Before we start naming names, answer  these two questions:

1. What’s a family vacation need that ‘other’ vacations don’t?

2. What’s a family friendly hotel got that a cookie cutter hotel does not?

Answer these, and you’ll be left with a handful of suitable destinations, and at most 1 or 2 good hotels at each of these destinations which you can deem  good enough for the sacred family vacation.

If you’re wondering what the heck this has to do with anything, consider why exactly the Dunes Village Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC has been voted by TripAdvisor users as the most family friendly bargain hotel in the entire nation.

That is because:

1. The resort is located in an extremely family friendly location. Myrtle Beach has about 14 million annual visitors who tend to come with family, has miles and miles of sandy beaches, entertainment, shopping, restaurants, theater, cruises, scuba diving and other water sports, and all sorts of family friendly activities centered around the Grand Strand. Not to mention hot new theme parks like Hard Rock Park.

2. The Dunes Village Resort is a mini-attraction all by itself, with an indoor water park, including a 250 ft long river water ride, a massive swimming pool with water volleyball and basketball, a variety of hot tubs, kiddies’ wet deck with Silly Submarine and a kiddies’ play pool offering a delightful selection of games and slides.

3. The resort offers bargain basement prices, with 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom suites for the entire family at rates starting from $87 (plus taxes). And these are oceanfront ocean view suites for the full family we’re talking about. That’s cheap even compared to other Myrtle Beach hotels.

What all this means is that you can take a family vacation which you can brag about at the office cooler when you get back, and you can do this on a decent budget. While on vacation, you can leave the kids having fun under adult supervision inside the resort, while you hit the shops, or snooze on the beach or do whatever it is you want to do on vacation. Plus, all of you can enjoy the thrills and rides like the hair-raising Led Zeppelin ride at Hard Rock Park. And that’s what a family vacation is all about – you love it, your kids love it, you all remember the shared memories and it doesn’t break the bank.

Info: 5200 North Ocean Blvd. Myrtle Beach SC 29577; (877) 828-2237; www.dunesvillage.com/ ; Photo copyrights – Dunes Village Resort Myrtle Beach