Grand Palms Resort In Surfside Beach, SC — Hotel in Myrtle Beach

We stayed in a 2 bedroom lockoff unit, and had family in the third bedroom lockoff, which security opened for us once we were both there. It was nice going back and forth with them without having to go outside. The pool areas were pretty nice, but there was no enforcement of rules so you had kids and even adults walking in the lazy river and pushing you around during busy times. The shuttles to the beach were a nice convenience, and the drivers were all friendly.

My biggest complaint by far was the sales pitch. We were hesitant because of a bad experience six years ago where they held us hostage for three hours before we could get our gift cards. Now they give you the gifts up front and tell you that you can walk out after 90 minutes. What they were saying was interesting, so we tried getting a price, but after two hours the only price they gave was $120k to convert our points for two weeks we already own elsewhere into Wyndham points. They wanted us to stick around longer to see if they could get a better deal, but after all the jerkiing around we walked out. So my advice, don't go!!!

Next biggest complaint is that they provide you with one disposable dish "cloth" for the week. They do not give you a new one on towel exchange day. I tried asking for a couple more on two different occasions- the first time I got two bath rags and the second time I got two mini bottles of handwashing dish liquid. They also only provide one dish towel and one pot holder.

Definitely not the best place I've stayed, but not the worst either.

Know that you will have to do a lot of walking and/or driving because it is tucked back in behind other housing, the resort itself stretches out, and there are not many food and drink...

My wife and two sons visited this resort for the first time in early October, and overall, it was a good experience. We really enjoyed most of the amenities, especially the outdoor pool, hot tubs, and lazy river. I know this time of year is considered the shoulder season, so the atmosphere and crowd are quite different during the peak summer months.

The resort itself is located a bit off the main road, tucked away among several residential areas, which felt a little unusual. It also seemed like a number of people live there full-time, which took away slightly from the traditional “vacation resort” feel. Our unit in Building 215 overlooked a long row of private homes, which also affected the vacation vibe somewhat.

The unit was well maintained overall, but we did experience a few issues with water pressure and internet connectivity, and the washer and dryer were noisier than expected. On the plus side, we really appreciated the convenient location as it’s close to Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet, and Garden City, which provides a lot of options during your visit.

The check-in process took longer than expected because staff encourage guests to sign up for a timeshare presentation and try to create a sense of urgency to do so. I strongly recommend skipping it. They advertise it as a one-hour session, but I’ve heard it often runs longer, and the sales staff can be quite pushy.

If you drive to the beach, make sure to pay the posted hourly rate in the parking lots. The attendants seem to monitor very closely, and paying $6 for two hours at the beach is much better than a $50 ticket.

All in all, it was a pleasant experience, but we probably wouldn’t be eager to return if better options...

We exchanged in from another resort for a week stay. Never had been here before. Our exchange got us into the Presidential Villas with a studio, which was basically a hotel room with a kitchenette. We arrive and the check-in office was nice, as was the landscaping all around the resort. We were excited. After check-in we got passed off to another desk/person for the up-sale timeshare routine. We kindly said not interested. Got our key and headed for the assigned unit. In the Presidential Villas area the parking is limited and very tight. It was basically a very crowded neighborhood feel without driveways and small parking lot & spaces (not assigned by-the-way). We park, find our unit, and go in first without our luggage to check it out (something just did not feel right). The first thing that hit us was the smell. Think of old, aged, fishy, and moldy. That turned us off right at the start. We looked around and the bathroom was old with a large "red" rude sign on the wall on how to use the jets in the tub (apparently there has been a problem). The studio unit was overall just old and ran down and could easily be passed off as that no-name rundown hotel room you see alongside the road. We turned around and got back into the car and headed back to the office. We walked in and said "Sorry, we are not staying here." The young lady looked shocked because we had just checked in. She stuttered and took us out of the system. We said, "Thank you," and we left. Granted, we did not stay long enough for a thorough review, but if the accommodations were not good, we did not need to experience anything else with...