If you are searching for the perfect place in South Carolina to spend a weekend, then look no further! Myrtle Beach is it.

I was recently invited to visit in partnership with Visit Myrtle Beach and immediately jumped at the chance to finally make it to South Carolina. Prior to visiting I did not know much about Myrtle Beach, but mentioned to them, as always, that I focus on luxury travel, clean and healthy eats, outdoor adventure, and as off-the-beaten path as possible.

The result? An itinerary full of all of the above, making for the perfect Myrtle Beach weekend! If that is also your preferred way to travel then I have no doubt you will love Myrtle Beach as well.

Here is the perfect itinerary for a weekend in Myrtle Beach:

GETTING TO MYRTLE BEACH

Getting to Myrtle Beach is arguably easier than one might expect since they conveniently have an international airport right in town! Many well-known airlines such as United, Delta, Spirit, and more offer non-stop flights. You can read more about Myrtle Beach transportation here.

If you plan on following my below recommendations, you will need to rent a car once you land.

CHECK IN

First things first, check into your hotel! We stayed at the Hilton Royale Palms at Kingston Resort and it was wonderful. Our two bedroom condo suite was ginormous, with beautiful ocean views and a large balcony to enjoy it from. I loved that it was a condo because it felt more homey than a hotel room and came with a full kitchen, washer and dryer, and extremely large living room! Plus we each had our own bathrooms which is nice when traveling with a male :)

Location-wise it’s up north but not quite north enough to be considered North Myrtle Beach. I thought it was perfect because we weren’t smack dab in the middle of tourist central and also because before going I had many friends tell me North Myrtle Beach was their favorite.

Learn more and book your stay at Hilton Royale Palms here.

FRIDAY

Dinner at Strong Waters Craft Cocktails & Kitchen should be your first stop upon arrival! Strong Waters features something I had never heard of before — a “farm to shaker” philosophy for their drinks. Similar to “farm to table”, this means that they use the freshest local ingredients and top-shelf liquor to create wonderful drinks.

The food here was also delicious. We started with a cheese and meat plate to share before individually ordering the crab cake burger, the scallops (on special) and a salad. All very good and certainly a place worth checking out!

SATURDAY

Breakfast at Johnny D’s Waffles and Bakery should be your first stop Saturday morning. Johnny D’s menu is made-from-scratch and includes signature dishes like red velvet waffles and a wide range of eggs benedict options. Josh tried the red velvet waffles and even took it a step further by adding chicken to it. I needed something a bit lighter so I tried the punch of protein omelet from the healthy eats section of the menu (of course). Overall a hit!

Another thing we noticed and loved is that the Executive Chef and Owner, Jamie Saunders, often came out front and walked around from table to table checking on people. You could tell she really cares about keeping everyone happy and I certainly appreciate a place with an owner like her!

Next stop: spa treatments at the Awakening Spa at the Anderson Ocean Club. Jackie and I were lucky enough to be treated to massages at the Awakening Spa and both found them to be amazing. In addition to massages they of course also offer facials, body treatments, and more. No matter what you’re in the mood for you can certainly find it here!

While I can’t speak to other treatments, the customized massage I had was excellent and a service that I highly recommend treating yourself to. It was the best massage I have had in a long time!

After your spa treatments, grab lunch at Nacho Hippo. Nacho Hippo is “nacho average Mexican joint” (ha), featuring a wide range of nacho options in addition to tacos, quesadillas, giant burritos, and even bigger margaritas!

The shrimp salad I ordered was fresh and tasty and arguably even better was the adorable restaurant ambiance. There is seating both inside and outside and plenty of tvs in case you find yourself here during football season!

Wine Tasting at Duplin Winery is next up! Shocked to hear you can wine taste in Myrtle Beach? I was too! Being from San Francisco, not far from famous Napa Valley, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Would there be vineyards? Would we see how the wine is made?

The answer is no, the tastings are done inside in a large room with a U shaped table full of people. For just $10 (way cheaper than anything available back home!) you get to taste up to 12 wines, along with some crackers and dip.

One thing to be aware of is that all of the wines at Duplin Winery are sweet. While I don’t prefer sweet wine, for a tasting I still enjoyed it. If you are strongly opposed to sweet wine, you may want to skip this.

Dinner at Hook & Barrel is quite possibly my favorite agenda item of them all. I loved this spot. Hook & Barrel is committed to using the most sustainable products available and cooking with the most environmentally-friendly equipment.

Everything is fresh as can be and absolutely delicious. We started with a seafood tower (highly recommend!) to share and I had the salmon and quinoa salad for my entree, followed by the chocolate tower for dessert. All incredibly good and my number one food recommendation for Myrtle!

Side note: as I’m writing this I noticed they have a Sunday brunch option, too. If you have enough time for a longer morning meal on Sunday, I would definitely check that out! I’m sure it’s amazing.

SUNDAY

Start your Sunday with breakfast at Croissants Bakery & Bistro. Any place whose tagline is “fresh, local, fabulous” is bound to be high on my list and Croissants is no exception.

As soon as I learned it was owned by the same people as Hook & Barrel, I knew it was a must. Try a crepe, one of their many benedict options, a house specialty, or a smoothie!

After all of the eating I’ve recommended so far, you’ll definitely be in need of some exercise! Enter Blackriver Outdoors Salt Marsh kayak tour. The tour takes you through the Murrells Inlet Salt Marsh and teaches you about the ecology of the salt marsh.

The salt marsh is constantly changing so you would definitely not want to do this without a guide. It is basically one giant maze and you could easily forget how you got in and get trapped.

You will likely see a handful of different types of birds on this tour, along with oysters, turtles, crabs, and more. We even got to see an alligator which I guess is uncommon for the area we went through.

It was very interesting and a nice way to enjoy the sunshine while also getting some (much needed) exercise.

After kayaking, head to lunch at The Wicked Tuna down the street. Another definite highlight of our trip, everything at Wicked Tuna was to die for.

We tried so many things I honestly can’t remember them all — oysters rockefeller, bang bang grouper, the wicked tuna roll (I think) to start, two different entrees, and Caroline’s Galaxy and an rose-shaped apple dessert of some kind.

Despite not being a huge fan of apple-related desserts, we loved that one so much we found ourselves telling other tables around us that they absolutely had to order it. Don’t skip it when you go! Trust me.

Overall, The Wicked Tuna was one of my favorite meals of the weekend and one you cannot miss.

After lunch, explore nearby Brookgreen Gardens. I was particularly excited about visiting the gardens because I love botanical gardens in general and I really wanted to see Spanish moss before leaving.

The gardens are not just gardens, but also include art and history. If you followed along on my West Sweden road trip then you know I love an outdoor sculpture garden, and this was exactly that! I was also happy to find beautiful, picturesque walkways lined with trees dripping in Spanish moss, making my South Carolina dreams finally come true.

If you have time before you head out, check out the shops at the Market Common district. We didn’t have time to squeeze it in but it was recommended to us and looks interesting so I’m including it here!

This project was done in partnership with Visit Myrtle Beach. All of the above is, as always, my own opinion.