My Myrtle Beach Family Vacation

First of all, full disclaimer, I’ve lived in North Carolina my entire life and never have I ever been to Myrtle Beach! Crazy right? So if you are fan of my blog then you know that one of my new year resolutions was to live life more and work less. This would include taking vacations! Hence the reason why I decided to go on this Myrtle Beach Family Vacation with the family.

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We are seven months into the new year and I finally got to take a REAL vacation. Matter of fact it was my Family’s first vacation ever! We all decided that we would start small, make sure we came out of this alive trip alive and if we did then we can go big on the next one. Let me tell you something, that was probably THE best idea EVER!!

Let me just say that it is very unheard of to be from North or South Carolina and never set foot in Myrtle Beach. I was like an endangered species this past weekend and I was totally ok with it. This gave my family who had been there plenty of times a chance to show me the ropes.

The Caribbean Resorts & Villas

So from Charlotte, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC it took me about three hours and thirty minutes. Now I want to inform anyone that plans on staying at this resort that you can not just copy and past the directions to any friends or family from Google. My family and I learned the hard way that Ocean Blvd it totally different then North Ocean Blvd. Someone might want to inform Google of that! 🙄😒

But that’s neither here nor there. Before we started this trip I had a little talk with myself and basically checked my attitude at the door. I knew ahead of time that this trip wasn’t going to be smooth nor was it going to be perfect and I needed to stay positive either way. Thank God I did because the very first mishap was checking in.

The Check-in

Full disclaimer (It was sixteen of us on this family trip including the kids, we got two condos with 3 rooms in each to accommodate everyone. We even made sure that the rooms were side by side so we could go back and forth between the two.) Well at least we thought we did. My uncle and my aunt in-law booked the condos so naturally they had to do the check–in process.

They got up to the counter after being in a line for over thirty minutes and the lady at the desk politely advised her that not only were our rooms not going to be beside each other they were going to be on the twelfth and seventeenth floors. Like where in the entire hell do they do that?

I need answers and I need them now. So needless to say, management got involved immediately because we needed to understand how you could book two condos put down a deposit and then get to the check-in counter and everything is jacked up? After talking to management, we learned that booking over the phone rather or not you made a deposit does not guarantee any specific rooms.

Valuable Information On Booking

Now if we would have booked online and received conformation of rooms then we would’ve had a better argument but booking over the phone is more of a he say/she say. So take some sound advise and NEVER EVER book over the phone. Either do it online or don’t book it at all. First lesson learned, and we’re not even an hour into the trip.

Let’s just say that The Caribbean Resorts and Villas was not on my good side at all. Although management was apologetic about the situation he did nothing to make up for the mess that his resort hotline put us in. No complimentary breakfast, no discounted stay, I mean nothing! So just off that stance alone I’m never going back to The Caribbean Resorts and Villas. I am 100% good on that. (Grade here? Straight F) 😬

Let’s Talk Food

What is a Myrtle Beach Vacation without some good food, right?! The hardest thing about taking big family trip is finding food that will agree with everyone’s food allergies, dietary restrictions etc. Did I mention that it was 16 of us?? 😂 So our first day there we got a late lunch at this place called Fish & Chicken, Bawk-Bawk Fish & Chicken to be exact. Now I want to be clear, our goal wasn’t to get at Bawk-Bawk Fish & Chicken we originally wanted wings which is what Google said we would find when we got there. Well ladies and gents once again Google has mislead us.

Although Bawk-Bawk Fish & Chicken was not what we had in mind it definitely was worth the stop. There menu was huge and they had a little bit of everything. Which ended up helping us out since my uncle does not eat meat. If I had to rate this place in starts I would give them ⭐⭐⭐⭐. I personally had their wings, mild flats, fried hard and a order of fries with a cherry Pepsi. It was too good! My aunt and my cousins had fried chicken, mac and cheese and fries, while my uncle and his wife had some huge grilled shrimp. Everything was tasty and food came out timely. I would definitely recommend them if your in the area. (P.S. There grade was a A) I’m huge on restaurant grades especially with places I don’t know.

Green’s Beverages

On our way back from Bawk-Bawk Fish & Chicken we stopped by Green’s Beverage. I mean what’s a good family beach trip without a little alcohol right? Everyone in their was so helpful and very down to earth. I went in to by some Cruzan rum ended up picking up a Malibu/Pineapple juice combo. Not only was it cheaper to buy the two in a pack but it was a bigger bottle! They even had sponsors in their giving out test shots to customers, nothing I’ve even seen, but I guess they get down differently in South Carolina. ( This place also had an A)

Calabash Seafood

So the first place we went as an entire family to eat was Calabash Seafood. Not only was it walking distance from the resort but it was also open late. Now we had absolutely no idea what we were walking into. We only knew seafood would defiantly be on the menu. So they were able to sit all sixteen of us at two tables side by side BUT we did not know that this place was mainly a buffet. I mean they had over thirty items listed under the buffet that you could choose from, ranging anywhere from crab legs to oyster. Legit anything you could want they had and it was all you can eat for $35.99.

Kids were different, they had no kids meal so kids had to eat buffet. They actually charged by age which was so crazy. I remember that ages eight and up was 16.99 and ranged down from there. The waitress explained they do it this way because smaller kids will not only eat less but they probably won’t enjoy half of the selection as much. The kids in our group really only wanted chicken tenders and fired shrimp.

We had one of THE BEST waitresses who although was overwhelmed by my big Caribbean family did her VERY best serving us. Food was good, everything was hot, there was nothing that I personally tasted that I didn’t like. The kitchen was very accommodating, even cooked my cousin some fresh rice when they ran out on the buffet. I definitely would recommend you stopping in if you like seafood and don’t mind a buffet setting. (P.S. The Grade was a A).

Johnny D’s Waffles and Bakery

So Saturday morning we called ahead to this place we found on our good friend Google called Johnny D’s Waffles and Bakery. Another place also will to accommodate the sixteen of us. The wait was not long maybe ten minutes and the hostess had us seated. Granted we were once again split into two tables but honestly we didn’t care. We wanted good service and good food.

I’m not sure about the other table but our waitress was on point you hear me?! Not only was the service good but everyone at my table enjoyed their food. Our only complaints about the food were the omelettes. They were not nearly as big as we thought they would be, and the fruit was not sweet. Other than that I’d go back no problem. If you don’t check out any of these other restaurants definitely make sure you check out Johnny D’s! (P.S. Grade here was also a A)

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Broadway at the Beach

Broadway at the Beach was legit maybe a ten minutes drive from the resort. This place was huge, so huge it even had it’s own amusement park with rides galore. Matter of fact there were rides scattered all over Broadway at the Beach. So of course we had to hit up the amusement park first thing. I mean how else are we going to tire out these kids right?

While the kids were riding a ton of rides, some of us adults also decided to join in on the fun. We road on so many rides I can’t even remember half of them. Great way to spend time with the kids while acting like one at the same time. Broadway at the Beach also had a ton of restaurants and shops. I mean this place is a one stop shop for fun and entertainment. We spent the whole day there and even decided to have dinner there as well.

We legit walked around what felt like the entire boardwalk. We saw all the attractions, rides, restaurants and games. I got in OVER my 6,000 steps in that day, and besides the heat I enjoyed every minute of it, and so did my family! Did I mention how friendly the people were in South Carolina? I don’t know maybe we got lucky with the people we encountered but their vibes we a lot better then the ones we experience on a day to day basis in North Carolina.

Yamato Steakhouse Japan

When I tell you that Google can be you bestest friend and your worst enemy all at the same time, I literally mean it. Half of our group wanted pizza while the other half wanted Hibachi. Take a guess what I was leaning towards? Now the reviews online basically rated Yamato Steakhouse Japan a 4.4 which is great. They had pretty good reviews and plus we were in walking distance.

Finally the good thing about having a big group is that when you go to steakhouse where they cook in front of you, you actually get to sit with your entire party without sharing any family moments with strangers. Granted we were probably THE loudest table we had a awesome waiter Joshua and then a even more awesome cook! They were fun, and inviting and everything tasted great! They made all the necessary accommodations for food allergies or straight preference which was so great! Google finally did us right on this one. (Grade A for the sanitation grade as well as the food and service). P.S. take a mint when you’re leaving. They are THE absolute best! You will thank me later.

Pool and Beach Experience

What is a beach trip without a good pool and experience? So Saturday morning was that day for my family and I. We got up early and by early I mean 8 a.m. and went down to our inside pool. Before you even got to the pool all you smelled was the chlorine from the pool. Lucky enough for me it was barely anyone in there at that time in the morning.

Side Note

I deal with people every single day in my profession especially on my second job. When I am on vacation the LAST thing I want to deal with is people. Including people’s children. So I had no plans on actually going to the pool because was nobodies kids splashing me with no water period. But since it was barely anyone in their I decided to indulge myself a little. And of course with that, mean pictures!!!

Let’s discuss the pool, the water was cool, not hot not cold but just right. They had plenty of water theme slides and activities. They had things like a water slide, things that shoot water out at the kids, a waterfall etc. It was really neat. The adults, we stayed in the Jacuzzi area and just relaxed. The jets were everything and so was the temperature of the water. After a while we decided to join my mom on the beach.

The beach water was sooo cold! I have no idea how so many people were just jumping and walking into the water like it was nothing. I took a few steps in and once that one wave hit me, I was done! You hear me? The chills ran up my body and I was o-u-t. My mom loved the beach water, probably because she hates to be hot. So the rest of us decided to spend a few moments on the beach with her.

Myrtle Beach Family Vacation Wrap Up

All in all, for me to never have been to Myrtle Beach, SC it was a great experience. Granted when you’re traveling with a huge family like I did you have to understand that there will be some ups and downs. The entire trip will not be perfect and you will not be able to accommodate everyone.

Family Vacation Tips

• Be adventurous
• Be patient
• Be understanding
• Go with the flow
• Laugh
• Bask in the moment
• Breath
• Have Fun
• Stay positive

The very best advice I can give you! Things will come up, disagreements will happen but if you go into the trip with a positive attitude then the small mishaps won’t phase you. Keep in mind the reason you came on the trip in the first place. I wanted to have fun with the fam, relax, and enjoy the time away from my world back home. Taking this trip gave be a better outlook on life, I stopped dwelling on the past and just focused on the moment. I legit had a total reboot by just getting away for 3 whole days. #gamechanger

If you enjoyed coming along for the ride of my 1st family trip then drop a comment below. This will give me a good idea if I should keep this going! (P.S. if you have a beach trip coming up and need some ideas on packing check out my post on…

Beach Vibes For Any Vacation