Help! Myrtle Beach or Florida Beach?

[Corbin3]

We want to have a beach vacation this year but can't decide where! My DS (7) loves the water but has never been to the beach. We're looking for a relaxing place but also one that has fun things to do nearby. And of course one that won't destory our budget! There are almost to many choices and I can't decide. Myrtle beach looks a bit touristy online but I don't know anyone that's been there. Any advice on which has the better beaches and any places that would be good to stay would be much appreciated!!

 

[taylor3297]

First you need to decide if you want to go to the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. Myrtle you will be of course on the Atlantic, but in Florida you have your choice. I prefer the gulf coast of florida or Alabama. In Florida I like Panama City Beach, Destin, Seaside, and Perdido. In Alabama I like Orange Beach and Gulf Shore. All are touristy but still has nice beaches and great places to eat. The gulf has white sand and warm clear water.

I also go to Myrtle Beach because it is closer to where I currently live. It is touristy, but a lot of fun. The sand is yellow and the ocean is brown.

At the end of this month I will spend a week in Gulf Shores, Al, and in mid July I will spend a few days in Myrtle Beach. We have fun no matter which beach we go to.

Again to me, the gulf is better and I find it cheaper than Myrtle.

 

[CruiseBoundnKY]

Check out Sea Mist Resort in Myrtle Beach. I definitely give it two thumbs up. It has too many pools to count and an onsite water park that has slides and a lazy river. Literally you never need to leave the resort. It's ocean front for the most part, but you can request that. The units have kitchenettes and are very nice. I would love to go back there.

I personally like Myrtle Beach better than the Florida beaches that I have been to.

Good luck. Karen

 

[kadesha]

I have been to Myrtle beach, Atlantic beaches in FL and Gulf beaches in FL. Honestly, I prefer Panama City beach. We are going to Daytona after our Disney trip next week because it is close to Disney. I don't particularily care for the beaches on the Atlantic coast of FL though. Beware that Panama City can be a budget buster. Myrtle beach is nice and it has some really fantastic resorts, it's pretty expensive too though. I'd recommend going to Panama or Myrtle and spending the money for a really nice resort with a lot to do so that you don't have to get out into town much. You will spend a ton of money if you do.

 

[Corbin3]

Thanks for the quick replies! When you say in Myrtle that the water is brown...does that mean dirtier? For some reason brown water doesn't seem appealing!

 

[momxx5]

I have been praying that we would be able to take a beach vacation.

When DH's job was eliminated last month, our vacation plans were also eliminated.

We live in central NC, so a trip to the outer banks would be heaven. The kids are old enough so I would not be living in fear the whole time. The pro list is that it is closer....about 3-4 hrs away, we maybe able to work out a discount if the homes are not yet rented.
The Con list.....simple, money for a family of 7.


Now my sister recently moved to Stuart FL, and live in a pretty good size house with a community pool and the beach is 3 miles away.l So that is the Pro list, plus the obvious of visiting with my sis and her family....my cutie 4 yr old nephew.
Cons list....again money getting there for gas and probable room for the night of travel. Then the everyday costs, eating out, shopping, etc.


Given the choice.....Today I would be booking a nice house right on beach on the outer banks of NC, a short walk to the sand, 5 bedrooms, a game room with pool table, stocked kitchen w/ huge gas sgrill, of coure a private pool with life guard, etc.
Now if I wake up tomorrow with the winning Powerball 45 million, I'll be in touch with a few of y;all.

So while I am dreaming away, the reality is that we will not be taking a vacation this year.

Good luck with your plans and keep us posted to what you decide.

 

[Leajess99]

We want to have a beach vacation this year but can't decide where! My DS (7) loves the water but has never been to the beach. We're looking for a relaxing place but also one that has fun things to do nearby. And of course one that won't destory our budget! There are almost to many choices and I can't decide. Myrtle beach looks a bit touristy online but I don't know anyone that's been there. Any advice on which has the better beaches and any places that would be good to stay would be much appreciated!!

We just did Destin in Florida last week and absolutely loved it. There are nice resorts and hotels there. We did stay at Holiday Inn on the Beach in Destin and they have kids' programs as well as free ice cream and popcorn from like 3 to 6 or so. It is on the beach but it also has 2 pools plus the kiddie pool. The kids loved being in the water plus you can go to Fudpuckers and feed the gators (food is $3 for gators and you do not have to buy anything else if you choose not to) as well as check out the bird show which is also free. There is an air force museum not far away that is also free. We did a dolphin cruise and if you check the tour books they have there out you can find coupons for buy 1 adult and get 1 child free (we found this out AFTER the fact). We used Olin Marler for the dolphin cruise and got a great story about the history of Destin to go with it. There is an area where you can go shell searching and it is a great fishing area if you are interested in fishing. I so want to go back already.

 

[mantaz]

We visited Myrtle Beach in April. Although we managed to go during a cold spell, it was fun. We stayed at Towers on the Grove. They have small 2 bedroom condo units, but they were nice. Going in to down and seeing the sites was nice. We didn't venture onto the beach too much as it was cold and very windy a few days.

We also like St Augustine Beach. The beach was nice and the water was warm. You can actually see a lot of the town by just walking around it. We did take a boat tour and a ghost tour. I would like to go back to St Augustine as it was just so nice.

I know many people love Panama City Beach and Destin due to the white sandy beaches. Just do a search on line at some of the travel sites to see what specials are available. You can definetly find a good deal by looking around!

 

[kadesha]

Thanks for the quick replies! When you say in Myrtle that the water is brown...does that mean dirtier? For some reason brown water doesn't seem appealing!

Yeah, it's brown. Just like Daytona and any of the beaches on the Atlantic side of florida. It's very murky. The water on the gulf side is very beautiful. It is emerald colored and clear when it's settled.

 

[maleficentmom]

Never tried the FL beaches, but we love Myrtle and go at least 1 time per year.We usually go for Fall Break in October.We stay at Monterey Bay (montereybaysuites.com), we get a suite w/ 2 tvs ,kitchen,liv.room,side ocean view, for around 450 for 7 nights and its remodeled and clean. I call first and then compare to online specials on their website. The weather is usually still great and they have an indoor pool and lazy river, if it's bad.And free hot breakfast! The beach there isn't too crowded and its away from the downtown craziness.We shop there at the outlets(2 big Tangers), we buy a ton of stuff cheap. We use coupons,AAA discounts,etc...We eat breakfast and snacks at hotel and sometimes lunch and do a good dinner out. They have a great aquarium, Magiquest, putt putt,gocarts,shows.We joke that our kids don't know you can go on vacation anywhere besides Myrtle and Disney!

 

[lisaross]

Just checked out the website..WOW - seems a bit ovewhelming though..Is there anyother resorts a bit smaller - still w/a lazy river pools, etc just not as Huge? Were thinking of going next summer!

thanx

lisa

Check out Sea Mist Resort in Myrtle Beach. I definitely give it two thumbs up. It has too many pools to count and an onsite water park that has slides and a lazy river. Literally you never need to leave the resort. It's ocean front for the most part, but you can request that. The units have kitchenettes and are very nice. I would love to go back there.

I personally like Myrtle Beach better than the Florida beaches that I have been to.

Good luck. Karen

 

[Shmily1]

We live in South GA so we've been to both many times and there are a lot of advantage to both areas.

Myrtle Beach--Great resorts, not all of which are over priced. Captain's Quarters has multiple pools as well as a bowling alley. We love the Coral Beach Resort!! There are so many things to do in Myrte Beach! We stay so busy and then go back to the resort and relax for the evenings. We love to go to Myrtle Waves (a water park), The Boardwalk (a shopping, dining, entertainment area), go to Ripley's Aquarium (some people don't stay there long, but for us, a couple hours adventure in the rain turned out to be 5 hours!!) and play miniature golf at a couple of the many places to play. You can go to the Myrtle Beach Visitors Center website and order the vacation guide that is so informative and has coupons in it for entertainment ideas.

Florida beaches-- We live so close to FL that we go to these beaches often. My grandmother lived in Clearwater (a beautiful place to go hang out on the beach to see the clear water--thus the name!), we got married in Daytona (lots of stuff to do there including riding a dune buggy on the beach), and we've also been to Panama City Beach (great if you want to go clubbing, but not so much for children), St. Augustine (a lot of fun to sight see--free-- and many other things to do, Key West (really pretty-known for sunsets, but the moon-rise is awesome!!), Fort Walton Beach (lots of shops), Titusville (a must see here is the Kennedy Space Center--even I loved it and I HATE science stuff!), West Palm Beach and Ft Lauderdale (both of which are super expensive!). There are lots of fun things to do in Florida!!

It's so hard to choose!!

 

[blessedby3]

If you want relaxing try Hilton Head Island. It is so relaxing and laid back. We have gone here the past 5 or 6 years. It is pretty much families. Not teenagers everywhere like Myrtle Beach. We rent through VRBO.com and stay at the Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Club Resort. We are staying there for a week in July (2Br 2BA condo) for $900 for the week. It has a full kitchen so we can cook lots of meals there.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

For your DS's first beach trip, I'd recommend either the gulf coast (like Destin) or the Outer Banks, or Sanibel and Captiva in FL. They are relaxing and fun without being too commercialized. Myrtle Beach is very fun, but it is not exactly relaxing unless you move away from Myrtle Beach proper. Myrtle Beach is totally touristy, not that that is a bad thing. Lots of mini golf, the renamed Hard Rock Park, restaurants, shows, shopping, tons of things to do. But the traffic is crazy - you would need to find a resort near the things you want to do and plan to stay put during midday.

Myrtle Beach water is not dirty. Waves break off the sandbars offshore and carry sand onto the beach, so the water is turbid. It is not Carribean blue due to the wave action. The sand is tan instead of white or yellow.

Gulf water would be much calmer, which would be nice for a first timer, and the sand is very white.

We have had several red flag days at Wrightsville Beach and other area beaches already this season. Locals mainly stay out of the water on those days (except surfers), but tourists keep going in. Last week, a mom, dad and son from Ohio got pulled into a rip current on a red flag day. It took five life guards to pull them out of the water, and the mom died after being in intensive care. Speculation is that she didn't know what to do in a rip current and panicked. I don't want to scare you away from Atlantic beaches, but if your DS has never been to the beach, please educate him (and yourself if you don't know) about rip currents, jellyfish, waves. etc, and don't be afraid to put him in a life jacket. My kids are growing up with a healthy respect for the ocean, and even my 6-year old can tell me what to do in a rip current (although she might forget, so she wears a life jacket if she is above her knees).

 

[andrews_dad]

How about Vero Beach? Or the Beach and Yacht club? Or Blizzard Beach?

 

[kadesha]

Just checked out the website..WOW - seems a bit ovewhelming though..Is there anyother resorts a bit smaller - still w/a lazy river pools, etc just not as Huge? Were thinking of going next summer!

thanx

lisa

try The Caravelle Resort in Myrtle beach. It's got plenty of extras but isn't so overwhelming.

 

[DebMcDonald]

We absolutely love Myrtle Beach and have taken the kids more time than we can count. It can be a bit touristy, but you can take advantage of that or not. We have never been in the summer, so I'm not sure how crazy and busy it gets. We tend to go over April vacation or late September before the kids were in school. They've got great things to do in the evenings, and the Ripley's Aquarium is really nice. My kids are more than happy playing minature golf every night.

We've stayed at the Crown Reef and also Marriott Grand Dunes, both of which I found very nice at the time we stayed there.

 

[NCRedding]

I enjoy Litchfield Beach which is about 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach. I like it because it is out of the hustle and bustle of MB, but close enough to enjoy the outlets, etc. Litchfield Resort has a variety of accommodations--hotel rooms, condos, houses, some oceanfront, some not. The hotel has a very cool pool/play area for kids. They also have a beach house that you can use to access the ocean, if you don't stay in one of the oceanfront areas.

Its also close to Murrells Inlet which has a ton af great restaurants.

Never been to the Gulf Coast, although my assistant is going to Siesta Key for the 15th straight year in 3 weeks (the same week I'm going to Litchfield).

 

[Va-bear]

Yeah, it's brown. Just like Daytona and any of the beaches on the Atlantic side of florida. It's very murky. The water on the gulf side is very beautiful. It is emerald colored and clear when it's settled.

The water is clear - like most water, BUT it looks more brown because there are big waves (as opposed to the Gulf, or most bays). The waves pick up and move around the sand and all of the small pebbles that make up the ocean floors in this area of the Atlantic Ocean i.e there are more paticles in the water. This doesnt mean the water is dirty (or, that it's clean in the Gulf - that is related more to industry nearby, dumps , etc.) but it does mean you get a LOT more sand wedges into your swim suit and all of the otehr wrong places.

 

[rdevine10]

In the last year we have been to Clearwater Beach, Daytona Beach and Myrtle Beach.

Clearwater: beautiful Caribbean like water.... very clear, very calm. Water reminded more or Aruba. It was lovely. Great for young kids. Its more pricey, IMO than Myrtle.

Daytona: We were there over April Break. My Mom lives there. We stayed with her. We enjoyed Daytona Beach Shores and Ponce Inlet. Less crowded, more family like. It was fun to drive on the beach. However, that being said, it can be scary to have kids walk on a beach with cars driving on it. While the water was "rougher" than the Gulf, we found the water to be pretty clear. (keep in mind I live in CT, and the shore is all long island sound, which is really dirty, IMO). We loved it. Kids loved it.

Myrtle Beach: We went in late May. the kids LOVED it. We stayed in a condo that had multilpe lazy rivers, pools, hot tubs, kids pools and was ocean front. There was so much to do, even with the unseasonably cool weather, we were busy enough right at the hotel! Broadway @ the Beach was fun! The water, hmm... its the Atlantic, so it had lots of waves, I wouldnt call it dirty, but when we where there, it was sandier than Daytona (but there was a huge storm system off the coast from NC to FL), causing higher waves, etc.
We stayed at the Compass Cove. We loved it!

Of all places..... the only one my kids are BEGGING to go back is Myrtle Beach. It ranks right up there with Disney to them, which IMO is saying a lot! They loved having so many pools, etc in addition to the beach. And Myrtle Beach is pretty cost friendly. In fact, we are going back again in August (and trying a different resort- Holiday Sands @ South Beach condos (got a great deal and we checked it out when we where there in May).

Enjoy where ever you go!