More about Sandcastle Oceanfront Resort At The Pavilion
awful awful awful
by TripAdvisor Member chrissyp0303
Where should I start? With the fire alarms going off EVERY day early in the morning. We evacuated the first two times but then it got old. What if there really was a fire? They would be rescuing a lot of people. They said it was because the fire alarm was sensitive to moisture. Well thats funny because other guests said this happens every year!!! FIX THE PROBLEM!! The hallways and stairways (that we had to use to evacuate) smelled like urine. We never saw them use a mop in the lobby. The pool area smelled like rotten meat and when we got out of the "hot tub" we had a strange smell all over our bodies. There were a bunch of screaming tyrants (about 17-18 yrs old) cussing and fighting every time we went out to the pool. We don't have kids but my heart was aching for the people who did.
The tv in our room didn't work if you walked past it a certain way. The shower curtain was ripped. There was no water pressure in the shower. There was a womans shirt from the previous stay in one of our THREE broken drawers. Hair all over the bathroom. The light in the bathroom didn't work. I could go on and on.
No thanks this was not the place for me or my worst enemy.
Had a BLAST!!
by A TripAdvisor Member
My best friend and I came down on a spur of the moment weekend getaway.. We stayed at the Sandcastle and was greatly pleased with the staff and the room.. Although they were rennovating at the time, it was still a very pleasant place to stay. I'd stay there again without any hesitation.
Wasn't like the web site
by A TripAdvisor Member
I just returned from a week's stay at the Sandcastle. The web site pictures looked nothing like the real thing. The place is old and run down compared to the pictures on the web site. First, there was no hot water the first 2 days. The place smelled, elevators, hallways, pool areas. No place to park. Couldn't find any cart to use, elevator took forever to wait on, all week long. You had to go get in line at 8:45 everyday, to be let in at 9 to throw a towel down to claim a chair for the day at the pool, if not, you did not get a chair at the pool. The pool was way to small for that size hotel. The lazy river was alway dirty, and too shallow and small. The pots/pans were gross.
Doubt I will ever stay there again.
had a great time!!!
by A TripAdvisor Member
We were a little apprehensive after reading a couple of reviews, but the one from June 18th made me think I should try it out. We had a great time. It's not a luxury hotel, but it was great for us. Terrific view of the ocean from the 7th floor. Rooms were clean. Hotel did not stink. The only minor problem was the fridge wasn't very cold.It kept stuff cold but not as cold as I would have liked. Staff was friendly. Always had plenty of towels.Nice washers and dryers. Parking was fine.Most of the time we parked in the garage, but it's not that far and easier to get in and out of.(Ocean Blvd. traffic was thick) Used the pool once and it was very nice.Most of the time we were at the beach. We would definitely stay here again!!!
Lesson well taught
by TripAdvisor Member cianlo
My family and I went to this same resort last year. We come for the 4th of July. We didn't have a good experience last year. I called the office and made a complaint in reference to the room, bad odors and dirty hallways. The manager was polite about the situation and apologized. He also told me they were in the process of remodeling so next time my family and I come things would be much different. Well I believed him, took his word and learned later it was a very bad choice on my behalf. So now this time it's my fault for returning to a uncomfortable place I knew had old rooms. What hurts the most is the amount of money being spent at a place like this that's being called a resort. We were there 7/02/05-07/07/05 and once again not happy at all. I recently received a brochure from sandcastle at the pavilion offering a 3 night stay at one free. My answer was immediately no. I refuse to be a sucker again. I will never, never, go to this so called resort again!! You shouldn't be charged so much for old rooms like the one they had reserved for me. But, my family and I over-looked all of that and made the best out of our family vacation. Broadway at the beach, water parks, nascar, and all the delicious food made it worth our while!!!
Very Nice,Great Location
by TripAdvisor Member dinom
After I booked my room for 5 nights I was concerned after reading the reviews.We had a oceanfront efficiency and it was very clean and very nice.right on the beach.One minute to check-in.no parking problems.very nice beach and pools.friendly staff. tv was a little old.that was my only issue.The hotel exceeded my expectations.
Hated It
by TripAdvisor Member markeila
I didn't trust the reviews I read and I wanted to see for myself. Everything is true. Please don't ruin your vacation by staying here. The sandcastle is by no means a resort. It is exactly what it says... a sandcastle. The hallways and elevators were full of sand. Even though I am very tired from the trip, I am more than happy to write a review on this hotel. At first glance, the outside of the building is decent. But the nightmare started as soon as I pulled into the lot. Upon check-in, there were no parking spaces available to register. I had to park with the tail end in the street. They only have about 16 parking spaces available out front. The rest are across the street if your lucky. But if not, then you have to park in the parking garage one street over which is a real inconvience if you have kids or things to carry. The garage is full of old furniture which are taking up spots. Also there are no elevators so you have to take the dark stairs, so don't walk alone. At check-in, the lobby was full of angry guest, and the rooms were not ready until 5:00. So we had to leave then come back. They were understaffed, very rude and didn't know what they were doing. I was given the wrong key to my room. And when I complained and asked to see the supervisor, I was laughed at outloud and told "He won't give you your money back." After they handed us our homemade key, we entered into the hot smelly damp hallyway in which there is only 1 elevator for 9 floors. The elevator is very wet and it smells and were wires hanging. Our room needed to be on renovate my hotel. The walls are bright orange with old furniture. It looked like we were in the sixties. The room reaked of vomit. The TV was old. We had no alarm clock nor radio. Our bathroom was big enough for 1 person at a time, And if your tall, dont even think about taking a shower. The shower curtain was dirty. The bed sheets were thin and torn. Underneath the bed had not been cleaned b/c ther were toys and trash from previous guest. Our water was turned off for 4 hours. There are no irons in the room. They do have a restaurant but it was not open. Whoever said they were renovating lied. One of their staff probably wrote the review. We dreaded going back to the room, so we tended to stay out late. On a good note... housekeeping was excellent. The location was in walking distance to everthing. The sideview was good. But if you want to take a chance, bring your disinfectant, flipflops, sheets, and iron. I suggest the Palace resort.
view was wonderful
by TripAdvisor Member preece4u
first let me start by saying this was the first time me and my 2 kids have ever seen the ocean and we loved it the rooms were clean the pool was great loved the tiki bar at the pool thursday night alittle loud but that was ok cause everyone just having fun now they do allow alchol drinks so if u shine against this one i sugguest u go somewhere else but no one was rude beds clean the room did have a slight odor but my husband said it was the ocean where we were so close we stayed ocean front effcy. only way to stay view great we were there the whole 4th of july week they were booked but they took great care of our needs close to everything walking distance to the pavilion and shops would def. stay there again
Nice View....But that is all !
by A TripAdvisor Member
First the positive.........we had a nice view from the 4th floor. Housekeeping and staff were pleasant. The reality is that this hotel is not a resort. Rooms are old and moldy. The entire building smells. The elevator is disgusting and should be replaced. In door pool area is dirty, ceiling falling apart, hot tub is slimy and dirty. Roaches are in rooms!
No clock in room. TV is old and gets poor reception. The restaurant was closed. The public restroom was not fit to use. We would have been better off sleeping in our car!
Great stay
by A TripAdvisor Member
This was our first trip as a family (we have a 1yr old), and to be honest the reviews scared the daylights out of me. But, I figured we would make the best of the situation no matter what. I had nothing to worry about. Yes it is not a "resort", but most everyplace I have ever stayed in a beach town is called resort, just like it is in Myrtle Beach. The hotel was old, but perfectly fine. The staff was very nice. We took advice from another review, and checked in early, and then went to have lunch to recoup from the 6 hr drive. Once we got back to the hotel at 4pm, we got our keys (which with four rooms all together, getting the right keys to the right family was some doing for our group), and went up to our rooms. My only complaints are the kitchens are small (but I was only fixing juice cups for my baby), and the elevator was a bit slow. The other complaints of the humidity outside, some rain, and the noise other people make, are not controllable by the hotel.
The location was great, we walked to the pavilion area almost each night. yes it is 9 blocks away, but with the amount of food we ate, we needed the walk. Starbucks is close by, some great hole in the wall resturants are nearby, and a piggly wiggly is less than 4 blocks away (right next to Krispy Creame doughnuts). The parking is not right at the hotel, unless you get lucky, but with so much nearby, we hardly needed to drive, and when we did it was two blocks away to get the garage (which was in good shape).
I was very please with my stay there. I would do it again. The pool and kiddie pool great fun for our family.
In looking at the other reviews, it seems folks wanted 4 or 5 star stays, at 2 star prices.
Photos
Jake getting some height
New York Pizza
My son on a Harley in front of Hard Rock Cafe
