Maisons-sur-mer #608 Ocean Front

The patio was huge, and the condo itself had loads of space, including roomy bathrooms and a large kitchen with an electric stove for cooking. Our two-bedroom place in Myrtle Beach had a beachfront view from the master bedroom. It could sleep eight adults if one person was okay with the pull-out couch; we also brought an air mattress. It felt like a nice home away from home.

The beach is easy to get to, and there’s a pool, gym, sauna, and playroom. They have activities during the week, and the staff are friendly. We also liked the music and drinks at the tiki bar. The place is quiet, quaint, and relaxing. It had been 11 years since we last came, after a lot of life changes, but our family of four had a wonderful first visit back. Our boys loved it, and it was special watching them make memories like the ones my husband has from coming here every year since he was a teenager. This is definitely my favorite place to stay.

The security staff were the one bright spot for us. The rules and access setup made everything else frustrating: you need a key for so many things, including getting from the beach to the pool, and you have to ask permission to enter the gate to unload in the garage. There are no luggage carts in the lobby, cover-ups are required in the building, and you have to wear shoes except inside your unit. The pool rules felt unreasonable too. Goggles were the only thing allowed in the pool, with no balls or floats for kids. We were told we couldn’t use the chairs by the bar unless we were buying from the bar or all the pool chairs were taken, and that we’d have to get a chair from the kiddy pool if none were available. We were also told we couldn’t reserve pool tables, which we hadn’t done anyway. An elderly white couple asked me to give up a table I’d reached first because they said they were coming to it before me. When my brown-skinned teens came out, we got dirty looks, and people even got up and moved away. It felt very racist, like people of color weren’t welcome. The whole place felt like a retirement community. If you want to spend every day by the pool with senior citizens, maybe it’s for you, but I’ll never come back.

The beach is just steps away, and there’s a pool, pool bar, restaurants, and fitness center. We rented through VRBO, and it’s a great vacation location.