The photo is of our sons fishing at sunset on the beautiful Holden Beach strand. We have known Makin' Waves since 1971, and have loved it since then. When we bought Makin' Waves, our Holden Beach neighbors cheered, as they were so happy we wanted to modernize, but preserve the traditional Holden Beach character of the house! Several of our renters came here as children, and bring their own children back to learn how to be together as family and to love and preserve the beach. We encourage our renters to write about their favorite experiences, and we have photos of young children who have stayed here and who can't wait to return next year! Our usual comments are something like, 'The house is so peaceful that it makes you let go of everything 'out there.'' One renter wrote, 'I napped in my blue room with the blue walls and felt the blue sky coming inside to me...I was wrapped in its comfort and its peace.' One child wrote, 'I LOVE my room, I LOVE the tall ceilings, I LOVE the sunsets, I LOVE Holden Beach. I HAVE to come back'... and her parents have brought her back, over and over again.

Sarah purchased this cottage in 2006

This beach is where we grew up in the summer, and where our children grew up, and where our grandchildren are now growing up. Holden Beach is pristine and uncrowded, with a very wide strand at low tide - perfect for playing as a family! Children and adults love the low-key, safe, family atmosphere. There are many things to do on the island, and on the mainland over the 'sky bridge' connecting Holden Beach to the mainland. Our beach is 45 miles away from Wilmington to the north and Myrtle Beach to the south, if you want even more to do, and there are museums, a ferry, lighthouses, an aquarium, antique shops, and serious shopping close by, if you want a 'day off' from the beach. A well-stocked grocery store is just off the island on the mainland. A WalMart is within 11 miles. This area is also a 'golf paradise,' with approximately 40 world-class golf courses near by. If you want to fish, you can fish in the surf, fish from the Holden Beach pier, bring your own boat and fish the Intracoastal Waterway or the ocean, or charter for deep sea fishing, since HB has some of the best fishing and boating on the East Coast. There is parasailing, jet ski rental, boat rental, kayak rental, miniature golf, and many more things to enjoy. We have watched families come back year after year, and celebrate weddings (on the beach), anniversaries, birthdays, and just being together. This beach has been named one of the best family beaches around. National Geographic Smart Traveler ranked HB among the top 10 'Best Family Beaches,' and AAA Beach Vacation Travel Journal ranked HB as one of their 'Top 30 Beaches.' But we know all that, as we have been here all our lives - to us, it's paradise!

Since Makin' Waves is right on the oceanfront, you have only to walk out your door and you are on the beach, so you don't have to tote beach chairs and toys for more than a few feet.

Makin' Waves lets you have a sense of being in your own world if you want to be alone, by yourself or with your family, but it is 'not too far' from anything - you can walk to a cafe for breakfast or ice cream; you can walk to the pier; you can ride a bike all over the island from Makin' Waves; you are 5 minutes away from a grocery store.

Makin' Waves was designed to let lucky ones who stay in the oceanfront bedrooms go out of their bedroom door to the porch in the morning to watch the sun rise or steal a quiet moment without disturbing anyone else in the cottage. Of course, the cottage always has few 'beach books' that might tempt you to put your feet up on the rail and read.

Holden Beach is amazing -- it has no high rise buildings and no high-density housing. As the beach is seldom crowded, you can enjoy walking at low tide, high tide, and in-between tide without tripping over anyone else.