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I thought I'd cature some random thoughts from our Myrtle beach trip. it was a vacation/ retirement home scouting trip.
Spirit Air: The comedic flight attendants don't make up for the lack of legroom and thin seat backs. I'm suprised they don't charge for the seatbelts too.
Hertz: Amazing how we still owed $110 bucks on our rental after paying in full up front.
Market Commons condo: beautiful condo at a good price. Great restraunts, beautiful area, and a good choice as a homebase for exploring. We walked every morning around the pond and through the neighborhoods. Everyone was very friendly and we felt very safe, even walking very early. Our only gripes were the air conditioner quit our last night and we had no balcony. We'd stay there again though.
Myrtle Beach: It must be a zoo in summer. Highrise condos, and a carnival atmosphere. We preferred the quieter sections, but for party people, it must be heaven. Traffic was heavy and I could celebrate another birthday waiting for those traffic lights to turn.
Food: We always consult trip advisor before eating out. We never had a bad meal or service. In fact, the food and service were above average everywhere we went. They always asked how we wanted to split the bill. In Vermont that's equivalent to asking for their first born child. Special mention of Luvan's Fish Camp in Conway. If it wasn't for trip advisor, you'd never stop. But it was an experience we'll always remember and the catfish was excellent.
People: We met a lot of nice people. Transplants tended to talk more. And it seems that SC is 75% transplants. The real southerners seemed more reserved. We stopped at Grahams golf carts as that will be our first retirement purchase. An older Southern gentleman came over. It was a chore to get more than a yes or no out of him and we were the only ones in there. Overall though, I do believe in such a thing as Southern hospitality.
Other Spots: We visited Charleston, Conway, and Summerville a nd points in between. Like Vermont, there seems to be a lot of poverty out in the countryside. The towns were very charming. Your roads are flat and straight. And unlike us, you all seem to drive at or very close to the speed limit. We did the Conway riverwalk and saw 4 snakes within 50 feet. And not another 50 feet away of family swimming in the river. I still get chills thinking about it.
All and all, it was a great trip. As far as retirement spots, we'll have to visit more. We visited quite a few over 55 places. del Webb was our hands down favorite. They do it right. SC has a lot to offer. Thanks SC!
I concur with many of your observations. As a tourist area, natural selection weeds out places that offer poor meals/poor service; the ones that get lip service deserve it. The locally owned places did not disappoint.
We also flew Spirit from BWI to Myrtle Beach; admittedly a bit leery because of the publicity surrounding it. Happily no incidents, no surprise fees, we thoroughly read through reviews and the website and got what we paid for. Interesting how they market themselves, but accurate. Security lines upon leaving were unexpectedly long/slow, however.
Also very little speeding, mostly NC drivers seemed to be the most confused/uncooperative. But coming from the DC area, we had no complaints about traffic at all, even though Bike Week was wrapping up (very noisy).
We stayed in North Myrtle Beach and felt the vibe there was much superior to MB proper. More family oriented, some high rises but without the density of MB. Fun downtown area and multiple public beach accesses there. Did not get out of the immediate area, but that is for the next visit!
For me, a timely and informative assessment. Thank you Harpoonalt (and Patz0709) for sharing. We are in the information gathering stage right now. We are focusing on the Charleston area (primarily Summerville and the new planned community of Nexton) as well as the Murrills Inlet and North Myrtle areas. However, the Market Common area in Myrtle Beach proper is intriguing. Was the airport noise bad, being so close?
I will be retiring from Law Enforcement in Maryland within 3-5 years (at about 45 years of age, and will start another career), and may make a move from that point in time forward. We are tired of Maryland's taxes and not fans of snow and cold. The beach area lifestyle is appealing. I was impressed with housing prices, overall. I see many 3 bed/2 bath homes around 1700 Sq. Ft. in the sub 200K range, within 5-15 minutes of the beach. We are active and enjoy motorcycling, biking, hiking, walking, fitness, and are eager to take up Kayaking and Paddleboarding. Any tips/thoughts are welcome.
RE Summerville: We also considered Summerville when evaluating places to move to. However, we found the drive to the beach to be at least 30 minutes on a normal traffic day and even more during more busy times. Because of that, we removed it from our list even though we loved the town. You might want to take a drive to the beach from the area you are considering before deciding on Summerville (since you indicated that beach area lifestyle is appealing).
For me, a timely and informative assessment. Thank you Harpoonalt (and Patz0709) for sharing. We are in the information gathering stage right now. We are focusing on the Charleston area (primarily Summerville and the new planned community of Nexton) as well as the Murrills Inlet and North Myrtle areas. However, the Market Common area in Myrtle Beach proper is intriguing. Was the airport noise bad, being so close?
I will be retiring from Law Enforcement in Maryland within 3-5 years (at about 45 years of age, and will start another career), and may make a move from that point in time forward. We are tired of Maryland's taxes and not fans of snow and cold. The beach area lifestyle is appealing. I was impressed with housing prices, overall. I see many 3 bed/2 bath homes around 1700 Sq. Ft. in the sub 200K range, within 5-15 minutes of the beach. We are active and enjoy motorcycling, biking, hiking, walking, fitness, and are eager to take up Kayaking and Paddleboarding. Any tips/thoughts are welcome.
I just moved from Long Island, if you think your taxes are bad, try living up there. oooooooofa!!! $11,000 in property taxes alone.
You will be joining many others retired LE's down here. Your pension will go far, and you might not have to work at all. It's a nice option.
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