I was just at Ocean Boulevard this past August. Really liked the location of the resort and thought the 2 bedroom was a good size. I didn’t mind being across the street one bit, either and thought it might have even been a better location than the three beach front towers. I am sorry to tell you, the pools at Ocean Boulevard were a HUGE disappointment to me, though. The pools were tiny, built over parking garages, very plain and were very unattractive, in my opinion. The pool across the street in tower 4 (this is where we stayed) is definitely the nicest pool, it is the largest pool and the only one that gets sun most of the day. The beachfront pools are tiny and in the summer, I thought they were very crowded so definitely no lap swimming in those. But the bigger problem will be the temperature of the beach front pools. Even in the summer the pools were a bit cool because they are in shade almost all day long. In the summer this is nice but in March, I bet the pools will be freezing!!! I’ve heard complaints about Ocean Boulevard not heating their pools much, if at all – read trip advisor for some more accurate accounts.
The indoor pool is in tower four and is rectangular, but again it is small and I would imagine the indoor pool will be crowded in March, too – as the other pools will probably be too cold to swim in.
The resort is in a great location, within walking distance to a small but pretty beachfront amusement park. Very pricy to ride anything, but there are maybe 8 rides total, but your kids will probably LOVE it. You are also within walking distance to a downtown area of sorts for North Myrtle Beach. I liked the location of Ocean Boulevard the best – so cool to be able to walk and bike to stores and restaurants and souvenir shops and things like that. The beach in front of the hotel was perfect, especially for kids. This past summer, at low tide a good amount of water would get trapped by a sandbar and form a mini lake, about a foot deep right in front the timeshare complex. The water was like bathwater and perfect for little kids.
As far as things to do, definitely try to do Boardwalk and Broadway and the outlet shops. The weather will either make or break your trip, so you might want to prepare for cool temps and rain, but hope for sunny and warm temps. I’ve been to Hilton Head a few times for Easter break and the weather has disappointed (cool and rainy) more times than not. But, when it is sunny and warm – being in the Carolinas during the spring sure feels nice.
I hope you have fun. Just wanted you to know the pool situation at Ocean Boulevard is not the greatest and is made much worse by the wind and shade that blankets the main pools for almost the entire day. Also, the weather can be a real miss this time of year, so maybe plan some indoor stuff, in addition to the beach. And the Ocean will be all but off limits because it will be so cold, even into April the ocean is almost unswimable.
...and the workout room is in tower 4, too (as are all the kid activities). The workout room is nice and modern enough, but small. Not sure about what kind of bikes are in there, but I bet the kind you want will be there.
I highly recomend renting bikes for this resort. Lots of things to bike to, and you can even rent a bike with one of those kid carriers. I did this in the summer and loved biking to the stores, but it was hot.
Hi all! We're going to be taking a cheap spring break getaway to OB in a few weeks and I have a couple of questions about the resort, I'm hoping your aggregated knowledge can help me.
First, the pools and exercise facilities. Are any of the pools suitable for lap swimming? I don't expect regulation length or anything, but any decent-sized rectangle where I can get more than a couple of strokes in before turning? Also, how is the exercise equipment? I'm hoping for an upright bike (rather than recumbent), maybe some dumbbells and a treadmill.
Second, does anyone have any recommendations of things to see/do (or skip/not worth it) geared toward a family with younger kids (6 and 3)? Kid-friendly restaurants? This is going to be a fairly low-key trip, just a chance to get away for a few days, and any suggestions for things to do would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
