We were needing to use some left over Hilton Grand Vacation Club Points before they expired but weren’t ready to do the pandemic shuffle at the airport. The next closest drivable destination to us other than Florida was South Carolina.
It was Thanksgiving break for the kids and we’ve never been to Myrtle Beach before. Let’s go!
One word… COLD… in the low 30’s and 40’s in the morning to the 50’s and low 60’s in the afternoon. It made great opportunities for photographing beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
If you are a surfer, there were some ripples but you’d better bring your wetsuit. Paddleboarder? Don’t fall in…
I cruised down Ocean Boulevard and the sidewalks were empty earlier in the week but it soon picked up on Wednesday (Day before Thanksgiving).
The Anderson Ocean Club and Spa
This is a Two Bedroom with Ocean View for 5 nights (Sun-Fri) for 3480 Club Points.
The hotel/resort has a loading and unloading zone but don’t expect to find a luggage cart w/o a Bellman attached to it.
There is a parking structure but its a short sketchy block away. Opt in for the Valet for a fee or settle for the free sketchy walk.
As part of Hilton Grand Vacations, you may be provided for free admission to Lost Mine Miniature Golf (Open only Fri-Sun) and Broadway Grand Prix (Unlimited Rides, excluding Sky Coaster, Midway Games, Rock Wall and Arcade). Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take advantage of this, schedule conflicts.
I was very skeptical at staying here based on some of the reviews I read, but I’m glad that fellow Facebook Group members put me at ease.
Over the course of our stay, we found out we had a leaky kitchen faucet, noisy vents whenever the heater turned on and flickering bathroom beauty lights, but no other issues other than that.
As you can see in those beautiful 360 photos, the room was pretty up to date with a breathtaking ocean view.
On the property were 2 hot tubs, 2 heated pools, a piddly lazy river and 2 other pools and a bar.
In the lobby, you will find DVD Kiosks and a coffee shop.
What I can say I enjoyed the most about our stay, was cuddling in the extremely comfortable soft beds, leaving the sliding door open and falling asleep to the crashing waves. Second to that is the pool’s 80’s soft rock play list.
Tip
If you are a Hilton Grand Vacation Club / Hilton Honors Member, you may be invited to a 60 minute presentation. Initially, we were offered 30K Hilton Honors Points and a $125 Visa gift card. After politely declining, we were later offered 80K Hilton Honors Points and a $200 Visa gift card, soon after check-in. Hopefully this can help you with your strategy.
Attractions
I didn’t have high expectations going in and was amazed at their underwater tunnel, easily putting other known aquariums to shame. A must do is feeding the Stringrays. It’s a cool experience, just be prepared with some citrous smelling wipes for after.
I always stayed away from these, mainly because my expectations after attending Cirque Du Soleil shows was very high. Honestly, this was one of the best decisions in our trip to Myrtle Beach.
Get their early and get your drinks and popcorn. Almost all if not all the seats were filled.
It’s an experience is all I have to say. DO IT! Especially if you have kids.
Although there are two outlets within 10 miles of each other, the one up North on the 17 was a lot busier and newer looking.
Be warned, you may get lost here. Get your bearings right first. There is no way you can leave here empty handed. It’s the perfect place to go to decorate your future Short Term Rental.
This has got to be one of the narrowest boardwalks compared to Atlantic City, Long Beach and Jersey Shore. You will find the Skywheel here.
The boardwalk is about a mile away from the Anderson Ocean Club and Spa. You could walk there or take a short drive and park in one of their self pay parking lots (pay by the hour).
You’ll find restaurants, touristy stores, arcades, etc.
Restaurants
It’s a short 2 blocks away from The Anderson Ocean Club.
The Huevos Rancheros was perfect. Elsewhere, you’d find each element of this meal scattered about on a plate, however, here they had stacked the black beans, pico de Gallo, over easy eggs and avocado, beautifully onto a pair of tostadas. I, carefully, ate this as if I was at a fine dining restaurant, just because. This surely has my recommendation.
We sampled the Nutella and Strawberry Crepes which were abundant with fruit. They did not disappoint.
My wife loved the grits here. The kids liked it so much, we gave it another go.
On our second visit, I had the Smoked Salmon Benedict which was the most expensive item on the menu. Presentation was great, however, if you are expecting it to taste different, you’ll be sorely disappointed. They were delicious by the way.
Across the street from Anderson Ocean Club is this quaint Buffett. They serve Buffett for breakfast and lunch and also the typical American fanfare.
If you are there for Thanksgiving, you’ll be treated for an amazing southern spread.
We enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal here. Our 1st Thanksgiving without cooking, dishwashing and leftovers until Christmas. Maybe a new tradition?!
Ripley’s Aquarium 
Huevos Rancheros @ Donald’s 
Smoke Salmon Benedict @ Donald’s 
Gay Dolphin Gift Shop 
Myrtle Beach Boardwalk 
Myrtle Beach Boardwalk 
The Skywheel 
Sunrise @ The Anderson Ocean Club and Spa 
Sunset @ The Anderson Ocean Club and Spa 
The Anderson Ocean Club and Spa 
Nighttime @ The Anderson Ocean Club and Spa
Summary
This trip was very relaxing especially without having to do a presentation. The ocean was cold, but there was still a heated pool and Jacuzzi’s to fill that void.
There was more than enough things to do, however, this seems to be a seasonal area where a lot of attractions close down in late Fall. We’ll surely be back sometime during the warmer months.
One interestingly odd observation was that there was a lack of seagulls at least in the beginning of our vacation. As people started to pile in after Wednesday, so did the seagulls. There must be a link to seagulls and humans.
Just to roll things up, being able to listen to actual crashing waves rather than a sound machine… I’ll take that any day.
Here’s a Google Maps Link for locations we visited and don’t forget to click on the links within this article to checkout the websites. Enjoy!
If you’ve ever been to Myrtle Beach, let us know in the comments below, what was your favorite thing about Myrtle Beach.
Hold on… I have a FREE travel check list template you can have, we always use this on travel and it helps us not forget anything.
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