Embassy - Kingston Plantation, Would Return
Written: Aug 17 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent staff, fantastic views of the beach, lots of activities, free breakfast/evening reception
Cons: Restaurants are a bit pricey, could use newer beds
The Bottom Line: I would definitely come back to this hotel as it had a lot to offer. It is very crowded in season, but offers a lot to its guests.
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| krunett's Full Review: Kingston Plantation |
First, in the spirit of full disclosure I must state that I did not pay for my hotel room, since it was picked up by the group I was staying with on business. That makes a difference, since I can't rate the value, I can only rate my experience.
Location
The hotel is located off Kings, very close to 17 and easy to get to either 22 or 501. It is not in downtown Myrtle Beach and if you are looking for a hotel that you can park at for days and not leave, it would be possible as long as you are okay with spending the money on food at the resort (which isn't cheap), or bring your own. There is really not much to walk to, except for a small little area when you enter Kingston Plantation with a pizza place and a few other tiny stores. There are a ton of lakes on property, which have some beautiful waterfowl. There is a lot within a short driving area of the hotel including a CVS, Walmart, McAlister's Deli, Ross, Marshall's, Tanger Outlets and a lot of restaurants off 17. The hotel offers a shuttle to many of these places as well.
Check-In
Check-in was a bit slow, but friendly. All my room requests were met. The first floor area has a gift shop (candy, beach essentials, medical supplies), concierge desk, restaurant area, conference rooms and access to the pools and beach. There are three elevators which are constantly running up and down the 20 floors. You may have a bit of a wait, so just be prepared.
Rooms
The room itself I found to be quite comfortable. These are true suites, so you have a separate living area and sleeping area. I had a nice small kitchen area with fridge and microwave, coffee maker and sink. There is a larger table and chairs, a work desk, soft and another chair in the living area, which has its own balcony with beautiful ocean views. There was also an LCD TV which had a good amount of channels and decent reception. The bathroom was in the bedroom area, and the vanity was quite large. Dual sinks and a lot of countertop space. The towels were clean and relatively soft. They do provide VERY small shampoo and lotion, both with a plesant scent, you'll need to bring your own conditioner or more of the other two, as they really would only work for one person a day. The toilet in my room ran very slow, and the shower was a little goofy as the bar to grab onto on the shower wall stuck out into your washing space and could have easily made a mess of your elbow, so be careful.
The bedroom area had a large king size bed with linens that I prefer; sheet, blanket, sheet. My pillows were great, being all foam or poly (is in my profile). Like the other reviewers, I do think they need to update the beds as they definitely were a bit on the saggy side. I still slept okay, but an area they could look at. The bedroom also had an LCD TV (with closed caption) and a balcony to overlook the ocean. The alarm clock was large and worked fine. You can hear noise from outside, especially during the day if you are facing the pool, but I really didn't hear too much from the other rooms around me, except some banging around from upstairs.
Amenities
The hotel has a ton of amenities including several outdoor pools that the kids seemed to love. It is literally steps from the beach and to a nearby pier from the lobby. The ground level also has an arcade, that I didn't see one kid in the whole time, but it's available. There is a tiki bar and restaurants in the hotel that overlook the ocean, like I said, not cheap (except the kids menu). I didn't view the fitness center, which is in a separate building, but they did have a business center with your usual essentials. There is an evening managers reception during the week with free drinks, and the breakfast in the morning featured several hot and cold items (eggs, bacon, french toast, hash browns, oatmeal, pastries, fruit, etc.). They do provide "to go" boxes, which is nice. There is definitely a line if you get there during prime time and the seating area can fill up quickly.
I had a medical issue when I was at the hotel and I found the staff to be incredibly helpful and friendly. Many of them asked me how I was doing and I was very pleased with the help I received from the concierge desk especially. I know that the families at the hotel really seemed to be enjoying themselves. This hotel would be a good choice if you have kids/teenagers who love being on the beach or hanging out at the pool and you don't want them to be in the more dicey ares of the beach in the downtown area.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
krunett
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Location: Charlotte, NC
Reviews written: 72
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
I'm a red head, doesn't that tell you enough?
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