Sand Dunes Resort - Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Lodging — Hotel in Myrtle Beach

Review of sand dunes I rented a privately owned property in the main building for three months. I left two weeks early. I wanted to like this property, but cannot leave it more than 2 stars. The noise in the unit next to me was unreal, loud rap music, loud voices, all hours of the night, nonstop construction, repairs, etc. going on. The staff think that they are doing you a favor, the front desk people are utterly clueless, the elevator closest to me was out of order, but they cannot be bothered to put a sign on it. I ordered items from Amazon and before I did I called down to see if it was okay if I had them delivered even though I was a private rental. I was told it was okay. The items never showed up. The person who was the mgr said if USPS had been there, they would have delivered to back of property and could basically have cared less. I went to the USPS who did have the packages and told me they do not bother to deliver to this property at all, so don’t listen to the front desk. January was very cold and the heat didn’t work in the unit, they did come in and replace the unit. Shortly before I was to leave, the maintenance was banging on the door because they wanted to come in and sand the door so they could paint it. I said, no, I am leaving in two weeks, do it then. The woman was very rude. I had to call the front desk and tell them to leave me alone. The best part about the property is that the bartenders are very good and the food is good in the restaurant. The indoor pool area was very dark looking, I didn’ t bother. The laundry room was satisfactory. The washers worked, but the driers were hit or miss and at $2 a load is a pain. The parking garage is not connected to the building so you have to park your car near the property to load and unload it. I don’t know how they get away with it from ada standpoint because there are only stairs and to get to the elevators to get to the floor for your car. This place is just not very hospitable. I like this section of Ocean Ave, but this property leaves a lot to be desired.

Unit 1032 I was so excited to rent this unit, mostly because of the price. Sadly, it was not a good stay. When I checked in, the heat wasn’t working and it was very cold in January. The fluorescent bulb were burnt out in the kitchen overhead light and there was no towel bar or hook to hang my towel. The bed was the most uncomfortable bed I have ever tried to sleep in. I slept on the couch for a few nights. I called the property rental company and explained that this was really unsatisfactory. They had the lights repaired, called to have the heating/cooling unit swapped out and bought a 2 inch thick topper for the mattress. Unfortunately the bed was still really uncomfortable. Unless you want to sleep on a rock for a mattress, look elsewhere. The door frame looks like it has been jimmied, it needs weather stripping. The wind comes whipping through the door and it is cold. I bought some cheap rugs to pile up against the door. There are no rugs in the unit at all, no bathroom rub and no rug by the bed, fortunately I brought rugs. Make sure to bring your own bedding because the bedding is very old. The refrigerator is very small and even though turned up, it doesn’t really keep groceries that cold. The ancient shower hooks are rusted and should be thrown out. I threw the shower mat in the laundry but it is still mildewed. There is dirt and dust down in the side boards of the bed. I cleaned as best as I could but the place needs a very thorough cleaning. I like the Elliott rental people, but the owner should make sure the place is in good condition whether the guest is there in the winter or...

I wish our stay was as nice as our previous visits, but it was the complete opposite. Upon check-in, which took a long time due to one person working the counter, we finally FOUND our room. There was not clear instructions about where our villa was and not many signs listing the numbers that were at each building. When we walked in our villa, we were greeted with nasty carpet stains all throughout. The walls were dirty all over, the couches were barely holding up with stains all over them, the microwave was a dirty mess, the cups in the cupboard were still dirty, and the shower still had dirt stains on the bottom of it. We were going to have one of our guests sleep on the couch, but that wasn't an option after we saw how nasty it was and how the cushions were falling in. The shower was a dirty, grungy mess, which was a big problem as I couldn't bathe my baby in it. I went out and bought bathroom cleaner and gave it a thorough cleaning but I still didn't feel comfortable bathing my baby in it so I had to have my husband hold her in the shower all week while I stood outside the shower to bathe her. This was a major inconvenience. I brought my concerns to the front desk and was told that I could get a refund and leave but there was nothing else they could do as they were booked. I felt as if my hands were tied because there was nowhere else for us to go at this point - especially considering I booked this very early in the year. After I talked to the front desk, I went back to my room and found two water bottles and Cheeto crumbs under the bed. The room wasn't even cleaned after the previous guests stayed. Feeling defeated, we went to bed. The following evening, before bed, I noticed a huge pee stain on one of the beds. We didn't notice this the night before because my kids were already asleep in the other bed and the room was dark when we went to get in the other bed. At this point, my husband and I went back to the front desk and talked to the manager again.

Basically, we paid $2500 for five nights to stay in a room that wasn't cleaned, sheets that weren't changed, a bathroom that was absolutely disgusting, furniture that had stains on every couch and chair, doors with broken locks, bedframes that were coming off the walls, and carpet that left our socks black on the bottom from dirt. What really bothers me the most is the pee stain on the bed. I'm sure none of the sheets were changed in our room. I did not feel good about having my kids in this environment and never thought that this would be a problem staying somewhere for $400 a night. The floors were so gross no one would walk on them barefoot.

I would not recommend staying in a villa whatsoever, but the hotel does offer a nice waterpark and lazy river, but they are also aging and need quite a bit of work done. The tile in the lazy river is falling apart and the slides at the waterpark are very aged. Kids were getting stuck in the middle of all three slides which is very dangerous as other kids are coming behind quickly and are hitting them. Also, the waterpark hours are 11-7. 11 is late to open. Would have been nice if it opened at 9 or 10 and stayed open until at least 8pm. We didn't enjoy this as much as we wanted to because of the short hours.

I like the resort for the amenities, but you would have to outweigh your options. Are the amenities more important to you than a clean room, or is where you stay more important than the amenities?

I feel like I was robbed. We were totally deceived from the pictures of the villa online. It was definitely false advertising and we didn't get the experience we paid for.

We will...

I will preface this review with saying my family and I (my husband, 7 year old, and 6month old) had a great time on this trip. I am writing this review so other families can make informed decisions about their stay if they choose to stay here. I feel like I was grossly misinformed of what I was booking and was honestly disappointed.

Here are the positives: the location is fantastic. Close enough to kings highway where there are plenty of restaurants, grocery stores, mini golf, beach stores etc. You could walk if you chose to. But also far enough away from the “action” of the typical grand strand. In the ocean front main building, the view of the beach is lovely. There’s also a Starbucks right around the corner which was clutch. The two pools/water parks were great for our 7 year old. The Italian ice station has delicious treats, and the “beachfront” restaurant serves cocktails and mocktails in frozen pineapples which I loved. Having a convenience store and pizza/ice cream inside the resort was also nice for a last minute dinner option. The employees I had the pleasure of chatting with were extremely kind and warm-hearted. They all deserve a raise for their hard work.

Now the negatives: what you see online is absolutely NOT what you get. The term “resort” is used very loosely. If you are looking for a luxury place to stay- this is absolutely not it. When we were greeted at check in, the woman who gave us our room keys seemed annoyed we were there and told us if the paper bracelets you have to wear EVERYWHERE in the resort (to have access to the pool, etc) got destroyed she would NOT replace them. (I’m thinking - they’re paper. We paid $1600 to stay here, surely it wouldn’t be THAT big of a deal). Side note: you only have access to the pools/water park if you book DIRECT through the resorts website and not 3rd party travel websites! The website shows cabanas on the beach- those do not exist. You have to rent umbrellas at the lifeguard stand. ($50 a day) The biggest disappointment was that there is no housekeeping. I understand being short staffed and am not blaming the employees. But there was constantly sand all over our room, in our sheets, in the bathroom. Even though we swept up constantly. They give you four towels, 2 washcloths, and 2 rolls of toilet paper for a queen double room. If you’d like additional towels, a change of sheets, TP, you have to go down to the front desk and do it yourself. The tub didn’t drain while we showered , so even if we were hopping in for a 2 minute shower, we would be standing in water up past our ankles. The rooms are bare bones. Just beds, tv, fridge, microwave. Maybe we booked the wrong type of room because we had expected silverware and a stove. The walls of these rooms are PAPER thin. You can hear everything your neighbors are doing. Next to us, someone was hacking up a lung all hours of the night. Also- the room and balcony smelled of cigarettes and weed the whole time. The weed smell I enjoy (lol) but the cigarette smell was gross. The pool bathrooms were some of the foulest bathrooms I have EVER been in. The smell was nauseating, and I would absolutely not take my children in there. At the pools, there is barely ANY shade. Be sure to bring your own supplies to provide shade if you have small children.

Lastly- I have to add.. this place treats their employees like trash. The employees work long shifts 12-14 hours.. and are not allowed to SIT DOWN in fear of being fired! It made me sad and uncomfortable to be relaxing while these employees are working so hard and are unable the “luxury” of a BREAK. This resort...