Myrtle Beach on a budget

[DarleneW]

My DH and I are going to go to Myrtle Beach for a few days in October. It has been a really long time since we have been there and I don't remember where we stayed the one and only time we went. Any suggestions of a place to stay that would be on the beach with free parking that you would give 4-5 stars? I have read that North Myrtle Beach is the best place to stay. I have looked on Hotels.com but that just confuses me more because some people give a thumbs up to a place and the next person says they would never stay there again.

 

[dawnn12]

Im not sure about north Myrtle Beach we are staying at a place called sea mist resort I think its father south(but we needed it there due to a softball tournament) i know they have a waterpark on site and they have ocean view rooms. hth i cant say how it is yet we go down aug 4

 

[CTdiznymom]

We planned on going in April but due to family emergency we couldn't go. We needed to cancel our ressie within 5 days of our intended arrival. We are planning on going ::fingers crossed:: in September thanks to the incredibly nice woman I spoke to at the resort. She allowed us to cancel and rebook without penalty. She actually suggested it! So we will be staying at Oceans One Resort in North Myrtle Beach. Budget means different things to different people, but I thought I would give the resort a . We're looking for a place for some much needed R&R and I wanted a quieter location. Looking forward to our stay.

 

[cheerky]

Myrtle Beach can be a little sketchy. I also recommend the North Myrtle Beach area. For families with children, I always recommend Dunes Village Resort. It is clean and has indoor waterslides, hot tubs and 2 outdoor pools and a lazy river.

Some friends recently stayed at Marriott Grande Dunes and said it was lovely.

Have a great time!

 

[NCRedding]

My DH and I are going to go to Myrtle Beach for a few days in October. It has been a really long time since we have been there and I don't remember where we stayed the one and only time we went. Any suggestions of a place to stay that would be on the beach with free parking that you would give 4-5 stars? I have read that North Myrtle Beach is the best place to stay. I have looked on Hotels.com but that just confuses me more because some people give a thumbs up to a place and the next person says they would never stay there again.

Most of the hotels in Myrtle Beach do have free parking. October is a beautiful time to visit. If you are looking for a very nice place to stay, you can try Oceans One which is very nice. There is also the Avista in North Myrtle which is more like condos. I've also had good luck that time of year with just driving down and finding a place.

We planned on going in April but due to family emergency we couldn't go. We needed to cancel our ressie within 5 days of our intended arrival. We are planning on going ::fingers crossed:: in September thanks to the incredibly nice woman I spoke to at the resort. She allowed us to cancel and rebook without penalty. She actually suggested it! So we will be staying at Oceans One Resort in North Myrtle Beach. Budget means different things to different people, but I thought I would give the resort a . We're looking for a place for some much needed R&R and I wanted a quieter location. Looking forward to our stay.

Oceans One is very nice and upscale particularly for Myrtle Beach. Check-in will be across the street from the resort. we checked the resort out last fall when we had no reservations. They only had a 3 bedroom available which was much too large. We do want to go back and stay there one day. I'm sure you will have a great trip.

 

[jessp1021]

Avista was HORRIBLE for us, there were several loud teens well in to the wee morning hours that kept us awake!

October is a great time for that area bc rates are typically lower This is a great website to see decent reputable hotels in both Myrtle and North Myrtle: http://www.visitmyrtlebeach.com/STAY/
Here are a couple suggestions..
The Camelot
Hotel Blue is fairly new
Coral Beach
Island Vista Resort (a little pricey at times)
Sandy Beach Resort (also fairly new)

Hope some of these are helpful

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We like the Marriott Grande Dunes on the beach:

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/myrgd-myrtle-beach-marriott-resort-and-spa-at-grande-dunes/

We also like the Marina Inn at Grande Dunes, but it is not on the beach. It is lovely, though, and they have beach access either with a shuttle or with self-parking:

http://www.marinainnatgrandedunes.com/

Both properties are AAA four diamond resorts. I'm not sure what your budget is, but October is off-season and rates are lower.

 

[DarleneW]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm definitely going to check these places out. Anybody have any others? It is just my DH and myself no children. We are celebrating my birthday which was in June.

 

[jodiey]

Myrtle Beach can be a little sketchy. I also recommend the North Myrtle Beach area. For families with children, I always recommend Dunes Village Resort. It is clean and has indoor waterslides, hot tubs and 2 outdoor pools and a lazy river.

Some friends recently stayed at Marriott Grande Dunes and said it was lovely.

Have a great time!

We just stayed at Dunes in May. I suggest it too!

 

[minushka72]

Avista was HORRIBLE for us, there were several loud teens well in to the wee morning hours that kept us awake!

October is a great time for that area bc rates are typically lower This is a great website to see decent reputable hotels in both Myrtle and North Myrtle: http://www.visitmyrtlebeach.com/STAY/
Here are a couple suggestions..
The Camelot
Hotel Blue is fairly new
Coral Beach
Island Vista Resort (a little pricey at times)
Sandy Beach Resort (also fairly new)

Hope some of these are helpful

We stay at Coral Beach. Plenty of free parking, right on the beach, has a small arcade and bowling alley. Nice buffet breakfast in the hotel (not free but reasonably priced). Management is so nice and the property is well cared for. Rooms are nice sized. We get a suite usually so it has 2 queen size beds in the bedroom, a small kithen, and then a separate living room with a double sized murphy bed or pull out couch! Close to so many places. Broadway at the beach is fun! In October, the Family Kingdom Amusement Park will be closed but there are plenty of other attractions open and we have a great time at the small kiddie rides at Broadway at the Beach!

 

[bluesky225]

I've mostly stayed at the family places (Dunes is probably the best for that), but my friends and I stayed at Ocean's One last November. We liked it as well! Hope you find something nice!

 

[DebMcDonald]

Marriott Grand Dunes is very very nice, may not be very budget, but I'd definitely look around and see what the best price I could get for it, though they do charge you for parking. It's very quiet, off the beaten path and of course ocean front.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Great advice on some great places to stay. We vacation there often and since you said "budget trip" thought I would mention of few other thoughts on saving a little bit of money.

Many places have kitchens in the units, take along food for easy to prepare meals. If you plan to spend a lot of your day on the beach, having breakfast and lunch at least is a no-brainer. Who wants to get dressed to go eat and right back to the beach?

If you are interested in some of the MANY attractions at MB, be sure to pick up a few coupon books, located in most resort lobbies.

Book a place with lots of indoor amenities.... pools, lazy rives, bowling etc.. .if the weather is not beach friendly, you have some free choices at hand.

Pick and choose your entertainment, its everywhere...putt putt, shows, water parks, movies, zoos! You have to set your limits before you go or you can spend a lot!

WE enjoy our trips to MB, but they are not always too budget friendly

 

[mrodgers]

Great advice on some great places to stay. We vacation there often and since you said "budget trip" thought I would mention of few other thoughts on saving a little bit of money.

Yes, the original post mentions "budget trip" and then everyone recommends the high dollar $1200-1500 places to stay. There are a ton of very nice places to stay that you can get 2 room ocean front with bedroom, kitchen, and living room overlooking the beach for $600-700 a week.

Dayton House, we loved it. 2 room oceanfront suite we paid less than $600 for the week. The actual room we were in looked no different than the pictures on the higher dollar places. It was clean and very nice. Nice pools with tables and lounges on a lawn (one of the few that have a lawn.)

Monterrey Bay Suites was the other we were looking at, I think $700 for the week. I can't think of the others we priced that was comparable unless I look up my notes from last year.

These prices are based on early June. All the suggestions in the thread price about $1200-1500 in early June compared to the ones we looked at that priced about $550-$700. Obviously the cost would scale up depending on when in the summer you go, but they would scale up comparably.

 

[Manders77]

DH and I are thinking of taking our family vacation to myrtle next year. It will be me DH DD who will be 5 and DS who will be 2 almost 3. We are thinking this time next year. Week right before labor day since DD will be starting kindergarten next school year. I'llhave to look at the dunes online to see if its in our budget. Any other suggestions?

 

[Straitlover]

I jsut stayed at Avista resort for the second time. I hate their parking deck, but it's free . If you sign up on their website and/or keep watch on travelzoo.com. you should be able to get a 1 BR oceanfront room for $100 or less per night in october on special. The email special I received had last week $129 for FR/Sat and $89 for Sun-Thurs, so the prices should be that or a little less in October.

You can also check vrbo.com. Tons of places on there!

 

[hroyale]

DH and I are thinking of taking our family vacation to myrtle next year. It will be me DH DD who will be 5 and DS who will be 2 almost 3. We are thinking this time next year. Week right before labor day since DD will be starting kindergarten next school year. I'llhave to look at the dunes online to see if its in our budget. Any other suggestions?

Try to do the Dunes if you can. Even if another place is slightly cheaper, the Dunes would win out in a budget battle since all the on site water activities for the kids saved us $$. We didn't pay for a water park and the kids picked playing there over going to Putt Putt and other things that would cost money.

 

[cindydare]

We used to go to the North Litchfield/Pawleys Island area every August or September (south of Myrtle Beach). I like this area because it's quieter and there's not as much to do down this way (some great restaurants, but if you want to go shopping you pretty much have to drive up to Myrtle), and the beaches are wonderful.

We've always used Dunes Beach Home Rentals, but there are several other companies in the area that have rentals and there's Litchfield-by-the-sea. We stayed at the Litchfield Retreat condo which was close to at least 2 grocery stores....we usually only ate dinner out and would go up to Murrell's Inlet and buy fresh seafood to cook dinner in at least once during the week.

I just looked on Dunes' site and as an example, they have a 2 BR 1.5 bath condo at Litchfield Retreat for a weekly rental in September for $650 per week. The complex is across the street from the ocean....it's a very quick walk to the beach access and has a pool.

 

[barbarabini]

I just got back from North myrtle beach on Sun. I stayed at North beach plantation. It is new and, in my opinion the most beautiful resort around. It is shaped likethe Atlantis. It has multiple pools (but no slides). It is on the beach and across the orad from Barefoot Landing. The rooms were nicer than the ritz and they have free parking. I think they are running a fall special now. Check tripadvisor for reviews they were all great.
I will be back there next year.

 

[toodles12]

I lived in MB for a while about 10 yrs ago. I don't have a ton of insite on the hotels, because they change frequently. North MB is a little more laid back...alot of condos. MB is more action packed. Though, I suspect NMB has grown alot in the last 10 yrs. Surfside is south of MB (maybe 10 mins or so), and you might be able to find some good deals there, too.

Have you thought about finding a place on VRBO? I've always had luck there. You can usually score some good deals, and with a rental condo/house, you'll have a kitchen; so you can save on food/drinks.

Also, there is a good and cheap burger place called Ron Jon's. I believe it's off 501, if I remember correctly. When we lived there you could get a burger during happy hour for like $2....and they were big burgers! They also deliver. There's also a place called Beach Bummz. It's small, but a fun place to eat ON the beach.