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It sounds like the beach there really sucks. That's such a shame! Outrageous, really.
It makes me appreciate how good we have it here where I live in south Florida.
The rental chairs and umbrellas are usually placed at the high tide mark, and in line with the lifeguard stand so as to not block their view of the water, if folks were to place their umbrellas in front of this line it would block the view for the guard as well as the people would have to move them when the tide comes in anyhow.
The line of chairs and umbrellas do not go on forever and there is plenty of room for all, as can be seen by viewing these webcams of the beach.
Sorry I am just getting back to you all. I had a lot going on when I came back from Myrtle. I was staying at Sea Watch Resort. I did ask the hotel and they said that it was the city that set them up and they set them up first thing in the morning. They use the money to pay for the lifeguards and to clean up the beach. The problem I have with this is that I just paid thousands of dollars for a family vacation at the beach ON the ocean. I chose a hotel on the ocean so I can easily access the sand and beach area. I chose Sea Watch because it seemed to be secluded and a bit off of the strip and I didn't want an overcrowded beach. I didn't go to Myrtle Beach to drive to state park for the day. I also wanted to set up an umbrella because my 2 year old needs shade because of the medication she was currently on at the time.
There is absolutely NO room to place umbrellas in between these umbrellas AND YOUR umbrella can not be set up in front of theirs because the rule in MB is umbrellas must be placed at high tide level and even with the life guard, which is where these are set up, so you have to set up behind them. Sea Watch Resort is a rather large resort that has a great deal of beach in front of them, the umbrellas covered their ENTIRE beach front and the hotels next to ours. I think that is a bit unfair for people like me.
The hotel is not happy that the city does this. I spoke with the manager and they said they have complained but there is nothing they can do because it is a public beach. Seems like Myrtle Beach could at least rotate where they place these umbrellas and chairs along the beach or leave space for other people.
Here is a picture of the umbrellas on the first day we were there...we had bad weather that day and the umbrellas were a little more spread out, on the sunny days they were right next to each other and all up and down the strip.
Last edited by Njrover0216; 06-21-2012 at 08:31 PM..
Is it me, or am I the only one who sees the simple solution is the OP just renting an umbrella for the day? IMO, after spending thousands of dollars on a vacation, $20-$30 for an umbrella apparently wouldn't break the bank.
Now, having said that, this has been a long standing issue for YEARS. The beach services are contracted out by the City. The funds generated by the rentals help offset keeping the beachfront clean on a daily basis. While I don't live in the city limits of MB, I also don't feel that ANY of my tax dollars should be used to provide beach chairs to tourists and I am in complete agreement that the chairs/umbrella rentals and lifeguards should be a self supporting setup run by private enterprise. Yes, I'm aware that this tends to veer off topic, but the truth is the truth.
OP- Honestly, I hope this whole situation doesn't prohibit you from coming back to the area. I'm sure that there are numerous other resorts where you would be less likely to incur such an issue with umbrellas. Oh, and hope your childs medical condition is better.
Myrc60 and burr- I am well aware of what the money goes to...I live near Ocean City, MD and if you want an umbrella you approach the lifeguard, pay them and they set it up for you if there is room. Placing umbrellas all up and down the shore in front of hotels at 8 AM in the morning leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Also here in Maryland our taxes pay for the beaches, since we reep the benefits of the tourism...without tourism what would MB be? You would think they would aim to make us happy.
As far as spending thousands on vacation what is the problem with spending $30 a day to rent an umbrella, well when I came to MB last year I stayed at Westgate and this was not a problem, not an umbrella in sight from the city. I brought my own umbrellas and chairs. I stayed for 8 days...8x30 is another $240! And while you may not think you reep the benefits of tourism, you do, that is if you live in SC. Tourists pay taxes and I am sure MB is one of the biggest tax revenues for the state since it lacks any significant size city.
I have a simple solution...ROTATE where they place these umbrellas. Move the umbrellas up and down the strip, it is only fair. Why is it EVERY single day they had to be place right in front of Sea Watch Resort where I was staying? Why not move down in front of the other hotels and make it only fair?
To be honest I do not think I will be coming back to MB, unless a hotel can guarantee that I will have fair access to the beach...I will check out NC outbanks nexy year.
If you are willing to go somewhere else Litchfield Beach has a private beach. It is close enough to MB that you can still go to the attractions if you want. When I was looking last year there was another development in or near Garden City or Surfside that had private beach parking. Now...private is only as private as road access or parking goes. Anyone can walk up and down the shore and set camp just about anywhere. But that isn't us! Was there something about Westgate that kept you from returning there this year?
Are there others that have stayed at Sea Watch Resort? Did you have the same problem when you were there? I think info like the OP has provided is just what a tourist is looking for.
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