This past weekend my family and I ventured off to Myrtle Beach, S.C. as part of a sponsored blogger stay with Holiday Inn Club Vacations (HICV). Their South Beach property in Myrtle Beach was our home for two restful evenings that defied the grim forecast of rain, rain, and more rain. However, Mother Nature was on our side and we had the opportunity to enjoy the property’s outdoor amenities after all.
- The grounds
The Myrtle Beach Area
In my honest opinion, as far as beach locations go, though a very popular destination, Myrtle Beach itself isn’t the most pristine of beaches. My husband, a Charleston native, was very opinionated on this fact as well. Luckily, the area has a lot of other things going for itself which makes it a neat family destination. However, as you drive further up the beach towards North beach, the area is crowded and congested and hotels are right on top of each other.
- Hotels on Myrtle Beach
The Property
The great thing about HICV’s location is that its’ property is a few miles down Ocean Blvd (the main hotel strip), across from the beach and away from the heart of the congestion. HICV gives you the best of both worlds. The property’s Oceanfront Breezes Beach club sits on the beach, offering private access, an owner’s lounge area, a kiddie pool, a regular pool, and a deck area. The property’s shuttle bus runs continuously between the two locations so that you don’t have to worry about driving.
- South Beach Resort
The 256 one, two and three-bedroom villas are spread out across eight 4-story buildings. What does this mean? Rooms aren’t stacked on top of each other but instead, are spread out – your elevator wait time is short, which is something you wouldn’t necessarily think about until high-traffic times such as when it’s time to depart or venture out for dinner.
The Villa
We stayed in a two bedroom villa complete with a full-sized kitchen, which opened up to a spacious living and dining room area. Our room overlooked the Lagoon Pool and Captain Cliff’s Lagoon Bar. The villa can sleep up to 6 people comfortably. Our villa was right by the elevator and the window of our boys’ room faced it, so I wasn’t too crazy about that. However, we just kept their curtains closed for the duration of our stay. Luckily, there weren’t any loud vacationers on property waking our kids.
Our room, located on the opposite side of the villa, was spacious and had a screen-enclosed patio just off of it. This is a priceless feature and an overlooked necessity for any patio in South Carolina where the mosquitoes are ruthless. Our suite had a sauna-style tub as well as a shower. I can’t say anything about the bed because I don’t remember falling asleep in it, it was so comfortable.
The Owner’s Clubhouse
My favorite features of the property were the numerous pools and hot tubs in addition to the gym and adjacent arcade. Kids may be content with doing the same thing day in and day out but adults like change-up. And the resort does a nice job of meeting parents and kids in the middle by offering several places to relax in the water: the indoor to outdoor pool in the owner’s clubhouse complete with two hot tubs and a wading pool for the youngest of guests, a lazy river behind the clubhouse and the Lagoon Pool with bar. The clubhouse pool was by far my favorite because I was able to allow my 7 year old son unlimited fun in the pool while I relaxed in the hot tub, just three feet away.
Another set of amenities that I thought work really well for families is the gym and the arcade. The location of the gym near the arcade allows parents to easily keep an eye on their kids through the glass doors while their child plays and they work out. This is such a smart feature – the convenience factor is invaluable for families with younger children.
- Gym
- Gameroom
The resort offers families so many things to do, all of which I can’t possibly cover in one post. Here is a summary of the other amenities I didn’t mention in detail: saunas in the locker rooms, the Marketplace grab-and-go eatery, free wi-fi, an activities center, pool table, grills and picnic tables, a volleyball court, and an onsite Par 3 course.
With all these offerings, could I possibly have any criticisms? Well, I love gyms with all the bells and whistles and I’d say the resort’s gym was pretty basic. However, the sauna and nearby game room make up for this. The only criticism my husband had was the lack of flat-screened televisions in our villa. For me, it’s not an issue but nowadays Fall=football=flat screen. Personally, I’d rather see Holiday Inn spend the money on an outdoor playground for toddlers looking for open space to run. Overall, our stay with Holiday Inn Club Vacations in Myrtle Beach was terrific and relaxing. A great Fall getaway and change-up to the hustle and bustle.
Disclosure: My two-night stay was sponsored by Holiday Inn Club Vacations who also provided my family with an expense credit and tickets to the Aquarium. Opinions expressed within this post are solely my own (besides my husband’s input on the televisions) and based upon my experience.
Wow!I can tell you had so much fun. The holiday inn looks very beautiful..Thanks for stopping by and i look forward being part of your great site.
Newest facebook fan…
Hi May, yes we had a blast! The resort was everything we needed to rejuvenate and have a little fun. My only wish was more time to enjoy.
I like traveling. It doesn’t matter what season it is, as long as there is no snow or ice involved! And I definitely want at least my husband with me, the 5 kids are optional. I would not enjoy traveling by myself. (And I’m a facebook follower now too! –Heather Richards Ellis)
I would love to be able to do more traveling with my wife. Fall is a nice time to do it because it is not too hot and not too cold. Maybe if I win this contest I could put it away for future travel.
Traveling in the fall is the best! We’re from the deep south, so once it hits the fall season, we’re itching to getaway to somewhere with cooler weather and more colorful trees. We always have so much fun!
I love travelling in the fall because my kids are still young. We can travel when school is in session and beat a lot of the crowds. Prices are often cheaper, too!
Thanks so much!
I liked and commented on FB. FB name is Laura Shops.
Thank you!
Love fall getaways though haven’t had one since 2007 but still very nice 🙂
Oh also a new fan on facebook 🙂
We don’t travel much in the fall because of work, 🙁
I’m all for travelling in the fall.
Wow…look at that game room!! Always a plus when traveling with kids!!
FB fan as Jay Coupon
I haven’t taken a fall getaway but I would love too this year.
an new FB fan thx. I look forward to reading more.
I cannot comment or sign up for you FB site because your video sits over the secruity sign in form and I cannot move it.
Traveling in the fall is nice because it is not too hot and not too cold makes the family feel happier in good spirits..
Quite honestly, we don’t usually travel too far in the fall. Maine or Massachusetts. We do tons of local activities in the fall, as the foliage is gorgeous & there is tons to do. =)
I love traveling in the fall. I actually just went to Orlando for vacation and we did several theme parks. The weather was great and it wasn’t crowded b/c all the kids were in school.
Love to travel in fall! We go camping to see the leaves changing colors in the mountains! 3tiff3@gmail.com
Really love travelling in the fall to the mountains. Love all the beautiful colors that time of year.
I love to travel anytime of the year but the mountains are really pretty in the fall!
I’d love to travel in the fall because the weather is cooler. I can’t imagine traveling with 3 babies in the summer!
willowsmommy21@gmail.com
I like that it is cooler. You always have to work that into travel plans in Texas.
I love watching the leaves change and fall during fall travel.
i know everyone talks about wanting to get away without the fam but honestly, i love fall travel with everyone! the weather is great, there’s so much to do outside, love it!
hancoci_s at msn dot com
My family likes to travel to Florida in the fall because they weather is not as hot.
We love to travel around this time of year, because our jobs are not the usual M-F 9-5 jobs, thus giving us days off during the week. This way we can spend some vacation time places where it won’t be inundated with a bunch of school kids! 😛
I like short trips in the Fall; I live in Colorado, so there are beautiful drives where we can enjoy the changing leaves!
Traveling in the Fall is a little tricky, because everyone’s so busy, and hotel rates are usually more expensive, too! We stick with short jaunts.
I like traveling in the fall because it’s less crowded (vs. the summer) and the weather is not so hot:) I like traveling with family…it’s a calmer time to travel (since less crowded)
annejk112233(at)yahoo(dot)com
We love traveling in the fall to mountainous areas so we can see the changing colors! This year we won’t be traveling, but we typically do.
I like you and commented on facebook.
I love traveling the fall because it’s less crowded and less expensive
I like traveling in the fall because the weather is cooler!
We like traveling in fall because our little one is not in school yet and our favorite places are not as crowded. And the weather is perfect!
I’m a big advocate for fall travel with the family. I love summer when I can stay in my home when it gets too hot. But fall is great for travel and touring because the weather is so much cooler. It makes doing anything outdoors that much nicer, especially if you’re carrying or running after kids.
I’m a new FB fan as Terri Winsome and commented on your wall.
I love traveling in the fall with my family! lot less crowds, everything is less expensive, most things are still open from the summer, and it’s much cooler!
I love traveling with my family! It’s been a while since we went vacationing! But there’s always hope for next year
We will be going on a family trip in a few weeks. It will be the first time on a plane for my kids and they are so excited!
I love fall travel! So much less crowded than in the summer!
Fall travel is much better, less people on the roads, the lines everywhere are much shorter, and some places are cheaper, and the temps are nicer.
I love traveling in the Fall! We just got back from a Trip to Disney and the weather was great!
Even though we really can’t get away for much of a vacation or even an overnight type of thing, still, going anywhere by car is great in the fall because of the tree leaves changing colors. Can only imagine what going more up north for the colors would be like. Ah, maybe one day. 🙂
Lois
OV_099@yahoo.com
fall travel would be great with the kids because they could see all the changing colors and take lots of pics. Very great idea.
New fan on facebook and left comment on wall. great page!!
amcintosh74@yahoo.com
amy mcintosh
We usually go to Orlando in the Fall because it is cooler to do the theme parks during this season.
I love travelling in the fall because most kids are in school. Our schools don’t start until mid september so you can still get great weather, but much better prices.
I love Myrtle Beach! And it looks like you picked the perfect place! Close enough to the Strip – but not too close! And right on the beach! Gorgeous!
e-mail: lucky02130 (at) gmail (dot) com
we love to travel in the fall to the beaches here in florida the water might be cooler but it is clear and the sunsets are incredible:)
Fall travel is great! Less crowded and my kids are young so Im not as stressed compared to summer when places are packed and expensive. Save some money, nicer temps…its a great time to travel anywhere!!!
I love to travel with my family. Matter of fact, I just got back from Myrtle Beach a couple of weeks ago. We enjoyed our trip. We considered this resort also.
I like you on FB (Harriett Talford Daniel)
I love traveling especially in the fall! Love the fall colors and things tend to be cheaper than in the summer. We like to go to Pigeon Forge. Beautiful scenery and so much to do! And I LOVE your playground idea! That would be awesome!!
fall travel is great because we’re not all sweaty!
We love to travel in general, and the weather in the fall makes for nice travel!
Fall travel is great especially in the northeast where we’re at. The leaves are gorgeous and we often find little town festivals that are free entry with great local restaurants providing food tastings and live music. Love th fall!!
The fall is a great time to travel. You see the season change. You can open your windows and feel the cool air. You can stop and eat outside with less bugs and less suffering heat. Fall is before the dangerous traveling condition of snow. Farmers stands are everywhere as you travel, so fresh produce is plentiful. This is a great time to re-see the USA.
I love fall travel with the family, especially up into the mountains (TN). It’s not sweltering, and not yet too cold to do a lot of the outdoor activities. Thanks!
I love traveling in the fall! Places seem so less crowded than in the summer and spring. Plus, the weather is usually so nice!
I love fall travel, especially apple picking in Michigan.
I’m also a fb fan (Mari Doug)
runningmatey at hotmail dot com
I love traveling during all the wonderful changes during fall, especially the colors!!
Jadavis42@students.tntech.edu
I LIKE and commented on Mom’s Guide to Travel on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/MomsGuidetoTravel?sk=app_154272794636138#!/MomsGuidetoTravel/posts/10150841939010858
Jadavis42@students.tntech.edu
Last weekend we headed off to Myrtle Beach. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations South Beach Property.
It was a surprise vacation for me and I enjoyed it immensely. The best thing I liked about the property was its location.
Far from the congestion of the Ocean Blvd, the Holiday Inn provided an excellent opportunity to unwind myself.
I had a nice time roaming around with the kids.
We played volleyball and enjoyed ourselves. We even tried out hand at the pool table.
My youngest son had a blast in the wading pool. The property has all the amenities one looks for in a holiday and is a nice one to relax and rejuvenate.
What I liked best in the South Beach Property of Holiday Inn in Myrtle Beach was the hot tub and the pools.
I spent several hours swimming in the pool. My kids loved the kiddie pool and we had fun at the property. It was a nice getaway for me.
Spacious rooms, good interiors and comfortable bed -this is all I need in a vacation. Holiday Inn Vacation resort at the Myrtle Beach provided these and more.
The pools, sauna-style tubs, pool table and the gym- they were enough to make my holiday a great fun. We could let our hair down and enjoy ourselves.
This looks like a wonderful place to stay. I love that they have so many activities to do.