My teenage daughter loves the beach, both kids love going to Virginia Beach (in Virginia) for vacation, we've been there a couple times so wanting to add to places they've traveled I opted for somewhere new and different that we've never been. . . Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
With the car packed we left at 2am on a Saturday morning stopping in Doswell, Virginia for an overnighter so the kids could go to Kings Dominion Amusement Park. We stayed at the Best Western right on Kings Dominion property. The hotel was old but kept the kids busy with it's pool, tennis courts, ping pong, shuffle board, and game room. There was a Denny's on site but nothing else in the area for food, you had to get in your car and drive a bit.
A day at Kings Dominion was fun for all. Even made a hard to please teen happy, plenty of rollercoasters. Some good shows as well to keep Mom happy. They had a very nice waterpark. A great start to what seemed like a promising vacation.
We arrived after midnight at the Sea Mist Resort. Being one of the last to arrive we got the worst room, our ocean view turned out to be a view of a cement wall, now I know we have pollution problems but I didn't think it was that bad. We switched rooms the next day and the room situation was better, we could see the water, had a balcony, a fridge and microwave and yes a shower curtain. The only other nice thing I can say is that the rooms were clean. The compliments end there. This place had a lot of nerve calling itself a resort. It's more like a motel with amenities. Perhaps in 1950 it was a beautiful place but I would never stay there again. I've been traveling for over 24 years and I am an admitted hotel snob but even trying to make the best of it and putting my snobbery aside, well, I would never recommend this place. It had the feel of a crack hotel and I wasn't the only one who thought so. Me, who can sleep through anything, was up at 4am most mornings because the beds were so terrible.
The main draw for staying here was the beach, I was not impressed with the beach. It was no different than any other beach I'd been too and the resident teen hated it. She says the beach back home is "way better" no shells, no rocks and no seaweed. If a 15 year old hates the beach I'd say we are in big trouble.
We did some other things aside from the beach. We went into the five million gift shops that had all the same merchandise, we went to the Ripley's Believe it or Not Aquarium, and were in and out in about 30 minutes. It was a bit of a disappointment. We went to the Ripley's Mirror Maze which took us about 15 minutes (at a slow pace) to find our way out, tried the Ripley's 5D Movie adventure and walked out after the first film. It was a very violent and agressive movie ride that even I didn't like being thrown all around while the seat belt jabbed into my thigh.
The trip wasn't a total disaster. We had some great meals and saw a great Legend's in Concert show. My 10 year old who doesn't like loudness loved that show. The "legends" were Justin Timberlake, Blues Brothers, Lady GaGa, Michael Jackson and Elvis. The teenagers with us loved Elvis and My son loved JT. He really got a thrill out of meeting the impersonators after the show. My daughter, the dancer, went right up to the dancer from the show and had a nice chat with her about how to break into the business.
The Crown Jewel and do not miss of Myrtle Beach was Broadway on The Beach. Here you will find shows, like Legends, and shops, boutiques, and plenty of restaurants. Fun activities such as ziplining and getting inside a bubble on the river.
We did have some great meals from Captain Georges Seafood buffet to my personal favorite Capriz which was an Italian restaurant where your meal was served Brazillian style, it was out of this world. Another really cool restaurant was Thorny's Steakhouse and Saloon. A TV at every booth and a delicious steak!
Always sad to see a vacation end (even one where things were not perfect) we are on our way home and have stopped in Virginia, this time staying at a Fairfield Inn....This is a great hotel; big room, comfy bed and pleasant staff (which I failed to mention earlier .... I had been looking for that famous southern hospitality all week and couldn't find it) Heading to dinner and to the Potomac Mills....will be home tomorrow night.
So in the end, if I ever came back to Myrtle Beach, I would not stay on the beach. I would stay at a much nicer hotel away from the beach and then drive over when I wanted a beach day. I think I'm all set...I think next time I get the bright idea to do a beach vacation I'll head back to Virginia Beach.
That's just my opinion.
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