Check-in:
We arrived on 7/7 around 7am, knowing that are check in was not until 3pm. We were told that we would be called for our 3-bedroom oceanfront deluxe room when it was no longer occupied and cleaned. Our group of 4 adults and 3 children were given pool passes early (originally they said they do not give these out until 11am). We spent the day on the beach, which was refreshing after a 10-hour drive.

At 3pm we attempted to check in to our room and they stated it was not ready. We were told again that they would call us when it was finished and it would be done by 3:15pm. At 3:30pm we still did not receive a call and went back to the front desk and were told the room was not ready. At 3:45pm and still waiting in the lobby we were told that they could offer us another room that was ready, so we took it since the kids were exhausted. I word of advice; change your check in time to 4 if you can't have your rooms done by 3p.

The room:
The oceanfront deluxe room was room 1151 located in the palmetto tower just outside the elevator. The place was bigger than I expected, which was nice upon entering. The first bedroom had a queen size bed and located just inside the hallway on the left side. There is actually a small private balcony located in this room that we were unaware of. There is a connecting bathroom to the bedroom that also had another door located in the hallway. Prior to the second bedroom is a small closet that allowed us to store our chair and sand toys for the kids.

The second bedroom is located on the right side of the hallway with a queen size bed, a small closet, and a private bathroom with mirrors surrounding the sink (there is no balcony joined to this bedroom).

The kitchen was located on the left side of the room, which was fully stocked with dishes, a full fridge and freezer (which made ice) a dishwasher, double sided sink, microwave, oven/electric stove with coils, and a coffee pot (we were given one small complimentary coffee pack at the front desk and were instructed to buy some from their store instead). There were 3 bar stools located on the opposite side of the counter to sit at the kitchen (you are unable to see the ocean from the kitchen).

The master bedroom had a king size bed (a king size mattress that was absolutely uncomfortable and two double bed box springs pushed together under it). There were 2 flat cotton pillows on the bed and 2 extras in the closet, which were also terrible. The private balcony was a decent size for 2 chairs, an end table, and a cigarette butt receptacle (which stank horrible and was disgusting). There was a busted pixel on the television in the room, which was an annoying red spot when the tv was on. The fan in the ceiling made a loud repetitive squeaking noise and we could only use it on the lowest setting. The master bathroom was the only bathroom with two sinks and the Jacuzzi tub (I suggest placing less emphasis on making the swan origami wash clothes and putting more time into cleaning). There was a burn mark on the tub from someone leaving a cigarette on the side of it. The water pressure was nice for the size of the hotel, however I found myself having a lukewarm shower around mid-day at the hotel after the beach was cleared twice for storms. The towels and wash clothes were standard white and almost scratchy b/c of the tough material. The complimentary bath stuff is nothing to mention and not worth using.

Across from the master bedroom is a small closet that contained the washer, dryer, and a few shelves. This is definitely a nice commodity except the noise these machines made was unreal. We could only run them when we weren't there because of the rattling sounds that emanated from them.

Just inside the living room was an 8-person table, definitely seen it's better days by the scuffs and marks on it. There is a cabinet on the right side of the room and a small worktable with 2 additional chairs. The flat screen television was located in the corner of the room. There was a 3-seat couch on the far side of the room, which was absolutely uncomfortable and seemed broken as it caved in the center. The couch already had sheets on it if you need it for an additional bed but we did not use it so I cannot comment on this anymore. There was a 2-person love seat that was cozier but still nothing I found relaxing enough to sit on for an extended period of time. A chair was located by the front balcony with a footrest and was hard as a rock. There are two sliding glass doors on each side of the television, one is oceanfront and the other looked down the side of the beach towards the boardwalk. There is one big balcony that wrapped around the side from the front and contained about 4 plastic chairs and 2 end tables. There is a flat carpet on the balcony, which made it a little nicer to stand on then if it was just cement.

The Beach:
This might have to be one of the most frustrating parts of this hotel. Around 730am they have 2 lifeguards, associated to their hotel, set-up chairs and umbrellas the entire length of the property. These are on top of each other, which makes it difficult to walk between them. The biggest problem is that they do not permit you to place an umbrella in front of their chairs and umbrellas. You can give the lifeguards $30 cash, per day, to rent two chairs, two footrests, and one of their umbrellas for the day. You are allowed to put your chairs, clothes, towels, etc. in front of their chairs and umbrella though. So if you want to use an umbrella, instead of renting one from them, you have to place it behind theirs and because how they have them set-up don’t expect to see the ocean. You have the option of trying to get out to the beach around 7am and fight people for the spots just to the side of their resort for a spot to put an umbrella.

Cabanas:
There are a total of 6 cabanas between both sides of the resort. One week prior to our departure we called and inquired to the price and were told $50 a day, However, when we called down to reserve one we were told it was $65 a day. On the palms’ tower side there are 4 cabanas on top of each other. Cabana #1 is closest to the hotel and is the only cabana with zipper sides and definitely worth reserving. Cabanas #2-4 are drop sides, not zippered, and when the wind blew would hit the chairs, people, and cabanas next to you. So unless you have #1 you don’t have any privacy if you want them. Cabana 4 was next to the railing and closest to the beach but it is right beside the miniature golf and I did not see it ever reserved because of this reason. Every cabana has a small flat screen television, a ceiling fan, and two padded lounge chairs, an end table, and a grill. The grills for cabana 1-4 are small propane grills, which are located in the back of the cabana half way on the mulch and flowers. Cabanas 5 & 6 are on the Palmetto side and provide more room beside the cabana to pull up extra lounge chairs, which cannot be done on the opposite side. The grills are larger and propane which are beside the cabanas. Cabana # 6 would be optimal as you are the one closer to the beach and have a glimpse of the ocean if you are standing. You will have to put up with ridiculous annoying people singing around 3pm and kids playing games as they do this beside cabana #5.

Palmetto Pool Area:
There is a small pool with depths from 3ft-5ft on the outside deck. There is no diving board and steps on one side where it is 3 feet deep. There might be about 50 lounge chairs around this area. There is a small tiki bar that opens around 11am but closes early too on this side. As you go through another gate there is a small lazy river outside with some inner tubes, a person puked in here one day which closed the area for hours. There is only about enough width for a tube to fit so you will have to follow the people in front of you, there are no waterfalls or anything special.

Mini Golf and playground:
Mini golf amused the kids for maybe 10 min but without any shade it wasn’t helpful. The playground was unusable due to the heat of the equipment from the sun.

Summary of remainder of Pools and Slides:
Kids were running everywhere without supervision. There are limited available chairs and not a place that I would ever recommend.

Parking:
The garage is across the street and if you are in the Palmetto tower than you are even further away from the garage. My car was hit with a door on the back passenger side door. After talking to the front desk I was informed that there was nothing they could help me with.

Unfortunately this experience made me never want to return to Myrtle.