any and all opinions of this hotel would be great (Myrtle Beach: appointed, spring break)

[writer01]

I love MB and every year my husband and I try a different hotel. We started out at the Beach Colony and have been trending south (Breakers, Dayton House, etc).

This year, as with most everyone, the economy has continued its assault on us, but even with a much smaller budget we're not giving up our annual trip to my favorite place in the world.

We're staying at Holiday Sands North at 400 North Ocean Blvd. I've read some fantastic reviews on this place, and some really terrible reviews. But it's hard to get a sense on travel sites, because you can't tell who's writing the review and what their angle is. Some people will call a hotel a "dump" if it's not brand spanking new, or if they felt someone was rude to them (even if they were rude as well!). And some people will call it wonderful if they had a great time on their vacation, but they're not really talking just about the hotel itself.

So I'm wondering if anyone knows much about the Holiday Sands North that they can share. I like that singles under 25 must be accompanied by their parents, so there won't be any packs of loud teens or college-age kids hanging around. We are getting an oceanfront efficiency (although we'll probably never use anything in the kitchen except the fridge and microwave) with a private balcony overlooking the beach for 8 nights for under $650. Sounds great, right? The idea was we really wanted to be on or close to the new boardwalk, and with this we'll be right on it and have a view of it. So that's the good part (that I know so far).

*For those of you who don't like reading obnoxiously long posts, the rest is just info I've gotten from other sites so feel free to stop reading here

Just wanted to share what others are saying, so you all know why I'm here begging for more accurate info! Almost all of the recent reviews (from the last 6 months or so) are good, which makes me feel okay about staying there. They say the rooms are clean, well maintained and the staff is nice.

Here's what I've read in the "horrible" reviews so far, most of which I'm not too concerned with, but if anyone who has been to this hotel can clarify I would love it:

1. On one travel site (tripadvisor) there was an older post (from I think last year or two years ago) where someone posted photos to "prove" how filthy the hotel really is. There were pictures of the underside of the mattress, the moldy refrigerator, etc. Except the photos were so ridiculously blurry you couldn't even tell what they were! They looked like they were taken from inside a speeding train. So of course I took that review with a grain of salt, and I'm just hoping it was written by one of those folks who are never pleased with anything.

2. The carpets are old or the furniture is somewhat outdated, and it smells.
(I don't care if everything is not sparkling new, as long as it's clean. And I wonder what someone would define as "smells" - most hotels near the ocean smell like...well, like being near the ocean.)

3. The website photos are deceiving. (No hotel ever looks like the marketing pictures, not even the nicest places I've stayed.)

4. I don't care if the pools are small or crowded, as long as they're maintained and not filthy. (I never use hotel pools or hot tubs but I don't like seeing them dirty because it makes the whole area seem less attractive).

5. Parking is across the street in a "dangerous" neighborhood. (I'm not worried about having to park across the street, as long as there's enough parking - and since we stay in Sept there always is because the area as a whole is much less crowded. Parking has been across the street in a garage or lot at every place we've stayed on Ocean Blvd, aside from the Beach Colony. And I don't really know if I would classify 400 North Ocean as a "dangerous" neighborhood, but maybe someone else could clarify. Perhaps they stayed during spring break and felt threatened by the large crowds of teens and young adults?)

6. There's always the requisite review on any travel website where someone claims their room was filthy and infested with bed bugs. Even though the rational side of me knows that bed bug infestations spread super fast, so they don't just affect ONE room of a hotel, and even though I've heard that sometimes these reviews are actually written by competitor hotel workers, I still get a little nervous when I read them. (And believe me, I've read a review like this about almost every hotel I looked into up and down Ocean Blvd, even the seemingly upscale ones.)

[pburgess68]

Those reviews would have been enough for me to cancel my stay. But that's me I've never stayed there, so I can't advise you. Hopefully someone here has, however! Next time we're down in MB, we could probably run by it for ya and check it out.

[writer01]

well that's an awfully kind offer, thanks

I agree, those reviews are not great, but I researched about 50 hotels and found the same kind of reviews, so I guess I was in a gambling mood and decided to "roll the dice," lol.

The thing is, we stayed at other places, like I mentioned the Beach Colony, and it's a fairly highly rated hotel, and definitely more expensive - we paid more for our room there and it wasn't oceanfront, or even ocean view, and didn't have a balcony, just a window. And I was mildly disappointed because I had read such high praise for that hotel and when we arrived our room had old, outdated carpets and furniture, smelled a bit musty-oceany, a kitchenette with a stove I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole, and had a door that wouldn't shut all the way unless you slammed it extremely loudly, and then every time we tried to get back in we found our key card wouldn't work and we'd have to go to the front desk and have it reset.

So that was not an ideal experience, but I still had a fantastic time in MB, and I wasn't too disturbed by those things with the hotel. I just wonder if the "horrendous" reviews are written by people who had similar experiences to the one I had at Beach Colony but just took it a little bit harder and decided to vent.

Tough to know, and I do hope some folks who are familiar with Holiday Sands North can chime in. But regardless of what the outcome is I am still in love with Myrtle Beach (and hope to live there full-time some day), so I know we will have a great trip.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by writer01

well that's an awfully kind offer, thanks

I agree, those reviews are not great, but I researched about 50 hotels and found the same kind of reviews, so I guess I was in a gambling mood and decided to "roll the dice," lol.

The thing is, we stayed at other places, like I mentioned the Beach Colony, and it's a fairly highly rated hotel, and definitely more expensive - we paid more for our room there and it wasn't oceanfront, or even ocean view, and didn't have a balcony, just a window. And I was mildly disappointed because I had read such high praise for that hotel and when we arrived our room had old, outdated carpets and furniture, smelled a bit musty-oceany, a kitchenette with a stove I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole, and had a door that wouldn't shut all the way unless you slammed it extremely loudly, and then every time we tried to get back in we found our key card wouldn't work and we'd have to go to the front desk and have it reset.

So that was not an ideal experience, but I still had a fantastic time in MB, and I wasn't too disturbed by those things with the hotel. I just wonder if the "horrendous" reviews are written by people who had similar experiences to the one I had at Beach Colony but just took it a little bit harder and decided to vent.

Tough to know, and I do hope some folks who are familiar with Holiday Sands North can chime in. But regardless of what the outcome is I am still in love with Myrtle Beach (and hope to live there full-time some day), so I know we will have a great trip.

I had an awful experience at the Dayton House. What a night that was......Anyway have you ever stayed at Surfside beach? I love that Best Western on the beach!

[writer01]

Funny you should mention Surfside Beach. I love it there and hope to live there one day But we really want to stay near the new boardwalk this year, that's why Holidays Sands North seemed so ideal.

My Dayton House experience wasn't great either, so I know how you feel. Our room was tiny, the sliding door to the balcony was off the runner and hard to open and close, the stove was old and I wouldn't have used it for anything, and the little dorm-room sized refrigerator had a door that wouldn't close. But I didn't go home and write a review that said "filthy dump, never stay there!!!!" Because it wasn't. It was fine, could have been better, but if I really had a problem with it I'm sure they probably would have moved us to another room. But my guess is that when that happens to other people it prompts them to write reviews full of exaggerated claims of "filth" and "deceit."

For me, when I look back on it I don't remember the fridge that didn't close all the way or the old, outdated rug. I remember a fantastic week in Myrtle Beach with gorgeous weather, wonderful people and great food. (I mean GREAT food. You guys have some of the best places to eat I've ever seen, and it's so nice to try different foods I hardly ever get to eat being from New England.)

[Gimme3steps]

Try asking here...Myrtle Beach Message Board • Index page

[writer01]

Oh, thanks! This looks like it will be really helpful!

[sheena]

Originally Posted by writer01

Funny you should mention Surfside Beach. I love it there and hope to live there one day But we really want to stay near the new boardwalk this year, that's why Holidays Sands North seemed so ideal.

My Dayton House experience wasn't great either, so I know how you feel. Our room was tiny, the sliding door to the balcony was off the runner and hard to open and close, the stove was old and I wouldn't have used it for anything, and the little dorm-room sized refrigerator had a door that wouldn't close. But I didn't go home and write a review that said "filthy dump, never stay there!!!!" Because it wasn't. It was fine, could have been better, but if I really had a problem with it I'm sure they probably would have moved us to another room. But my guess is that when that happens to other people it prompts them to write reviews full of exaggerated claims of "filth" and "deceit."

For me, when I look back on it I don't remember the fridge that didn't close all the way or the old, outdated rug. I remember a fantastic week in Myrtle Beach with gorgeous weather, wonderful people and great food. (I mean GREAT food. You guys have some of the best places to eat I've ever seen, and it's so nice to try different foods I hardly ever get to eat being from New England.)

We had a very strange room at the Dayton House. Our room was across the street not in the main building. It was a room in a parking garage and it sounded like we were sleeping in the street. It was on the ground floor and people were walking by all night tapping on the windows and yelling and screaming. It was a hugeeeeeeeeeee room looked like a banquet room or something with a bed a bathroom and a living area but It was very scary. It was the only room left and it was 100.00.

Anyway same here. I hardly remembered that night at the Dayton House untlil you brought up the Dayton House. We enjoy Myrtle Beach.

[writer01]

Yikes! That doesn't sound enjoyable at all! When we stayed at Dayton House we were in the building across the street too. We were in an efficiency unit on the third floor and it wasn't terrible, but the little dorm room sized fridge had a door that wouldn't shut, and the stove was pretty old looking. But we didn't pay a lot for the room, and the beach was amazing, so that always makes up for a lot!

[cb at sea]

For some reason, hotels at beach destinations are NEVER as nice as in "inland" places.....except for the Marriot at Grand dunes....that's a really nice property!