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Beautiful landscapes! Comforting warm weather! A long list of sights and attractions around the Grand Strand. What's not to like about April! April has been an inspirational month to begin thinking about reserving time at the beach for the 2010 vacation, if not before Memorial Day, then certainly during the summer.
Easter here at the beach was beautiful with its vibrant sunshine, sparkling beach, and gentle air temperature. In fact, the weather was so lovely that many people staying here for the Easter weekend chose to extend their stays. Fresh air, fragrant blossoms, and gentle off-shore breezes all are helping to rejuvenate us after a long, hard winter.
From the appearance of all the colorful bathing suits out at the water line, vacationers were more than eager to break out of winter mind-sets and have some fun in the water. Are you ready to get outside, spend some time lounging under a beach umbrella while the sea breezes cascade over you? Want to sharpen your golf skills over 18 holes of a gorgeous area golf course? Sip a cool beverage as you relax by the swimming pool? Many direct flights now provide easy access for distant travelers to come here to the beach, and for in-state or adjacent locales, road access has grown more convenient with the addition of certain routes.
Just keep an eye on our budget-friendly rates announced through e-savers and advertised discounts because they are designed to help you get some much needed R&R. Booking prior to Memorial Day is a sure way to save money! By the end of this month, especially, we expect to see increasing numbers of travelers spending time with us, and we hope to see you, as well. We have YOUR place by the sea ready!
Your Friends at Avista Resort!
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Easter News from Avista :
Just Off Main served a delicious Easter buffet on Sunday, April 4th, and the weather cooperated fully with vibrant spring colors, soft breezes from the ocean, and many people in their Sunday fine clothes here at Avista enjoying all of it.
Called "Easter Eggstravaganza," the special event included traditionally favorite activities for the children such as the egg hunt and visit from the Easter Bunny. We hope that you were able to participate, and we thank all of the guests who helped us make this Easter one to remember!
Just Off Main is a wonderful restaurant for making celebrations such as Easter special, so we encourage you to book your Mother's Day dinner soon.
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Around Town :
- Spring and the Easter Celebration. April has been especially beautiful in terms of weather! Spring sunrises have a special glow, different from those of winter, and celebrations such as Easter seem especially picturesque with the sun radiating across the ocean water. The wonderful Easter buffet luncheon here at Just Off Main added even more of a festive touch to the holiday - delicious and satisfying! Some guests were even drawn into their bathing suits to plunge into the ocean waves (still just a little chilly for most of us - low 60's water temperature). Fishing is stirring into action, though, with the increasing temperature with more whiting, blue fish, and Spanish mackerel being caught now than several weeks ago.
- Golf Includes Moms and Juniors.
Golfers, and even non-golfers, have you seen the Mother's Day offer for a complimentary round of golf for all mothers residing outside of Horry, Georgetown, and Brunswick counties! Click here for details. More and more junior are playing golf, too, thanks in part to the many initiatives and growing popularity of the sport, such as through The First Tee, a World Golf Foundation initiative to promote golf for young people. Many courses allow juniors under the age of 16 to play for free or with discounts (inquire about specific restrictions). Ask our Golf Department for details on arranging to play golf with the mom in your life and your favorite young people, too.
- The Grand Strand as Sports Central. With the warmer weather, here come the sports enthusiasts in even greater numbers. Over spring break varsity soccer, golf, and other tournaments took place around the Grand Strand. The Grand Strand Fishing Rodeo started on the first of the month and encourages anglers of all ages to get involved with the sport of fishing. Baseball, both school groups and professionals, are moving into high gear, too, with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the class-A affiliates of the Atlanta Braves, into its playing schedule now through September. Let our agents help arrange tickets when you book your reservation!
- A Great Place for Bargains. Area shops are beginning to show reinvigoration of buyers' interest in everything from end-of-season clothing and gifts to crafts and services. How fortunate we are in this area to have both stylish mega-malls (indoors and out -- Coastal Grand, Market Common, Broadway at the Beach, Barefoot Landing, Myrtle Beach Mall, and much more) and specialty shops. Additionally, guests enjoy our outlet malls. Long a part of the shopping tradition here on the coast, they provide steep discounts that have been a draw for bus-loads of people from inland locations. Some guests design entire beach vacations simply around shopping trips, while others combine family trips with golf and spa treatments or the children's favorite "Perfectly Pampered Prince and Princess." Our Reservation Agents can help fit you with the perfect get-away for your 2010 budget.
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Featured Recipe: Stir-Fried Scallops with Peas and Strawberries
This unusual recipe takes only 20 minutes to prepare, including 10 minutes for cooking. Prepare all the ingredients in advance because the secret to stir-frying is to add the items quickly to the hot pan. Also, be sure to use fresh scallops (store no longer than 1 day after buying). Serve the dish over hot, cooked rice or risotto (optional -- not included in the recipe). Serves 4.
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 pound bay or sea scallops
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 tablespoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 egg white
- 1 pint fresh strawberries
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 pound frozen sugar snap peas, thawed and drained
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 sprig of dill for garnish (optional)
Directions:
- Wash and pat scallops dry with paper towels. Cut them in half if they are very large.
- In medium bowl, combine salt, pepper, sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger root, cornstarch, and egg white and beat until foamy, then add scallops and stir gently to coat well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Hull the strawberries and cut each one into quarters.
- In a wok or large skillet, heat oil. Test by putting a drop of water; if it sizzles, the pan is hot enough. Add the scallops mixture.
- Stir fry the mixture over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes or until just opaque. Be careful not to over-cook the scallops.
- Add the sugar snap peas and stir-fry for 1 minute.
- Then add strawberries and lemon juice and stir-fry gently for 1-2 minutes longer, just enough to heat through. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice or risotto (optional).
- Garnish with the sprig of dill (optional).
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Groups at AVISTA RESORT
We want to extend appreciation to each of the following groups for selecting Avista as their oceanfront location!
- Taylor / Hall Wedding
- The Institute for Christian Discipleship
- Amirault / Salcedo Wedding
- Bennett Durham Hurricanes
- Sinclair Durham Hurricanes
- Sumter Wildcats
- Tau Kappa Epsilon
- Tri State Travel
- Citizens Bank Senior Travel
- Steve Ellis Tour and Receptive
- Maloney / Savage Wedding
- Summitt's 30th Anniversary
- Chick-Fil-A's Training Meeting
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- Atlantic Beach Shag Club
- Johnny B. Group
- SE Wheelchair Association
- Capital City Shag Club
- Carolina Society of Healthcare Education and Training
- Benefit Controls of South Carolina
- North Myrtle Beach Republican Club Debate
- Faulk / McLean Wedding
- Bailey / Wooden Wedding
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Comment from the group "RFN Ladies Retreat"
The staff was excellent, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Chip is excellent and went above and beyond. I told him "Thank you," but I wanted you to know that he was excellent and all of the staff was great. Thanks again for all of your assistance.
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Avista's banquet, meeting, and exhibit space spaces can be easily configured to suit your group's needs. Our ample 14-foot ceilings provide comfortable temperature settings yet do not interfere with acoustics. They also make set-up easy with many possible options in designs (round tables, half-rounds, classroom arrangements, theater style, U-shaped, H-shaped, or conference set-up. Ask our Group Sales office for details on any or combined use of the following:
- Avalon Room (3,599 square feet)
- Ballroom A (744 square feet)
- Ballroom B (1,616 square feet)
- Ballroom C (1,226 square feet)
- Ballrooms A and B combined (2,363 square feet)
- Ballrooms B and C combined (2,848 square feet);
At your next large meeting, find a place here at Avista Resort where everyone in your group will be happy. Contact our Group Sales office representatives for help with the details. Click here.
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The "Green" at Avista Grows On
Becoming an energy-wise, energy-saving, energy-efficient resort benefits you, us, the community, and our planet. As an environmentally-aware company, we stay in touch with on-going changes in U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, as well as other laws and guidelines. Specific energy-saving technologies such as the wind turbine, shown here, are now a reality. Once reserved solely for large organizations, medium-sized organization such as Avista Resort can now participate in its advantages.
As Avista's wind-turbine team explores the finer details of where and how to install the turbine here at the resort, we urge everyone to look for more modest ways that you, too, can conserve energy and protect the environment.
There are so many small ways that we all can help. Use energy-efficient lighting, and turn off lights when not in use. Cut down on random use of the washing machine, using it for compiled loads as possible. Recycle plastic and glass bottles, cans, and other product packaging. Turn off water when not actually using it when you are brushing teeth or shaving.
Protecting the environment has moved from being an ethical, moral, and cultural issue to one of survival in a long-range plan.
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GUEST COMMENTS
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We depend on your messages! Your information tells us when you like something and when you don't. Here are some of the recently shared comments from current or previous guests:
From the moment I called to book on the phone, I knew this would be a nice place to stay. The staff were very friendly and made checking in very easy. Our room was nice and clean with an amazing view of the ocean(we stayed in an ocean front, 1 bedroom). I loved the deep tub in the bathroom-it was very nice to relax in at the end of the day. The only negative about this resort is that the smell of chlorine from the pools-It is overwhelming and made it hard to enjoy the indoor pool and hot tub. We hope to return in warmer weather.
Email on TripAdvisor.com from "Nitrogirl24" from Angier, NC. 03.22.2010.
We were there from March 13-19, 2010. Rooms were clean and well kept. Kitchenette was rather spacious, with all appliances in good working order and all plates and utensils clean on arrival. Bathroom was also clean, spacious etc. Very good all around. Location was good, only about 50 feet from the beach and close to restaurants. Thirty-minute drive from Myrtle Beach airport, definitely a good way to get there. The pool and hot tubs were well kept and more than adequate to our needs.
Email on TripAdvisor.com from "MikeGriv"from Waterloo, Ontario. 03.22.2010.
This is by far the best place I have found to stay in North Myrtle Beach. All the rooms have wonderful views with large balconies. It has great access to the beach too. The pools and spa area are well kept .... I would recommend to anyone. The staff is always pleasant and helpful too.
Email on TripAdvisor.com from "DoanTravel"from Virginia. 02.16.2010.
[My] husband and I spent Valentine's weekend here. The hotel was very nice; the staff was very friendly, and our room was oceanfront...lovely. We will definitely be back next year!
Email on Hotels.com from "Tawana"from Whiteville, NC. 02.14.2010.
Location was great, rooms were very nicely laid out. It was very pleasant, the staff was friendly, and the beds were comfortable.
Email on Priceline.com from senior travelers from Racine, WY, 03.20.2010.
The staff was excellent, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Chip [Chip Stack, Manager of Food and Beverages] is excellent and went above and beyond. I told him "thank you," but I wanted you to know that he was excellent and all of the staff was great. Thanks again for all of your assistance.
Email on to Avista's quality control from Guest Kennedy, part of the RFN Ladies' Retreat, commenting on her group's meeting. 03.30.2010.
Fun Facts
Growing conditions affect a strawberry's taste (sweetness, quality of flavor). A large red strawberry is not necessarily a sweet one. So, when you go strawberry picking at a local Grand Strand farm, don't just pick the huge ones that are red on the outside. Strawberries need to ripen fully before being eaten. Before you pick, ask to sample a strawberry. Is it red throughout, not just on the outside? Then it was at its peak! A very good thing!
Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside. The average strawberry bears about 200 seeds.
The strawberry is a member of the rose family (look at the strawberry's flower to see the resemblance). It is the first fruit to ripen in the spring.
Ninety-four percent of American households eat strawberries in some form.
Strawberries are low fat, low calorie; high in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, potassium
The ancient Romans believed that strawberries alleviated symptoms of melancholy, fainting, inflammation, fever, throat infection, kidney stones, bad breath, attacks of gout, and diseases of the blood, liver, and spleen.
In medieval times, strawberries were served at important functions because they thought the fruit conveyed peace and prosperity.
Over 53% of 7 to 9 year olds selected strawberries as their favorite fruit.
In another test with the strawberry, people who ate nitrate-rich foods such as strawberries before they exercised burned 100 more calories than those who did not.
In a recent and informal inquiry, people were asked for their opinion of those who love to eat strawberries versus those who do not. The general view of strawberry lovers was that they are health conscious, happy, fun-loving, out-going, smart, intelligent, nice, pleasant, and perfectly normal. On the other hand, the person who does not like strawberries was perceived as sour, unhappy, weird, strange, boring, or dull.
Local Events Calendar
The Sun Fun Festival, Mayfest, Rivertown Music and Arts, Bluecrab Festival, the Grand Strand Fishing Rodeo, and the Beach/Boogie/Barbeque Festival are just a few of the many events lined up this season by both the City of Myrtle Beach and the City of North Myrtle Beach. Don't miss out! Get your reservations now for accommodations, and come on down. Many of these and others have no entry fee, perfect for strolling around, meeting new friends, and sharing good times with established friends.
The events shown on our website (click here) represent only a small portion of the many attractions available to everyone here at the beach. Come stay with us for an especially enjoyable time!
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