Sea Haven

Guest: Landon & Patricia (new bern)
Date of Stay: 11/11/11 Review Submitted: 11/14/11

Loved staying at the poperty. We sat out on the deck feeding a small bird. Walked out on the beach and watched a group of Pelicans feeding near waters edge. The sunset from the deck was absolutely beautiful. The location of the house is so convenient. Walked to the circle to watch the kite festival. The house itself is unique and pleasing to the senses. Have to stay there to experience the Sea Haven qualities. You won't be sorry.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, families with young children, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, age 55+.

Wonderful Home!

Guest: Jim (Midtown Manhattan, NY)
Date of Stay: 08/30/11 Review Submitted: 09/03/11

Love this historic home! The walls and ceilings are rich, solid wood from old growth forests...something you'll NEVER find in a modern house. Lots of space, plenty comfortable, and very clean. I am a little astonished at some of the petty comments from a couple of recent reviews... The deck looked fine to me. Saw a few wild cats but nothing bothersome. The walkway to the beach is "overgrown" with some pretty, natural vegetation (sea oats, I think)...personally I like it and wouldn't want some broad path that leads from the beach to where I'm staying...I prefer a small "secret" path that most people won't notice or use except me and my family. Besides, I don't know about North Carolina, but I know on Long Island its against the law to disturb the vegetation because it helps preserve the dunes. There is a brand new (still has the tags on it) dryer there...apparently the owner must have bought a new one as soon as he was told there was a problem with the old one. Someone complained about 2 bathrooms when that is clearly listed described on the VRBO site...if you wanted more than two bathrooms, why did you rent the house? Saw lots of activity around the property as guys came to check the place over for hurricane repairs. The nice bug guy came to treat just as a precaution. We didn't see one bug...maybe the hurricane scared them away! Ha. Only thing I could recommend is perhaps the addition of some internet access...maybe the owner can add that for our stay next year. Anyhow, we LOVED the place.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, pet owners, families with young children, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers.

Wonderful Beach House, Fantastic Vacation

Guest: Beach Family (Seattle, WA)
Date of Stay: 08/21/11 Review Submitted: 08/30/11

After reading the last couple reviews we were a little worried, but this house was everything we had hoped for and more. Despite the fact that we were issued a mandatory evacuation due to Hurricane Irene, our time there was amazing. We had 5 kids under the age of 10, 3 teens, and 6 adults, and we were all perfectly comfortable. The photos show old TV's but there are new flat screens in the bedrooms and living room. The deck was great for meals and hanging out. The beach is superb - there were very few other people there. We did find a couple of tiny roaches, but it is a beach house in NC and they have obviously taken measures to keep up on this issue. The kitchen was well stocked with essential tools. It was clean and comfortable. We would come back in a heart beat and hope that we can. Hoping that Hurricane Irene was kind to Sea Haven. The only other take-away: buy the insurance if you are arriving during hurricane season! :)

Recommended for:Families with young children, girls getaway, families with teenagers.

Going downhill, FAST

Guest: Eileen (Northern Virginia)
Date of Stay: 07/31/11 Review Submitted: 08/07/11

This was our family's second trip to Sea Haven. We returned to this house because we loved the charm and location. This in house has boundless possibilities, but is definitely lacking in consistent upkeep. We are unsure whether the disconnect is on the part of the realty company or whether it is on the part of the owners; regardless, we were disappointed that many "easy fixes" had not been taken care of in two years. In addition to past problems, many new ones have sprouted and continue to deteriorate what could be a great beach house. Prior to our trip we had read reviews that warned of the cockroach problem. When we checked in, we were assured that this problem had been taken care of. However, we had "visitors" every night until we finally pulled out appliances and found that the kitchen was unbelieveably filthy. Underneath the stove were roughly 20 sugar packets embedded in grease--no wonder the roaches won't go away! In addition to the roaches, the a/c on the second floor broke in the middle of the night. It was resolved within a timely manner, but we spent the day waiting on the HVAC repair man, a plumber to unclog the tub, and the bug man to spray for roaches. On the sixth day, the dryer broke. The repair man told us that he had been there so many times to fix the dryer that it was a lost cause. The element was broken and would be unable to be repaired. The soonest he could get a new dryer there would be after we left. In the midst of the dryer fiasco, it began to pour down rain where the roof began to leak. Thank goodness it didn't rain too long, because we would have had to have used our towels to dry it up and since the dryer didn't work, be unable to have dry towels. Basically, if we weren't such a close family who loved each others company, our vacation could have been ruined. We perservered and made the best of a bad situation. In addition to these minor issues, the house has major issues that need to be attended to. If the house is not taken care of soon, it will no longer be a historical beach house--it will just be history! On a happier note, we were very pleased to see that the blender we purchased for the house two years ago because there was not one, was still there and working well.

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The Good, the bad, and the ugly

Guest: VJ (Mebane, NC)
Date of Stay: 06/19/11 Review Submitted: 07/08/11

We stayed in the Sea Haven in June of 2011. It is a wonderful historic house with lots of room. That is the good part. The place is very comfortable and attractive without being too "decorated". The bad part was the extremely bad roach problem in the house. I understand a few bugs at the beach but we were overrun by them at night. This leads to the ugly part. I called the rental agency about the problem on Tuesday morning. We were told it would be taken care of that day. It was not. I called twice the next morning and got voice mail. I went to the rental agency and talked to them and asked that they please notify me when the exterminator was coming. They told me they did not know their schedule. The exterminator did come shortly after my visit and told me that he had told the agency when he would be coming. He was very nice and followed up twice to see if the situation had improved. The agency never checked. Instead they sent a very rude person out to set some traps for cats. The cats were not a problem but the roaches were. This is a wonderful old home. The people who rent the downstairs were pleasant and helpful. The people who came to fix things at the house were very nice (the dryer also had a problem). It is a shame that the agency that should keep things running smoothly would do such a poor job. I found this home on VRBO. I did not think I would be dealing with a rental agency.

Recommended for:Pet owners, families with teenagers.

Thanks for a wonderful stay

Guest: Kim031864 (New Bern, NC)
Date of Stay: 04/16/10 Review Submitted: 04/29/10

I just returned from a weekend stay at the Sea Haven. It was the most relaxing, peaceful time that I & some of my closest friends have had in quite a long time. The place is beautiful sitting right on Atlantic Beach (the sunrises are breathtaking)! The accomidations were more than we expected, very clean & well maintained. I have already recommended this proerty to others and I would love to stay again.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, families with young children, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, age 55+.

Winter reunion!

Guest: Karen-alex (New Bern, NC, USA)
Date of Stay: 12/31/09 Review Submitted: 04/16/10

My husband and I, and our 4 year old son stayed at Sea Haven New Years Eve, after my husband returned home from Iraq. It was a wonderful place to escape, reunite and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The spaciousness of the home is incredible and a rare find. The extremely large upstairs bedrooms were a welcome surprise as our son enjoyed playing from room to room. It would easily accommodate our larger family and give each person privacy as well as room to play and enjoy their stay in an open environment. The dining area was also perfect for eating and game playing! This quaint home has charm and unique characteristics that made it a winner for us. The wood floors,cozy atmosphere, and comfortable furnishings were perfect "back drops" for our winter getaway. The home was extremely clean and inviting and well maintained. The location was tops! Centrally located, you are close to beach activities movie theaters and nearby shopping! All of which are a must for us!! We enjoyed activities and restaurants both in Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle and Morehead City. These places are close, convenient,and easy to get to. I think above all, we enjoyed going out onto the large covered deck and walking out to the gorgeous beachfront, just steps away. The sun sets and shelling were amazing and although the water was too cold to swim in due to cold temps, we did get to enjoy the "Polar Bear" club take their first dive for the new year into the frigid water on January 1st! Brrrrrr!! I have stayed in many summer beach homes in this area over the years and this was by far the one that met our needs the most! I would highly recommend this property to anyone interested in vacationing in the winter or summer months. It is perfect for any family wishing to have a wonderful week together making memories!! We cannot wait to return again in the near future for a summer break! I also would like to rent it again for a special "Girls Getaway". It would be an awesome place for scrapebooking and just hanging out with the girls. Enjoy!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, people with disabilities, tourists without a car, families with young children, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, age 55+.

Guest: Michael W2 (Boston ,MA)
Date of Stay: 01/05/10 Review Submitted: 01/05/10

This is a classic beach house. It is ocean front and has a private walk through the dunes to the beach, which was great for the Kids. The location isn't down island so access to Morehead and Beaufort was great. Quiet street was excellent. Plenty of space and sleeping for large families.

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Guest: Sam Davis (Newport, NC)
Date of Stay: 01/05/10 Review Submitted: 01/05/10

We loved the house. We spent Christmas together with family from all over and had plenty of room. It was cold weather but, enjoyed the experience we had. The dolphins were playing all day right in front of the house and the kids loved it. We built sandcastles and played soccer on the beach. It was very relaxing and enjoyed every moment we were there. The house itself was huge. The beds were very comfortable and all the kids had their own room and beds. We had a fantastic time! I would love to stay again and recommend this house to everyone who wants to relax and enjoy life on the beach.

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Guest: Pam Nelson (Alamo, NV)
Date of Stay: 08/05/07 Review Submitted: 08/05/07

Wow! Loved this home! Pretty, clean and very beachy. Loads of space for the kids. Quiet, safe neighborhood away from the crowds. Good appliances...new side-by-side refrigerator, and a nice high-end front loading washer too. Great 24-hour managment (the people at Coldwell Banker were fantastic). We are booking again for next year!

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