I get frequent e-mail from people asking me about where to stay in the Myrtle Beach area.  The answer? Don't. Keep reading, I'm going to explain.  I've been going to the Myrtle Beach area since I was 12 (that would be over 15 years) and not once have I ever stayed in the Myrtle Beach, MB North, or MB South city limits.  But yes, I go there every year.  So what's the deal you say?  I stay NEXT to MB - in a small beach town called Surfside Beach.  It directly borders MB, and it is only about 15 minutes of a ride from all the action.  If you are the type of person that likes to have a lot of things to do, places to eat, and night clubs to visit, but you don't want to spend your sleeping and day hours in a crowd of people... then Surfside is for you.  I've heard it referred to as "Myrtle Beach Lite".  It is.  The nicest thing about it is that there are no hotel complexes.  No Day's Inn, no Holiday Inn, no Myrtle Beach Resort & Golf Spa, it's just a small rental beach community, with some locals living there.  Yes, it is lined with rental property, but there is a low rise law, meaning that condo complexes are not allowed to reach above a certain height.  There are 2 actual high rises further down in Garden City, called Atalaya Towers, but the price and crowdedness of this hotel has never made me want to try it.  Every place that is for rent down here goes through one of the major rental companies listed below (almost all of them anyways).  I've used all 3, and never had a complaint.  I've stayed in a variety of condos, picking them out just by looking at the catalog online, or in the mailer and matching my needs up to the condo and location.  I've never had a bad place.  They are all nice, and you know what the best part about staying outside of MB is???  The prices!  You can get a full condo with kitchen, all amenities, washer/dryer, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room, on the ocean front, with a pool that is in the complex for about 700-1000 for the week (depending on season).  The area is quieter, and the beach front is a whole lot less crowded, not to mention the reduction in traffic if you are just traveling in
surfside and south.  You hit most of the crowds when you drive up into the MB area.  It's about 15-20 minutes from the heart of MB, and about 35-40 minutes to points north (MB North, Barefoot Landing).  There are not a lot of "hot spot" night clubs in this area, you would have to drive downtown for that. There is, however, the Garden City Pier area, which is a fishing pier, game hub, beach store outlet, and generally good for entertaining kids.  But if you are not into the clubbing scene, this area is the perfect spot for you. Below I've listed some places I've actually rented before, some of them like the Channel Marker, we have stayed in 5-6 times over the years, and Surfside Landing we have stayed at 3 times before.  I don't remember exact unit numbers - but that shouldn't make a difference.  I liked the Admiral's Quarter's the best, but it was a 3 bedroom place, and not cheap.  There are still plenty of things within a 5 minute drive - grocery stores, liquor stores, restaurants, shops, water parks, miniature golf, and all that.  Other areas that are nice to stay in, but even a bit further south are Garden City (Borders Surfside Beach) and Pawley's Island (about 45 min. south of MB).