Off Season - Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head

[mdurette]

I'm thinking of planning an off season (fall/winter) trip at one of these locations for extended family. I haven't been to either. Which area would you recommend for a mixed group of people from 80s to teens in terms of things to do? Nothing fancy needed, just simple outings/local tour in the afternoon for a few hours to break up the day. I know the older people in the group prefer an area that they can do things within walking distance. So, a congested area with a few restaurants and touristy things in the same general area would be perfect. Inventory is plentiful, once I narrow down the location and I can then work on that.

 

[amycurl]

I've been to both in the off season, and, personally, I like HHI better. There's more things to do around the island; there's half-day trips to Beaufort, Bluffton. Take a day and wander Savannah. A few minature golf places will still be open. I like the natural areas of HHI better, too--Pickney Island, the Adubon Preserve. When we go in the off-season, we do try to snag a Marriott that has an indoor pool, for days when it is both rainy and cold. But we also like to take those days to bake bread, make soup, play games, etc...*sigh* I need to go back, LOL!

MB I think has gotten better in the off-season, but I still think HHI has more to offer.

 

[Bucky]

Obviously I am biased but we have been to both locations also. We love Myrtle Beach so much that we bought a vacation home there a few years ago. We always found HH kind of stuffy and really not much to do at all. Everyone raves about their food experiences at HH. That is not what we have found at all. In fact, I will say that there are far more really good restaurants in the Myrtle Beach area. As far as shopping goes MB has two outlet malls plus Barefoot Landing, Coastal Grande Mall and Broadway at the Beach. MB is basically the golf Mecca of the east coast. There are just an awful lot of activities in MB that you will not find in HH. And yes, MOW has both an indoor pool and heated outdoor pools, year round. Check this link out https://www.vacationsmadeeasy.com/MyrtleBeachSC/activity/

 

[pedro47]

To the OP, what months or weeks are you looking at?

 

[escanoe]

To the OP, what months or weeks are you looking at?

One of my favorite beach trips ever is when my son and I went to HHI in mid-to-early October in 2020. I did remote work, he did remote school -- and the Atlantic was still quite pleasant to swim in.

 

[bankr63]

We've stayed at both locations, and prefer HHI, but based on your wide group age demographic and want for more closely located/walkable destinations Myrtle would be your better option.

HHI with the large plantations is very spread out. There is a bit of a hub area around Coligny beach, but it's not that big. We always rent bikes to get around HHI, but we get road bikes instead of beach cruisers - there are excellent bike trails across the island.

A lot more activities in Myrtle are in fairly concentrated areas within a block or two of the beach. I wouldn't dream of riding a bike in Myrtle - the area is just not setup for it.

Note that all of our visits have been shoulder season (March break here is roughly week 9-11, and always includes St Patrick's Day).

 

[mdurette]

To the OP, what months or weeks are you looking at?

Thanksgiving or the week prior to Christmas.

 

[pedro47]

HHI, because of some of the best restaurants in SC; plus the weather should be milder than in MB. IMHO.

Also, HHI is laid back and not as busy as MB.

There is no Costco in HHI. There is a Costco in MB that also sell spirts..

 

[Laurie]

HHI is more beautiful and peaceful, and easy to get everywhere, driving distances are short, fun if your family members like riding bicycles. Mostly low-rise condos, and natural areas. For shopping, there must be a hundred consignment and thrift stores, in addition to the usual gift shops. Coligny, Shelter Cove or Harbortown could work for walkable areas. We own a full-time condo in HHI, currently for vacation rentals. I could consider living there.

MB feels urban: more traffic, concrete highrises, and tacky beachware shops. More miniature golf, and big shows at night. Better sharks teeth than HHI if that matters to you (one of my favorite beachfront activities). Mostly I don't think of MB as a great choice for walking areas, and we spend more time on 4- or 6-lane roads to get around. MB is fun for a week or a weekend, but l wouldn't want to live there. We once again have a timeshare there, for our own use, since we enjoy short visits.

Both have outlet malls, and movie theaters, and a plethora of good restaurants, and plenty to do off-season IMO. As was stated, weather in HHI is milder late Nov-Dec.

 

[Laurie]

One more comment: if having a direct oceanfront balcony is a priority, many places at Myrtle Beach have those. A few HHI resorts are oceanfront, but even then many of their units aren't.

 

[amycurl]

The best thing I loved about MB in the Thanskgiving-Christmas time period was when the Rockettes had a residency. But I don't think that they've done that for many, many years now. But there'll be more things like that in MB than in HHI.

 

[jme]

Myrtle Beach walkable areas??? Where? Name something accessible from Marriott's Oceanwatch? Accessible by walking, that is.
You cannot walk around Marriott Oceanwatch because it's isolated and there's NOTHING adjacent. You can walk the beach, but that's it.
Tell me where on this map of Marriott's Oceanwatch (as mentioned above in the appeal to find THE right place to visit)
that senior citizens can walk, other than the beach?

Marriott's OceanWatch Villas at Grande Dunes · 8550 Costa Verde Dr, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572

âââââ · Hotel

goo.gl

Continue south and it's worse.

Nothing safe for walking anyway, imho, as there are only busy roads, most all with multiple lanes. Not even safe for biking, same reasons.
Maybe they could walk around the amusement area of "Broadway at the Beach"....round and round, but you have to drive and park first,
and the parking is busy. (Yep, there's a good hearty walk from the parking lot to the stores.)
Once around "Broadway at the Beach" and you've seen it all.....once around is enough. Been there a few times. Stereotypical.
And the restaurants' cuisine there is nothing to speak of. Basically "sit-down fast food".
Best restaurants in there are Hard Rock Cafe, Landry's Seafood, Dave & Buster's, and Margaritaville.... (Landry's is pretty good, we do like it.)
All are loud, full of tourists, many in tank tops, and kids screaming.
MB also has dozens of "seafood houses" which have that sort of environment. I call it the masses feeding buffet-style on seafood from a trough.
Not exactly a plethora of top notch dining destinations for senior citizens, imho.

But there are definitely some scattered "nice" fine-dining restaurants out there.....We've found them over the years, just not many.
And it's not for lack of looking and doing my homework.
MB is essentially full of franchise restaurants....examples of EVERY conceivable franchise, and all busy busy if that's what you want.
Existing mainly for the MB masses. A dime a dozen, but that's not exactly a destination for "good restaurants", imho.

Check this out for Myrtle Beach's Spring Break crowd.....it tells a lot......

myrtle beach spring break photos - Google Search

To be fair, HHI has Spring Breaks too....like a small group of twelve friends from college, or a couple of families......quite the different scene.

So, in what MB is lacking, HHI has plenty of. Over 250 restaurants, many average to very good, and many quite excellent.
But HHI has far more GREAT restaurants.......too many to visit in one week, or even in one or two months.
Regarding "nice" restaurants, I state unequivocally that HHI is superior, in quantity and in quality, and I know well the restaurants at both.

To be fair again, HHI doesn't have resorts with walkable accessibility to restaurants at all, or to "things to do" either! Exclamation point!!....You must have a car to do anything.
But it does have trails for the sake of walking only. For things to do in general, I think you'll find that both locations do indeed have things to do.....tours, interesting sites, shopping, dining, whatever.....just not realistically speaking for anything other than walking for exercise.
But as far as walkable areas, HHI has more -----plenty of gorgeous trails for walking-----far more than Myrtle Beach. Like 10 places to zero.
But I say "walkable" should not be a requirement. Not really doable at Myrtle Beach, but Hilton Head at least has venues that senior citizens can enjoy.
Harbour Town, South Beach, Sea Pines Plantation gated community, Shelter Cove, Palmetto Dunes gated community, Port Royal gated community, etc....
all have gorgeous walking trails, and for that matter, biking trails......matter of fact, some of the nation's best biking trails.

I've been going to Myrtle Beach since 1972 when the main drag was only Ocean Drive, and all Ocean Drive had was one or two-story motels and bars on every street corner,
with inebriated kids hanging from the balconies screaming. I have very vivid memories of those. (I personally didn't hang from the balconies, but......)
Now MB has high-rises, but you cannot walk that stretch, or ANY "stretch", to my knowledge.

We're still visiting Myrtle Beach, but not so much. We trade those week's stays or give them to my office staff.
In Myrtle Beach we've owned 1 week at Marriott's Oceanwatch for many years, and 2 weeks at Vistana's Sheraton Broadway Plantation for many years.
Both wonderful resorts with high standards, btw, but both purely unto themselves location-wise.

At HHI we own 2 weeks at Marriott's Barony, 6 weeks at Grande Ocean, and 2 3BR weeks at Waterside by Spinnaker. Love those. Great locations.
Near great restaurants, near activities, near to shopping, near to everything....by car.
All very classy resorts too.
We stay at those, and even get extra time. We just spent two weeks at Grande Ocean in January, and then two weeks in February, none of which were our ownership weeks.
We do that every year.

So it boils down to a conscious decision and choice.
I have several friends who fiercely love MB and several who have moved there. They are very content and feel blessed to be there, and so they are.
Frankly though, they don't go out to eat much.
I also have friends, many more friends, who fiercely love HH, and who dine out most of the time. Nothing meant by that other than that's what happens.
To each his own, and I have no qualms with anyone who prefers Myrtle Beach----it's a VERY popular destination.
But it's a different crowd.
All I can say is that as everyone knows, the two destinations are total polar opposites of each other, if ever there were such.
Enough disparate that they really don't compare. Many like MB and many prefer HHI. Cool.

Somebody said HHI seems a bit stuffy.......I personally think that's a wrong perception, but I will concede that it's probably true that a greater % there
have huge private homes and condos than at MB. Truly hundreds of amazing homes, jaw-dropping in fact.
Famous people from professional sports, owners of million-dollar & billion-dollar companies, and "others", have had, and still have, private homes there.
Not to mention notable and highly successful retired persons lucky enough to have made it happen......
And don't discount all those who only dream of retiring there but remain around their families back home and only visit......
Hmmmm...they probably own a timeshare.

Based on the type of visitors to HHI mentioned above, it would naturally follow that more fine restaurants would spring up there at HHI....
not overly elegant ones because it's ultimately a "beach place", but a lot of really really good establishments.
Fine dining establishments might seem stuffy to some, but we don't find that.
BTW, everything at HHI is "casual" attire...nothing more......to us that's not stuffy, merely a great spot to enjoy a fantastic evening.

 

[pedro47]

Myrtle Beach walkable areas??? Where? Name something accessible from Marriott's Oceanwatch? Accessible by walking, that is.
You cannot walk around Marriott Oceanwatch because it's isolated and there's NOTHING adjacent. You can walk the beach, but that's it.
Tell me where on this map of Marriott's Oceanwatch (as mentioned above in the appeal to find THE right place to visit)
that senior citizens can walk, other than the beach?

Marriott's OceanWatch Villas at Grande Dunes · 8550 Costa Verde Dr, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572

âââââ · Hotel

goo.gl

Continue south and it's worse.

Nothing safe for walking anyway, imho, as there are only busy roads, most all with multiple lanes. Not even safe for biking, same reasons.
Maybe they could walk around the amusement area of "Broadway at the Beach"....round and round, but you have to drive and park first,
and the parking is busy. (Yep, there's a good hearty walk from the parking lot to the stores.)
Once around "Broadway at the Beach" and you've seen it all.....once around is enough. Been there a few times. Stereotypical.
And the restaurants' cuisine there is nothing to speak of. Basically "sit-down fast food".
Best restaurants in there are Hard Rock Cafe, Landry's Seafood, Dave & Buster's, and Margaritaville.... (Landry's is pretty good, we do like it.)
All are loud, full of tourists, many in tank tops, and kids screaming.
MB also has dozens of "seafood houses" which have that sort of environment. I call it the masses feeding buffet-style on seafood from a trough.
Not exactly a plethora of top notch dining destinations for senior citizens, imho.

But there are definitely some scattered "nice" fine-dining restaurants out there.....We've found them over the years, just not many.
And it's not for lack of looking and doing my homework.
MB is essentially full of franchise restaurants....examples of EVERY conceivable franchise, and all busy busy if that's what you want.
Existing mainly for the MB masses. A dime a dozen, but that's not exactly a destination for "good restaurants", imho.

Check this out for Myrtle Beach's Spring Break crowd.....it tells a lot......

myrtle beach spring break photos - Google Search

To be fair, HHI has Spring Breaks too....like a small group of twelve friends from college, or a couple of families......quite the different scene.

So, in what MB is lacking, HHI has plenty of. Over 250 restaurants, many average to very good, and many quite excellent.
But HHI has far more GREAT restaurants.......too many to visit in one week, or even in one or two months.
Regarding "nice" restaurants, I state unequivocally that HHI is superior, in quantity and in quality, and I know well the restaurants at both.

To be fair again, HHI doesn't have resorts with walkable accessibility to restaurants at all, or to "things to do" either! Exclamation point!!....You must have a car to do anything.
But it does have trails for the sake of walking only. For things to do in general, I think you'll find that both locations do indeed have things to do.....tours, interesting sites, shopping, dining, whatever.....just not realistically speaking for anything other than walking for exercise.
But as far as walkable areas, HHI has more -----plenty of gorgeous trails for walking-----far more than Myrtle Beach. Like 10 places to zero.
But I say "walkable" should not be a requirement. Not really doable at Myrtle Beach, but Hilton Head at least has venues that senior citizens can enjoy.
Harbour Town, South Beach, Sea Pines Plantation gated community, Shelter Cove, Palmetto Dunes gated community, Port Royal gated community, etc....
all have gorgeous walking trails, and for that matter, biking trails......matter of fact, some of the nation's best biking trails.

I've been going to Myrtle Beach since 1972 when the main drag was only Ocean Drive, and all Ocean Drive had was one or two-story motels and bars on every street corner,
with inebriated kids hanging from the balconies screaming. I have very vivid memories of those. (I personally didn't hang from the balconies, but......)
Now MB has high-rises, but you cannot walk that stretch, or ANY "stretch", to my knowledge.

We're still visiting Myrtle Beach, but not so much. We trade those week's stays or give them to my office staff.
In Myrtle Beach we've owned 1 week at Marriott's Oceanwatch for many years, and 2 weeks at Vistana's Sheraton Broadway Plantation for many years.
Both wonderful resorts with high standards, btw, but both purely unto themselves location-wise.

At HHI we own 2 weeks at Marriott's Barony, 6 weeks at Grande Ocean, and 2 3BR weeks at Waterside by Spinnaker. Love those. Great locations.
Near great restaurants, near activities, near to shopping, near to everything....by car.
All very classy resorts too.
We stay at those, and even get extra time. We just spent two weeks in January there, and then two weeks in February, none of which were our ownership weeks.
We do that every year.

So it boils down to a conscious decision and choice.
I have several friends who fiercely love MB and several who have moved there. They are very content and feel blessed to be there, and so they are.
Frankly though, they don't go out to eat much.
I also have friends, many more friends, who fiercely love HH, and who dine out most of the time. Nothing meant by that other than that's what happens.
To each his own, and I have no qualms with anyone who prefers Myrtle Beach----it's a VERY popular destination.
But it's a different crowd.
All I can say is that as everyone knows, the two destinations are total polar opposites of each other, if ever there were such.
Enough disparate that they really don't compare. Many like MB and many prefer HHI. Cool.

Somebody said HHI seems a bit stuffy.......I personally think that's a wrong perception, but I will concede that it's probably true that a greater % there
have huge private homes and condos than at MB. Truly hundreds of amazing homes, jaw-dropping in fact.
Famous people from professional sports, owners of million-dollar & billion-dollar companies, and "others", have had, and still have, private homes there.
Not to mention notable and highly successful retired persons lucky enough to have made it happen......
And don't discount all those who only dream of retiring there but remain around their families back home and only visit......
Hmmmm...they probably own a timeshare.

Based on the type of visitors to HHI mentioned above, it would naturally follow that more fine restaurants would spring up there at HHI....
not overly elegant ones because it's ultimately a "beach place", but a lot of really really good establishments.
Fine dining establishments might seem stuffy to some, but we don't find that.
BTW, everything at HHI is "casual" attire...nothing more......to us that's not stuffy, merely a great spot to enjoy a fantastic evening.

My spouse asked me are you a reported? I just laughed out loud.
Because I agreed with your post 110%. I prefer HHI over MB for all your stated reasons.

We can stayed at the following Marriott's Resorts (SurfWatch, Grand Ocean, The Barony)and received a total difference experience of the island. IMHO.

 

[ocdb8r]

When we go in the off-season, we do try to snag a Marriott that has an indoor pool, for days when it is both rainy and cold.

Which of the HHI MVC resorts have indoor pools? Is there a list somewhere?

 

[pedro47]

Which of the HHI MVC resorts have indoor pools? Is there a list somewhere?

Grande Ocean, Surf Watch and The Barony

 

[jme]

Grande Ocean, Surf Watch and The Barony

And FYI, Surfwatch has the best indoor pool, Barony second, and Grande Ocean last. If you may note, they were constructed in the reverse order… first GO, then Barony, and last SW. My contention is that the indoor pool was not so important when GO began—-just to have one was nice, so it wasn’t made to be so grand. They rethought that with Barony and it was actually gorgeous, still is. And as its crowning glory, SW has an amazingly beautiful indoor pool—huge, architecturally stunning, and downright fun. So things evolve, even in three completely different Marriott timeshare resorts at Hilton Head, constructed sequentially only a very few years apart. But what a treat! Three awesome choices with different landscapes and different “feels”.

 

[Bucky]

Myrtle Beach walkable areas??? Where? Name something accessible from Marriott's Oceanwatch? Accessible by walking, that is.
You cannot walk around Marriott Oceanwatch because it's isolated and there's NOTHING adjacent. You can walk the beach, but that's it.
Tell me where on this map of Marriott's Oceanwatch (as mentioned above in the appeal to find THE right place to visit)
that senior citizens can walk, other than the beach?

Marriott's OceanWatch Villas at Grande Dunes · 8550 Costa Verde Dr, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572

âââââ · Hotel

goo.gl

Continue south and it's worse.

Nothing safe for walking anyway, imho, as there are only busy roads, most all with multiple lanes. Not even safe for biking, same reasons.
Maybe they could walk around the amusement area of "Broadway at the Beach"....round and round, but you have to drive and park first,
and the parking is busy. (Yep, there's a good hearty walk from the parking lot to the stores.)
Once around "Broadway at the Beach" and you've seen it all.....once around is enough. Been there a few times. Stereotypical.
And the restaurants' cuisine there is nothing to speak of. Basically "sit-down fast food".
Best restaurants in there are Hard Rock Cafe, Landry's Seafood, Dave & Buster's, and Margaritaville.... (Landry's is pretty good, we do like it.)
All are loud, full of tourists, many in tank tops, and kids screaming.
MB also has dozens of "seafood houses" which have that sort of environment. I call it the masses feeding buffet-style on seafood from a trough.
Not exactly a plethora of top notch dining destinations for senior citizens, imho.

But there are definitely some scattered "nice" fine-dining restaurants out there.....We've found them over the years, just not many.
And it's not for lack of looking and doing my homework.
MB is essentially full of franchise restaurants....examples of EVERY conceivable franchise, and all busy busy if that's what you want.
Existing mainly for the MB masses. A dime a dozen, but that's not exactly a destination for "good restaurants", imho.

Check this out for Myrtle Beach's Spring Break crowd.....it tells a lot......

myrtle beach spring break photos - Google Search

To be fair, HHI has Spring Breaks too....like a small group of twelve friends from college, or a couple of families......quite the different scene.

So, in what MB is lacking, HHI has plenty of. Over 250 restaurants, many average to very good, and many quite excellent.
But HHI has far more GREAT restaurants.......too many to visit in one week, or even in one or two months.
Regarding "nice" restaurants, I state unequivocally that HHI is superior, in quantity and in quality, and I know well the restaurants at both.

To be fair again, HHI doesn't have resorts with walkable accessibility to restaurants at all, or to "things to do" either! Exclamation point!!....You must have a car to do anything.
But it does have trails for the sake of walking only. For things to do in general, I think you'll find that both locations do indeed have things to do.....tours, interesting sites, shopping, dining, whatever.....just not realistically speaking for anything other than walking for exercise.
But as far as walkable areas, HHI has more -----plenty of gorgeous trails for walking-----far more than Myrtle Beach. Like 10 places to zero.
But I say "walkable" should not be a requirement. Not really doable at Myrtle Beach, but Hilton Head at least has venues that senior citizens can enjoy.
Harbour Town, South Beach, Sea Pines Plantation gated community, Shelter Cove, Palmetto Dunes gated community, Port Royal gated community, etc....
all have gorgeous walking trails, and for that matter, biking trails......matter of fact, some of the nation's best biking trails.

I've been going to Myrtle Beach since 1972 when the main drag was only Ocean Drive, and all Ocean Drive had was one or two-story motels and bars on every street corner,
with inebriated kids hanging from the balconies screaming. I have very vivid memories of those. (I personally didn't hang from the balconies, but......)
Now MB has high-rises, but you cannot walk that stretch, or ANY "stretch", to my knowledge.

We're still visiting Myrtle Beach, but not so much. We trade those week's stays or give them to my office staff.
In Myrtle Beach we've owned 1 week at Marriott's Oceanwatch for many years, and 2 weeks at Vistana's Sheraton Broadway Plantation for many years.
Both wonderful resorts with high standards, btw, but both purely unto themselves location-wise.

At HHI we own 2 weeks at Marriott's Barony, 6 weeks at Grande Ocean, and 2 3BR weeks at Waterside by Spinnaker. Love those. Great locations.
Near great restaurants, near activities, near to shopping, near to everything....by car.
All very classy resorts too.
We stay at those, and even get extra time. We just spent two weeks at Grande Ocean in January, and then two weeks in February, none of which were our ownership weeks.
We do that every year.

So it boils down to a conscious decision and choice.
I have several friends who fiercely love MB and several who have moved there. They are very content and feel blessed to be there, and so they are.
Frankly though, they don't go out to eat much.
I also have friends, many more friends, who fiercely love HH, and who dine out most of the time. Nothing meant by that other than that's what happens.
To each his own, and I have no qualms with anyone who prefers Myrtle Beach----it's a VERY popular destination.
But it's a different crowd.
All I can say is that as everyone knows, the two destinations are total polar opposites of each other, if ever there were such.
Enough disparate that they really don't compare. Many like MB and many prefer HHI. Cool.

Somebody said HHI seems a bit stuffy.......I personally think that's a wrong perception, but I will concede that it's probably true that a greater % there
have huge private homes and condos than at MB. Truly hundreds of amazing homes, jaw-dropping in fact.
Famous people from professional sports, owners of million-dollar & billion-dollar companies, and "others", have had, and still have, private homes there.
Not to mention notable and highly successful retired persons lucky enough to have made it happen......
And don't discount all those who only dream of retiring there but remain around their families back home and only visit......
Hmmmm...they probably own a timeshare.

Based on the type of visitors to HHI mentioned above, it would naturally follow that more fine restaurants would spring up there at HHI....
not overly elegant ones because it's ultimately a "beach place", but a lot of really really good establishments.
Fine dining establishments might seem stuffy to some, but we don't find that.
BTW, everything at HHI is "casual" attire...nothing more......to us that's not stuffy, merely a great spot to enjoy a fantastic evening.

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the length of this post was how verbose it needlessly is! I guess if one is too old or medically challenged walking would be out of the question for many places but I know there’s many very good restaurants within walking distance to MOW, starting with maybe a 2-3 block walk to Hook & Barrel Restaurant, many here have enjoyed. From there one could walk down the sidewalks on either 17 or continue down 82d. But, from there a car would probably be the way to go. Do the streets have cars on them? Sure,but I haven’t seen them driving on the sidewalks yet, unless that’s during spring break! LOL. It is what it is but you have went above and beyond in your description. I really only quoted it to see if the quote button would transfer that much. For those of you that don’t like Myrtle Beach, why do you continue to come back. It a beach town, not a stuffy upper crust Island haven. Hope the OP enjoys themselves in whatever they choose but I suggest they throw away the over negative review and the great reviews and go with whatever meets their needs. But, please don’t go from what you have read here because we all know if you’ve read it on the internet it must be true, right?

 

[jme]

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the length of this post was how verbose it needlessly is! I guess if one is too old or medically challenged walking would be out of the question for many places but I know there’s many very good restaurants within walking distance to MOW, starting with maybe a 2-3 block walk to Hook & Barrel Restaurant, many here have enjoyed. From there one could walk down the sidewalks on either 17 or continue down 82d. But, from there a car would probably be the way to go. Do the streets have cars on them? Sure,but I haven’t seen them driving on the sidewalks yet, unless that’s during spring break! LOL. It is what it is but you have went above and beyond in your description. I really only quoted it to see if the quote button would transfer that much. For those of you that don’t like Myrtle Beach, why do you continue to come back. It a beach town, not a stuffy upper crust Island haven. Hope the OP enjoys themselves in whatever they choose but I suggest they throw away the over negative review and the great reviews and go with whatever meets their needs. But, please don’t go from what you have read here because we all know if you’ve read it on the internet it must be true, right?

First, to answer your question, we don't go back to Oceanwatch, except when we're meeting up with a friend who owns there, and that is rare.
Should have included that, sorry
As I said it's been a while, and we typically trade that or give it to my staff or a friend.
Let there be no mistake...Oceanwatch resort is an amazingly beautiful resort. The villas are gorgeous and the pools are pristine.
The beach is great, too, same beach that traverses the entire East coast (I've heard).
In general the place is as good as it gets in the Marriott system. It's classy and it's awesome.

My problem is not with the resort, but with Myrtle Beach proper. It's a different crowd, which I said too much previously.
Myrtle Beach is cheap & touristy, and the caliber of the two do not seem right for each other.
(Typical day's agenda for the non-Marriott Myrtle Beach visitor:
Drive down the strip, get a tattoo, buy a T-shirt, go play miniature golf, next wait in line for dinner at Calabash Seafood House, then go get wasted at some honky tonk bar.)
But Oceanwatch itself is OK....day on the beach and at the pools, very nice. Then what?

But it's a reasonable location for its latitude. That was Marriott's intent, I believe.
Nothing "Marriott" between Fairway Villas/Atlantic City and Hilton Head, except for Oceanwatch.
They knew the location's draw would be the key---"halfway to Florida". And yes, it's a golfing mecca....more courses than anywhere else I know of, except Orlando, perhaps.
So, I wish this amazing resort could be dug up and set down somewhere else. Drop it down onto Maui or Oahu and we have a deal.

Regarding my previous post, I do tend to be verbose because I don't want to leave anything unsaid, at least on this enjoyable and lazy Saturday morning.
Hard week at the office, so it's like therapy. (If it helps you to go to sleep, you may want to print it and re-use. You're welcome.)
I'm absolutely sure some of that is superfluous, but it was not a thesis or a term paper (I wrote so many), so it was not intended to be of that caliber.
I have 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 yo grandchildren, so my stories tend to go on and on........ it must transfer to TUG posts for me.... again, sorry.
Brevity is not my forte, except when I'm writing up my patients' charts daily.....I have to keep that short and precise, but that's another story.

I said all that in my post for a reason....it explains some of the minor details or back story that people may not know.
I was trying to paint a picture, not write a "drive-by".
The message was really addressed to the OP who was looking for a place for their "older crowd".
We personally have no problem walking, and walking quite a way for dining and everything else. Everywhere we go, we like to walk.

For example, we've been to Boston in Fall 9 times out of the last 13 years (the pandemic cut into that string of trips),
and we walk from Custom House to the North End every evening for dinner. At Hilton Head we walk many times to breakfast, after walking the beach in the mornings.
When we visit Manor Club in Fall and during both holidays (Thanksgiving or Christmas) we walk the woodsy trails every day for hours,
and we also walk Colonial Williamsburg for hours at a time. Thankfully we are neither medically nor physically challenged.

And in closing, one last word, just for you.......enjoy....

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

 

[amycurl]

One thing we long-ago realized was how nice it was to vacation in areas where most of the year-round and seasonal residents were richer than us, LOL....must be why I like HHI and the coast of Maine so much.

 

[pedro47]

There is a MVC Resort located in Williamsburg, Virginia and it is very nice..

 

[jme]

There is a MVC Resort located in Williamsburg, Virginia and it is very nice..

I meant coastal resorts, as in oceanfront resorts ….but yes, we own at Manor Club too, and love it. We go every year in Fall or at Christmas. Great resort, great destination city

 

[Bucky]

Wow! What a jaded picture of the typical tourist coming to Myrtle Beach. That must make those of us that live there full time the dredge of the south! As a side note, the OP was looking for recommendations for a group of people from their 80’s to teenagers. If it was just an older crowd I would have recommended HHI also. But, with teenagers there is far more to keep everyone satisfied in MB. PS. I actually did read your full post this time and enjoy your sense of humor. Have a great weekend.

First, to answer your question, we don't go back to Oceanwatch, except when we're meeting up with a friend who owns there, and that is rare.
Should have included that, sorry
As I said it's been a while, and we typically trade that or give it to my staff or a friend.
Let there be no mistake...Oceanwatch resort is an amazingly beautiful resort. The villas are gorgeous and the pools are pristine.
The beach is great, too, same beach that traverses the entire East coast (I've heard).
In general the place is as good as it gets in the Marriott system. It's classy and it's awesome.

My problem is not with the resort, but with Myrtle Beach proper. It's a different crowd, which I said too much previously.
Myrtle Beach is cheap & touristy, and the caliber of the two do not seem right for each other.
(Typical day's agenda for the non-Marriott Myrtle Beach visitor:
Drive down the strip, get a tattoo, buy a T-shirt, go play miniature golf, next wait in line for dinner at Calabash Seafood House, then go get wasted at some honky tonk bar.)
But Oceanwatch itself is OK....day on the beach and at the pools, very nice. Then what?

But it's a reasonable location for its latitude. That was Marriott's intent, I believe.
Nothing "Marriott" between Fairway Villas/Atlantic City and Hilton Head, except for Oceanwatch.
They knew the location's draw would be the key---"halfway to Florida". And yes, it's a golfing mecca....more courses than anywhere else I know of, except Orlando, perhaps.
So, I wish this amazing resort could be dug up and set down somewhere else. Drop it down onto Maui or Oahu and we have a deal.

Regarding my previous post, I do tend to be verbose because I don't want to leave anything unsaid, at least on this enjoyable and lazy Saturday morning.
Hard week at the office, so it's like therapy. (If it helps you to go to sleep, you may want to print it and re-use. You're welcome.)
I'm absolutely sure some of that is superfluous, but it was not a thesis or a term paper (I wrote so many), so it was not intended to be of that caliber.
I have 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 yo grandchildren, so my stories tend to go on and on........ it must transfer to TUG posts for me.... again, sorry.
Brevity is not my forte, except when I'm writing up my patients' charts daily.....I have to keep that short and precise, but that's another story.

I said all that in my post for a reason....it explains some of the minor details or back story that people may not know.
I was trying to paint a picture, not write a "drive-by".
The message was really addressed to the OP who was looking for a place for their "older crowd".
We personally have no problem walking, and walking quite a way for dining and everything else. Everywhere we go, we like to walk.

For example, we've been to Boston in Fall 9 times out of the last 13 years (the pandemic cut into that string of trips),
and we walk from Custom House to the North End every evening for dinner. At Hilton Head we walk many times to breakfast, after walking the beach in the mornings.
When we visit Manor Club in Fall and during both holidays (Thanksgiving or Christmas) we walk the woodsy trails every day for hours,
and we also walk Colonial Williamsburg for hours at a time. Thankfully we are neither medically nor physically challenged.

And in closing, one last word, just for you.......enjoy....

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

 

[VacationForever]

Let's put it this way, we will go back to Hilton Head in a heartbeat but not Myrtle Beach. We had only been to Myrtle Beach once but it was one time too many for us. Hilton Head is lush, has great restaurants and golf. It was just a very peaceful area. Myrtle Beach felt like the whole place was stuck in the 60s. Marriott's Oceanwatch was very nice but once you go out and drive down the street, you get buildings and shopping malls that were old and unattractive. Golf was not even as good as Hilton Head's. We didn't find good restaurants in Myrtle Beach.

 

[jme]

Wow! What a jaded picture of the typical tourist coming to Myrtle Beach. That must make those of us that live there full time the dredge of the south! As a side note, the OP was looking for recommendations for a group of people from their 80’s to teenagers. If it was just an older crowd I would have recommended HHI also. But, with teenagers there is far more to keep everyone satisfied in MB. PS. I actually did read your full post this time and enjoy your sense of humor. Have a great weekend.

Ok I stand corrected on the OP’s search for the specific age ranges. You’re absolutely right about Myrtle’s activities for the younger ones. They’ll probably have a blast there, I certainly did at those ages!!! Also, I gave the description of the typical MB visitor with tongue-in-cheek (a typical “Day in the Life”), and of course it was overly stereotypical of a certain rough type, but a little bit of that was true if you look around —-more of those there than you might think. Look at Biker’s Week—you won’t catch most people there when that’s going on! Heck, Daytona is the same… but I loved my family’s many trips to Daytona growing up… it’s one of the widest and most beautiful beaches anywhere. Myrtle Beach is very popular too so who am I to knock it? It’s just not what we choose. MB indeed has it all, I'm sure you would agree. There’s a wider range of everything. There are also some very beautiful & wonderful homes at MB, and I gawked at many of them when we rode around. Glad you’re happy there, truly, and I’m sure it’s awesome. It is the same for the friends of mine who made the same decision. Just don’t conclude that all HH visitors, residents, or fans are the “stuffy upper crust” who look down their noses…..I’ve never once seen that or even imagined that. It’s simply an expensive place to go, not unlike Mackinac Island up north, and those places naturally become exclusive. The “resort scene” represented here on TUG runs the gamut, and perhaps that’s the beauty of it. And I always appreciate your contributions here.

 

[Eggrollcreative]

I love Myrtle Beach and have never been to Hilton Head. Love the miles of hard walkable sandy beach. All the fun things to do. However last visit we talked to a couple teenagers in the hot tub and someone had tried to grab them off the beach. They narrowly escaped. So that made me feel a little less fuzzy toward the town. Be careful with your young people.