Crown Reef Resort
Last summer, I was invited over to check out the newly renovated Crown Reef Resort in Myrtle Beach. We considered making it a family trip, but instead, my husband and I decided to go alone while the kids were at Grandma’s. Honestly, we had a great time with just the two of us and couldn’t help but imagine how much fun it would’ve been for the kids too. Here are just some of the reasons we are going back this year in my Ideal, Ordeal, and Real Deal Review:
The Ideal:
1. It’s just a hop, skip and jump away from home
Well, not exactly, but Myrtle Beach is a lot more convenient than I thought…at least coming from Atlanta. It’s a straight shot, maybe about 5 or 5.5 hours. Not too bad for a long weekend or a Spring Break trip!
2. The brand new Waterpark had me feeling like a kid again!
One of the best attractions had to be the brand new waterpark right at the resort. It features two new 4-story enclosed waterslides, including the world’s first
4-story water slides
hotel “EXPLOSION” slide. It also features a kids waterslide, sub play area with water sprays and bucket dumps, and a sun deck. So much fun!
3. There’s nothing like being “lazy” on a lazy river
Crown Reef Resort is home to the longest oceanfront lazy river (575 feet) in Myrtle Beach. I could literally lounge on the lazy river for hours…in fact, I probably did since the kids weren’t there. Actually, I have to give kudos to the entire pool area, which included a 125-foot oceanfront pool, one indoor pool, three kid-size pools, and 11 indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis! The options were great because you never felt overcrowded. Good luck getting a beach chair though, especially if you got there after 10am.
4. Oceanside views for all!
What I thought was pretty cool about this resort was the fact that all 514 of Crown Reef’s accommodations (rooms, efficiencies and suites) face the ocean! No need to bribe anyone at the front desk to get the good views. You’re covered.
5. The Loco Gecko restaurant is the coolest!
This was where we went usually for lunch and our liquid meals (if you know what I mean). It’s this really cool and quirky bar/restaurant and I have to say, the food and drinks were pretty good.
6. Lots of other cool amenities:
Though I didn’t spend as much time as I would’ve liked, Crown Reef Resort also has a pretty new Town Center, which opened last spring. It features a casual restaurant, coffee bar, ice cream and sweets shop, and video game arcade and redemption center. I swore I was gonna spend more time in the arcade…but the lazy river got me instead. Oh well…
7. Crab Legs, Crab Legs, and more Crab Legs
Ok…This is less about my Crown Reef Resort stay and more about my love for crab legs. Myrtle Beach seems to have no shortage of restaurants offering all you can eat crab legs. Which one did we choose? Of course the one with the giant crab!
The Ordeal:
Of course, with such a massive renovation, there were still some growing pains. As I mentioned, I was there last summer and some of the renovations were still being completed. While I loved that my room had been updated with new furniture, paint, granite countertops and appliances, I heard some chatter that this hadn’t been done yet in all rooms. Knowing that, I would make sure to request one of the renovated rooms with my reservation. Also, I recall having several laughs about the resort elevators. I’d read about these spooky elevators prior to my trip and those reviews were pretty accurate. I just remember having 3 seconds tops to get in the elevator or it was a wrap. Again, pretty funny.
The Real Deal:
Though I’ve heard mixed reviews, I truly enjoyed my experience at Crown Reef Resort. Since we were on a kid-free trip, we had a chance to really kick back and have fun both at the resort and in Myrtle Beach as a whole. However, I thought there were plenty of great attractions for the kids to enjoy too. I was impressed overall by the renovations and am looking forward to checking out the progress again this summer.
For more information about Crown Reef Resort, CLICK HERE!
Have you been to Crown Reef Resort? What were your thoughts?
I have always wanted to go to Myrtle Beach! I am thinking maybe next summer 🙂
We are actually trying to plan a trip next year to go to myrtle Beach with the kids. I will definitely check into that hotel. It looks like a lot of fun for the kids. I love myrtle beach. Thanks for posting this, it was very helpful.
That sounds like a fun retreat, I’m definitely digging the slide! I love the fact that they are improving their amenities and renovating. I don’t mind the construction so long as they’re there to improve and upgrade. I bet this will be an amazing attraction as soon as they finish.
nice images to look at – especially when the weather turns cold in this part of the country (NYC)
We love visiting Myrtle Beach, we do it every spring! I will have to check out this resort next time.
Myrtle Beach is a place I’ve always wanted to go to. This resort seems like the perfect place for my family! The kids would love the water slides!
I have always wanted to go to Myrtle Beach. It is definitely on my bucket list.
Such a fun place! It looks like a great vacation!
It would be nice to head to Myrtle Beach soon with my family. I think we’d have a blast at this resort.
Looks like so much fun, I’d love to go there sometime with my family.
That place looks fantastic! I have to get out that way again, it has been a while. I think I would love the water slide as much as my kiddo does!
Wow! This is really amazing. Would love to visit this resort soon!
Interesting place to visit. I hope i can go there with my family soon.
I might have to talk my husband into this! We are looking for our next vacation spot, and I would love to go to Myrtle Beach.
This resort looks awesome! I’d love to visit someday!
That looks like a great place to stay. I love being near the water any time!
This looks like a totally fun place! My kids would love a place like this.
Awesome place for a short weekend getaway! I love water parks. I am just a kid at heart and it makes me so excited just thinking of experiencing that water slide. Hope to be there this summer!
You got it all covered for us! Now all we have to do is plan our trips to Myrttle Beach!
I’ve never been to Myrtle Beach, but this resort sounds simply awesome. I’d be all over that crab leg shack!
We’re not far from Myrtle Beach. My daughter saw that giant waterslide and said, “I want to go there!”
Oh the water slide is so much fun! As I said in my post, my husband and I got to visit without the kids, so we literally felt like kids at the water park!
Looks like I wanna go there, That looks like so much fun for the family. My hubby would surely enjoy it.
This looks so fun! I would love to go to Myrtle Beach. We have never been. It is on the list!
My kids would love this place! The water slides alone would keep them busy for hours and I love the ocean view. I will have to keep this place in mind when we plan our trip. Thanks!