February 2010
Family Vacation & Golf Newsletter

Though we experienced a few hours of snow this month, the warmth of wonderful guests soon melted it all away! Our congenial ensemble of enjoyable "snowbirds," traveling groups, and many guest families were among those in place to see one of our rare snowfalls. To all, we express our appreciation for choosing Grande Shores as your winter get-away location!

Does winter seem to linger on in your area? We hope that this newsletter brings you cheer with word of our signs of spring here in the South:

Sunshine bouncing off the water;
Bird songs from blue birds, red cardinals, and yellow finches;
Sprigs of green grasses appearing in corners of yards;
Great discounts for beach vacations, both now and in the months to come.

If snow piles high against your window sill, think about taking yourself away from it all, even vicariously. Making a reservation at the beach can be your first step to enjoying a vacation in reality -- sun bathing, bouncing on the warm waves on a bright spring afternoon, and sipping a cool beverage beside the pool. Just the sheer expectation alone will do wonders for your spirits. Winter? What is that when you are anticipating the fun of relaxing at the beach in South Carolina sunshine!

Here at Grande Shores, our sunny appearance matches our eye-catching discounts offered in recently published announcements. We are ready for your arrival! Indoors and out; we are shiny and clean, ready to welcome you back to our Southern hospitality. In addition to the resort's refurbishment, Shoreline Café has been ongoing in its improvements and upgrades through the winter, too, and you will enjoy seeing our refreshing outlook.

Did someone say "golf"? Preferred rates, premier courses, and an abundance of fun are in store for the golf groups staying with us now and booked through the spring. Our online booking system through http://www.ttimesonly.com/ is streamlined, your "one-stop shop" for arranging golf outings!

With day trips, potluck suppers, games, movie-night, and other get-together, this month has been memorable for those who chose to spend winter with us during the past few months. Some came from Canada and the northern U. S. Others from the surrounding states have stopped in to spend long weekends or celebratory special memories here on such packages as a child's "Perfectly Pampered Prince or Princess." Yes, indeed! Many have enjoyed the abundant things to see and do along the Grand Strand, even in the cooler months. Come join us!

Your Friends at Grande Shores Resort

SMS and Facebook and Grande Shores

SMS or "short message service" is a valuable means of keeping in touch with loved ones and others interested in the same things that we are. We have found it to be a great tool in letting you know about valued discounts, sent exclusively to guests who link to us electronically. If you are not familiar with our option of texting the word B E A C H to 85700, you will find that not only can you link to our special savings, you are also entered in the 2010 Sweepstakes with a prize of a where you could win a 3 day/2 night vacation.

Another useful tool for you to "be in the know" about what is going on here at the beach is the social networking system called Facebook. Like SMS, this also puts you in touch with our discounts and much more, plus you can use it with your friends and family to share your news and photos. By being our "friend" in Facebook, you stay in touch with our news, our specials, our price discounts, in fact any of our great and sometimes spur-of-the-moment deals and events. Icons linking you to both of these appear on our home page for your convenience!

If you are not sure about either of these great tools, just give a call to our Reservations agents who can help you find your closest path to the beach!

2010 is going to be a fabulous year! Don't miss it!

Click here or on the icon to find out more.

Grande Shores In Action

What a Team! -- With the addition of training in everything from presentation of food to customer service, the Food and Beverage group at Grande Shores and our sister property next door has sharpened its appearance and increased its accolades coming in from guests and other staff members. Especially our food arrangements for groups have received commendations. Jeannie Pearson, Director of Food and Beverages, has led her team in this effort, and to all, we applaud your on-going hard work and efforts for growing better with each event.

No Magic Involved, Just Hard Work! --

Come for dinner at the Shoreline Café! In addition to the delicious menu selections, you will love the refreshing new environment in which you're dining! Food and beverages brought to you by our excellent staff in the culinary department and refreshing ambiance brought to by our talented and industrious Engineering staff.

Of course, all of the physical changes that you will see did not just occur by magic. After Felix Maya's excellent job in bringing out the best in our conference room last month, he undertook the work in upgrading the Shoreline Café this month. Felix worked as part of a team in bringing our restaurant to its beauty shown above. Jimmy Perez, shown here in the adjacent photo, painted and prepared for the carpeting. A whole new world at Shoreline, thanks to everyone working here for a remarkable conclusion to this job!

February 7th - Super Bowl plus a Super Bowl Party at the Shoreline Café to celebrate both teams! Once again, our Food and Beverage team arranged a festive and delightful event!

February 12th and 13th (overnight) -- Snow fell for a few hours here along the Grand Strand, prompting a few to stay indoors during that time, waiting for the sun to return which it did only a few hours later that afternoon. Other people ventured forth out to participate in what, for us at the beach, is more of a phenomenon than a disappointment. Even the beach-blanket occupant of the condo's balcony below seems to have found the whimsy in a short-term snow fall!

February - March - April - Golf

Our Golf Department's special packages makes booking easy and finding the right golf courses and tee times even easier. Need help with getting a rental car in your reservations? Our agents can assist you with all of that, plus accommodations right here at the beach. With the spring golf season warming up faster than the spring growing season, making reservations early is the best way to assure that you get what you want. Click here for more details on golf bookings.

Featured Recipe - Pear Bread

You might be surprised to learn that pears have far more uses than just eating it off the core or making jams and jellies. Here is a delicious recipe for bread, a great morning breakfast favorite or toasted with afternoon tea!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup pear nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups finely chopped peeled pears(about 1 1/2 medium)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dried currants or dark raisins(optional)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts(optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir to mix well.
Add the pear nectar, vanilla, and pears, and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Fold in the currants or raisins and, if desired , the walnuts.
Coat an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, and spread mixture evenly in the pan.
Bake at 325 degrees F for about 45 minutes (test by sliding a toothpick in the middle to see if clean).
Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes.
Invert the loaf onto a wire rack. Turn right side up and cool to room temperature.
Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Store 8 hours or over night before slicing and serving.
Overnight storage will develop the flavors and give the loaf a softer, moister crust.
Refrigerate any leftovers not eaten within 24 hours.

Click here for a printable version of recipe

Groups at Grande Shores

We want to express our gratitude and pleasure to the following groups for selecting Grande Shores as their meeting and social site:

Highest Praise Worship Center
SC Association of Clerks
Hairspray Touring Theatre Co., LLC
Memories in the Making
Elm Grove Church
Salem Church

In addition to our oceanfront location and long list of amenities preferred by couples, families, as well as groups, Grande Shores has multiple meeting spaces to serve the needs of every event, not matter how large or small. Weddings, sports team receptions, church socials, business retreats, and so much more find exactly what they need, right here at Grande Shores, right here at the beach!

Do you have something big planned this year? Do you need space for a bar or bat mitzvah, a business reception, an annual church elders' meeting, or an awards banquet? We can design the room as you need it, too - table rounds for dining, classroom rounds for training seminars, and U-, H-, and conference formats for everything in between! Just imagine what you can do with these spaces, plus locate your people where they can have some "play" time as well.

Check out the possibilities in our meeting rooms:

Conference Room A 532 square feet
Conference Room B 520 square feet
Conference Room C 529 square feet
Combined A and B 1,061 square feet
Combined B and C 1,057 square feet
Combined, A, B, and C 1,598 square feet

Our experts in the Group Sales Office can help you design what you need. We're here for you, and Grande Shores is the right place for your perfect event!

Guest Comments

We love Grande Shores! We discovered it on a February night when traveling back home from Hilton Head. We needed an overnight stay when we discovered our destination was in a blizzard. This escape ended up being our new best friend! For the past 4 years we have visited twice a year, staying in a 3-bedroom condo. We have our favorite "stack" and the staff has always been successful in fitting us into one of our favorite units. Our teenagers enjoy bringing friends along for the week. Although our teenagers' activities cause us to limit each stay to one week, when we become an "empty nest" we are looking forward to an annual 2 MONTH stay! We hope to have our ENTIRE family stay for a reunion next summer. Thanks for the hospitality, accommodations, exceptional housekeeping staff, and the amenities that make our stay so special. See you this spring! Email from newsletter response from a family in Fairfax, VA. 01.22.09.

It was a pleasure staying at Grande Shores again this year. The staff from the front desk through to the lounge and out to the housekeeping and maintenance were very cheery and helpful. When [one is] travelling alone, this makes you feel so secure and comfortable. The rooms were very clean and ready upon my arrival. A small problem such as a blown light bulb was taken care of swiftly by one of their friendly maintenance staff. Food at the on site restaurant was excellent . It is obvious that customer service at Grande Shores is #1, and they continue to improve and look for other improvements each year. I have and will continue to recommend Grande Shores Resort as a friendly secure place to stay whether you come in a group, as a couple, or as a single traveller.
Email from TripAdvisor.com from leisure, solo traveler "LampLitre" from Ontario, Canada, 02.22.2010.

This was my 12th visit to the Grande Shores resort, and once again I wish to offer my thanks. Check-in was seamless and friendly, the room clean and all amenities in order. Breakfasts and meals in the Shoreline Café were wonderful. In 12 visits golf bookings have always been without even the slightest flaw - golf specialists are always on top of their game! Resort staff are always friendly, courteous and helpful. I look forward to November when I return with a larger group of 48 golf-hungry Canadians. Keep up the good work and thanks again to Jenna and all staff at the Grande Shores.
Email from TripAdvisor.com from "GatorLite" traveling with friends from Ottawa, Canada, 02.19.2010.

My stay at the Grande Shores was a great experience, due to the costumer service I received from the great people working the check-in desk. They were very kind and helpful with making my stay a wonderful experience. Being my first time in Myrtle beach, I want to thank each and all for the help and kindness they showed me.
Email from TripAdvisor.com from "MaryPB2001"from Reading, PA, 02.17.2010.

Fun Facts

A Remedy to the Winter Blahs! Connect with sunny people!

People tend to isolate themselves in winter, staying in their hibernation. Instead, getting out and being around positive people who appreciate you will help reverse the gloom-factor of winter. Can't leave? Then turn to the phone, email, or even writing letters (an ancient but effective means of staying in touch).

Consider using more orange coloration in your winter environment! No need to repaint your home entirely in orange -- just display a bowl of fresh oranges, pears, even colorful squash on your desk. Put out brightly colored silk poppies, arranged in a decorative floral display for your home.

"De-frag" your home. If you use computers, you might be familiar with the term "de-frag" or defragment your computer's memory - regroup. Well, winter is a good time to clear out clutter, organize like-items, and generally streamline your things. What is essential? What needs to be saved for later? What needs to be tossed out instead of using valuable closet space?

Here at Grande Shores, we are sunny, positive people, so grab an orange beach towel, regroup your appointments, and head here to the beach! The best winter remedy is a mini-vacation, and we can thaw out your late winter and early spring in a warm and inviting way! Here, you won't even miss winter!

Question: If you tickle yourself, why is the feeling not funny? Answer: Your brain knows the difference.

Your brain contains over 100,000 miles of blood vessels that keep it functioning. Do not try unraveling them because you will have a difficult time trying to fit all of them back in the skull.

"Watermelon" snow is snow with algae growing on it, usually in alpine meadows of the Canadian Rockies.. If you see it where you are this winter, it is not edible. This particular algae thrives in cold water and has a reddish pigment that appears especially when the snow is walked upon and compressed. "Watermelon" snow even emits a subtle watermelon scent.

Did you know that on the Amtrak train from Washington, DC, there is "quiet car" where passengers are not allowed to use cell phones or other electronic devices that make noise?

A group of seagulls is called a "colony."

Spring is nearby (REALLY it is!). If you see ants surfacing and trooping your way, sprinkle a little dried mustard across their path(s). The little feet feel that the mustard is too hot for crossing.

The tobacco plant is a member of the nightshade family, just as eggplant is. These plants contain nicotine, though much less than a true tobacco plant.

Local Events Calendar

Dreaming of a beach get-away and yet delaying the arrangements until the weather warms up?

Why wait? We offer fabulous savings between now and May! The best news of all is that April here in the deep South is bare-feet weather.

Consider the list of things to see and do here at the beach by clicking on the link to our website's list of local events. Need more options? Every day, a theatrical show raises its curtains, the Shoreline Grill restaurant features a "special" on its menu, a shopping venue offers discounts, a new seagull or dolphin appears on the surf! Something is happening indoors and out every day, so come see us!

Click here to see the calendar of events for March on our web site.

Check out what's happening on the beach right now with our Web cam

Special note to former guests: We invite you to send us a list of the 7 best things that you
saw or did while staying here at Grande Shores! Please identify the name of the resort, too!

201 77th Avenue North | Myrtle Beach, SC 29572 | | UK and Germany: 00800-1231-2302