Marriott Grande Dunes Resort

Description:

• Constructed at a cost of $50 million, this chain hotel is one of the most luxurious on the South Carolina coastline. Opening onto the beach, and designed with a distinct appreciation for the haciendas of Argentina with touches of Iberian baroque, this elegant tower lies 1 mile from the Carolina Opry and 10 miles from the international airport. The smartly modern guest rooms are midsize to spacious, each with a luxurious bathroom. Most units open onto ocean views, and nearly all have panoramic vistas of some sort. Because it is part of the 2,200-acre greater Grande Dunes community, a plantation-style residential and leisure development, the resort offers more amenities than many others in the Carolinas, including a championship golf course and a European spa with an indoor pool. The 15-story structure offers everything from an excellent on-site restaurant, Oceans on 82nd, with an international menu to an array of in-room extras, ranging from voice mail to free coffee. There's a heavy-handed emphasis on the sale of timeshares within the surrounding resort, but in light of the spectacular swimming pool, the beachside location, and the overall sense of an ongoing fiesta, most visitors take it in stride.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010