Spending Thanksgiving at the Caravelle Premier Family and Golf Resort in Myrtle Beach

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated are genuine and my own.

We are staying at the Caravelle Resort during the holiday break, and in addition to being thrilled to be located directly on the beach (what a view we have from the 12th-floor!), we are also delighted to be in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the first time ever. So far, I love everything about this place. The people are friendly, the city is bustling with things to do, yet there is also quite a bit of rural land with wild animals to see out and about, cotton (among other things) growing in the fields, and of course the beach life, that is a culture in and of itself. 

THE RATES ARE SO AFFORDABLE!

One thing that I think might really surprise you, especially this time of year, is how affordable it is to stay at the Caravelle Resort. Check out their website, put in your dates and be amazed at how reasonably priced this vacation would be for you as well. Myrtle Beach is the perfect place to take the family, or even to go solo, or on a romantic getaway. With prices like these, it's definitely worth considering. Booking right now might be a great idea, because in addition to the already great prices, there will be big, not-to-be-missed savings between Black Friday and Cyber Monday (and wouldn't a surprise getaway be a great gift idea for the holidays?!).

This is our window and walkway view from the front of the suite we are staying in (look at all of those trees!),

and this is what we see from the balcony outside of the living/dining room. Believe me, we are soaking up these views every chance we get.

The traditional bedroom has 2 double beds, a night stand, full dresser, flatscreen TV and a closet with a safe. There are also a ton of pillows and extra blankets for warmth, just in case you need them. There are two heating/cooling units in the suite, which I really loved. I turned my heater up in my room (it was a little chilly outside) and someone else in the family cranked the air in the room she slept in (she loves a fan or air conditioning running while she is asleep). Because the two areas were so far apart in the apartment, neither of us bothered the other with our preferences for different sleeping temperatures.

In addition to the bedroom, there is also a Murphy Bed that folds into the wall, located in the living room, and we are taking turns sleeping on it, rather than in the private bedroom, so we can hear the sounds of the ocean while we were falling asleep or waking up in the morning. I can honestly say, I cannot ever remember sleeping so soundly as I do when it's my night to snooze on the Murphy. Every time I start to get up for the day, I listen to the rhythmic sound of the waves just outside of our balcony doors (which we keep open quite a bit), and fall right back asleep. It is glorious, and restful, just like a vacation should be!

There is a full bath with a tub, shower and dressing room. Another closet with an iron and ironing board is in the hallway. Every room is separated by a privacy door, including the galley kitchen with a full-sized refrigerator and stove.

The cupboards and drawers in the kitchen are fully stocked for your cooking needs. You simply need to bring the food. A grocery store is close by, in fact more than one grocery store is nearby. 

Dinners can be eaten in the living/dining room, in the easy chair, on the couch or at the dinette. 

AND if you're not in the mood to cook, there are restaurants all around as well (or you can order in). The Caravelle Resort has a couple of restaurants as well. The one next to the pools is seasonal and closed right now (we are here during the Thanksgiving Break) but the award-winning Santa Maria Restaurant is reasonably priced and open for your morning meal each day. They serve a buffet-style breakfast with a chef manning the omelet station. There are hot and cold options each day, and everything is so good! You can also order dinner to go in the evenings, although they were closed the only day we opted to do so. During the season though, you can bet this restaurant and everything else in and around the resort is hopping. There is so much room, and there are so many things to see and do just on the grounds alone.

Among the many things to do are a block-long poolscape with a splash area for kids,

long jacuzzis, a pool,

and a lazy river for everyone.

This area also leads to the direct beach access (just steps from the hotel). This is a great place to play with the family, catch some rays, and/or just spend time alone soaking in the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean (and make no mistake, it is absolutely breathtaking in person).

We are walking on the beach every opportunity we get, and if we go at certain times of the morning or evening, we find we have most of the beach to ourselves. Certainly one reason for that is because we have chosen late November to experience the resort, which is not a typical time that most people choose a beach vacation. We have always been off-season travelers though. There is something to be said for experiencing areas without huge crowds and long wait lines. Our time at the Caravelle Resort is no exception. Our time here is peaceful and calm, but still full of so many events and things to do...we are just doing them at a leisurely pace. I have to say, it is nice. So very nice.

I said it already, but I'll say it again, it is the beach views that get to me. I can't get enough of them, and every opportunity I get to spend time on this private piece of beach and ocean, I will take full advantage of ...some of you might say I live in a place where beautiful beaches are always available, and that is absolutely true, but I have to pack the car and drive to those. At the Caravelle Resort, we just step outside of our hotel, and voila', we have reached our destination.

Another pool area that is inside (rain is no problem at this resort) can be found on one of the roof-tops. We went to this pool area at night, so it appears darkish in the photo. It was a nice, clean and quiet area for us to take a swim. Well, it was quiet until we got there. We did do quite a bit of playing here because the water was heated. We will probably return to this pool again, rather than the gorgeous one outside because the temperatures, while pleasant, are more suited to jackets this time of year, than to swimsuits. There are also a couple of jacuzzis in this area. It's always nice to sit in a heated pool of frothing bubbles and relax for a little bit.

There are quite a few building associated with this property, but so far we haven't had to venture outside of our own huge area. There are places to eat, visit, play and rest all over the grounds.

There are even some on the observation deck/roof. This area is the perfect place to settle in and relax with a good book.

 There is also a spa. I see they do massages, which would be great, but I'm wondering if they do pedicures. Perhaps we will check and see later this week.

There is also a fully-equipped fitness center, golfing opportunities, and a concierge service if you would like to utilize it.

The double room game area will be a hit with the kids (and the young at heart), as will places such as the ice cream shoppe, which was just next door...

and everyone will appreciate the convenience of  the gift store, where you can find everyday items you might need like a waterproof pouch for your phone, a spill-proof cup for the beach, or items to munch on or serve with dinner, when you go back up to your room. This store is conveniently located on the first floor by the outside pools.

An on-site laundromat comes in handy when you are staying awhile,

and there is also a Real Estate Sales Office downstairs too. Now, I was not asked to mention this in any way shape or form, but I want to because every since we have walked into our suite, I have been thinking what a wonderful idea it would be to buy one of these condos we are staying in, so everyone in the family could use it at different times of the year (all at once, or as time permits for our individual families to enjoy). Since 3 of the 4 kids are now grown and have families of their own, this would be a wonderful way to ensure they have (and we have) a gorgeous vacation spot to enjoy whenever we wanted to take the drive up to South Carolina. It's not that far from our home at all, and is the perfect distance for the kids to anticipate the joy on the other end, but not so far that the parents get stressed out.

In any case, it's something worth running by the family, and taking into consideration. A place to gather for vacations just seems like a really good idea to me.

The Caravelle Resort is also within close driving distance to many, may places (like the Hollywood Wax Museum, which you see above). There is a luau dinner show on the beach I'd like to see before we leave. There are also many places to go, such as the boardwalk, where we have spent quite a good amount of time just because it is so pleasant and there are so many things to do like zip lining, taking a helicopter ride, seeing a show, taking a boat ride, letting the kids play in the park, shopping, and eating... there are so many wonderful restaurants on the boardwalk too! I was delighted to see some restaurants I have heard of but never seen, such as Landry's Seafood, and Wahlburgers (yes, the Wahlburgers own it) and oh my is there ever SHOPPING!

Today we found both a country store and a Christmas store on the boardwalk and I was in my glory!! We have been to the walkway (it is huge!) twice already, and still not seen everything there is to see. I am sure we will return again before we head back home. You can read about the adventures we have had in Myrtle Beach so far, or will have soon, by visiting these links as they go live: Broadway at the Beach and Ripley's Aquarium (where we will take a ride in a glass bottom boat and walk through a shark tunnel too, seeing the wildlife in the aquarium from all angles). I am excited that there is so much to do, and know we will still have more left to explore, the next time we visit The Caravelle Resort.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and Caravelle will be having a wonderful Thanksgiving Buffet for all of us to enjoy. If you are in the area, I recommend stopping by. If you are not near the resort, I recommend checking it out for the next time you are planning a vacation. I used to think of this area as just a summer or warm weather destination. Now that I have visited in late November, I see that is not the case. Myrtle Beach is amazing, and The Caravelle is a wonderful place to stay and enjoy it all, any time of the year. Learn more by visiting The Caravelle Resort website. You can also follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.