July 2010 Newsletter, Volume 4, No 7
During the past month which brought us many delightful guests, SeaSide has been humming with activity. Deep in the heart of summer, some people have enjoyed our "slow lane" pace of coastal living at oceanfront, enjoying the heat and muscle-relaxing sunshine. Guests have practiced many variations of languishing by the pools and surf, growing bronze and healthy-looking with each day, and chatting leisurely with the Breakfast Lady at the sixth floor continental breakfast buffet. Others have delved with total vigor into the Grand Strands numerous day and night activities, from seeing energetic shows to playing marathon 36 holes of golf at premier courses to cruising the night club venues to exploring the area's many restaurants and entertainment spots.
The common denominator, though, is that here at the beach "to do" lists are often wadded up and forgotten in favor of doing whatever looks interesting at any given moment:
- boogie-boarding across the shoreline,
- snoozing under a beach umbrella,
- bobbing in and out of waves in search of churned up sharks' teeth.
Of course, not one of these particular activities requires a budget, so families find out fairly quickly that expenses can be kept in check simply with a minimal search for free or lower-cost adventures:
- taking captivating photos of family members under beautiful colored sky canopies (best time -- sunrise and sunset),
- packing a picnic lunch and going to the North Myrtle Beach nature preserve areas in search of eagles, otters, or other species;
- enjoying fresh sea air to cleanse the lungs and body and stimulate healthier living!
Naturally, our warm and sunny summer climate draws people from Canada, New England, and other northern climates, and yet we see many visitors here, too, from Georgia, Florida, and Alabama where we have just what they are looking for.
So, if you have not enjoyed a summer vacation yet, let us check some possible dates when you can get away from your regular life and come to the seashore for some time at the beach!
Your friends at SeaSide
News and Happenings at Seaside
August 6-8 = Tax Free Weekend
Take a shopping vacation and save money on things you need such as back-to-school supplies! End-of-season sales are now in full swing. Discounts plus August tax-free days add up to cash staying in your pocket. Contact our Reservation agents now to book accommodations, and ask about discounts with us! A great time to shop! A great time at the beach!
Travel Guard Travel Insurance
SeaSide's new travel insurance option lets guests make the decision to come to the beach with the added assurance that their travel investment will be protected in case of illness or weather issues here at the vacation site.
For more details about Travel Guard, click here or contact our friendly Reservations agents.
Ask Us about Heart Walk
Designed to promote physical activity and heart-healthy living in a fun family-focused environment, Heart Walk has involved over 1 million walkers nationwide. Here at our company, we have walkers from each of our major departments, raising money for the American Heart Association (AHA) by being sponsored to walk specified distances. According to the AHA, people gain about two hours to their lives just by engaging in an hour of vigorous exercise of some kind. This fund-raising event helps everyone -- the walker and those whose hearts need help. Ask us about Heart Walk at SeaSide!
Golf and SeaSide
Over the past month, many of our guests selected SeaSide as their accommodations where they could enjoy shows, swimming, and golf packages. Because the continental breakfast comes with every accommodations reservation, this feature especially suits golfers. Also, SeaSide's easy access to many of the Grand Strand's premier golf courses makes staying here advantageous.
Now, as we slide into late summer, many golfers still at home are focusing on their tee times for the fall season. To help make their decisions easier, we want to take this opportunity to announce our Fall Golf Special! Some of you might have already seen them on our web site. Because these discounts may be discontinued at any time, consider making your golf arrangements early.
- Fall Offer #1 Golfers who book early for their fall golf outings receive a special discount on regular single round rates on ALL Myrtle Beach National golf courses. Based on availability, unlimited play after each paid round is offered at on all 14 prime time courses. Golfers, you can make those arrangements now through 9/30/10 for rounds played between 9/9/10 to 11/28/10.
- Fall Offer #2 Golfers who play 2 rounds will have their 3rd round FREE. The free round can be played on the first day and must be a PM round (also not available on Kings North, TPC, Willbrook Plantation, Wild Wing, Long Bay, or River Club). Unlimited play after the paid round is based on availability and can be available on all courses included on this package, except the free round. Golfers must book early through 9/30/10 for rounds to be played between 9/9/10 to 11/28/10
- Fall Offer #3 Golfers who play 3 rounds will get 2 rounds FREE. These FREE rounds may be played any time of the day with the exception of the 1st day of play. Should a golfer elect not play the 5th round, he/she will receive a free round certificate issued at the last course played. The free round does not include Kings North, TPC, Willbrook Plantation or Long Bay. Unlimited play after paid round, based on availability is available on all courses included on this package except the free round. Golfers are encouraged to book now through 9/30/10 for their rounds to be played between 9/9/10 to 11/28/10.
Each of these fabulous options saves money with early arrangements. Click here for more information.
Featured Recipe - Shrimp and Rice Summer Salad
This simple salad recipe is easy to make, especially if the ingredients are already on hand. Either use pre-cooked frozen shrimp and frozen sugar snap peas, or start from the beginning and cook fresh shrimp. Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 pound cooked shrimp, shelled and deveined (thawed if frozen)
- 1/2 pound sugar snap peas, blanched
Preparation:
- Cook the rice as directed on its package.
- Meanwhile, combine vinegar, oil, dill weed, salt, pepper, and mustard and mix well.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of this dressing over the hot rice and toss gently.
- Cover the rice mixture and refrigerate 1 hour or until cold.
- In medium bowl, combine rice, green onions, shrimp, pea pods and remaining dressing.
- Toss gently to combine.
- Place the entire mixture onto serving plates and squeeze some fresh lemon juice over each salad.
- Serve immediately.
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Guest Comments
We send a special "thank you" to you, our guests at SeaSide who stayed over the late spring and summer. Here are some comments about vacation experiences:
Can't Wait to Go Back: The rooms were great. I reserved a two bedroom. My friend and I both had our own rooms. The rooms were really clean and the hotel was quiet during the day and at night. It was a really relaxing stay and I would definitely continue to stay at the Seaside Resort when visiting North Myrtle Beach.
Guest comment from someone in Ohio. Written for Expedia.com 04.14.2010.
We just returned home from our stay ... The condo was wonderfully clean and equipped with everything that we needed. The location was great as well. It was very close to local restaurants and the public beach access is literally a few steps across the street. You can see the ocean clearly from the porch, as well.
Guest comment from Ohio. Written for VRBO.com. 06.20.2010.
Local Events Calendar
Our coastal area has many events, perfect for reviving your own childhood memories and helping to create new ones for your own children. For example, take visits to local farmers' markets in the summer time, wander through historic farms, relax at Brookgreen Gardens with its many options for viewing and relaxing.
Space limitations force us to select just a few announced events (click here to link to the web site's list), but when you come here to the beach, be sure to explore your many options for unannounced events, too. Activities and experiences can pop up on a moment's or weekend's notice (check the local radio, TV, and newspaper sources). Here is one memory-making experience near SeaSide that the family might enjoy:
Indigo Farm on Hickman Road, just over the SC/NC border near Calabash, NC. Explore the farm with its animals, produce, and landscaping plants. Also, take a cool break from the summer's heat with a cool freshly made milkshake right there, plus a sandwich. Talk to the locals. Their historical knowledge of the area abounds.
Fun Facts
The blue crab's sweet meat makes it a favored delicacy on many menus here in the South. If you go in search of catching some of these crustaceans yourself, look for males within regulation size. The male blue crab has a T-shaped abdomen held tightly against the body until maturity when it separates slightly. His claws and legs are usually bright blue. The body is usually larger than that of the female, about 7-8 inches long at maturity.
The catch limits for females are more restrictive than males, so in general just avoid catching the females to help preserve the species. Females have a triangular plate on the under side, tightly sealing eggs against the body, and the claw tips are usually bright orange.
Keep caught crabs alive prior to cooking (do not eat raw crab). To do this, put the crabs on ice or in a cool, dark spot. Never store them in water as they will die from lack of oxygen (and never eat dead crabs that you then cook).
Chilled live crabs become inactive but will stir around if handled or warmed. If no movement is detected after they warm up a bit, discard the crab as it has died.
Cooking blue crab is best done by steaming, not boiling, but either way gets the job done. The cooking process takes about 20-30 minutes if steamed (until the crab turns pink).
Seasoning is best done after the cooking by mixing the seasoning with the cooler water, not the cooking water. Following the cooking process, remove the crabs and place them in the cooler seasoned water to soak up seasoning and stop the cooking process.
Some seafood lovers enjoy dipping their crab pieces in melted butter, especially when they hear the story of margarine. Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. Growers found, however, that it killed the birds. While margarine investors wanted their money back, other at the research-and-development end invented a way to use the seemingly useless white goo that would not sell in groceries. They changed its color to yellow and advertised it as an alternative to butter. The rest is history, though to be fair margarine has changed greatly through the years.
If you see small black spots in the crab meat, that is a condition called "buckshot" or "pepper" which is the result of tiny parasites - unsightly but not harmful if eaten once the meat is cooked.
Size limits of crabs are important. Learn size limitations and abide by them. If a license if required, follow the rules.
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