Club Wyndham Towers on the Grove is in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Myrtle Beach is one of my favorite places to visit and stay. In fact, I am trying to get my ducks in a row to move there.
There are many reasons that I love Myrtle Beach and I will share a few of those with you in this blog so you can determine if this is a vacation spot you will love too.
Video by Social Live
Day One Arrival at Club Wyndham Towers on the Grove
I drove to Myrtle Beach, which for most of the year is an easy and simple drive from my home in Virginia. Most of the trip is interstate travel and as long as it is not June-August, the traffic levels are moderate.
I was going in the latter part of April so if anything traffic was light at worst.
The entire drive was only about 5 hours with no stops, and 90% of the drive was interstate travel at 65MPH or higher speed. It took 5 hours but felt shorter because of the road condition and speed.
I could have taken several routes down, but the interstate is faster than the older roadways, and likely a little safer than well with fewer cars entering the roadway. At least none entered from sideroads and streets, instead, they would come on entrance ramps. Which I have found leads to better driving behaviors.
2100 N Ocean Blvd is the address and you notice that it has a park to the left of the resort when you find the location on the beach. This meant it had a great feeling for the approach to the resort. In my eyes, it also meant that despite the size of the resort itself, the entire complex had a more comfortable feeling than two buildings right next to each other.
There is a nice 360% tour of the resort available here. I wish every resort had these.
As you will see in the virtual visit, the pools and outdoor amenities are great at this resort. Truly waterpark-like and designed for the whole family to have fun.
I checked in early thanks to the kind staff, and what I assume was a lower booking rate in April. It was then that I found out I had been upgraded to a 3-bedroom penthouse-style unit. Which at first made me feel somewhat guilty. Since it was just me, it felt odd. But once I got in the room, the benefit of the views and all the space overwhelmed my concern for others.
Check out the views in the virtual tour for yourself if you do not believe my assessment. I had both bedroom and living room views of the ocean and that was worth the price of the trip when you book through TZort remember you are getting this room likely for less each night than a stay in a cheap room off the beach. It is crazy when you think of it that way, but that is the beauty of TZort.
Now for me, my stay was from TZort so you could say I had the hookup. My deal with them is simple. I write blog posts for a song, and they let me stay in the resorts as I write. We call that the old win-win.
After checking in, I toured the resort some. The resort has good internet service throughout so you can set up your cell phone or kindle, whatever onto the resort internet for reading or listing to music at the pools or whatever you like.
They also offer Concierge Services, which most people forget to fully use, but are often a great idea. Imagine a local professional that acts on your behalf to make your stay and experience awesome. That is the job of the Concierge.
This resort is beachfront. No beach access, but it is literally on the beach, and thus only steps to the ocean. Also, this part of Myrtle Beach has some of the widest beach areas you have ever seen. For those that love to lay and play in the sand, that is amazing. This also means that even in the busy summer months you can always find a spot for a beach towel or your family to gather.
Another thing you will learn to read this post is how much there is to do in the area. This is not just a sleepy beach town. This is an active and fun resort town that welcomes millions of visitors every year.
After my tour and settling in, my stomach reminded me that I had skipped breakfast to get an early start on the drive. I went online to check for somewhere to eat an early dinner.
I usually do not go to a lot of chain restaurants. I try to help the little guy. But you have to remember that chains are often owned by franchise owners as well. Sometimes that local chain is another location that is owned locally. This meant I was headed for a chain location. Today it was going to be Texas Roadhouse. I like these steak places. They are affordable, and the menu is great. I ordered an appetizer, main entrée, and drinks and it was still a cheap meal out. They really provide value. If you are traveling on a budget, this is a great place to go eat and feel like a king.
Just remember since you are saving on the food, take care of your waiter or waitress. They may make less since the menu items are affordable. Looking at the chains in the nation now, this has to be my favorite steak chain, which has a great deal more than steaks as well.
After a great meal, it was time to head back to the resort and settle in for the night.
Day Two at Club Wyndham Towers on the Grove
I did it again! I left every shade or curtain wide open. I think I am starting to do that on vacations to prevent my natural laziness from kicking in. But wow, talk about light. This room with all the windows and glass to balconies for the first few seconds of the morning made me think the sun had come down to the Earth. Not because of heat mind you, just the intensity of the light.
After waking up feeling a bit like a photo negative, I jumped in the shower to get my body moving. The bathrooms here were standard size and had plenty of room, even for a big guy like me. If you have a large member of your family get one of the shower curtain rods that are shaped to provide extra room. They do not cost much more than a standard straight rod but they provide a lot more shower space and comfort.
Minutes after my shower was complete, I was on a mission for a big breakfast. For breakfast, I decided to check in on a traditional favorite of mine Mammy’s Kitchen. Mammy’s has been around since the 1950s so I have been here with family many times. So it has a place in my mind and heart. Also, the food is great. They have all the standard breakfast favorites. It is popular however so likely when you hit the door you will wait a few minutes just until they clear a table or two. Years ago I would have opted for a seat at the counter. But I am a tad big for those at most places these days.
As I finished my meal, I sat for a moment and thought about the first time I came here with my Grandparents and sister more than 40 years ago. Wow, how do I even remember that moment? They say that smell is the sense people associate with memories. Well, here I had the same smells, tastes, and even locations all hitting my memory at once. This meant some nice thoughts about a better time, the best time in my life. I am blessed to still have my sister in my life, and I love the fact that she has a loving family of her own now.
OK, I have been on my favorite road “memory lane” and I had a great breakfast. Time to go find some trouble. I joke because these days trouble is not what it used to be. But I wanted to find something fun to do.
I was a week early for baseball or I would have grabbed tickets for the local baseball team. I like watching baseball in person, but rarely if ever on TV. I also like the minor league teams. You are not watching people who have million-dollar contracts, but often normal guys who want to make it to the majors, and I like that whole story and narrative.
Being too early for baseball but wanting a beer had me looking for a watering hole. I headed over to Broadway at the beach which is just a shopping center but it does have good locations and things to do. It packs in a lot of fun into a small space. Which when you are traveling is a great thing.
I guess today is my day for chains because I choose to go into Wonder Works. I do not know why but I have never been in one of these before. I guess the whole exterior of them has kept me away. This is odd because I like touristy or cheesy things. Normally things like that attract me like a moth to a flame. But having seen them here before, and in Williamsburg Virginia, and in a few other areas I still had not gone inside. Well, today I fixed that.
I think this place would be great for kids. Especially boys, but all younger kids (preteens) would most likely enjoy Wonder Works. I also like the idea of business owners that invest in things like this. Entire businesses focused on fun, fun for all but especially kids. It may well make the owners feel a bit like Santa, which to me is a great thing.
April did not have the place packed so I tried a bit of everything. It was likely funny for others to watch this guy who to some looked like a big Santa (minus the beard) having fun like a kid, doing silly things, but hey when in Rome.
Later after a few hours of simple, “old school” childlike fun, I wanted a beer or something to feel like an adult again. Who would have guessed that Myrtle Beach has not one but two Hooters locations? Now before my dear readers think I have lost my mind. If you have not been to Hooters let me explain. These are not strip clubs, but instead beer joints with light food-like wings, and the servers are mostly cute girls in a bit of a wacky outfits. They stuff top-heavy gals into old 80s-style t-shirts and have them bring out beer and food to the tables while interacting with the customers. It is a pretty simple prescription. I would not likely go to one in a normal week but on vacation why not. Also, I think these places are harmless. Other than some ogling, and beer drinking not much else takes place at one.
If you are a wing person their wings are not bad either. Insert joke about not being a wingman but more of a _____ fan here.
I had a few beers and talked with two of the ladies. They had great charm and one of the girls was very bright. The other girl was someone you would say “bless her heart” about in the South. Meaning you were proud of her for being able to put the order in the kitchen and find her way back to the table. Nice kid though. I sympathized because when I was young, I waited tables and I say until I was 25 my brain did not turn on. I was clueless when I was young, so perhaps she is just a late bloomer mentally like me.
After a few beers, it was time to head back to the resort in case I wanted to drink more. Never drive on vacation after you have had too much to drink. It is best to never do that at all, but on vacation in a resort town, you are asking for trouble about five ways. So just do not do it. In Myrtle Beach, you can Uber easily and it is worth the tiny price you pay.
For all my bulk these days I still have a decent amount of muscle mass. This means I metabolize alcohol fast, but I also do not drink much anymore unless I am on vacation. Then I may have a few adult beverages. But at 50 things should not be like they were when you were in your 20s. Hopefully, you still can have fun but you keep things to a dull roar.
Day Three Club Wyndham Towers on the Grove
Last night I remembered the blinds, so I slept in a little more today than the day before. When I came back to the resort I stayed playing in the pools and hanging on the beach until after dark, then I went up to my room, and opened the doors to the balcony. Blocking them open with a chair, and listened to the ocean for a few hours.
Man, that was peaceful.
This morning I was going to get some early lunch and something fun to drink while I was out then come back to the resort and beach for a few hours.
I found a Tiki Bar just up the road and I love everything Tiki. I do not know why maybe it was from the Elvis movie I watched when I was young or my first trip to the Magic Tiki room at Disney. Not sure about the underlying draw but I love them. This one was great. It has a good mix of the Tiki culture and feels, with a neat local beach vibe. If you like all things Tiki checks it out.
They have a menu item called a Very Adult Mac and Cheese. I guess they call it that because it is a little spicy. Regardless of the reason for the name, it is good. I had one of those and then I asked to try their Mai Thai. It was good but I would later find the drink Tiki Time on their drink menu and I feel in “strong like” not love with this one lol.
I then ordered some food to go that I intended to take back to the resort for dinner so I would not have to go anywhere. That is one of the things I love staying at the resorts for. The freedom to have a nice kitchen to either cook or just refrigerate meals and then reheat them later. It meant you could really focus on the beach time fun, with less hassle.
If I had the family with me, I may have cooked spaghetti for everyone back at the resort for dinner. You know, a simple meal that everyone loves. As it was just me, I took back a crab cake sandwich and an order of nachos to eat just a few hours after hanging out on the beach.
Today it was a high of like 76 so I did not go into the ocean much, but I did enjoy the heck out of laying on the beach listening to the waves and watching the world go by.
I also spent some more time in the heated pools at the resort. They were not boiling hot but warm enough just to make a difference and not feel cold as the sun went down later.
I returned to my room after the day at the beach, showered, ate my dinner, then planned to head out on the town.
With all the options for entertainment in Myrtle Beach it can be hard to decide. There are a ton of music theaters, shows, and venues available. I headed back towards Broadway at the Beach and this time Legends in Concert. Here you see great impersonators of music acts from the past. The Elvis was great if not a visual match he did sound like the king.
After the night on the town (calmed down I had to drive tomorrow) I headed back to the resort to rest before my drive out tomorrow. Myrtle Beach is a great place to visit because there is always something fun to do. If you have kids there are many family things to do, and for adults they have you covered as well.
