With the exception of a few of the major hotel chains such as The Myrtle Beach Hilton
and a few Best Westerns and Holiday Inns that held out too long to get into the condo
conversion fad, Myrtle Beach condos have become the only option available for many
of the 14 million-plus tourists that visit each year.
At least for now, the far south end of Myrtle Beach will still offer a few
cheap oceanfront properties, but for those who will only stay in downtown Myrtle
or North Myrtle Beach, the inexpensive places to stay will prove to be hard to find and
probably unsatisfactory from 2008 forward.
Older oceanfront hotels in Myrtle Beach that have been operated by generations
of the same families are still in the family control in many cases, such as the
Anderson Inn in downtown Myrtle, which is now the Anderson Ocean Club.
But a lavish luxury condo-hotel has replaced the familiar and popular family inn of
nearly 50 years.
In North Myrtle Beach, the Cherry Grove pier brought in year after year of fishing
enthusiasts, most of them returning each time to stay at the cute little hotel next
door called the Holiday House. Owned by the Prince family throughout several
generations, the entire block is now a grand Disney-like and multi-colored resort
that towers over its neighbors. The Prince Resort at the Cherry Grove Pier is
a sight to behold, and to be sure, some of these luxury condos were no doubt
purchased by the loyal patrons of the Holiday House and the pier. There have been
few complaints from vacationers visiting the new high-rise with its multiple pools,
lazy river and fabulous views, however - despite the fact that a week at the Prince Resort
is probably twice or three times the cost of a cheap room at the old hotel. The pier
remains as a fisherman's paradise, and helps with the rentals as well as the sales of
North Myrtle Beach real estate in Cherry Grove.
Indeed, all of North Myrtle Beach has lost its familiar but slightly run-down appearance,
as the small seafood buffets and endless beachwear stores have been replaced with
upper scale chain restaurants like Bonefish, and giant, brightly-hued glass castles
still called Wings and Eagles Beachwear.
Whether you are a fan of the new high class look of Myrtle and North Myrtle Beach,
or bemoan the loss of the "Redneck Riviera" as the gaudy neon Strand used to be
affectionately called, as a tourist you will still find South Carolina's favorite beaches
a great place to spend your vacation. It won't be a cheap vacation these days, but
if you take advantage of your vacation condo to eat in a couple of meals and come
during the less expensive spring and fall seasons, you'll find all the new condo resorts
to be roomy and offering amenities that the old hotels never even thought about.
Myrtle Beach amusement parks have grown from the "County Fair" atmosphere of
the Pavilion to the world renown Hard Rock Park, but the elaborate mini-golf courses
still pop up all along Highway 17, and the 100 Championship Golf Courses that it's
famous for still make golf packages a widely popular vacation choice.
Soon Myrtle Beach will be South Carolina's version of Boca Raton, and will always
be one of the finest vacation destinations on the East Coast.
Fran and Rowena
Invite as author
Myrtle Beach and Jan Chilton - a winning combination!
Debbie Ferrari
Invite as author
You can Trust What Jan Chilton Writes About
I have found Jan Chilton, the auther of "Myrtle Beach Condos--Myrtle Beach Vacation Rentals Replace Hotels for Vacationers" to be one of the foremost authorities about the Myrtle Beach and nearby areas.
Besides performing Webmaster and marketing consulting work for most of the largest condo-related firms in the Myrtle Beach area, she, herself, is an expert on the condo market conditions up and down the entire two-state coastal and beach area.
Trust me, Debbie Ferrari, (www.DebbieFerrari.c