Great Vacation

Guest: Teresa (Greensboro, NC)
Date of Stay: 09/24/11 Review Submitted: 10/11/11

We had a great vacation at your condo. It was clean and well-maintained and we would definitely recommend staying here. We had a slight problem with the refrigerator upon our arrival but that was taken care of quickly and efficiently, and as a matter of fact we received a phone call a few days later from the maintenance person to make sure everything was working properly. Our 19 month old enjoyed running on the beach, chasing the seagulls, jumping in the pool, and playing in the sand. We loved the views from the porch and waking to the sounds of the ocean. I especially appreciated not having to bring linens or beach chairs - that saved us so much room in the car! We also took the ferry over to Southport one afternoon and visited the NC Acquarium at Fort Fisher. It was truly a vacation to remember. The only thing that would have made it perfect would have been a washer/dryer in the unit. It's quite a haul if you need to do laundry at the complex. Thank you for opening your home and we will definitely consider staying here again.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children.

Our Wonderful Vacation

Guest: JL&E (Bristol, VA)
Date of Stay: 07/09/11 Review Submitted: 07/21/11

We had a great time on our vacation at your condominium. We stayed here in 2008, which is why we booked again this year, since we knew we would not be disappointed and we weren't. The condo was again exceptionally clean and well maintained, as we expected. We just love the fun fish decor throughout the condo, the breathtaking views from the porch, and the overall "feel" of being home. We truly enjoyed the ocean, along with the chairs and boogey boards in the storage closet. The pool was great and our daughter loved it and actually is now almost swimming. We loved walking to the pier, picking up sea shells, running from the waves, feeding the sea gulls (on the beach), admiring the pelicans, and just being together as a family. My husband enjoyed watching the fishing boats from the porch and we both liked watching the porpoises on their morning swims! Your condo has all the amenities of home. We rarely ventured out on this vacation, because we had everything we needed and then some. Thank you so much for allowing us to stay in your home! We truly enjoyed our vacation and my daughter and I wanted four more days, three more days, and then two more days. So, I know we will return to your place at the beach!

Owner response:Thank you for the wonderful review. We are so glad you enjoyed your stay again at our place. We'd love to have you back anytime!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+.

Guest: Laura B and F (-)
Date of Stay: 06/25/11 Review Submitted: 07/11/11

We had a wonderful time, the view was breathtaking ... in fact I wanted to stay. It was my kids first trip to the ocean and we will remember it always. Thanks again.

Recommended for:

Fabulous Condo with Spectacular Views!

Guest: TS (Sutherland, Va)
Date of Stay: 08/21/10 Review Submitted: 07/07/11

I want to write and tell you what an absolute wonderful time we had in your condo last year (Aug 2010). I have nothing but rave reviews for your home and the spectacular oceanfront views from the balcony. This was our third summer vacation in Carolina Beach. We appreciate the fact that the beaches are not over crowded but yet there are still many fun and exciting things to do in this quaint town. In previous years we have stayed at a large hotel on the beachfront. And although the accommodations and amenities were lovely at the hotel, it doesn’t compare to the roominess, space, features and view that your condo has to offer. I prefer to stay at your condominium so that I can enjoy the two full bedrooms, separate living room and full kitchen. I love, just LOVE the fact that you provide all of the beach amenities that we could need. I don’t have to worry about packing linens, beach towels, beach chairs, boogie boards or any of those additional items that one would typically need to provide for themselves at most condominiums. The privacy that your condo offers on the balcony is priceless to my family. Because your building sits closer to the beach than the house to the right, when both places are rented you can not see your neighbors unless you lean far over the right side of the balcony and look to the rear of the property. That neighbor building sits a good 30 feet or more behind your property) And then on the left side of the balcony the master bedroom is flush to the balcony so even when you lean over the balcony you can not see the neighbors to your left. Again the privacy is fabulous and was a very important component in making our decision on where to stay while on vacation. I found your condo to be exactly as pictured so there were no surprises. It was clean and fresh and we had no issue making ourselves right at home. I also appreciate how the rental transaction transpired. You were very friendly, courteous and most helpful in assisting us throughout the transaction and all of my email correspondence was answered same day or at most within 24 hours. I don’t think anyone could expect more! My daughter enjoyed the pool, my husband enjoyed the private balcony and I enjoyed the long walks on the beach at sunrise! It doesn’t get any better than Carolina Beach in my book. So good in fact, that we have rebooked this same condo again this year! Looking forward to another GREAT vacation at “A Place at the Beach”!

Owner response:Thank you for your wonderful review! I love hearing that our guests enjoy our place at the beach. We try to make it a home away from home and love having our guests come year after year. We want you to feel that it's your place, too! We love getting your feedback and always welcome ideas on how to make it better and better. Enjoy your stay again this year :-))

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Guest: Tricia and Family (-)
Date of Stay: 08/21/10 Review Submitted: 07/07/11

We had a Fabulous time! Your condo was absolutely perfect. We loved the beach theme and the view could not be beat! It was such a wonderful and relaxing week - thank you for the opportunity.

Recommended for:

disappointed in housekeeping

Guest: Jonica Sea (Carrollton, KY)
Date of Stay: 06/18/11 Review Submitted: 06/28/11

My family and I were very disappointed when we arrived at the condo to find that it looked as if it had never been cleaned. The sheets in the master bedroom looked as if they had blood or chocolate stains on them, the bed had hair on it, the bath tub wouldn't drain so my husband had to dig other peoples hair out of the drain plus the floor had hair on it, the kitchen floor had hair and crumbs everywhere, the carpets hadn't been vacuumed or cleaned in a very long time because within a couple of hours my 15 month old's socks were solid black, sliding door wouldn't lock, and the front door was very difficult to keep shut/locked. After traveling 15 + hours that was the last thing that we wanted to walk in to, it was almost 10 pm when we arrived and we were exhausted so we cleaned everything ourselves and thank goodness we brought all of our own linens, so I didn't contact the owner until after the trip..probably wouldn't have done any good to try to reach her since it normally took her a couple days to get back with you anyway. Working with her was frustrating at times since she did take a while to get back with you and she got our reservation confused with someone else's and only gave us a $50 discount after all the trouble she put us through...not once but twice. Luckily she did say everything was fine in the condo after we left....it was cleaner after we left than what it was when we arrived. The stairs in the building were very difficult to see especially at night (my Mom actually fell by not being able to see bottom step) and parking was horrible, very tight squeeze if you have a SUV or van. The actual stay was alright and my kids really enjoyed the beach...the town itself I was not fond of, not very family oriented but the beach was less crowded which was great since we have an 8, 4, and 1 year old. We won't be making a trip back to Carolina Beach.

Owner response:It is so heartbreaking to get a review like this because we put our hearts into making our place so cute and comfortable for our guests. We have rented our place out for seven years to hundreds of people who have written such lovely reviews, and so many come back year after year. We are always adding upgrades, but in particular, this year we added a brand new sofa bed, a new armchair, new white counter stools, a new sink and faucet, repainted and did many small upgrades as well. We offer linens and towels as a convenience and just bought new linens, but it appears that perhaps some old ones were put back on the master bed by mistake. We always tell our guests that if there is a problem, they can call us right away! In fact, we have our phone number and the phone numbers of our cleaning person and our maintenance guy posted on the refrigerator, yet this guest never once called us to mention that there was a problem - not once! If she had, we would have handled any and all issues immediately as we always do. Also, we just did a HUGE Spring cleaning and had the carpets cleaned - something we do twice a year in the Spring and after the high season ends. We did recently hire a new cleaning staff because the person who cleaned for us for years retired. We have given them her feedback to make sure there are NEVER any issues like this again. If there are, we will hire a new staff because our tenants have and always will come first! i absolutely do not understand why this tenant felt the need to say the other things. I have almost 20 emails from her and did in fact respond to her the same day on almost every occasion and helped her with many things. On the booking, she originally booked the week of June 11 and then it was changed to June 18 so we ended up with two contracts for her. I sent her an email to make sure we did not double book and told her that if we had, we'd give her $200 off. Instead of telling me that June 18 was ALREADY her week, she said she'd change to that week and take the $200 off. Then I pulled up all the files and found that this was already her week, but I gave her $50 off anyway just because the situaion was so uncomfortable - even though I found her response to be unethical. We've never had a guest do such a thing! In any case, we do value feedback, but would appreciate direct communication. We put our hearts into making our place wonderful for our guests, especially because we have so many repeat guests who just love it!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Enjoyable stay!

Guest: SuzieQ (Indianapolis, IN)
Date of Stay: 03/27/11 Review Submitted: 04/05/11

We rented the condo for two nights. In spite of the less-than-favorable weather, we enjoyed our stay. There is nothing like the view from the balcony and master bedroom. We walked the beach twice a day (even in the rain). There is plenty to see & do .... we went to the aquarium and took the ferry over to Southport, which is a lovely town to walk around, shop and eat. Our last morning, we were met with a BEAUTIFUL sunrise. A priceless vacation. The condo is plenty spacious and the kitchen is stocked with everything you may need to cook with. We enjoyed breakfast each morning at the condo, instead of having to venture out. My only suggestion is to bring plenty of quarters. The washers & dryers cost $2 each, so if you're planning on doing some laundry ... come prepared. We would definately rent this condo again.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Fantastic Vacation

Guest: peacock+67 (Manassa, VA)
Date of Stay: 06/20/09 Review Submitted: 02/16/11

We had a fantastic vacation in your lovely home. By the end of our vacation, our 5-year old daughter was referring to it as "home". We all want to come back again. Carolina Beach is the perfect mix of solitude and things to do so that you don't feel overwhelmed by the commercialism! Thank you for sharing your home!

Owner response:So glad you enjoyed your stay. I love that your daugther thought of this as "home". I agree, Carolina Beach really is a great mix of relaxtion in a peaceful setting with lots of fun things to do very near by. Thanks for staying at our place! - Donna

Recommended for:

Great condo

Guest: Missy (Mill Spring, NC/ usa)
Date of Stay: 06/19/10 Review Submitted: 07/01/10

My family and I had a splendid time at Carolina Beach. The condo was fantastic. It was very clean and all the beach ammenities was available. The pool was great. We had a great time. I will be sure to rent this condo again hopefully next year. Thanks a bunch!

Owner response:Thanks Missy. We're so glad you enjoyed your stay at our beach getaway. Come back anytime!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with young children, romantic getaway.

Best view of the ocean!!!

Guest: Isabelle's family (Quebec, Canada)
Date of Stay: 08/01/09 Review Submitted: 06/25/10

Third year in a row we stayed at your place at the beach and we had a wonderful time each year! Beautiful view of the ocean, we saw dolphins every morning from the balcony and we had a great family fun on the beach.

Owner response:Isabelle, we're so glad to have your family as our guests again and again! We love our guests to feel like out beachfront condo is their home away from home. We look forward to having you back soon :-)

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, families with teenagers.