Where to stay

Starting at the southern end of the Myrtle Beach shoreline, the fairly small neighborhoods of Pawleys Island and Litchfield by the Sea are great for quiet fishing, sunbathing and building sandcastles. Enjoy more serious sport fishing and seafood dining with a hotel at Murrells Inlet, where you can also go on walks through marshes and along sandy beaches . Stay in the Surfside Beach neighborhood for family activities on the beach and at the seasonal water park. Hotels in Downtown Myrtle Beach are just minutes from the airport and the beach and range from high-rise oceanfront resorts to budget accommodations. For a slightly less hectic beach scene, stay in North Myrtle Beach to enjoy the sun and sand and walk out onto the very long fishing pier at Cherry Grove Beach.

Kids love the many wide, clean beaches along the Myrtle Beach shoreline, so many hotels from Surfside Beach to North Myrtle Beach are great for family-friendly vacations. Book accommodations close to the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk to enjoy the SkyWheel, thrill rides, arcades, several Ripley's attractions and numerous spots for burgers, ice cream, candy and healthier dining choices. A hotel anywhere along Ocean Drive in town is likely to be within a 5-minute drive of mini-golf courses, many with blue waterfalls and themes ranging from jungles to pirates to fire-breathing dragons. About a 30-minute drive northwest, the town of Conway offers relief from busy beach days with strolls along the Waccamaw River and visits to farms and historic sites. Stay in Georgetown, about a 1-hour drive south of Myrtle Beach to take a boat tour to the Georgetown Lighthouse and learn about the region's history of plantation life and Gullah culture. For golf, pick a hotel in nearly any Myrtle Beach neighborhood and you're likely to have enough nearby choices to play at a different course each day.

Pick a hotel that lets you take breaks from golf and beach time to do some shopping. One of the area's favorite retail, dining and entertainment spots is Broadway at the Beach, centered in the Myrtle Beach neighborhood. Stay in Briarcliffe Acres to be near a large outlet mall and less hectic section of beach. Head south of the city to book a hotel in Pawleys Island, where strolling through Hammock Shops Village offers opportunities to buy clothing, watch artisans create handcrafted items and taste regional wine.