Our Friday Family Vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is also a reader success story!

Here is Christine’s story:

We are new to the points game this year. My husband and I have opened five new cards totaling 575k in various types of points. We are a military family, so our fees for many cards have been waived.

The first card I opened was the American Express Platinum with 150k sign up bonus. We took advantage of the American Express Hilton 30% transfer bonus this summer (1:2.6), transferring 108k MR to get just over 280k Hilton points. I also opened the American Express Hilton Aspire card this year, which, in addition to a sign up bonus, gave us Diamond status and a $250 resort credit to use each year.

We also took advantage of the book four nights, get the fifth night free promotion as a Hilton member, and no resort fees when booking with points. We booked a total of 5 nights at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Resort for 280k Hilton points. The cash price is $2358, making our points worth 2.1 cents each! Our parking fees were paid for with our resort credit.

 

 

Review of Embassy Suites by Hilton Myrtle Beach

Our stay was incredible! I booked a standard partial ocean view room, and we were upgraded to the “pier view” room. This had a fantastic view overlooking the pool and beach. We had two beds in the bedroom and a separate living room with a pull-out couch to accommodate my family of five.

All rooms include a balcony. We enjoyed sitting out enjoying coffee as the day awoke and in the evening as people set off fireworks on the beach. The rooms are newly renovated and beautiful. We were able to keep snacks and beverages in the small refrigerator in the room. Made-to-order breakfast was included daily, with different options rotating each day. There was plenty to choose from, and we were not bored with the breakfast by the time we left.

 

Hotel Amenities

We would start at the beach each morning, which is directly downstairs, and then move to the pool and waterpark for the afternoon. The beach was clean, not crowded, and had a lifeguard. The waterpark was a real hit for my three kids (ages 7-11). It had two waterslides and a large water playground. Between the beach, pool, hammocks, and waterpark, they were never bored.

My husband and I would find reclining chairs under an umbrella and sit back and relax, enjoying the palm trees, live music, and the breeze. We definitely took advantage of the complimentary reception each evening and enjoyed two complimentary cocktails next to the pool, kids included with their special Shirley temples and “mermaid” drinks. The staff was great.

There is a complementary shuttle on site that will take you within a two-mile radius of the resort area, which doesn’t sound like a lot but will take you to plenty of restaurants, shopping centers, mini golf courses, Walmart, and more. We took advantage of our resort credit, ordering food at the on-site restaurant and enjoying it poolside for snacks and dinner. In the evening, we enjoyed sitting around the fire pits and playing ping pong.

I am SO glad we took the leap to join the points game! It has opened a whole world of opportunity for us to travel with very little money out of pocket!

Here are the cards that Christine used for this trip: