Myrtle Beach in mid March (North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach: spring break, rent, condos)

[jambo101]

Never been there, any particular hotels situated better than others?as in access to shopping and dining any must visit restaurants,we like seafood and like BBQ. how crowded will it be in March, what are hotel prices like?
Will spring break be a factor between March 7-10?

[mdp_az]

March 7-10 should put you ahead of the spring break rush and you should find rates to be very competitive. I'd imagine you can find a decent 1BR condo for $120/nt or less; hotels a little less. My personal recommendation would be to stay north of "the strip" which constitutes the main concentration of hotels and condos on the beach. I find this area to be a bit unsavory and more than a bit rednecky. Some folks like it but it's just not for me.

Staying to the north side of Myrtle will put you in relatively close proximity to Boardwalk at the Beach and Barefoot Landing, two decent areas for shopping/dining. Weather averages in the low-mid 60s in early March, but it could be quite cold or in the 80s depending on the front coming through. Ocean waters will still be quite chilly...probably in the 50s.

[jambo101]

Thanks mdp..

Best BBQ restaurant and best seafood restaurants would be where we'd like to go..

[canudigit]

I agree. Unless you love to party and want to hang with the young party crowd, you will be happier if you stick to something north of roughly 48th Ave. We own a condo at N. Ocean Blvd. and 77th Ave. North, and it is a very peaceful, partly residential neighborhood and feels very safe. If you aren't into the party scene, drive down S. Ocean Blvd. by the Boardwalk and cheap older motels when you get there and see what we mean about staying away from "the strip".

Early March won't be very crowded, but it could be kind of chilly, so definitely plan on bringing jeans, jackets, etc. We stayed in late March once and I can remember waking up to 39 degrees one morning. Brrrr!! Then again, it could be beautiful and unseasonably warm...you just never know, so be prepared or you will find yourself at the mall or Tanger Outlet buying clothes just to get you through the week.

[jambo101]

At the moment we are considering the Beach Cove Resort at South Ocean Blvd and 48th ave S.
No idea what the neighbor hood is like but the hotel seems to offer everything we want and is reasonably priced.We are retired and not into the party scene.
Thanks

[canudigit]

That resort is actually in North Myrtle Beach, which is its own town independent of Myrtle Beach but right next to it, and well north of "the strip", so it should be fine. We have never stayed in North MB, just driven around up there, but it seems pretty quiet.

[canudigit]

Jambo101, I don't want to dominate this thread since I'm only a "sorta" local, but I have to respond to the last post, because for some reason, that person has a HUGE hangup with bike week and has going back and forth with the locals on this forum about it for quite some time. I think he really just likes to stir the pot.

Yes, MB does have a Bike Week each year in the spring. I just looked it up for clarification, and this year it is going to be from May 10-19. They also have Black Bike Week, which is May 24-27. We have traveled to MB extensively in April and May, and honestly, the bike weeks do not normally fall outside of the allotted dates. The bikers come for the week, and then most of them leave. Most of the bike action is at the far southern end of MB anyway, around "the strip" and the Surfside Beach area. A lot of the resorts in the quieter section of MB north of roughly 48th Ave. won't even take bikers. A couple of times we have been either leaving town as the bikers come in for their week or coming into town as the bikers are leaving after their week, and we have never had any issues at all. It's all about where and when you stay, and MB has some very classy areas.

We live a very quiet, probably boring existence, both at home and when we travel. We stay at the northern end of MB in the "Golden Mile" section, and we never, ever have a problem with excessive partying, bikers being loud or disrespectful (or even being there, actually, because we don't go during Bike Week), or anything else that you might be able to think of. Our experience has been that MB in March-May is generally quiet, uncrowded, and a pleasant place for a quiet, family vacation. The one exception would be the two weeks immediately before and after Easter (March 31 this year), as a lot of school aged kids get a week off of school for spring break and families come to MB. We stayed in our condo the first week of April last year and the area was a bit more crowded than it normally is in the spring because of all the families with young kids on spring break. Even so, it wasn't terribly crowded to the point where we couldn't have a good time, and the weeks outside of spring break are absolutely peaceful, especially the farther you stay from "the strip".

[jambo101]

Thanks canudigit.. sounds like we will have a nice quite time, just booked the hotel this morning..
I'm not anti biker but having un muffled Harleys roaring up and down the streets all day and night can definitely get old real fast...

[harpat]

Be smart when you visit the beach - you can rent through large resorts like the Hilton and pay top dollar or if you are smart you can rent from individual owners. You will literally pay HUNDREDS less renting through a private owner. As with all your decisions that involve your money, you have to do your homework. There are condo owners who invest quite a bit into their unit to make sure it is up to date and modern and then there are those who want "heads in beds" and don't care. If you are staying in the northern part of the city and want to know how to go about renting one of these private units, post to my site and I will help you. I have been coming to Myrtle Beach for over 20 years. Like everywhere else there is the good, the bad and ugly. Save yourself money and enjoy Myrtle Beach all at the same time...You don't have to go broke to enjoy the beach!