2024 has been a ‘Southern Girl‘ year of travel for me – and I mean that in the best way. For instance in April I was chasing waves on Florida’s West Coast at Clearwater Beach: Baby Blues
In July I met up with my niece and twin nephews (all siblings) in San Antonio, Texas for the sole purpose of family bonding and fun in the sun: SAT, A surprise to me!
And now here it is August and I just returned from a 5 day 4 night mini vacay to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina or “MB” as it is affectionately known (smile).
Me and my boo decided to try something new this time around in regards to our aircraft – we flew Avelo Airlines out of Tweed Airport in New Haven (a first for both of us) and we booked our stay not at a hotel resort but rather at an Airbnb. My girlfriend Sharon’s son Brandon owns a 1 bedroom condominium on the beach in MB called Rosey Retreat so that is where we stayed.
It felt different staying at an Airbnb condominium as opposed to a hotel resort because we missed out on the daily maid service, the convenience of a hotel restaurant and the front desk information gathering station.
But what it lacked in hotel amenities it more than made up for as it had the perfect view from our balcony to the beach, the cozy, albeit quirky rose interior and beachy touches inside the unit such as beach chairs and a beach umbrella complete with a sand anchor.
We spent the majority of our vacay mornings and afternoons enjoying the surf and sun at the beach (did I mention that the temps averaged 85 degrees Fahrenheit all 5 days!) and almost pinched ourselves for picking the right week of the month to travel.
Since we left on a Sunday of the last week in August, most people with children were already in full ‘Back to School’ mode so the beach felt somewhat secluded and a little private.
Our condominium had a galley kitchen with pots and pans and stuff so we went shopping for food, snacks and adult beverages at the Piggly Wiggly (smile).
And afterwards we had breakfast at Shoney’s – I remember this restaurant from a couple of Summers I spent in Fayetteville, North Carolina with my big sister Dana. I was 15 years old at the time and Dana was 23. She was serving in the Air Force and had recently purchased her own home and it was ‘my turn’ to spend the Summer with her. Dana took me to Shoney’s as they were legendary back then for their huge Southern breakfasts. However, on the day me and my boo went, the managers were cooking (never a good sign) as they were short on wait staff so the food and service were not quite what I expected.
Speaking of food, the best meal in MB that week bar none was the Jamaican take-out restaurant we discovered after leaving the Piggly Wiggly. It was across the street from Piggly Wiggly and to their left. We both luvvvv Jamaican food so we ordered 3 plates to go – 2 plates of Oxtails with rice and peas and cabbage and 1 plate of Jerk Chicken with peas and rice and cabbage.
We had a lively conversation with the owner and his wife around the U.S. dominance in track and field at the most recent Paris Olympics which was precipitated by Usain Bolt’s picture on the wall… 😜
As for lunch and dinner ‘dine-in restaurants,’ we surfed online and found at least 3 or 4 that were decent and within walking distance. We did not rent a car – in all honesty South Myrtle Beach is easy to navigate on foot as everything is relatively close by. The Uber ride from the Myrtle Beach airport to our condominium took just 15 minutes!
The first restaurant where we ate was recommended by a hotel concierge named Will whom we met on the street – he said it was popular with tourists so he knew we would like it. Will was not wrong (smile). It was named River City Cafe. I had a delish veggie burger with cheese and a side salad. Before our meal came we were served salty roasted shelled peanuts in a cup and afterwards we got to throw the shells on the wooden floor😀. It took me back to my days growing up in Groton, Connecticut when we ate at The Ground Round 😀.
For dinner that night (really apps since I was still full from lunch!) we chose RipTyde Rooftop Bar because it overlooked the beach and it had a cool indoor/outdoor vibe. I had a delish Frozen Mango Margarita Mocktail that froze my brain every time I took a sip (smile). There was live music playing and from our seats, we could watch the hotel guests enjoying a game of Corn Hole on the beach.
The following night we headed back to the Myrtle Beach boardwalk to check out Pier 14 Restaurant but while walking on the boardwalk we met a friendly middle -aged couple from Washington state who had just arrived in town to attend NASCAR. We exchanged our respective life stories and went on our way 😉.
We ate that night at Pier 14 which was known for their seafood and specialty drinks. It was late for dining (9pm) so I ordered something light – Poke Tuna and it hit the spot ☺️
From there we went to The Arcades (old school gaming) which really took me back in time…
The following evening (after once again spending all day on the beach) we dined at LandShark Bar and Grill where I had a Caribbean Chicken salad before people watching along the Boardwalk.
And we couldn’t leave MB before riding on the SkyWheel – it was truly a stress free ride – more observational than anything else – as we checked out the city lights and carnival rides.
Our 5th and final day was spent in our condominium- eating, packing and admiring the view from our balcony…
For those of you who are wondering why we did not golf, well we figured that just gives us another reason to head back 😜 ⛳️
Sincerely,
TVFL
