losthighway

Wife and I are searching for a reasonable hotel/motel on N. Myrtle beach, where it's a bit quieter. Doesn't have to be a mega resort or condo, just looking for clean rooms and a swimming pool and beach access. Any help appreciated!

padams421

There are not many hotels/motels on NMB. Prince Resort is a condo but it has a pool, restaurant, small workout room, concierge, etc.

jyares

Lost: We like going to NMB in February when you can make a left turn. As padams notes, NMB is mostly rental condos, a variety of self-catering units that rent by the night for about what a hotel would cost in other locales but with more amenities.

Last year, we stayed at the Avista http://avistaresort.com/ and this year we'll be at the Avista's brand new sister property, Towers on the Grove http://www.towersonthegrove.com/

Nice view of the oceanfront from the Avista's webcam, http://avistaresort.com/webcam.cfm

One feature of a NMB condo stay is that most have complete kitchen facilities. So if you don't feel like eating out, you can go up the road to Boulineau's grocery store http://www.boulineausiga.com/ and pack in some freshly steamed local shrimp and a tub of their delicious baked-potato salad for dinner.

Christine65

We stayed at the Avista in July 07--here's my review that is posted on TripAdvisor:
Take a look at TripAdvisor.com for hotel reviews.

We would never stay at this resort again. First off if you read the fine print of the reservation it states that prior to 14 days a cancellation fee of $20/person is assessed. If cancellation is made 14 days or less the entire deposit is forfeited. Deposit is 2 nights stay. Should have made me go hmmm... But after reading many postives reviews this hotel sounded like a sure bet.
I'm just going to give a quick pro/con on our stay...
Pros:
Very friendly and helpful front desk
Dinner in restaurant was pretty good
If you're going to say the Nascar Speedpark or otherplaces that you can buy tickets from Avista do it..saved money and did not have to wait in athe very long ticket line at the Speedpark
Pool and deck area is cleaned every morning
The beach is very nice can, get seaweedy but is raked up every morning

Cons:
Beds were the worst we've slept in
Breakfast buffet was horrible
Service at the poolside bar/food place was horrible, only one person to make drinks and take food orders and the second food place there was a "be back later" sign
There are signs all over saying "No saving pool chairs" but every morning by about 830 if you don't have your towel on a chair you're not going to get one
The pool area is quite small with very little room to walk around between the lounge chairs
Alot of sand gets tracked around the pool area which makes it look very dirty
Don't even bother trying to use the washer/dryer it's absolutely worthless why they even have them in the units is beyond me, after almost 5 hours I had a slightly damp partially crispy towel and only had two towels in the thing
There are only 3 washers and 4 dryers for guests to use so you better get up early or plan on spending time waiting to use them
I don't think the maids actually cleaned the room other than providing clean towels and making the beds, the areas around the sink and tub were not cleaned well, the same hair etc was there every day unless I cleaned it up myself (gross I know even if it is your own hair, toothpaste spit etc.)
Very noisy and hard to get any sleep, can hear people on the floor above running around and alot of noise from the halls
The layout (horseshoe shaped) makes it very easy to see into everyone elses rooms clearly ---it's creepy having people staring right at you
Parking is across the street,not the safest place as you have to cross a fairly busy street to get to it, we have an Expedition with a topper on and it was hard to get it in the place, got scraped so asked desk clerk if we could park elsewhere and she said yes there are public lots on either side you can use. Later I noticed a sign saying your car could be towed from these lots---ours wasn't but who knows
Seemed to be mostly families with young children ours are 11-17
Pools are very small and our kids tended not to use them because they were so crowded with little kids

Overall, with all the positve reviews this hotel has received maybe we are just too picky but we've stayed in much less expensive hotels that offered alot more...


Liked — Nascar Speedpark tickets
My ratings for this hotel are:
Value Rooms Location Cleanliness Check in / front desk Service Business service
Date of Stay: July 2007
Visit was for: Quality time with family
Traveling group: Family with teenagers
Your age range: 35-49
Member since: August 03, 2006
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend? no way!
I recommend this hotel for: Families with young children
I do not recommend this hotel for: Great pool scene

jyares

I apologize for my nice comments about the Avista. Of course, we were there in February 2008, the time of the year when you can make a left turn.

Before we booked we looked at Avista and the alternatives on TripAdvisor.com Found many similar negative high-season comments about most of the NMB properties. We concluded that it makes a difference what time of the year you go to NMB.

Which is why we go there in February when you can make a left turn.

elsiemoo

losthighway, check out Sea Watch Resort, right smack between MB/NMB.

http://www.seawatchresort.com/?cmpid=ppc&srcid=ppc

It was recommended to me as a quieter area, which it was. Just DON'T rent from Condolux ... rent through the resort. We hated Condolux, but liked the resort itself. (Condolux put us in a smoking unit, lied about it ... and were incredibly rude when we asked to be moved! Would NEVER deal with them again.)

starrs

This may not be anything you would consider, but I'm going to stay here on my next trip. A short walk to the beach, but great reviews. I stopped by to check it out and was impressed.

http://www.serendipityinn.com/

I usually stay at the Hampton Inn nearby. Love the rooms. No beach access (obviously).

elsiemoo

starrs, thanks for posting that link. That looks like a really cool place! Do let us know if you stay there ...