Fall in Love with Myrtle Beach

 Thank you VisitMyrtleBeach.com, VacationMyrtleBeach.com and Ripleys.com for sponsoring our fabulous trip!

Hey Yall!  I hope you all have been enjoying your week so far and looking forward to a relaxing weekend, I know I am, I need a vacation from my vacation!




Many of you have noticed on my social media of my family and I spending a few days at Myrtle Beach.  VisitMyrtleBeach.com reached out to me recently to invite my family and me to explore Myrtle Beach and to see how it is one of the best and affordable places to take your family for a vacation getaway.  You know I couldn’t refuse their offer because traveling to Myrtle Beach has been on my bucket list for years. I never had a chance to take a road trip there, so now I’m happy to mark done next to Myrtle Beach.




I found out my family and I was going to be staying at Captain’s Quarters Resort, located right on Myrtle Beach shoreline on Ocean Dr.  Once I received this information I went to Google to get some information about this resort and goodness was the reviews almost all negative.  Seeing all this made me very nervous, but like I always say you can’t base your opinions on what other people feel.  People are real quick to post a negative review because they’re very upset but when someone enjoys their stay, they don’t leave a review at all.  Please, if you go anywhere and enjoy the service or stay, leave the company a review, this will help businesses out and help future travelers out with their travel decisions.

About Captain’s Quarters Resort

Captain’s Quarters Resort was named the #1 Kid-Friendly Resort in Myrtle Beach by Oyster.com. With captivating amenities and outstanding services, there is something for everyone to enjoy.  Spacious accommodations are ranging from rooms to suites, all with access to on-site resort facilities.  Their guest-pleasing amenities include 15 indoor and outdoor pool features, Ship Wreck Lagoon Kid’s Waterpark, Level Six Entertainment Center with 20 AMF bowling lanes, and much more!

Early Sunday morning, my family and I took the 5 and half hour drive to Myrtle Beach and also to celebrate Lauren’s 10th birthday (I told you her birthday was going to be epic).  The drive there wasn’t bad at all,  it was smooth sailing driving there.  I didn’t run into any problems when it comes to flooding since parts of South Carolina suffered a horrible storm that left many towns flooded.  But I did see some homes and businesses near the marsh areas still under water.

 


Once we arrived at Myrtle Beach, you couldn’t even tell that a storm passed through there.  Blue skies without a single cloud, 75 to 80 degrees with a light breeze, the weather was perfect, just what we needed after enduring all that rain back in Atlanta for two weeks straight.

Before we went to Captain's Quarters Resort to check in, we stopped at a local mall called Coastal Grand to stretch out our legs and also I had to make a makeup run.  While there, the girls got to pick out some goodies they wanted at Claire's, and we made a stop at Starbucks to rehydrate.




After our stop at the mall, we drove about 10 minutes to our hotel.  First thoughts while looking at the outside of the Captain’s Quarter Resort building that I could tell it is an older hotel, and the colors remind me of Miami buildings.  The parking garage is covered which is a plus, with easy access in and out of the hotel.  Check in was easy and took no time at all.  Our hostess was very friendly and had our keys ready, and we were on our way to our room in no time.

Walking to our room I noticed the hallways were outside and in need of some work; I’m assuming since the hallways are outside it goes through all types of weather conditions, and overtime can leave corridors looking run down.  However, the good thing is the hallways were clean, and I didn’t see any bugs running across my path.


 

Upon arrival to our front door located on the 7th floor, I said a little prayer, “Please let our room look good and be clean!”  We cracked the door open and took a peek and was ecstatic to see our room was stunning with a view!  We had a two room contemporary beach style suite that included a stove, refrigerator, pull out couch, coffee table, two flat screen televisions, king-size bed, full size bed, nice size bathroom, free Wi-Fi, plenty of plugs for our electronics, and a gorgeous view of the oceanfront!  Captain’s Quarters Resort and VisitMyrtleBeach.com showered my family and me with many gifts from their welcome package, and I’m so grateful for their warm hospitality, what a delightful way of welcoming us!

We put all our bags down and immediately went down to the 1st floor to go to the beach and check out some of the family pools on the property.   The pool area had a fun pirate ship with many different waterfalls that kids will have a blast diving and playing in.  For the adults, they can relax and simmer down in the spa.

The first thing Mr. M noticed was the outside pool bar had a happy hour.  He pulled up a chair and had a few drinks while making conversation with the bartender and another gentleman that was having drinks.  The bartender was very hospitable and helped us with recommended places for us to have lunch and dinner.  Remember always to ask the locals about places to go for food and attractions; they know the location well since they live there.

While Mr. M was chugging down on different mixed drinks and shots, the girls and I walked along the beach to feel the warm sand and water.  They also looked for some seashells so they can bring them back to their teacher who requested them.

The sun was starting to set, and we haven’t had dinner yet, so we used one of the bartender’s recommendations to go to Captain George's Seafood Buffet.  The restaurant is huge with many different kinds of seafood to choose from like snow crab, shrimp, crawfish, clams, oysters, scallops, and much more!  The price is a bit pricey, for adults it is $32 and children are half price.  The food was just okay to me, but I did enjoy eating the snow crab.  This was the girls’ first time eating crab, and it was a bit of a challenge for them to get the meat out of the legs, but they had a fun time trying.

After dinner, we rode around town.  During our drive, we seen the huge Hollywood Wax Museum, Wonderworks, Ripley’s Aquarium, and Broadway at the Beach, a location that has shops, restaurants, attractions, and entertainment.




We returned to our hotel and did a bit of a tour to look around to see all of the hotel's amenities.  We took a look at the entertainment center called Level Six, inside was the 20 AMF Bowling lanes, pool tables, full bar, and video arcades; something for the whole family to enjoy.

For the rest of the evening, the girls took a dip in the indoor pool and lounge around at the lazy river before bed.

Next morning, a couple of VacationMyrtleBeach.com sales marketing team (they own Captain’s Quarters Resort as well as many other hotels in Myrtle Beach) treated my family and me to breakfast at the resort’s restaurant located on the 9th floor.  They gave me some insiders tips about Myrtle Beach and told me that fall and winter are the best time to visit because the weather is mild, water is still warm, prices are much more affordable, and no crowds.

When you think of beaches, I bet the first thought that crosses your mind is Florida.  Myrtle Beach is just as good as Florida beaches with a lot more amenities for families, at an affordable price.  Did you know that Captain’s Quarters Resort rates start at $39 a night right now?  I’m serious!  No wonder I've seen people checking in for 5 or more days!

After my breakfast meeting, Lauren opened her birthday gifts and then my family and I went to Ripley’s Aquarium.  We went to Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg TN last month, but the girls and I wanted to go there again because we love it there so much.  The girls and I have a fascination when it comes to fish since we have fishes at home, and it’s a great experience to learn about different ocean species.  Right now at school Michelle is learning about different animals habitats, so these hands-on experiences helped with her studies.

This Ripley’s Aquarium is a bit different than the one in Gatlinburg, this one has a Jelly Fish exhibit and Gatlinburg does not.  However, I can’t choose which one is the best because both aquariums are equally fun.  The girls had a chance to touch jellyfishes and pet the sting rays, they were nervous at first but enjoyed it once they worked up the courage.

After a few hours in the aquarium, we walked around Broadway at the Beach to take a stroll and look around.  During our walk we noticed some fish in the pond and on the bridge was a dispenser to feed the fish pellets for 25 cents.  We put in a few quarters and dropped some food for them and the fish were fighting over the food and the ducks were taking the food away from them, so mean!

Next stop was back to the shore on Ocean Dr. to go to Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum.  My girls were not feeling this place because of all the creepy stuff inside, but Mr. M and I enjoyed reading and looking at all the oddities.  It’s amazing all the weird things people have done.  Everything in there is based on real facts.

Towards the end of the museum, the girls found a screen that made weird shapes of them, so they danced in front of it making cool designs.  The girls thought this was the best part of the museum including a similar massive screen that included music in a dark room.  Michelle was jammin’ in that room!

We walked along Ocean Dr., treated ourselves to some ice cream, and went sightseeing on the pier.  Something about the beach instantly relaxes me.  Salty air with a laid-back vibe, friendly people, it had me wishing I lived there.

It was almost lunch/dinner time and next on our recommendation list is to visit Murrells Inlet for food establishments, the seafood capital of South Carolina.  Murrells Inlet has waterfront establishments with spectacular views of the marsh, fishing boats, and many different birds along the docks.  Our restaurant of choice to try out was Wicked Tuna.  The food was superb, and I got to try out an appetizer dish I never even heard of, tuna pizza.  I can tell the fish was made fresh with fish that never been frozen.  My main dish was blackened fish taco that was also excellent too.  Since it was Lauren’s birthday, I let her choose whatever meal that she wanted, and her choice was California Rolls.  I warned her that the sushi rolls were going to be nothing like the rolls she had at a grocery store that is the imitation version, but she didn’t care and ordered it.  Did she like her sushi rolls?  Not really, all she did was pick at it.  What a waste!  Wicked Tuna is another restaurant that is on the pricey side.

It was early evening, and I wanted the family and me to have a fun game of bowling.  We never have bowled as a family, so I was looking forwarded to having a family bowling night.  My whole family kicked my butt; we played two games and both games I came in dead last- embarrassing!   But we all had fun, and we’re now going to start having bowling nights at home.

Before we called it a night, we walked on the beach while it was completely dark.  It was fun, but a bit scary to me.  The girls had a ball making a sea turtle in the sand before we headed off to bed.

Last day on our trip arrived way too quickly; we felt like we were just getting our trip started.  There was so much more we wanted to do but didn’t have enough time to do them.  Word of advice, when you visit Myrtle Beach stay at least a week, there is so much to do and see there.  It’s hard to cram it all in just in 2 to 3 days.

We visited Market Common, a beautifully designed village that has shops, restaurants, movies, events, and a lot more.  You can tell this place has high standards by the manicured lawns and well-structured buildings.  I felt like I was in a private country club.




In Market Common, my family and I stopped at Tupelo Honey Café to get a quick bite to eat.  I’m tellin’ ya, this café is one of the best places I’ve eaten!  Everything was cooked to perfection!  A foodie’s paradise!  Their food is southern style made from scratch that is not just your ordinary southern food.  I was craving breakfast, so I ordered the sweet potato pancakes and had them add granola inside.  So scrumptious!

The last thing we did on our trip was visited Ripley’s 5D Moving Theater.  It is a very bumpy ride while riding in a moving chair.  The movie seems so realistic and the digital special effects, like the air blowing, splash of water, and snow make you feel like you’re a part of the movie.  My girls were telling me how fresh and fun this ride was.

It was so hard to return home; even Michelle fell out in tears saying she doesn’t want to leave.  This trip was one of the best experiences we ever had, and we’re already in talks about going back soon.  Even Mr. M is talking about taking me to Myrtle Beach for Valentine’s Day.




Thank you Myrtle Beach for the wonderful memories that my family and I will cherish forever!

Have you ever travel to Myrtle Beach before?

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