run up the coast and thrust yourself into the human zoo any time you want, it's not a big drive.
The prices of food and lodging are much better, and you can find a really nice room on the beach for under a hundred bucks a day. It's quiet, you can dig the wildlife and grass flats, and avoid the brain-numbing bustle of Myrtle Beach proper.

It depends what you like, I suppose. Myself, I wouldn't do it any other way. My buddy takes the kids up north and they seem to like that, but he's not tried it down south yet. I've seen his beach pics and I'd be a nervous wreck, afraid to lose the kids.
The two places aren't far apart, but they really are two whole different worlds.

[Conch Republican]

Originally Posted by shilala

Andrew, if you head down south a bit to Litchfield/Pawley's Island, it's missing the zoo atmosphere and is downright enjoyable. The beach population is thin enough to where it's perfect. Tons of room for everyone.
There's easy access to run up to Murrell's Inlet, which is downright cool. You can always run up the coast and thrust yourself into the human zoo any time you want, it's not a big drive.
The prices of food and lodging are much better, and you can find a really nice room on the beach for under a hundred bucks a day. It's quiet, you can dig the wildlife and grass flats, and avoid the brain-numbing bustle of Myrtle Beach proper.

It depends what you like, I suppose. Myself, I wouldn't do it any other way. My buddy takes the kids up north and they seem to like that, but he's not tried it down south yet. I've seen his beach pics and I'd be a nervous wreck, afraid to lose the kids.
The two places aren't far apart, but they really are two whole different worlds.

Maybe he WANTS to lose the kids Scott!

[the jiggler]

I would recommend Frank's Outback to eat at. It's in Pawley's Island which is about 20 - 30 minutes south of MB. It's the bomb. Inside is more formal. Eat out back under the heaters if you can. Call for reservations as early as possible. You will not be disappointed.

http://franksandoutback.com/

[the jiggler]

Also, I would say go to Charleston for a day. Do one of the buggy tours. Go to Market Street Sweets and get a Praline. They are to die for. It's about an hour drive south.

[mkarnold1]

Originally Posted by the jiggler

Also, I would say go to Charleston for a day. Do one of the buggy tours. Go to Market Street Sweets and get a Praline. They are to die for. It's about an hour drive south.

This is good advice. Charleston is a cool city. I was in Myrtle Beach in November and we made two trips down to Charleston. Hit Lianos Dos Palmas if you do head down there.

[the jiggler]

All you can eat seafood buffet in Murrels Inlet is also recommended. Couple different places to choose from. Heads up, Murrell's rhymes with "Earl's" in the local parlance. Don't want you to sound like to much of a damn yankee.

[OLS]

I also like Scott's idea about staying a bit further south, IF you are going to the BEACH.
If you want to go into the madness that IS fifty kinds of minigolf, and whatever else there
is now, use it as an event, a reward for good behavior, something you can turn off when
you are ready. If you stay in it, you will BE in it. If you stay down the strand, you still
get a great beach, and if you get bored, you can drive into MB and let the kids tire them-
selves out for a half a day and then get back to normalcy down the beach. Not as much
choice down there, but the choices you do have are better. You'd be surprised how kids
can settle into beach life without the distractions and expense of go-karts. A mask and
snorkel, a bucket and sunglasses....done deal. All day fun.

[YankeeMan]

Really cool cigar bar at Broadway. I think it's called the Blarney Stone. It has a cigar and martini bar upstairs and usually has live music downstairs which you can hear in the cigar bar.

[hammondc]

Originally Posted by YankeeMan

Really cool cigar bar at Broadway. I think it's called the Blarney Stone. It has a cigar and martini bar upstairs and usually has live music downstairs which you can hear in the cigar bar.

Yep. One of the better spots on the whole Grand Strand.

[big a]

Originally Posted by shilala

Andrew, if you head down south a bit to Litchfield/Pawley's Island, it's missing the zoo atmosphere and is downright enjoyable. The beach population is thin enough to where it's perfect. Tons of room for everyone.
There's easy access to run up to Murrell's Inlet, which is downright cool. You can always run up the coast and thrust yourself into the human zoo any time you want, it's not a big drive.
The prices of food and lodging are much better, and you can find a really nice room on the beach for under a hundred bucks a day. It's quiet, you can dig the wildlife and grass flats, and avoid the brain-numbing bustle of Myrtle Beach proper.

It depends what you like, I suppose. Myself, I wouldn't do it any other way. My buddy takes the kids up north and they seem to like that, but he's not tried it down south yet. I've seen his beach pics and I'd be a nervous wreck, afraid to lose the kids.
The two places aren't far apart, but they really are two whole different worlds.

Thanks Scott I will have to look this up when I get home. How is the environment there for 25 year olds without kids? We do enjoy relaxing on the beach but would also like somewhat of a bar/ night life scene. I should have stated that we do not have any kids so that might change some opinions. We went to Myrtle Beach for our honeymoon a couple of Mays ago and really enjoyed it. We stayed off the beach at my uncles time share at the Sheraton resort. During the end of our stay was biker week so i have seen that place get crazy. We plan to go around the end of August so it will be toward the end of the season and not quite as busy(we hope).

We are not huge beach fans, we like to go and watch and get in for a couple minutes at a time. We found that there were plenty of public beach locations between north myrtle and the main part. This is part of the reason we only want to stay on the beach a night or two. The wife really liked Broadway on the beach as we could go to one spot and do lots of different activities. We like the idea of being able to walk over to see a movie, putt-putt, eat dinner and have a couple drinks than walk back to the room.

Originally Posted by the jiggler

Also, I would say go to Charleston for a day. Do one of the buggy tours. Go to Market Street Sweets and get a Praline. They are to die for. It's about an hour drive south.

Thanks for the tip, I will have to research this a little more and see if we might make the trip.

[shark]

Maybe you'd like this, maybe not:


http://www.brookgreen.org/


I found it interesting, in any case.

[OLS]

Hell if you have no kids and are not a fan of the beach, get your a55 down to New Orleans.
THAT'S the place to be. There is so much to see and do down there that has nothing to do
with drinking. Perfect weather here in a bit, not going to be warm per se until maybe the end of April,
but it sounds like you might be trying to force fit a vacation period into a vacation spot.
OK, sure, February is going to be a tough month for lodging cost with the Super Bowl and
Mardi Gras rubbing right against one another with rough familiarity, but think about it.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by big a

Thanks Scott I will have to look this up when I get home. How is the environment there for 25 year olds without kids? We do enjoy relaxing on the beach but would also like somewhat of a bar/ night life scene. I should have stated that we do not have any kids so that might change some opinions. We went to Myrtle Beach for our honeymoon a couple of Mays ago and really enjoyed it. We stayed off the beach at my uncles time share at the Sheraton resort. During the end of our stay was biker week so i have seen that place get crazy. We plan to go around the end of August so it will be toward the end of the season and not quite as busy(we hope).

We are not huge beach fans, we like to go and watch and get in for a couple minutes at a time. We found that there were plenty of public beach locations between north myrtle and the main part. This is part of the reason we only want to stay on the beach a night or two. The wife really liked Broadway on the beach as we could go to one spot and do lots of different activities. We like the idea of being able to walk over to see a movie, putt-putt, eat dinner and have a couple drinks than walk back to the room.



Thanks for the tip, I will have to research this a little more and see if we might make the trip.

With no kids, not into the beach so much, and at your age, I'd drop you two right smack dab in the middle of Myrtle Beach and let you have at it. You'd have so much debauchery within walking distance that you wouldn't ever have to drive, which is a major bonus if you're partying.
My wife and I went in August last year or the year before and it was 110* in the shade. Just plain staggering heat, but it was out of the ordinary from what the locals said.

I'm not sure Myrtle Beach would be my choice for a party venue, which sounds like you guys are shooting for. I'd hit Key West. You guys would be in heaven. It's a blast.
Lodging would be a bit more costly, but it's worth it.

[big a]

Originally Posted by OLS

Hell if you have no kids and are not a fan of the beach, get your a55 down to New Orleans.
THAT'S the place to be. There is so much to see and do down there that has nothing to do
with drinking. Perfect weather here in a bit, not going to be warm per se until maybe the end of April,
but it sounds like you might be trying to force fit a vacation period into a vacation spot.
OK, sure, February is going to be a tough month for lodging cost with the Super Bowl and
Mardi Gras rubbing right against one another with rough familiarity, but think about it.

I would love to go to NO at some time. I would like to try and save that for a trip that we could go to a saints game while we are there. And the wife is kinda set on Myrtle since we went there for our honeymoon.

Originally Posted by shilala

With no kids, not into the beach so much, and at your age, I'd drop you two right smack dab in the middle of Myrtle Beach and let you have at it. You'd have so much debauchery within walking distance that you wouldn't ever have to drive, which is a major bonus if you're partying.
My wife and I went in August last year or the year before and it was 110* in the shade. Just plain staggering heat, but it was out of the ordinary from what the locals said.

I'm not sure Myrtle Beach would be my choice for a party venue, which sounds like you guys are shooting for. I'd hit Key West. You guys would be in heaven. It's a blast.
Lodging would be a bit more costly, but it's worth it.

I think we are going to do a couple days smack in the middle on the beach, than do a couple nights at broadway on the beach too. Myrtle seems to give us a good mix between relaxing either at the beach or the pool by day than has some decent activities to do at night too.

Key West is also a good idea but not sure I would want to drive that far for a week vacation.

[shilala]

God Bless ya. Driving to Myrtle Beach is no picnic, either.
I'll give you this tip, and I won't charge you, although I should. Do NOT head down there on a Friday or Saturday. You'll spend an extra day and a half in the car. Or at least it'll seem like a day and a half.
I think you have a good plan worked up.

I'll tell ya what I do whenever I plan any vacation at all. I get on Google Earth. Then I get a lay of the land, the roads, traffic patterns, see where I'm staying, then check all the businesses around me.
I check for attractions like piers, lighthouses, giant balls of rubber bands, whatever. I study the area and know what's there, how to get there, and what to expect.
Dom taught me about Frommer's Guides. They're AWESOME books that lay out everything for you. What to expect, how to get around, what to avoid, how to act, etc. They're especially great if you're going out of the country so you're not perpetually lost and can take care of yourself and your wife. Plus you can help her (and you) enjoy the trip more by filling her in on the culture and taking her to the best places.
I looked and there's no Frommer's for Myrtle Beach, but there's an Insider's Guide at Amazon.
It might sound silly to bother with a book for something like going to Myrtle Beach, but I 100% guarantee you'll be glad you bought it. It'll save you money and make you smart about your trip. I will never go on a trip ever again without buying a book or two. They're the best 10 or 20 bucks you can spend.
The books are not biased like websites. They're not trying to sell you something, and they don't have ulterior motivation like Chamber of Commerce websites.
Also, look for messageboards about Myrtle Beach and lean on reviews. The messageboards are excellent at steering you in the right direction, sending you to coupons, and telling you how to save money.

Thank Dom for all that info. He's the one that really taught me how to travel. He knows his sh1t, and my vacations have been infinitely better since he taught me.