Myrtle
Beach, SC -- April 2001
If you've seen our other travel pages, you already know we travel with a travel strategy. This time was no different, however it was basic:
- It needed to be timed with school Spring break as our 6 year old is in Kindergarten now
- We wanted to take the kids to the Ocean and stay in an Ocean front accommodation
- The destination should be family friendly
- We didn't want a long drive
Considering that we don't live near the Ocean, this meant wherever we went would require taking the kids on their first trip by airplane. Spirit seemed to have the best rates, and Myrtle Beach was MUCH cheaper than Florida.
The Trip, Day by Day
Easter Sunday, April 15, 2001
- Arrived at airport early (3:30 pm) for easier parking and better seat assignments
- Flew out of Detroit Metropolitan Airport at 5:00 pm on Spirit Airlines (link to Web site)
- Arrived in Myrtle Beach at approximately 8:00 pm
- Picked up the rental car we reserved with U-Save (link to Web site)
- Arrived at the Caravelle Resort (link to Web site) about 9:20 pm
- Temperature was in the '60's and comfortable
Our mission at this point was to acclimate to our surroundings and find food. Unfortunately, food seemed to be the hard part. The Caravelle's restaurant was closed, and no other dinning was in sight. In fact, it appeared that we were in an area with nothing but beach resorts -- with no unattached restaurants, not to mention no entertainment venues close by.
While most of the restaurants were closed, we did come across an Oceanside grill associated with the St. Clements (actually part of the Caravelle Resort), next door to where we were staying. The grill provided sufficient food and beer to keep us happy -- plus it was adjacent to the beach which was nice as well.
For the most part, we were extremely please with our room. We had reserved an "Ocean Front Efficiency," to include a balcony, and a kitchenette with microwave, stove and refrigerator.
Monday, April 16, 2001
- Temperature was in the 70's, comfortable in the sun
- Early Breakfast at the Caravelle's
- Spent morning on the beach, including a walk along the water, and laying by, and playing in, the sand . . . and collecting rocks
- Ate lunch at the St. Cements Beach Bar & Grill (where we ate the previous night)
- Early afternoon in the Caravelle's pools -- including time in the lazy river
- Explored the surrounding area by car, including a trip to the "Piggly Wiggly" for groceries
- Dinner at the Original Benjamin's Calabash Seafood Restaurant
- Late evening on the balcony
April is pre-season for Myrtle Beach. With that in mind, we were not sure how much beach time we would actually get in. We were rather pleasantly surprised to find the weather acceptable for beach time on our first full day there.
Tuesday, April 17, 2001
- Breakfast in the room
- Shops at Broadway at the Beach
- SLOW 2 hour Lunch at Key West Grill
- Ripley's Aquarium
- Cold swim back at the Caravelle
- Dinner at Carrabbas Italian Grill
- Bottle of Frog's Leap Cabernet (cork says "Ribbet")
- Too cold for balcony, watched TV
Tuesday was cold and even a little rainy. We looked for things to do and see away from the water and the resort. We ended up at Broadway at the Beach -- a complex featuring shops, restaurants and entertainment surrounding a large lagoon. The Ripley's Aquarium was very cool -- but also very crowded.
Wednesday, April 18, 2001
- Breakfast in the room
- Leisurely Morning walk on the beach
- Quick lunch in the room
- Captain Hook's Miniature Golf
- The Pavilion area
- Alyssa's hair wrap (link to picture)
- Natalie's "tattoo" (see left)
- Pizza Hut for dinner
- Caravelle Inside Pool area
- Back to the room for TV, snacks and balcony time
Thursday, April 19, 2001
- Breakfast in the room
- Morning on the beach (link to picture of family on balcony)
- Built a sand castle (link to picture)
- Played in the waves close to shore
- Lunch and relaxation in the room
- Caravelle Pool area, including the Lazy River
- Dinner at Martin's
- Drinks on the balcony
Friday, April 20, 2001
- Breakfast in the room
- Last walk on the beach
- Late morning packing and spending last minutes watching the Ocean from our balcony (link to picture)
- Last drive down Ocean Boulevard
- Lunch at McDonalds, including time at the play land
- Return flight home
Concluding comments
When you go to a beach resort, you don't have as much to say when you return as when you go sight seeing. However, we really enjoyed our time at the Ocean -- the beaches along the Great Lakes just aren't the same. I see several more trips to the Ocean in our future -- perhaps at Myrtle Beach, perhaps elsewhere . . .
Some links we used during our vacation planning
Some things we missed that are on our list for next time
- More time on the beach!!!!!
