Myrtle Beach, SC, is home to some of the most exclusive gated communities along the Grand Strand, offering residents a mix of luxury, privacy, and stunning coastal beauty. Known for its world-class golf and vibrant beach culture, the area attracts homeowners who want a lifestyle centered on relaxation and sophistication.
In this guide, we rank the Top 20 Most Expensive Gated Communities in Myrtle Beach, SC, based on exclusivity, location, and overall prestige. From oceanfront enclaves like Dunes Cove and master-planned resort destinations like Grande Dunes to Intracoastal Waterway retreats such as The Bluffs on the Waterway, these communities represent the very best in Myrtle Beach living and continue to define the city as a premier destination for luxury real estate.
20. Prestwick Country Club
Prestwick is a well-established, luxury gated golf community located on the South Strand near Surfside Beach. It features a private, world-class Pete Dye and P.B. Dye-designed championship golf course that is open to the public but offers exclusive membership for residents.
The community is also renowned for its large tennis facility with multiple clay courts and a vibrant social scene centered around the country club and its extensive pool complex. Housing options range from single-family homes and estates to golf-course villas, all offering a high level of security and a traditional country club lifestyle.
19. Wachesaw East
Situated in Murrells Inlet, Wachesaw East offers a blend of natural beauty and an active lifestyle, centered around a former rice plantation. While not exclusively focused on the golf course like some others, it provides a well-rounded set of amenities and a strong sense of community.
The community features a large pool area, a full-service clubhouse, tennis courts, and beautifully landscaped grounds, making it a popular choice for families and retirees. Homes are generally custom-built and offer a sophisticated Lowcountry architectural style with access to the community’s private pier and waterfront park.
18. Waterway Palms Plantation
Waterway Palms Plantation is a custom-home community located in the Carolina Forest area with a primary focus on waterfront living along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). It offers a unique combination of suburban tranquility and direct water access.
The community boasts an extravagant amenity center with a huge pool complex, tennis courts, and a grand clubhouse. Its exclusive feature is the secured boat storage and private boat ramp, making it an ideal choice for residents who own boats and want seamless access to the ICW.
17. Cypress River Plantation
Located south of Myrtle Beach off the scenic Waccamaw River, Cypress River Plantation is defined by its deep-water access to the Intracoastal Waterway. The community prides itself on its large, wooded lots and high-end custom homes, often featuring private docks.
Security is a high priority with manned, gated entrances. Amenities include a private boat launch, day docks, a storage area for boats and RVs, a community clubhouse, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool, catering to a sophisticated, water-centric lifestyle.
16. Carolina Waterway Plantation
This is one of the more intimate, custom-built gated communities in the Carolina Forest area, distinguished by its prime location directly on the Intracoastal Waterway. It is known for its spacious lots and the fact that nearly all properties back up to the water or a nature preserve.
The community provides an elegant clubhouse, a resort-style swimming pool, and secure boat storage and launching facilities. Its smaller size and focus on waterfront custom homes tend to attract buyers seeking both luxury and a quieter, close-knit neighborhood atmosphere.
15. The Bluffs on the Waterway
An elegant, custom-home community situated on a picturesque stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway, The Bluffs is known for its upscale architecture, which often features traditional or Lowcountry designs. The community’s name reflects its most prized asset: elevated lots with stunning water views.
The Bluffs offers residents resort-style amenities including a private boat launch, boat storage, a grand clubhouse, a resort pool, and extensive walking trails. Its location provides both privacy and convenient access to the central Myrtle Beach area.
14. Plantation Lakes
A prominent luxury enclave within the sprawling Carolina Forest area, Plantation Lakes is centered around an expansive, interconnected 15-mile lake system, offering custom-built homes with spectacular waterfront views. Its exclusivity is maintained through a gated entrance and architectural standards.
The community amenities are extensive, featuring a grand clubhouse, multiple swimming pools, tennis courts, and recreational parks. The large lakes are non-motorized only, which helps ensure a serene and peaceful environment for residents to enjoy kayaking and canoeing.
13. Prince Creek – The Bays & High End Subdivisions
While Prince Creek is a large, master-planned community, its most exclusive and expensive neighborhoods, such as The Bays, are gated and built around the renowned TPC (Tournament Players Club) Myrtle Beach golf course. This TPC course is the only one in the state of South Carolina.
Residency here provides a premium golf lifestyle with high-end custom homes and access to top-tier amenities, including multiple clubhouses, pools, and tennis facilities, all set within the lush, natural beauty of Murrells Inlet.
12. Tidewater Plantation
Located on a peninsula in North Myrtle Beach, Tidewater is one of the region’s original prestigious golf communities, offering breathtaking views of the Intracoastal Waterway, Cherry Grove Inlet, and the salt marsh. Its exclusivity stems from its highly-acclaimed, award-winning golf course.
The community offers a variety of housing, from luxury condos and townhomes to large custom estates, with many enjoying direct golf course or water views. Residents have access to a private beach cabana on the oceanfront, a marina, multiple pools, and a fitness center.
11. Heritage Plantation
Set on the site of a historic rice plantation in Pawleys Island, Heritage Plantation offers a classic, upscale Lowcountry environment with massive moss-draped oak trees and a high degree of privacy. It is situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Its amenities center around the Heritage Club, which includes a private marina with deep-water access, a members-only golf course, and a spectacular clubhouse. The architectural style emphasizes traditional Southern elegance, appealing to those seeking an established, tranquil luxury setting.
10. Pawleys Plantation
Located in the serene Pawleys Island area, this gated golf community is built around an acclaimed Jack Nicklaus-designed course. The homes and villas here are known for their picturesque views of the golf course, the salt marsh, and the winding creeks.
Pawleys Plantation offers a classic country club lifestyle with a full-service clubhouse, pools, and tennis courts. The setting is one of South Carolina’s most preserved, offering a sense of historical charm and natural beauty that distinguishes it from the more resort-oriented communities.
9. The Dye Estates at Barefoot Resort
An elite, ultra-exclusive enclave within the larger Barefoot Resort, The Dye Estates is a private, gated neighborhood built around the challenging and highly-rated Pete Dye-designed golf course. This community boasts some of the largest and most expensive custom homes in North Myrtle Beach.
The exclusivity is reinforced by its limited number of lots and its separate, guarded entrance. Residents here enjoy the use of the Dye Club’s amenities as well as the full range of Barefoot Resort features, including a private oceanfront cabana.
8. The Members Club at Grande Dunes
This is a specific, highly exclusive gated neighborhood within the Grande Dunes master community, centered around the private, Nick Price-designed Members Club golf course. It is a true club atmosphere, requiring a separate, private membership.
Homes in The Members Club are large, custom estates on generous lots, offering a top-tier luxury golf lifestyle distinct from the resort course side of Grande Dunes. Residents here value discretion, premium course conditions, and an even higher level of exclusivity than the rest of the development.
7. Ocean Village
Located directly on Myrtle Beach’s famed “Golden Mile,” Ocean Village is a small, newly developed, and highly exclusive gated community that offers a rare commodity: new construction luxury homes in a primary oceanfront location.
Due to its ocean-side positioning, the homes here command premium prices. It offers residents a highly private, low-density environment with direct, secured access to the beach, blending brand-new luxury with one of the most prestigious traditional locations in the city.
6. Allston River Bluffs
An exceptionally small and exclusive gated community located in the historic Pawleys Island/Murrells Inlet area. Allston River Bluffs is notable for its immense, estate-sized lots and its prime positioning on the Waccamaw River.
With only a handful of homesites, it attracts buyers looking for true acreage, maximum privacy, and deep-water access away from the bustle of the central Grand Strand. Its extreme scarcity and large lot sizes place it high on the list of most exclusive addresses.
5. Dunes Cove
Dunes Cove is one of the oldest and most established elite neighborhoods on the North end of Myrtle Beach, offering an exclusive and private feel. While not always double-gated, the entrance is known only to residents, contributing to its quiet, guarded atmosphere.
This neighborhood is characterized by massive, decades-old estate homes nestled on Lake Drive, boasting an old-money feel and close proximity to the ocean and the Dunes Golf & Beach Club. Homes rarely come on the market, cementing its status as an elite enclave.
4. DeBordieu Colony
Located just south of Pawleys Island, DeBordieu is considered the Grand Strand’s quintessential private oceanfront community. Encompassing thousands of acres, it offers a rare combination of private beach, nature preserve, and an oceanfront country club.
Its exclusivity is derived from its remoteness, a single guarded gate, and its completely private club and golf course (designed by Pete Dye and P.B. Dye). Home values soar due to the combination of oceanfront estates, deep-water creek properties, and the secluded, natural environment.
3. The Dunes (Non-Gated, but most exclusive historically)
Although The Dunes neighborhood itself is not always fully gated, the centerpiece—the Dunes Golf & Beach Club—is the historical home of Myrtle Beach’s “old money” and most prominent families. It is the most prestigious address on the North End of the city.
The community features grand, custom estate homes, many of which are oceanfront or overlook the legendary golf course. The club is semi-private, but acquiring membership is a symbol of elite status, combining a world-class Robert Trent Jones course with a premier oceanfront clubhouse.
2. Waterside Pointe at Grande Dunes
This is a high-end, luxury enclave within the Grande Dunes master-planned community. Its location, directly on the Intracoastal Waterway and across from the Grande Dunes Marina, makes it highly sought after for boaters.
Waterside Pointe is one of the newest and most expensive sections, offering contemporary custom homes with access to private day docks, a separate gated entry, and full access to the Grande Dunes Ocean Club. The home prices reflect their prime waterfront positioning and the latest in modern luxury design.
1. Grande Dunes – Oceanfront and Marina Subdivisions
Grande Dunes is widely considered the most ambitious and comprehensive luxury master-planned community in the entire Grand Strand. It spans both sides of the Intracoastal Waterway and is characterized by its signature Mediterranean-inspired architecture and a full range of resort-caliber amenities.
Its highest-priced and most exclusive sub-sections are the custom, deep-water, and oceanfront properties, many of which are located directly on the Atlantic or boast their own private boat slips at the 126-slip marina. Residents have exclusive access to the lavish Grande Dunes Ocean Club, a 25,000-square-foot facility with oceanfront pools, fine dining, and private beach services, marking it as the pinnacle of Myrtle Beach luxury.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina’s exclusive, gated communities underscore the region’s stature as a premier destination for luxury coastal and golf course living, particularly along the Intracoastal Waterway and the Grand Strand.
Each neighborhood is uniquely advantageous, whether it features private, deep-water marina access for large yachts, a membership to an Ocean Club with oceanfront pools and private beach amenities, or a home surrounded by championship golf (such as a Nick Price or Pete Dye design).
Collectively, these enclaves—including the Mediterranean-inspired Grande Dunes, the waterway-focused Cypress River Plantation and The Bluffs on the Waterway, and the prestigious Tidewater Plantation and Dunes Club—form a landscape where privacy, security, and a resort-style existence are a way of life.
For those considering a move to the South Carolina coast, these communities represent not only desirable places to live but also lasting investments in one of the region’s most rapidly expanding and sophisticated markets. Whether nestled along the Intracoastal Waterway in the Carolina Forest area or situated near the oceanfront in North Myrtle Beach or the southern end of the Grand Strand, these neighborhoods showcase the very best of what the Myrtle Beach area has to offer.