Wife and no kids? What sort of lifestyle are you interested -- chill and enjoy or party? If it's the former, get the heck out of Myrtle proper and go further south to Surfside Beach (a family beach, so expect kids), Murrel's Inlet (a little further south) or Pawley's Island (pricey, but there are no hotels, only houses). The further south you go on the Grand Strand, the less "party" and more "chill" you get. N. Myrtle Beach is corporate, mid-to-south Myrtle is more old school and has the Pavilion. You'll be there right around Spring Break too. To make the wife happy, go south.
