Myrtle Beach is not one place, it is sixty miles of the Grand Strand, and where you book changes the whole vacation. The high-rise oceanfront of Myrtle proper is a different world from quiet Pawleys Island an hour south. Here is the local breakdown.
North Myrtle Beach
North Myrtle Beach, which covers Cherry Grove, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill, is the calmer, more residential north end: beach houses and lower-rise condos, shag-dancing heritage, families and golfers. Quieter sand, still minutes from the action.
Myrtle Beach proper and the boardwalk
Downtown Myrtle Beach is the high-energy core, the boardwalk, the SkyWheel, oceanfront resort towers, and the most to walk to. Best if you want everything at your doorstep and do not mind summer crowds.
Surfside and Garden City
Just south, Surfside Beach (it bills itself as The Family Beach) and Garden City are mellow, mostly-rental stretches: pier fishing, golf carts, fewer high-rises. A sweet spot for oceanfront value with kids.
Pawleys Island and Litchfield
An hour south and a world away, Pawleys Island is old-money quiet, marsh and hammocks and historic beach houses, no boardwalk and no neon. For travelers who want the coast without the noise.
Where to book
Our hand-picked oceanfront options across the Strand are on the Myrtle Beach oceanfront rentals page.
After the rental, the rest.
A flight in, a rental car for dune drives, a boutique hotel for the last night before the airport. The pieces that complete a coastal week.
Find a flight to the coast.
Compare hundreds of carriers via Booking.com, with free-cancellation fares on most routes.
Search flights →The car you'll actually want.
You will drive more than you think. A wagon or small SUV beats a compact for beach gear and dune trails.
Compare cars →The night before, in style.
Skylark curates design-led hotels and villas along the same coastlines, useful for the airport-side first or last night.
Discover Skylark →Sponsored.
Ten shores we vouch for.
Each town here is hand-picked, each rental vetted for real waterfront access. No algorithmic feeds.
Sleep By The Beach is a curated editorial guide. We earn commission on bookings made through links above, at no added cost to you. We never accept payment for placement.