Myrtle Beach

View from the hotel.

With all of the travels that we do, we had not taken a family vacation this summer. I figured that we would wait until sometime in September to go, but Allen mentioned going to Myrtle Beach for Labor Day weekend. Myrtle Beach is a place that I had been interested in going because there is a Marriott on the beach. Of course, I wanted to use points for the stay and figured there would be no shot on Labor Day weekend. We were able to get a room at the Marriott Grand Dunes, so we were on our way.

We arrived in the Myrtle Beach area on Friday morning. Since it was not time to check in, we stopped by one of the public beach accesses to see what the Atlantic was like after Hurricane Earl passed offshore. Allen and I couldn't tell any difference in the ocean from when we were up at Kill Devil Hills in June. It seemed like the water was more rough on Monday than any other day.

Next stop was Broadway at the Beach for lunch and a round of putt putt. Broadway at the Beach is one of the main entertainment areas in Myrtle Beach. It has a Rippley's Aquarium, a movie theater, an IMAX, kiddie rides and a long list of activities. For lunch, we decided to eat at Senor Frog's, which had live music. The food was between average and good, but overpriced, which you expected. Next time, I think I would go to Margaritaville and try out the nachos I saw when we ate at the one in Glendale, AZ.

Two of the swimming pools at the Marriott Grand Dunes.

Friday afternoon, we checked into the Marriott Grand Dunes. I loved the location, pools and the dining, while AW loved the water slide. The rooms could use updating and had a musty smell, but nothing that would keep me from going back again.

For the rest of the trip, except for outlet shopping on Sunday, we hung around the hotel. AW did get us away Saturday afternoon for another round of putt putt, but with everything at the hotel, we didn't need to go anywhere else. The next time we go back, I would like to go to theMyrtle Beach Boardwalk. There are so many activities we missed, but then again, how can you go wrong with a beach and a pool?