Paradise Revisited-Ocenfront-Sleeps 22-7bd/5bth+2 Lrs+Elevator

• BEWARE - YOU MAY NOT GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

  BEWARE - YOU MAY NOT GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

  • Guest Kat
  • Date of stay 03/27/13
  • Review Submitted 04/14/13
  For the last 10 years, our family has enjoyed Easter vacation on Topsail Island with many great memories. Unfortunately, this year we encountered some major disappointments. When we first arrived at Paradise Revisited several things hit us in a negative way. First, we see all the trash cans completely full. Second, we see the grill, which is advertised, completely rusted and not usable. Third, as my grandson went running to the game consoles, which is advertised, only to find the 10+ year old TV didn’t support the game console. These things by themselves would not warrant this review; however, the final blow occurred when we discover the steps to the beach are GONE. We now have no direct and private access to the beach. We called the owner immediately and he did stop by, as he was nearby. Here were his solutions; the trash: he took cans from the neighbor for us to use..wow! The grill: “yeah, that is at the end of its life expectancy, I have to get a new one”, with no attempt to get us one for our stay...really. The game players: the owner hit the TV/game console a few times to have the player come on but that didn’t work for long...another sigh! He admitted he had to take that off the web-site, which he has since done. The steps; he stated he did not know anything about the missing steps (please note, all the debris had been removed and many decks up & down the beach had been repaired including the next door neighbor) but that he would send someone out as soon as possible. He recognized that was a major inconvenience and said he would “try” and get us some compensation. The workman arrived on our 3rd day to install a temporary fix which finally gave us beach access by late that day. This left us with only 2 days to enjoy the "private beach access", which is very clearly advertised on the web-site. Additionally, we had to endure a whole day of construction noise that prevented sitting on the deck and having conversation on a beautiful sunny day at the beach. In the end, and after many conversations with the owner, he gave his FINAL refund offer of $100 (all along, we were only asking for one night rental compensation) with threats of legal action if we posted a review on VRBO about this property. Of course, we did not accept his monetary offer or entertain those threats. We have been VRBO renters for over 10 years and we have NEVER encountered such a disappointing situation or a more difficult owner.

  Owner response: I am sorry your experience was not to your liking. Unfortunately, after trying to work with you I am not sure that I could have ever made you happy. You started working the price down for your stay before you signed a lease, and were getting a rock bottom rate already.Unfortunately your claims have been embellished and some of them are lies. You did accept compensation for your stay, but then you asked for 2 days of free stay, and threatened me with a bad review on VRBO if I didn't comply. Now to your points: 1) Trash: The cans had been filled by with constuction debris put there by the contractor who did the next door stairs replacement, which meant that the trash men would not take the trash. Solution: a) I called townhall and they delivered a spare bin b) Retrieved the recyclable bin from next door c)Paid a contractor to take the full bins to the dump 2)"The grill was completely rusted and unusable": ANYTHING metal will show signs of corrosion when left in the open oceanfront. The stainless steel exterior does show signs of rust, but as I told you the grill and burners work perfectly. The tenants following you used the grill and I grilled for my family in mid May.You NEVER tried the grill.3)"TV does not support my game consoles". You said that you had promised your grandchildren that they could play all the games we provided but none of them worked.When I arrived, besides having to ask 2 of the boys to please quit using the wall in the lower Living Room for a backboard for their basketball, I found that they did NOT want to use the game consoles I provided and had tried to hook up their own consoles. They had disconnected our equipment and cannabalized it for its cables. After I spent 20 minutes re-connecting MY game console, it worked perfectly. They did not have the correct cable to hook their console to the TV. 4) "Steps to the beach gone". When I first arrived you accused me of knowing that there were no steps and that I had lied to you. As I told you, I had been to the house several weeks before and the steps had been intact: Solution : I immediately contacted a contractor on the island. He said that a storm had come through and he was backed up replacing steps up and down the beach. I asked him to please move us to the front of the list and paid him a $1000 premium to get the new steps in ASAP.They were installed within 48 hours. Not a solution, but there is a Public Walkover immediately next to the house that you used for those 48 hours.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Great place for family, fun and friends!

  Great place for family, fun and friends!

  • Guest mark
  • Date of stay 07/06/12
  • Review Submitted 07/26/12
  Our family has been visiting NC beaches on a regular basis since the 1960's. We've stayed in many houses and condo's, oceanfront, second row, canal...we've always enjoyed our visits, but it seems that there were always a few things that "could have been better". Not this year! The layout of this house is perfect for large families. All the bedrooms are spacious, mattresses are clean and recent and the bathrooms are well thought out. The "dual" living spaces are perfect...when the kids have had enough of mom and dad, they head downstairs to the well appointed game room/ den! The house has enough space that large groups are not "jammed" on top of one another. The spacious kitchen and eating area makes it easy to cook for and feed a large crew at one time. The ice machine is a brilliant move for a house that will have this many occupants! The elevator leads up from ample parking for 6-7 vehicles, very nice for loading and unloading. Direct beach access is fantastic, the decks are very usable, as even the upper deck has shade starting in the early afternoon. It was nice to stay somewhere that wasn't cocked full of "beach" furniture...cheap floral and wicker. The furniture here is very nice and modern. for me, the absolute best thing about the house is the panoramic view of the ocean and beach. The entire wall facing the ocean is almost entirely windows, and the view is breathtaking! As you enter the upstairs living area, that's your view. Fantastic! The beach itself is VERY clean with wonderful sand, to tons of crushed shells from reclamation. This was another very welcome attribute. Looks like we've found a new NC beach home!

  Recommended for: Families with young children, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, people with disabilities, girls getaway.

  Owner response: Mark, thanks for your kind words. Next year we plan to add a second fridge in the laundryroom so we can make your visit even better!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• Loved Paradise Revisited!!

  Loved Paradise Revisited!!

  • Guest Debbie
  • Date of stay 05/19/12
  • Review Submitted 05/30/12
  My family and I loved this house. The view is amazing!! The house was very clean and the kitchen was stocked with everything you need to cook for large groups. The owner of the house is very nice and helpful in answering any questions and taking care of any problems in the house. I would highly recommend this house to anyone.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

LOW SEASONS 2013 = (Jan 1 - Mar 30) and (Oct 27 - Dec 31) = $1495 /week
SANDY SEASONS 2013 = (Mar 30 - May 4) and (Sept 7 - Oct 27) = $1895 / week
MID SEASONS  2013 = (May 4 - June 8) and (Aug 17 - Sept 7) = $2795 /week
HIGH SEASON 2013 = June 8 - Aug 17 = $4995 / week
Christmas and Thanksgiving  weeks 2013 = $1895 / week
2012 Nov 1 - Dec 31 = $1495 / week   (Christmas = $1895 / week)
Cleaning included. Optional Linens cost $175 (22 towel sets & sheets for all beds)
Sales tax of 13.75%. $45 Damage Insurance Fee.Optional Early Bird Check in at 1 pm

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.