Which Way To The Beach, Baby!

From my seat on the "tropical" looking sofa in our oceanfront condo in North Myrtle Beach, I am listening to the wind whisking around our 7th floor balcony and watching the waves crashing on the surf below.  Our first winter beach vacation is nearing it's end and once again, Hubby will have to drag me to the car when it's time to leave in the morning.

We arrived at our condo on Monday afternoon and were thrilled with our new "digs".

 Bay Watch Resort ~ North Myrtle Beach

It was our first time at the Bay Watch Resort and our room was better than we'd hoped.  Here's a few pics of our condo:

Welcome to our Condo... come on down the hall and make yourself at home

When we booked our condo we had hoped that Hubby's Mom would join us.  Unfortunately she wasn't able to, so our second bedroom remained untouched. 

It was roomy and had it's own "oceanview" balcony!

The main living area is down the hall from this secluded second bedroom and has a huge kitchen, dining area and comfortable living room with walkout to the oceanfront balcony.

We loved that this was an end unit so there was extra light that came in from a side window in the dining room.  

The master bedroom was just off the living space and also had a walkout to the oceanfront balcony. 

What made this whole space worth every penny though was the master bathroom... and the jacuzzi tub!

I can't begin to tell you how much I want one of these in my house....

But truly... this was what I came for...

The sounds of the crashing waves and looking out over the vast ocean.  THAT is why I come to Myrtle Beach (or any beach for that matter) no matter what time of year.  There is something so calming about the ocean and it's one of those places I feel so close to God.

The weather here in MB hasn't been "ideal" to say the least although God did bless us with two perfect Spring days of high 60's/low 70's temperatures with cloudless skies on Friday and Saturday.  Enough sun though to make it look like we went South for March Break.  The start of the week however was cooler and grayer than I'd hoped or anticipated.  I began to second guess our getaway destination.

We got some shopping in earlier in the week while the weather was gray and chilly.  Bundled up in sweatshirts and jeans walking the beach was enjoyable, but it was much nicer sticking our toes in the sand when the weather warmed up.  The ocean temperature was around 51degrees, not much colder than the temperature in the outdoor pools at the condo.  Brrrr.  Needless to say there was no swimming for us this trip!

Thursday night we ate at Planet Hollywood before heading over to Broadway at the Beach to wander around the shops and end the evening at our favorite dueling piano bar, "Crocodile Rocks".  Here's a pic from us having a little fun at Broadway at the Beach:

Like our beach bodies?

Many mornings, Hubby would wake up early to catch the sunrise from our condo balcony.  One of the things we loved about our place on the beach was that you could get this view... while lying in bed!

Ah... but vacation wouldn't be vacation without these two things... 

My workaholic Hubby doing business...

and

Our beach bum "boys" having fun in the sand.

We found that cute little bike and wagon on the way down at this little store we love in West Virginia.  I thought it would be perfect in our living room filled with some of my bears.

On this our last full day at the beach, we woke up to gray skies.  Bundled in sweat shirts, jeans and running shoes, we took our last long jaunt down the sandy beach.  In the afternoon we snuck off to the movies to see "Our Family Wedding" which we found pretty funny, and then did a little last bit of shopping at the outlet mall to pick up something for my god-daughter for her 3rd birthday coming up in May.  For dinner we went to the Melting Pot to enjoy some cheese and chocolate fondue (not mixed together mind you) and then took a drive down Ocean Drive south into the main Myrtle Beach area.  Along the way I was shocked to see the old motel that my parents took me too when I was in high school, still standing and open for business.  So much of the main Myrtle Beach area is built up with new high-rise condos amidst the seedy "touristy" area that Myrtle Beach proper is known for.  Being down in that area reminded me why we choose to stay in the more family-friendly North Myrtle Beach area.

Back at the condo, the bags are mostly packed and as I sit here blogging after watching the sun go down, I am psyching myself up to leave my happy place... the ocean.  I leave you with one last photo from our trip... looking forward to when I can be back again... minus the bundled up look.

Happy Memories of March in Myrtle Beach!