Marriott's OceanWatch at Grande Dunes

I don't like Myrtle Beach, but this property is tucked into a quiet, secluded stretch of beach and is beautifully maintained. The staff are always nice, and it's one of the better Marriott Vacation Club locations on the East Coast. We love the beach, pools, entertainment, and pool bar. Pedro was excellent, and Shawna at the bar was excellent too. It's a wonderful escape. We've visited seven times in the past ten years, and the renovations since our last stay were excellent.

The room itself was beautiful, with a great view of the pools and ocean, but it had dirty towels with holes, a smelly fridge and freezer, and trash under the beds. We booked an oceanfront two-bedroom suite at a remarkable rate for a five-night stay in mid-March. Before we arrived, the sales department called to offer a free night if we booked a pitch to join Marriott Vacation Club. At check-in, we were told that because our rate was so remarkable, we would get no housekeeping during the whole stay. When I questioned this, the front desk person became hostile and insisted that, as a timeshare property, cleaning was our responsibility, even though we're not timeshare owners. After checking in, we were told to get a parking pass from the bald gentleman in concierge. I didn't understand why that description was needed, especially since there were two bald gentlemen there. Both were much friendlier than the front desk staff. We enjoyed the beach for two days before it closed for refurbishment for the rest of our stay. When we asked about the closure, the front desk acted as if they didn't know it was closed or when it would reopen. We'd already seen a closed section of beach a quarter mile away on our first day, so it seemed like they could have looked and realized what was happening. We also got grief from the front desk for returning pool towels there, where we'd picked them up. We were told to wash them ourselves and keep them in the room. The rooms aren't large, and towels pile up without housekeeping. There was even a bin of dirty towels at the desk, so I don't understand why she wouldn't just put them in it. By day three, we spoke to the manager mostly to let him know we planned to write a bad review. We've stayed at other vacation club hotels around the US and never had these issues with housekeeping or front desk staff. This stay did nothing to make us want to become timeshare owners. It actually made us decide to avoid vacation club hotels. Myrtle Beach is nice, but I'd recommend staying elsewhere. Marriott's Vacation Club feels like a racket to me, with poor customer service and mediocre hotels.

We were nervous about visiting because we'd heard Myrtle Beach called the Redneck Riviera, but we were really impressed. The room had a great ocean and pool view and had recently been remodeled. It was one of the nicest club villas we've stayed in. The staff were so nice, especially Shanon in the Members check-in area. We spent far too long chatting with everyone in the checkout lounge. There's a beautiful white sand beach right outside, and we spent hours there and at the four pools. We also played foosball and corn hole, worked out at the fitness center, and used the sand volleyball, bocce ball, shuffleboard, and sport court for basketball and pickleball. The pickleball net was thrashed, and we don't like playing on the blue plastic courts, so we found free city courts at midway for our daily pickleball. We made nightly trips to the hot tub and used the grills often. It's close to north Myrtle beach, the more upscale part of town, and there are two Food lions nearby. We went every day and chatted with Cheryl, their happy clerk, who always had plenty to say. Our teenage girls had boys to talk to in the hot tub each night. We watched from our balcony to keep an eye on them while they had fun flirting with the southern boys. Maybe we're a little crazy, but it was fun watching the drama unfold. It was a great week for our family. We came home from spring break sunburned, with sore ribs from laughing and a few extra pounds from fried chicken and biscuits.

The “woodsy” pool area was downright disgusting, poorly kept, and embarrassing for a resort that presents itself as high-end. The front desk staff were incredibly rude and unwilling to help. I have a broken arm, and my 11-year-old daughter has a broken wrist, but they showed no understanding or flexibility. We even offered to pay more for a better, more accessible situation and were brushed off, with no empathy or customer service. We came to Marriott OceanWatch Villas in Myrtle Beach for a relaxing family vacation, but the stay has been frustrating and disappointing. This was meant to be a special getaway, and instead it feels completely ruined. I'd strongly recommend looking elsewhere if you expect even basic customer care. Do better, Marriott. This was unacceptable.