A family vacation to Myrtle Beach is a go-to plan for families who live east of Ohio. Myrtle Beach has a big reputation for family fun. There are all manner of attractions, water sports, shows and entertainment that have lots to offer to tourists. Our experience at Myrtle Beach was a mixed bag, it certainly has lots to do, but depending upon where you stay and how old your kids are will dramatically impact the level of fun.
We stayed at Captain’s Quarters, a family resort that’s located directly on the beach. It’s a massive building with three pools, an inside lazy river, an inside entertainment complex with a 20-lane bowling alley plus arcade game. We went with a 4 and 6 year old and they really enjoyed it. They alternated between the outside lazy river and the Shipwreck Lagoon Pool as their favorite activities, both of which were marginally relaxing for us.
As a whole though our experience at Captain’s Quarters was below expectations, we visited twice, with the second visit being much less enjoyable. Firstly, from top to bottom the facility needs refurbishment. The carpet in each room that we stayed in had multiple stains and was peeling up in many of the corners. The air conditioning units are noisy, but effective and light sleepers will need ear plugs to cover up the clatter that they make at night.
The acoustics in the hotel are loud. We made the mistake of having a corner room and the noise from people walking by or outside elements was much louder than expected. Even when we turned on the television we could hear people talking as they walked past our room. Thankfully we could just turn on the air conditioning to drown them out.
Other aspects of the facility are also dated or need a fresh coat of paint. There are water stains on floors, ceilings and walls and an elevator that is too slow (and was broken for one day). It’s nothing that you haven’t seen before, but certainly is something that is not hinted at on their website. Moreover, for the price that you’re paying, it’s something that you don’t have to put up with and may not be at other Myrtle Beach resorts. In terms of age and condition, the facility has more in common with a college dorm by the beach than a family resort.
Captains Quarters is located on Ocean Boulevard, which can be a good thing or bad thing. If you have teenagers then this is a good thing. They’ll be able to walk to lots of places, enjoy some people watching and the beach is just one block away. For us the proximity to Ocean Boulevard was not a good thing because of the sheer number of loud motorcycles and racers.
We ate dinner on the main street one night. I say one night because it was an exhaust fueled party with countless Mustangs revving engines, loud motorcycles and sounds more akin to Motorcross or Monster Jam than an outside meal.
When we got back home I was casually mentioning our visit to Myrtle Beach that wasn’t so family friendly. I say casually because with the reputation that they have I would’ve expected ours to be the minority. The first person we mentioned it to said similar things, so did the second person. All three families have kids who were approximately the same age and each family had different backgrounds.
We’re fans of the beach and the waves at Myrtle Beach are fun, larger and more engaging than some of the beaches that we visit in Georgia. We haven’t lost our faith in the Grand Strand, but if we go again it’ll be to a beach house a couple streets back from the beach or in a more quiet region of the area.
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