Ocean Club Resort

Ocean Club Resort (formerly the Peppertree Ocean Club, a Festiva Resort) is a beachfront condo property without a lot of bells and whistles. The lobby looks more like an office, with some desks and a small seating area with wicker chairs and fish-print sofas off to one side. Coffee and a water dispenser add a welcoming touch. The only other common area is outside, between the hotel building and the beach, where there's a large pool deck with lounge chairs, as well as a grassy area off to one side with umbrella-shaded picnic benches and a small cornhole pitch. The hotel is particularly popular with families and groups of friends on a budget who want easy access to the beach. Unfortunately, the numerous maintenance and cleanliness issues, and dated decor in rooms, are notable downsides.

Ocean Club is located right on the sand in North Myrtle Beach, about a half-hour drive from Myrtle Beach town center and 35 minutes from the Myrtle Beach International Airport. Charlotte is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the hotel, while getting to Charleston, North Carolina, takes three and a half hours. The area has plenty of shops, bars, and restaurants, including a supermarket—Boulineay's Foods Plus, about 10 blocks away. There’s also a big strip of larger shops, including a Kroger, an Aldi, and a Walmart about a six-minute drive away and the gargantuan Broadway at the Beach Shopping center is about a half-hour drive from the hotel.

For those who are in town for golfing, the Surf Golf & Beach Club is just inland from the hotel, while Beachwood Golf Club is a seven-minute drive away. More golfing can be found at Barefoot Resort & Golf, 20 minutes way by car, and Arcadian Shores Golf Club, which takes around the same amount of time to reach. La Belle Amie Vineyard is a 10-minute drive from the hotel. Families traveling with younger kids take note: Alligator Adventure, a reptile-focused animal park, is just under 15 minutes from the hotel by car.

The apartment-style condos at this property come in one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom configurations and are ideal for long-term budget travelers who want to self-cater. Amenities common across condos include air-conditioning, TVs with cable and DVD players, and free Wi-Fi. Some also have balconies and/or views of the ocean. Some units have pull-out sofas, making them good for families or groups of friends on a budget who don’t mind sleeping in tight corners. Although all of the condos are listed as having full kitchens, some past guests have described the rooms in their units as more akin to kitchenettes, with tiny stoves and ranges, though the kitchens in the larger units are certainly ample, with double sinks, big fridges, dishwashers, and induction stoves.

Unlike some condo hotels, which offer inconsistent room decor chosen at the whims of each individual unit's owners, Ocean Club is relatively consistent. Living areas feature a pale-blue and white color scheme, with white tiling and simple white, blue, and light-wood furniture Bedrooms are on the small side and feature blue carpeting, yellow accent walls, and striped curtains, with white headboards and side tables—some with slats inspired by shutters. Watercolor scenes of boats hang on the walls. The overall feeling is mildly nautical, and a bit generic, but still pleasant and homey. Some bedrooms have additional TVs.

Bathrooms vary, with white tiling and a similar color scheme to what’s found in the bedrooms. Some have whirlpool tubs (other units have jetted hot tubs right in the living areas), but there have been all sorts of complaints from past guests about everything from peeling paint to leaks to issues with water heating and pressure. Some guests have also reported rooms to have cleanliness issues.

This resort is not really somewhere you stay for the amenities, and there aren’t any on-site dining options, although there are a few nice perks right on the property that you might not expect from a budget hotel, plus free on-site parking. Family-friendly features include a kids' activity room complete with table tennis, and there's a fitness center with a few cardio machines and some weight-training equipment.

The crowing feature is the outdoor pool, which is flanked by lounge chairs and umbrellas, and offers views out over the beach. However, the pool isn’t heated, so many guests avoid it outside of the sweltering summer months. There are also three outdoor whirlpool hot tubs, though there have been some complaints about maintenance problems. Guests can access the beach directly from the hotel via a set of stairs that leads from the pool area to a long sandy path that connects to the sea. There’s also an outdoor shower for rinsing sand off on your way back. Beach sunbeds are not provided.