Nice location a couple of miles south of the busy center of Surf City. The house itself was quiet, and the beach was uncrowded. This house has a layout that is spacious, but inviting, with great ocean views from the front half of the house. Beds and furniture were comfortable, and my kids especially enjoyed the sturdy bunk bed setup. The decks are amazing, and we spent a ton of time on them. Beach access was right at the end of short walkway connected to the lower deck. Hard to beat 10 seconds from walking out the front door to toes in the sand! Also hard to beat is a dog-friendly beachfront rental, so thanks to the owner for allowing furry friends to tag along. We did have a couple of problems: 1. The dishwasher wasn't working. Didn't affect us too much as we just hand washed, and also ate out quite a few times. 2. Both showers were clogged to a degree that they would start forming a puddle within 20 seconds or so. It was annoying enough that we cleaned up the kids in the outside shower every day, and even the adults bathed outside a few times. On Monday, I messaged the property management/realty team. (They were quite responsive to questions before and during the stay.) They politely apologized and referred the matter to the property services team. So far, so good, but I didn't hear from that team until Wednesday, and they basically thanked me for making them aware of the issues, and told me they'd see how soon they could get them fixed. I assume the issues have been addressed at this point, but it didn't happen during the course of our visit. I wouldn't hesitate to stay at this house again, but can't go with the full 5-star rating for my first visit.

Three star rating (really 3.5) is average of the many 5-star elements with lower rating for cleanliness and mildew in some parts of cottage. Five stars for incredibly beautiful setting and view, pretty, uncluttered decor, closeness to wide beach, clean and awesome outdoor shower, dog friendly layout with latched gate on front deck, quiet and friendly “neighborhood” vibe, responsiveness of Carolina Retreats management staff. Our week here was very happy but the cleanliness and mildew issue was a significant damper. This was an expensive property-the high end price didn’t match the low end cleanliness level. The owner obviously devoted a lot of love and thought to the house; if I were she I’d want to know about some big problem spots like mildew and filth in cabinet under the kitchen sink (including a soaking wet placemat and a jumble of unorganized detergents and clutter with lots of black mildew). One of the back bedrooms was unusable due to overwhelming mildew smell. We kept that door closed; it would have been unhealthy for anyone to sleep in. When we arrived, there were piles of unwashed (?) blankets and linens balled up in the laundry room. Also many drawers and cabinets with miscellaneous, dirty, random objects. Main dresser in front bedroom drawers flop downward when open. Kitchen sink has only a dribble of cold water, otherwise full on hot. As mentioned, management staff was responsive to a couple other problems. It would be a shame not to take care of this gorgeous house and setting. We’d happily stay here again if the mildew issue and cleanliness were fixed, especially if the price were less, but wouldn’t otherwise. Hopefully part of the problem is due to new to rental market and problems will be corrected. Makes me sad that the basic cleanliness and organization of house items isn’t better-seems like a fairly easy fix to make the cottage so much nicer, and it is an especially beautiful property otherwise-I’d love to stay every year if it weren’t for the problems and mismatch of price and reality. (Mildew in the back bedroom is a separate and bigger issue.) Not one roach or bug though! Management came through on their pest spray commitment that I spoke with them about after seeing worrisome May 2021 review. I hope they take care of the house and invest a little time on the problems-it’s pretty special.