Why Myrtle Beach is a Great Vacation Spot

If we think of beach resorts in the US, the majority of us will think of California or Florida. In fact, one of the best resorts is in South Carolina; I refer to the fabulous Myrtle Beach.

This is one of those rare resorts which satisfy both families and couples who are looking for a romantic getaway. There are dozens of activities if you want them, or simply relax and recharge your batteries.

You will be in heaven of you are a golf lover, as there are over 80 pro courses in the area. For those less adept with the clubs, there is mini golf, as well as water parks and some very fine restaurants.

There are so many fine restaurants in the Myrtle Beach area that you will be absolutely spoiled for choice.

After dinner experience the great night life that Myrtle Beach is renowned for. Whether you want to take in a comedy show, a musical concert or a rock n roll bar, you will find it here. The area is famous for 'the shag' and you will hear it blasting out in many a nightclub.

Away from the bustling town center you will discover numerous coves of powdery white sand. This can be very romantic as you explore the beaches together. The salt water marshes here are brimming with delicious crabs, oysters, fish and shrimps. The smooth ocean breeze sweeps across the area and is extremely relaxing.

Just eight miles to the north is the imaginatively titled North Myrtle Beach. This is a much quieter area with an altogether slower pace of life and a lot less hotels.

A stroll in the early morning along a deserted beach is the kind of thing that dreams are made of. Try and spot the little creatures that hide away when the beaches are packed with sun seekers.

California Vacation - Part 1 of a Day by Day Diary

We normally take our vacation on the east coast of the Florida peninsula, so we purchased one week of timeshare vacation on Ormond Beach. It was near the end of summer season in 2005, and we had already taken our vacation that year so we decided to space bank our week until later.

Later is 2007, and we combined our 2005 week with our 2007 week so could have a longer vacation in California. Usually it is difficult to get two weeks back-to-back when you swap through RCI, but low and behold they had availability in the Palm Springs area. We would have to swap from one condo resort to another after the first week, but it was only a few miles away so we took it and bought airline tickets online. Then, we settled down for a long winter's nap while waiting for our vacation date to roll around.

Finally, July 6th graced the calendar and we headed for the airport at 4:45 a.m. in a taxi. It had been a while since we had traveled via airplane. In fact, we had not been in an airport since before 9-11. We had heard that things had changed, but we didn't realize how much. Free curb-side baggage check was no longer free. Clerk-assisted baggage check-in is now self-check in using a computer that knows more than most humans. We had five bags we wanted to check, and three carry-ons. The limit was two bags of each kind per person. Looking at the bags, we didn't think any one of them would meet the carry-on size restrictions, but of course those limitations were not posted near the computer that was serving as our welcoming agent.

We paid the computer an extra $80 to check the fifth bag and then proceeded to the next early morning pre-boarding adventure. As we approached the person check, there was the sign we needed about 100 yards ago. We could have taken one of the bags on board. We were ordered to take off our shoes and put our carry on bags on the conveyor belt. All expect for the laptop and my purse; they had to be manhandled separately.

"You can't take a bottle of water on the plane," said the human void of personality.

We must have looked as dumbfounded as we felt. "It's just water. It hasn't been opened," I reported.

"No liquids over 3.5 ounces can be taken onboard. You can either drink it now, or throw it in the trash." She was serious.

I wasn't thirsty yet, so she pried the plastic containers from my hands and tossed both our brand new Aquafinas in the trash can behind her desk. Side note to terrorist: If you plan to bomb a plane, you must do it with less than 3.5 ounces of liquid, preferably not in a plastic water bottle.

Just inside the metal detector gate was a newsstand selling a wide variety of bottled water for two dollars each. Talk about seizing an opportunity.

Stay tuned for part two of a day-by-day diary of our 2-week California vacation.