Take a look inside the newly renovated Grande Dunes Ocean Club. Here’s what changed
Even before reaching the gatehouse, the Grande Dunes Ocean Club has a stately presence.
The large property retains much of the Mediterranean feel that the original designers of the Grande Dunes area intended when work first began on the community in the mid-1990s. One could picture the castle-like structure— with decks that span nearly the entire back of the building that gaze out onto the pool and beach below— on the Italian Riviera near the French border.
Yet, the Grande Dunes Ocean Club in Myrtle Beach recently underwent a considerable transformation. The changes are apparent as soon as you arrive. If you drive your golf cart to the Ocean Club, you can park it in a new paved lot specifically for them. For those who want to sit at the beach first, a new walkway, mostly without steps, leads you to the tranquil, sandy beach.
However, for members and guests looking for a bite to eat, many changes await them. Instead of the dark wood paneling that previously adorned the Ocean Club’s walls, further emphasizing the castle vibe, the walls are now white and decorated with paintings and interior decoration evoking a coastal style. A gigantic chandelier hangs from the ceiling while the host station greets you as soon as you enter.
The carpeting that once covered the floor has given way to wood flooring. The regal dining area was replaced with a more casual one; a display case of cigars for patrons to try on the outside balcony greets newcomers as they walk in. New televisions and bar chairs add to the ambiance, and it’s the first thing one sees when they arrive.
Once you sit down, the menu offers different options than it once did. Instead of heavily featuring Italian cuisine, it now features more island and beach-themed lunch and dinner offerings.
Restaurant Manager Justin Simmons said the scallops and bacon entree, featuring brown sugar crusting and seared pork belly, is a must-try for those trying the new menu for the first time. Simmons said the restaurant tries to evoke the tastes and flavors prominent in North Florida cities like Jacksonville. In contrast, the original designers of Grande Dunes sought inspiration from Miami in South Florida.
“What they do really well in North Florida is they sit back, relax and enjoy. You can go down there at any point in time; it’s the middle of the day on a Tuesday, and you’ve got somebody sitting there listening to live music, just eating tacos and drinking Tito’s,” Simmons said. “That was kind of the approach that we wanted to take.”
Outside on the patios, couches and chairs surround propane-lit fireplaces, where club members can smoke a cigar instead of the more formal seating that was previously there.
Indeed, while The Ocean Club retains the Mediterranean design of its original creators, the previous formal aesthetic has been replaced with a more relaxed, coastal atmosphere. Even the elevator was re-painted white, and the dress code was relaxed to be more inviting.
Freehold Communities Project Manager Dee McDonnell said the renovation aimed to change the establishment’s intended vibe. In October 2023, Freehold acquired the Grande Dunes planned development, and McDonnell said that the company wanted to make the club less formal and more accessible for members.
“Before people would come, members would come, they would be able to go to the pool, but the upstairs was so formal that you would essentially have to go home, shower, get dressed, and then be able to come and have dinner, which really just wasn’t working,” McDonnell said in an interview. “The opportunity that we had was to make it so that you’re sitting out on the pool deck, you want to come up and have dinner, you can throw some clothes on and your flip flops, and be able to come in here and then have dinner.”
The dining area closed for renovations in January 2024 before reopening in July 2024. McDonnell declined to say how much the renovations cost. Now, the restaurant, both inside and out, seats about 160, and Simmons added that the club will bring the beach from the outside to the inside.
“(Some new members) never saw the formal, stuffy setting,” He said. “So when they come in, they feel like they’re in a beach restaurant or beach club.”
