When you have kids, everyone assumes you want to plan every family vacation around amusement parks and restaurants that only serve chicken fingers and French fries. Luckily, cities like Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, offer something for everyone in our family. A golfer’s paradise, the region features more than 100 courses within a short drive. I admit I have no interest in joining my husband on the links, but I’m happy to lounge on the sixty-plus mile stretch of pristine white sand beach known as the Grand Strand while the kids run around in the sand and surf.
The Myrtle Beach area encompasses North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach and Murrell’s Inlet. The area is easily accessible by our favourite place to stay, the Kingston Plantation Resort. Located on the north end of Myrtle Beach, the resort has a wide variety of accommodations to suit every budget and size of family or group, and it’s close to everything you might want to see in the area.
There are two traditional hotels which sit beachside. The Embassy Suites is a 20 story hotel with 225 two room suites, with a casual lounge restaurant, Coastal Grill, and the lovely Vintage Twelve gourmet dining restaurant. The Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort features 385 guestrooms and an oceanfront restaurant – Cafe Amalfi – as well.
Then, nestled amongst lakes, trees, lawns and pathways on the sprawling resort, and the condos, towers, lodges and villas. You can book up to four bedroom combinations with kitchens and in-house laundry, ideal for stays of more than a few days. The condos, lodges and villas open right onto grassy areas, perfect for letting the kids run around outside while you’re preparing meals in the fully stocked kitchen.
The resort offers complimentary shuttle service to the nearby Tanger Outlet Mall and Walmart, and is walking distance from dozens of beach shops and restaurants. It is also convenient to Barefoot Landing, a shopping, dining and entertainment district. It’s close to all-you-can-eat-crab buffets, high-end dining choices, salt water marsh kayaking or alligator tours in Murrell’s Inlet, and some pretty epic mini golf courses. Honestly though – you might be tempted not to leave the resort at all. Splash is a 50,000 square foot water complex just steps from the beach, featuring water slides, water spouts, jet sprats, two large swimming pools, two kiddie pools, a lazy river and three hot tubs. Between the beach and Splash, we wondered if there was any real need to go anywhere else.
For the fitness-minded, the resort’s Sport & Health Club is a 50,000 square foot recreational facility with an indoor pool, racquetball courts, weight and cardio equipment and scheduled aerobic, Pilates and yoga classes.
We did see a lot of Myrtle Beach on this trip (the Ripley’s Aquarium at Broadway on the Beach was a fun excursion and the SkyWheel was a blast), but on our next visit, we’ll definitely reserve more time for just relaxing surfside.
Kingston Resorts Contact Details:
Address: 9800 Queensway Blvd., Myrtle Beach, SC 29572
Reservations: 1-800-876-0010
