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Myrtle Beach, SC
If you’re planning a vacation right now, you have plenty to consider — including varying health restrictions and safety concerns as COVID-19 infection rates go up and down around the world. Then there’s your budget: Do you need to save money or are you able to splurge? We have some ideas for either scenario, and for different interests. Just be sure to check local COVID-19 restrictions and, when considering international travel, keep current on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest country-specific travel advisories for your destination.
If you’re considering …
A beach vacation in the U.S.
Save: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach, to be sure, isn’t just a “beach” — it’s a vacation mecca. The area, essentially 60 miles along the coast of South Carolina (known as the Grand Strand), includes 14 different communities. So there’s beach-going, yes, but also golfing, outlet shopping, strolling the boardwalk, and visiting two beautiful state parks, among other diversions. It gets crowded in summer, but you can still find good deals, particularly during the shoulder season.
Where to stay: Lined with condos, Myrtle Beach offers value vacations via bargain timeshare rentals that start at about $50 a night through the service Redweek, a marketplace timeshare owners use to sell their weekly stays. For about $100 a night, you might get a two-bedroom, two-bath condo at the Ocean Enclave by Hilton Grand Vacations, which has two pools and an onsite restaurant for when you don’t want to cook. There are also loads of big chain hotels that aren’t too pricey (depending on the time of year).
Fun activity: Ditch the crowds at Vereen Memorial Historical Gardens in Little River, just north of Myrtle Beach, to explore the salt marsh and spot shorebirds (free).
Dining tip: Make a pilgrimage to Little Pigs Bar-B-Q, which has been dishing up fall-off-the-bone ribs and pulled pork sandwiches since 1963.
