Monterey Bay Suites in Myrtle Beach

Monterey Bay is an oceanfront Myrtle Beach resort, offering luxurious suites with full and partial ocean views.  Enjoy a complimentary hot deluxe breakfast served every morning. Monterey Bay's upscale suites feature granite and raised oak cabinets, solid mahogany furnishings, as well as kitchens with updated appliances.  Guests of Monterey Bay start each morning with a complimentary hot deluxe breakfast at ocean view restaurant that overlooks the pools. Monterey Bay offers a variety of water amenities, including an indoor pool, indoor lazy river and hot tub.

Beachcombing Tips For Visitors And How To Start A Collection

Whether you are a casual collector who picks up bits and pieces from the sand without bothering to identify them or a serious shell nerd, Laura Rusinko, president of the Grand Strand Shell Club, has valuable advice to offer about finding shells.

“The best time to look for shells is low tide or as the tide is going out,” she says.  “This gives seekers a chance to see more shells.”

In addition to serving as president of the local shell club, she also runs the club’s membership, puts out a shell newsletter and books speakers on the topic — needless to say, she knows her shells.

Often serious shellers each like to keep their own little “secret” spots for finding the best shells, but well-known places for beachcombing in Myrtle Beach include the state parks, as well as some of the less crowded beaches like Pawleys Island and Cherry Grove.

The Shell Club often collects trash and glass while combing the beach. There’s the univalve, made up of one shell, and the bivalve, which consists of two shells.

While Rusinko and her fellow club members often rely on each other’s expertise to help them identify tough specimens, an easy way for visitors to classify shells is with a colorful shell book such as “Living Beaches of Georgia and the Carolinas” by Blair and Dawn Witherington.

There are also tons of great online resources for identifying shells such as Seashells.org, ILoveShelling.com or SeaShell-Collector.com and even some great local guides including Myrtle Beach State Park’s Beachcombing Guide and the shelling guide at FunBeaches.com.

Rusinko’s advice is to start by giving the shells a good soak in clean, fresh water to remove excess sand. Particular shells may need special treatment so serious collectors should look up the shell online and see how it should be cleaned.

“Time and patience determine how clean your shell collection will be,” she says. “We always enjoy seeing the crafts people make with their shells,” Rusinko said.  

Myrtle Beach Shopping

1.      Tsunami Surf Shop. 1209 Celebrity Circle Myrtle Beach, SC 29577.

2.      Barefoot Landing. 4898-A Highway 17 South North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582.

3.      Bargain Beachwear. Multiple Myrtle Beach Locations Myrtle Beach, SC 29577.

4.      Broadway at the Beach. 1325 Celebrity Circle Myrtle Beach, SC 29577.

5.      Carolina Pottery. 1403 North Kings Highway Myrtle Beach, SC 29577.

6.      Del Sol - Broadway at the Beach. 1210 Celebrity Circle Myrtle Beach, SC 29577.

7.      Ron Jon Surf Shop at Broadway at the Beach. 1308 Celebrity Circle, #R9 Myrtle Beach, SC 29577.

8.      Tanger Outlet Center. 4635 Factory Stores Blvd. Myrtle Beach, SC 29579.

While you're here take time to pamper yourself with Myrtle Beach shopping that includes:

1.      Shopping malls.

2.      Boardwalk shops.

3.      Specialty shops.

Dunes Club, Caledonia Make Golf Digest’s Top 100 Rankings

Caledonia was named among the top 100 public golf courses by "Golf Digest", released its biennial rankings of "America's Top 100 Golf Courses" in its February 2015 issue and a pair of local links made the list. The Dunes Golf & Beach Club in Myrtle Beach is ranked 50th, while Caledonia Golf & Fish Club is No. 73.

"Myrtle Beach has more outstanding golf courses than any destination in the country, and having two layouts ranked among Americaís top 100 public courses is further affirmation of that quality," said Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday President, Bill Golden.

The Dunes Club was the second course built in Myrtle Beach, which helped fuel the Grand Strand's growth to more than 100 layouts within a 60-mile radius. The classic Robert Trent Jones design opened in 1948 and quickly put Myrtle Beach on the golf map. Both courses improved upon their previous ranking, with Caledonia jumping from 97th to 75rd and The Dunes Club climbing from 52nd to 50th.