Monterey Bay Suites

Painted blue and peach, the 16-story Monterey Bay Suites is located on the quiet north end of Myrtle Beach. It has a modest, low-key atmosphere, offering direct access to the sand via a wooden walkway. The beachfront lawn with swings and slides on a playground, cornhole games, and lounge chairs fosters a family-friendly ambience. This property has a 10th-floor outdoor pool -- a nice surprise in a mid-range property -- in addition to two other pools with decks. Rooms and common areas were updated at the end of 2015, but the hotel still feels slightly dated. The lobby can be entered from the garage, but it doesn't offer much decor aside from a few potted palms, and its office-style drop ceiling gives it a budget look. The dining area, where breakfast is served, bustles in the morning, and with its high, orange ceilings and fans has a beachier vibe. The quiet ambience, kid-friendly amenities, budget-friendly rates in suites with kitchens, attracts families with children and retirees.

Monterey Bay Suites sits at the quieter north end of Myrtle Beach, removed from the more tourist-congested downtown -- a wooden walkway at the back of the property leads directly to the beach. It's a 10-minute drive to the busy Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade. Two blocks from the hotel are restaurants, stores, and gas stations on North King Highway. Within a 10-minute drive are the Ripley's Aquarium, WonderWorks Myrtle Beach, Hollywood Wax Museum, and TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. It’s a 15-minute drive to shopping at Barefoot Landing and 20 minutes to the Market Common. Free garage parking is available on-site, but corners are tight. The drive to Myrtle Beach International Airport takes 20 minutes. 

Guest rooms at the Monterey Bay Suites have a cozy, beach-cottage look with woven wicker furniture and tropical fabrics and artwork reflecting the full or partial ocean views from balconies. (Some suites have two balconies.) Though rooms were revamped at the end of 2015, interiors look more homey than fashionable, and some rooms feel dim. Suites have kitchens with oak cabinets, modern appliances, microwaves, stoves with ovens, and coffeemakers, and living rooms with dinettes and Murphy beds, and suit those on extended stays. The suites vary in size from 500 to 596 square feet, and some have sofa beds. Family Suites are two connected rooms with four queen beds or two queen beds and one king bed. All rooms come with 32-inch flat-screen TVs, safes, irons/ironing boards, and air-conditioning. Most bathrooms have shower/tub combos, and two have roll-in showers. 

The facilities at Monterey Bay Suites are geared toward families and beach-lovers. The property itself offers direct access to the sand. On the beachfront is an outdoor pool and hot tub with sunbathing available on lounge chairs on the deck and the lawn. Painted sea murals create a colorful atmosphere around the indoor pool, which is connected to the outdoor pool, and includes inner tubes for the lazy river, a hot tub, and fountains that spill into a kids' pool. In the summertime a kids’ club is open, providing activities throughout the week, including a magic show. The rooftop pool is on the 10th floor and offers a hot tub. The Surf Shack sells snacks in the summer months, and the lobby restaurant serves lunch from June through August. Breakfast is served year-round cafeteria style, and includes fruit, hot and cold cereal, and pastries -- hot items vary, and can include scrambled eggs, grits and gravy, hash browns, and waffles. A small fitness center has treadmills, elliptical machines, and stationary bikes. There's a coin-operated laundry, and garage parking is free, but spaces are narrow.