Myrtle Beach Message Board

I'm starting to miss the days where all I had to work around was baseball tournaments and basketball camps. Now our sons are adults and in the working force.....its great that they still go with us for a few days since we don't get to see them very often, but until we actually leave their apartments no plans are final. They are at the age where so many friends are getting married, having bachelor parties, etc that it is almost impossible to come up with dates. After I made reservations, they both got invited to different bachelor parties that they had to miss, but I don't think they minded too much. We always left at 3 AM for vacations but now it is anywhere from noon - 5:30 PM which means we don't know if we will stop along the way or drive straight through......so here is our adventure for this year (really nothing too exciting)

Our sons (Rod & Nate) live in Columbus which is about 2 1/2 hours from us. Nate is in sales and his final day was going to be the Tuesday we would be gone so he had to get a lot done that week before he could leave on Friday. Since he had no clue when that would be, Ter and I took off from our home about 11. I had to stop at the mall in Columbus to pick something up and then we were just going to wait at one of their apartments. Nate must have worked his bottom off during the week because he called and said he was getting off at 3 we would miss most of the traffic. He had taken all of his things to Rod's apartment that morning so we got everything loaded. Got the phone call at 2:45 Nate was home so we headed over there he jumped in and we were headed to the beach!!!!......or so we thought. We were driving along and when we hit about 60 the guys said whats that sound. It was a thumping sound.....I thought maybe it was the road noise but once we got on 33 it continued so we pulled over looked at tires, rearranged a couple things in the van but it continued. Thankfully Nate goes out that way for his job and knows the area -he said there is a Honda dealership in Lancaster (about 45 minutes out of Columbus) so I called them to see if they could get us in and they said sure. We were within about 700 miles of our warranty running out so I wanted someone to look at it just in case it was something major. They got our van right in looked it over and even took it for a drive and couldn't find anything - still have no clue what it was. We heard it off/on the trip down. Anyway 45 minutes later we headed to the beach again - I put in a Beach Boys CD to get us in the mood since we were all a little tense.
I'm starting to feel like an "old" person though because Nate took off driving from the dealership and then Rod took over later that evening - I didn't drive at all and Ter only drove from home to Lancaster. The trip was pretty uneventful until the Sommersville/N. Beckley exit went down from 3 lanes to 1 so we only drove about 5 mph for about 10 minutes.

I had made reservations at a Drury Inn in Greensboro and only had until 6 to cancel. The guys wanted to get past there but I started calling around and everything was booked up until MB. Rockingham (I think it was) had a Harley convention going on. By the time we got to Greensboro about 11 PM though I think everyone was ready to stop and get some sleep.

I should have said it was Nate's final day for sales for
the month.....he isn't quitting his job.

Saturday June 25 After a good night sleep, we went downstairs for their breakfast...they had sausage, scrambled eggs, waffles, biscuits & gravy, fruit, cereal, bagels, etc all free. We left hotel around 7:45 am

Had no problems between Greensboro & MB - pulled in to Sea Watch about 11:30. We knew we wouldn't be able to get in our condo so we had suits ready and heading to the pool. Was surprised how empty it was but after a while realized - we never go on a Saturday. Most people were checking out and only a few had checked in. The guys went in about 2 to set up a tee time and while there asked about our condo they said it was ready. Well, most people would probably like what we had but we didn't at all. It is called a "lock out" The living room was very tiny and the table was in there. It was a little round one with only three chairs. We could have put a leaf up and brought a chair in from the balcony but wouldn't be able to walk around the room. I called right away to see if there were any other condos available since it was still early and she said not for Saturday but we could move on Sunday. Not what we wanted because I wanted to go to grocery and get settled in but said OK. As we looked around - this condo really need some work. The walls were painted off white but under the bar area it looked like someone tried to cover up something but used more of a khaki color and just painted a stripe down wall. There were a couple places like that. The couch had stains on it - some other minor things. We love the Sea Watch so was disappointed to see the shape this one was in. After we unloaded the guys went back to pool but I showered and relaxed (looked through my brochures I picked up at the welcome center)

We decided to drive into MB to the new boardwalk and find a place to eat. Ate at Landshark, Rod had fish tacos, Nate & Ter and burgers and I had a panini sandwich with mozz cheese, tomato & basil. Everyone seemed to like their food but our waiter seemed to be more interested in turning tables. He acted upset when one of the guys waved him down and asked for another drink. We walked along the boardwalk for awhile....I thought about going on the skywheel but the line was long. The guys have been on the London eye in London so they weren't real impressed and didn't want to stand in line. On the way back we stopped at Kroger - a few years ago I found this and thought it was my little secret. It was never busy and had a nice selection.....but here again it was Saturday Oh my, lines were so long and the produce section was HORRIBLE.......Nate noticed the deli line so he jumped in while rest of us picked up rest of our groceries. I think they only had a couple people working back there so it took a long time to get our turkey/ham. Went back to condo - the guys played some cards and I made some frozen fruit cups for rest of the week than it was nite nite time for me.

Sunday June 26 Yesterday I was told to call the front desk early this morning to remind them we wanted to change condos. That way they could get one cleaned and we could move pretty early. It was close to shift change when I called so she asked me to call back at 8......I called around 8:15 and the lady wasn't too friendly. I walked down to the pier to take some pictures and when I got back we went over for breakfast (received 10 free breakfast buffets with our reservations). We love Sea Watch's breakfast - sitting outside looking at the ocean....wish I could do that every morning. My omelet was very good but the chef wasn't as funny as the one from a couple years ago. After breakfast we hauled everything to the beach...it was nice and hot!!! Around 11:30 I went up to the condo to start packing everything up for our move - they thought around 12:30 we should be able to move. At 12:15 I walked into the lobby and they recognized me (probably not a good sign ) and told me our new condo was ready. Luckily we only had to go down one floor so it didn't take too long. By the time we got back to the beach the tide was really moving in - early we though. Around 3 we gave up and went to the pool for a couple hours. Nate had forgotten his sunglasses so he wanted to go to the outlet store. We all split up because we found out they close at 7 (I think it was) on Sunday.

The guys wanted seafood and not a buffet that night. We headed towards North Myrtle Beach and stopped at Dirty Dicks Crab House. On their sign it said something and for some reason I thought it was going to be like Dick's last resort. I asked a lady coming out and she no it was nice and good. Rod & Nate had a meal called the Trinity Platter (said it would feed 2 people). Ter ordered the Mariner's Platter. I didn't order anything and just ate off their plates. We left some food on both platters and were full. Everyone liked it so we will definitely go back there.

After we ate, stopped at Molten Mountain to putt putt. This was a very fun and different type of miniature golf. At some of the holes you could spin a wheel and it would tell you to do different things i.e. golf with the wrong end of club, add or subtract a stroke, switch balls with someone. It was fun!

Stopped at WM on the way back to pick up a couple we couldn't get at Kroger last night. When we got back to our condo it was VERY warm. Ter called down to the desk - they were going to call maintenance and call us back.....over 1/2 hour later we hadn't heard anything and he called again I guess they are coming tomorrow to look at it. Ter went to bed and I stayed up for awhile so I shut the bedroom door. It seemed the living room cooled down some but when I opened the bedroom door WOW......you could just feel the heat rushing out. Ter ended up sleeping on the couch and I slept in the bedroom because I like it warmer.

Before we went to bed Rod, Nate & I made some mango salsa.....for some reason it was kinda neat watching them cut up all the stuff - they knew what they were doing . I knew they cooked but guess I had never been around when they prepped the food. For some reason something that simple made me kinda proud. Their Dad does not cook at all - he'll grill the food I've prepared outside but that is it.

Monday, June 27 Guys had an early tee time this morning so they left around 7. I lounged around pool until they got back and then they laid out for awhile. The condo felt cooler but we didn't know if maintenance had been there or not so Ter called an a gentleman came up. He said it looked like the drip pans had been emptied and he checked all the vents - everything checked out so we assume someone came up while we were gone.

All the times we have been to Myrtle Beach, we have never gone to Murrell's Inlet or Pawleys Island so I decided this year we would go. I've been trying to find a shell wreath for a few years now and can't find one at any of the beach towns we have gone to - I know I can (and probably will now) order from internet but wanted to buy someplace we had been. Anyway, we went to Murrells Inlet - stopped at Lazy Gator, walked along the marshwalk for awhile and then head to Pawley's Island - I had read they had several shops there. One even called Sue's seashells....unfortunately it was no longer in business and all their other shops closed between 5:00 - 6:00. The only stores opened were the Christmas Mouse & Orig Hammock - bought something from both of these stores....the other stores just missed out Walked around the inlet at PI some and then headed back to Murrell's Inlet to eat. Creek Ratz had the shortest wait time so we decided to eat there. Ter had oysters, I had shrimp, the guys had mari-mari & shrimp. We had calimari and fried pickles for an appitizer. Kinda liked those fried pickles plus I really got into hush puppies for some reason this trip. It was so nice sitting outside overlooking the marsh and listening to a guy playing the guitar - beautiful night

Got back to the condo and sat out on the balcony for quite awhile then called it a night.

Really enjoying your trip report! Love all the details you are putting in! Sounds like y'all had a blast!

Thanks for sharing!

Karen in Upstate SC

_________________
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven - Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV

Thanks so much for your great report. It is a pleasure to read

_________________
Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air... Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hugs, Emmy

Thanks for the report. We are leaving for the Sea Watch this Friday and can't hardly wait to get to Myrtle Beach.

I understand you not liking the lock out room because the living area really small. We have had one the last couple of years and it actually works great for us because we have 2 teenage children who bring friends. The seperation is kind of nice for us.

Reading your trip report is such a pleasure, Terri.

I don't stay in any of the accommodations here, but I always enjoy reading about them. Seeing your comments reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend who used to manage a large MB complex. He said they had more complaints from mid-July through August than at any other time of year, and it was due to the huge turnover. In other words, rooms were usually spruced up by March or April because they've had all winter to get them in shape. But it's harder to keep them that way as the season progresses. He said if the problems were quite bad, they would shut the condo down for a day or two for repair…but of course they hate to do that.

BTW I found a lovely shell door wreath at Kirklands. There's one in Coastal Grand and another in Arcadian Commons, across from Tanger. I'd call first because it has been at least 4 years since I found ours.

Coastal Grand:
843-445-7012
Arcadian Shores:
843-449-9626

_________________
Brought to you by:
FunBeaches Myrtle Beach Vacations!
FunBeaches on Facebook

VaRandy, the 2nd bedroom of the lockout was HUGE.....had its own refrig/micro....it would be a great teenage hangout.

Patrish, we love the SeaWatch and will definitely go back.....I know its impossible to keep the condos in tip top shape during the summer. As long as it is clean we don't really care how outdated everything is because we aren't in there long enough. One thing I did notice this year though, both condos were not equipped very well with cooking supplies/silverware. Here again, I wonder how much of that stuff is stolen. But all of this is very minor - next time I will just pack a few more of my things.

Thanks for the tip about Kirklands....never thought to look at the mall I may check out our Kirklands or look online.

[b]Tuesday, June 28[/b] Tuesday & Thursdays are our favorite days at SeaWatch....we will be leaving on Thursday this year so really looking forward to today. They have a DJ at one of the pools and he always has games for the kids, etc. I had read they had a new DJ this year and reviews weren't that great. Since all we do is lay there and listen to the music I figure it would be OK. It was OK - not as great as past years but part of the problem was the wind.....it was extremely windy on Tuesday and at one point his little cabana blew over some and he had his speakers attached to it. Numerous times he asked people to not splash on his end of the pool because the wind was carrying the spray up to his equipment. I think he only did the hula hoop contest and one other game.....so not sure if that is all he does or if the wind contributed. The other DJ was always so friendly and when it was time to pack up and leave he would say goodbye. We were laying close to the DJ and as the music was playing he starting packing up when the song was over he finished packing and never said a word. Rod referred a co-worker and her family to stay at the SW.....they have little kids so were looking forward to the DJ and all the contests. They were there all last week so I'm anxious to see what they thought.

I'm going to my first Jimmy Buffett concert on July 23 so wanted to go to Margaritaville and see if there was anything I needed (didn't find anything). We couldn't believe how crowded BATB seemed. We finally saw Michele Bachmann's campaign bus and she was giving a presidential bid speech - didn't stop to listen. Stopped at the Broadway winery. For $4.00 you could have 7 samples. Rod, Nate & I did this......OMG I hope I don't hurt anyone's feelings but all (except 1) were nasty stuff!!!! They seem to have some type of unpleasant odor to them.

When Nate was a Freshman in college, his basketball team came down and played against Coastal and they ate at Liberty Steakhouse. Every since he has wanted to go there and we never have. Since we ate at Margaritaville a few years ago and try not to repeat restaurants this year we said OK - he went and put our name in (45 minute wait). Rod & I shopped - me for my wreath and Rod was looking to buy his girlfriend something. Ter just tried to keep up :) The guys all ordered the special which was steak/shrimp - Nate's steak was almost burnt.....I wanted to send it back but he wouldn't. I had the fried chicken salad - it was OK nothing special. I felt bad for Nate because he was so looking forward to going back there and it wasn't the same. We will probably try again sometime. Headed back to the condo and enjoyed the balcony for awhile then went to bed.

Wednesday, June 29.....our last full day here so I got up early and took a long walk. Again, we ate at Capts Cove but had to buy 2 breakfasts this morning. I tried their waffles yesterday and had another one today - yummy with strawberries, strawberry sauce and whipped cream!

We laid on the beach for awhile....when I went to make lunch I started packing up some of the food/kitchen stuff. We decided to play putt putt before 6 so we could use a discount. Stopped at Hawaiian Village Golf and of course didn't have the right coupon book with me so we still paid full price but thats OK - the guys like this course. Begged to stop at Barefoot Landing so I could look in stores there for my wreath. They sat in the van while I went to a couple stores and watched the tigers play for a bit. We knew we had a lot of packing to do so headed back to condo and ordered a pizza from I think it was called the Pizza Shack (front desk recommended). Pizza was good but it took double the amount of time to deliver as they said. While we waited we pretty much got everything packed up. After we ate, went down and sat in the hot tub for awhile came back up and played cards for awhile. We went to bed pretty early knowing Thursday would be a long day!

....I forgot to mention the 2nd condo they put us in was 1114...realized that is the same condo we stayed in two years ago. One of the reasons I remembered is condo 1109 has a shell wreath on its door and I kept hoping to see someone around and asked where they got it. The wreath was on the door still but didn't see anyone again this year. I'm thinking they are owners and maybe they don't rent their unit out.

Thursday, June 30....the dreaded day

Before we left home Nate came up with the idea to visit Duke and UNC and look at their gyms. We love walking around college campuses and looking in gyms (get a life, right ) Found out the gyms would be closed on Saturday so decided to do it on our way home. Left Sea Watch at 7:00 AM - we knew we had a long day ahead so didn't want to take time for breakfast - snacked on rice krispies and maybe they had a pop tart. Finally stopped at a McDs in Lumberton (fast food and chain restaurants are usually banned on vacation) Had no problems until two miles from exit.....I think it was road construction and we just crawled for about 15 minutes. We went to Duke first....love the gym....so much history. I'm a big IU fan so have always liked their coach due to his connection with Bob Knight. Their museum was pretty neat.....went and looked at the football field and walked around a little - not as much as we normally due since we wanted to stop at UNC. UNC was nice also but I really like the smaller gyms and campus. Enjoyed their museum also - I really thought they would have more Michael Jordan things but it was nice. Nate took over driving again and later in the day Rod took over - not sure I like the backseat!!

Got back to Columbus around 8:40 - drop both boys off, got gas and then headed home. Got here about 11:45...Kinda felt sorry for the boys because Rod had a wedding in Cleveland and Nate had one in Cincy so they didn't get to relax for long.

Another great vacation in MB......I hope it didn't sound like I was complaining because I wasn't.....just observations on things. We will definitely stay at the SeaWatch next year if we come back to MB.

Sounds like you had a great trip! I too will be at the Jimmy Buffett concert at River Bend on July 23rd! Should be a fun time, if it just wasn't a Tuesday. I miss the old days when he played three back to back dates in Cincy.

_________________

Maybe I need to check the date of the concert I'm going to:oops: I'm going with about 15-20 people and I don't have the actual ticket yet. We are going on a Saturday up by Chicago. I have never gone to a JB concert so I'm anxious for it!