How To Get Deals on Myrtle Beach Hotels & Avoid Tourist Traps!

I am one of the rare people who grew up in the 80’s near the East Coast and didn’t visit Myrtle Beach. I finally checked it out this year and am sharing how we avoided the tourist traps and got a deal on a fantastic resort right on the beach for under $75/night!

If you want an affordable beach trip away from the touristy scene that is Myrtle Beach, read on…

Where To Stay: North of Myrtle Beach

When I was researching a visit to Myrtle Beach, I noticed that most of the extremely touristy attractions were located in central and South Myrtle Beach.

I figured if we found a nice hotel north of town we would have little to no contact with what makes this destination unappealing to some (e.g. me). Turns out I guessed correctly!

In the big red circle is where I recommend staying if you want a more peaceful experience at Myrtle Beach. We drove into the area from the north and didn’t experience ANY tacky eyesores on the way.

Ocean Reef Resort Review

The heyday of Myrtle beach was the 1980’s, so I wasn’t expecting brand-new resorts. We stayed at the Ocean Reef Resort, and while it was showing some age, the property has been well maintained and felt fairly up-to-date.

For $75/night for an oceanfront room I wasn’t going to be too picky, but this resort exceeded my expectations!

Our room was basic but clean and in good condition. The two queen beds were super comfortable.

We had an oceanfront room with this fantastic view from our balcony. I watched the sunrise while drinking coffee in my pajamas.

My main complaint about our stay was that while there was a coffee maker in our room (as advertised), there was NO COFFEE.

I had to run back out to the store to get coffee because there was no way I was going to be stuck in that room in the AM for a few hours awake with no coffee while my daughter slept in. So if you stay here, BYOC (you got it, bring your own coffee – and cream and sugar if you need it!)

We walked down a few steps from the resort and were on a gorgeous stretch of beach. It wasn’t crowded at all, but keep in mind we visited the week AFTER spring break.  I imagine it gets pretty crowded during peak travel season.

Here we are enjoying some lunch on a near-empty beach. There’s a Publix right down the street for supplies.

The pool area was incredible and the temperate of the water was perfect. We spent more time at the pool than on the beach because it was so much fun!

There was an indoor/outdoor lazy river and no less than FOUR hot tubs. There was also a water play area with a huge water slide in the front of the hotel that we didn’t use because the air temperature was a little too cool.

There was a restaurant that served breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a bar that had seating inside and a window to the pool.

The decor was southern and beachy while still being tasteful. I thought it was perfect!

Overall (with the exception of the coffee incident), Ocean Reef Resort met and exceeded my expectations for what I paid. On to how I got this room for a great price with Orbitz.

How to Save: Book With an Orbitz Discount Promo Code

I booked our cheap Myrtle Beach resort on Orbitz where it was easy to find a hotel in the price range and location we wanted. Plus I saved an extra 15% off the otherwise low price with a promo code!

My first tip for getting a great deal on Myrtle Beach hotels is to travel there when other’s aren’t (if at all possible). We stayed on a Thursday night during a generally low travel period – right after spring break ended. Hotels have low occupancy so they will heavily discount their rooms.

Weeknights (Sunday through Thursday) will always be less expensive than weeknights – and by A LOT. I checked this same resort over the weekend and the price jumped from $57 per night to $150 per night! So if you can get off work, you’ll save a bunch by staying on a weeknight.

I saved an additional 15% off the cost of our stay by using an Orbitz promo code. While these promo codes don’t usually work on chain hotels, many Myrtle Beach hotels are independently owned. That makes them perfect for taking advantage of Orbitz promo codes!

You can find the current Orbitz promo codes here. Just enter the code in at checkout and the discount will come off of your total.

Something to be aware of with Myrtle Beach hotels are resort fees. Almost every hotel will have them (even if they are questionable “resorts”) and they will range from $5 – $25. The fee at Ocean Reef Resort was $17 per night so when I added that to our rate the total for our stay was $74. What an incredible price for an oceanfront room at an excellent resort!

And when you search for Myrtle Beach hotel deals on Orbitz, you can limit results by price and then look at your options on a map. This will show you cheap hotels that are in the area you want.

To summarize, you can get a great deal on a Myrtle Beach getaway if

• You can visit during an off-peak time of year and on a weeknight
• Book on Orbitz to take advantage of promo codes to save up to 15%
• You sort your results by price and find a good option north of town

Any questions about visiting Myrtle Beach on a budget or frugal family travel in general? Leave a comment here or send me a message on The Frugal South’s Facebook page!