My husband and I just returned from a trip to Myrtle Beach. We were there on business, so I can only give my impressions of our hotel and restaurants in the area. We didn't do a lot of playing!

First of all, the Hampton Inn and Suites on the beach was a very nice place. If we could, we would take our grandchildren there. It was spring break, so lots of children were staying there. They don't rent to anyone under 25, so happily we missed the high school and college aged kids partying. This was a family-oriented place, and there were people of all ages staying there. We also saw older adults playing cards in the lobby in the evenings. The majority of the rooms overlook the ocean and have a balcony with very comfortable wicker rockers. There are only a few rooms on the side, and they have an ocean view. The free breakfasts were nothing special but more than adequate with lots of choices.

The hotel has a fenced-in area that overlooks the beach. Inside the fence there's a heated pool, a lazy river with lots of innertubes for the kids, a wooden playset for the kids and a large number of chaises for the adults. If it rains, everyone just moves inside. Below the hotel there's another heated pool, lazy river and large jacuzzi under cover. The staff was extremely friendly.

The hotel also has two bedroom (with one or two bathrooms) suites. That's the way to go with a family. The regular rooms are fairly small, but each has a microwave and a frig.

Restaurants:
Two local ones were our favorites. E Noodles & Co. at 400 20th Avenue South
is really good. It's within walking distance of the Hampton. We each had a flounder dish there for lunch that we enjoyed. On another day I had a noodle dish that was delicious. Lunches are $6.15 to $6.95. They are closed on Sundays.

I had the best fish of all at (appropriately named)Mrs. Fish which is located at 919 Broadway. This is a very small laid back restaurant in an older section of MB that was recommended to us by one of the guests at the Hampton. We went there on Saturday night and didn't have to wait. At the touristy ones, you can wait an hour or more.

Some others:
Cagney's -- large, good food and service, nice atmosphere. Closed on Sundays.

At Pawley's we had lunch at Louis's Fish Camp in an outside bar area. The flounder was very tasty. It was a pleasant place. There are many small quaint shops in the same area.

Wow, you really made great choices!

E Noodles is awesome (there's a second location in North Myrtle Beach now). Mrs. Fish I was skeptical about but my brother-in-law and his friends went and raved about it also.

Thanks for sharing these details. Even a local can learn something new! And glad you had a good stay.

I had had Mrs. Fish recommended to me before and now that nana and beachdweller both say to go there, we will give it a try. Where is E Noodles in North Myrtle?

Nana, thanks for the report. Don't you love it when they don't rent to the young and rowdy crowd?

We also went to one of those Calabash seafood buffets while we were in MB. My husband seemed to enjoy the pig-out (and by the way the tourist books have coupons in them which I found too late), but since I can't eat shellfish, it wasn't very exciting to me. I enjoy fish, however. The experience would have been more pleasant except for one detail. The buffet dishes were still wet and dripping. I wasn't sure they were clean. The moisture looked a bit grainy. I wouldn't do that again. Give me a good local place like E Noodles or Mrs. Fish.
Speaking of Calabash, what does that mean? My husband asked me (tongue in cheek) if the restaurants were named after Jimmie Durante's Mrs. Calabash.

Yes, Jimmy Durante's Mrs. Calabash it is.

However, to experience the best calabash seafood, you should have driven up to one of the restuarants in Calabash, NC...just across the SC border. Not buffets, there, but some mighty fine fried shrimp, oysters and flounder. You would have liked the child's flounder platter at The Seafood Hut.

iceeu2, didnt' see your Q until just now.

The new E Noodles is on 17 just south of the Main Street intersection, in the little strip shopping center that also houses Remax. Open for lunch and dinner except on Sundays. Yum!

There is some controversy over who "Mrs. Calabash" was. Some sources say it was a restaurant owner in Calabash, NC. Others say it was a reference to Durante's 1st wife, who was from Calabash, IL.