Beach hotels judged by the walk to the sand and the ride back at night

Oceanfront is a word on a booking page. It can mean a balcony over the dunes or a building across a four-lane road from the beach. We check which one you're getting.

Our beach hotel coverage looks at the things that shape a beach trip: how far the sand really is, whether the pool is in sun or shade by mid-afternoon, how loud the boulevard gets on a summer weekend, what parking costs, and how you'll get to dinner and back. For family trips we look at room layouts and lazy rivers. For couples, quieter floors and walkable restaurants.

Myrtle Beach and the wider Grand Strand get regular attention here, along with Charleston's nearby islands, Miami, the Caribbean, Mexico and Australia's coast. Our first story starts on the South Carolina coast with the question nightlife-minded visitors forget to ask: how do we get back?