Sandcastle East, the east side of a vacation rental in Emerald Isle caught fire this past weekend. I haven’t heard any reports of injuries or what caused the blaze. This was a really nice property. It is managed by Bluewater and I remember visiting this home when I worked there.

I’m unsure of just how damaged it was by the flames and smoke. Hopefully those that rented it, will be moved to rentals that are just as sweet. If you’re a rental owner, I hope this reminds you to check your electrical systems occasionally to be sure things are all in order and maybe you can prevent this sort of thing from happening to your beach rental.

For renters, remember fireworks in Emerald Isle are illegal and since it has been so dry this year, I would recommend leaving them at home. As far as I know the west side of this duplex is still okay.

If I find out what caused the fire or any additional information regarding it, I’ll be sure to share it. So be careful and take care of the Emerald Isle vacation rentals you’re staying in this year.

Happy Renting,

Jason

Sure it may be cold, but heading down for a week at the beach can be the cure for those winter blues. Plus most of the rentals in Emerald Isle are heavily discounted in the off-season. So you can stay in a much larger, modern house than you would in the summer and not spend nearly as much.

Bluewater has a deal going where when you rent the week of Christmas you get 2 free nights! If that isn’t reason enough I’m not sure what is. Sure you’re not likely to go swimming or sun bathing this time of year, but the beach is still enjoyable. I’ve spent many a winter afternoon walking down our beautiful beach.

I haven’t noticed Emerald Isle Realty offering any kind of special kind of Christmas Special with bonus nights. But they always have some attractive specials that you may want to look over before committing to any one in particular. Check often though because they constantly add new rentals at discount prices.

Sun Surf also has rentals offered at special discounts regularly. Obviously the demand in the winter is significantly less when compared to the summer rush. Sun Surf currently has an extensive list of properties on special.

Just because it”s cold doesn”t mean you can”t find a hot deal on an Emerald Isle rental for this year”s Christmas vacation. Just imagine drinking hot cocoa or egg nog and sitting oceanside and fireside at the same time. Happy holidays from Crystal Coast Rentals.

This particular unit is the West side of a Duplex. So if you have a large group and the East side is available you can stay right next door to the rest of your group, literally.

The property is managed by Emerald Isle Realty, a company with an outstanding reputation. It is nestled high in the second row dunes and does afford some ocean views. Enjoy the sights and sounds of beach life while relaxing on both the covered and open decks.

Barometer Soup West has not one, but two master suites. One of which sports a jacuzzi to facilitate your complete rejuvenation. Of course it has the normal creature comforts like central air/heat, dishwasher, laundry, microwave, and telephone. If you need to get online, no worries this beach house has high speed wireless Internet access. The entire house is beautifully decorated.

When you get back from a salty day at the beach there is a hot/cold outside shower to wash off the sand and salt. The house is non-smoking, and does not allow pets.

This weekly rental in Emerald Isle will have you planning your next vacation before you even leave. The only review I could find online was from someone who made their first trip here, and they loved it!

My husband & I rented Barometer Soup West along with 4 other friends. We couldn’t have been more pleased with the house iteself as well as the beautiful beach right across the street.
The house was perfect- kitchen fully stocked with all the dishes, pots/pans, & cooking utensils we needed; large kitchen table for family dinners; bedrooms were nicely decorated; large outdoor deck with picnic table & rocking chairs; outdoor shower is perfect for after the beach; plenty of parking space in the driveway (4+ cars).
The only “negatives” of the house would be the “game room” downstairs- kind of random; we never used it. There is a downstairs full bathroom by the game room that we never used either, but may be perfect for children. Lastly, the living room space is relatively small for the size of the house/# of bdrms. However, we spent all our time at the beach or on the outside deck, so it wasn’t an issue for us.
The biggest surprise to me was the beach itself. I’m from Virginia Beach, only a 4 hr drive, but the beaches of Emerald Isle are completely different- in a good way. The sand is white & very soft. The water was a pretty green color (I guess where Emerald Isle gets it’s name…) & the temperature of the water was perfect (very warm, but still refreshing). My husband even lucked out with a couple days of good waves.
The beach access is VERY close to Barometer Soup- I’d say a 1 minute walk from the driveway to the sand. A wonderful trip, we can’t wait to come back next year!

As you can see, Barometer Soup West and Emerald Isle are a winning combination for your vacation.

Just a heads up, this property is booking fast for 2010. I noticed it is already booked for half of May and most of July. So don’t snooze on this one, you will lose out on a great time. Booking information can be found here.

By far one of my favorite condo complexes in Emerald Isle would have to be Pier Pointe. This oceanfront/oceanside community offers plenty of amenities to make your vacation rental experience a real wonderful experience. I have personally been in several of these properties and can tell you they are really nicely laid out.

I think they all offer ocean views from the main decks, and sound views from the backside. You can find Pier Pointe in the 2900 block of Emerald Isle.

These properties make excellent vacation rentals in an excellent part of Emerald Isle. This part of the island gets a little narrower than the western end and really makes you feel surrounded by water. You’ll also be close to a quaint coastal gift shop and convenience store.

Pier Pointe condos even have fireplaces in them so if you find yourself here on a fall or winter evening, cozy up next to the fire. Other amenities include a swimming pool, tennis court, volleyball net, and outside showers. Relax the day and your cares away with a line in the water and if you’re lucky enough to catch something tasty throw it on the park style grills.

High speed wireless Internet is available to all units at this condo complex. Also all units have in-room jacuzzis.

Pier Pointe 5-B-1 is a 2 bedroom and 2 bath rental. It is currently managed by Emerald Isle Realty and comes with their Island Club linen service and beds made. At the moment it looks to have plenty of weeks available, but that probably will not remain the case as the season approaches.

I was only able to find one review for this rental.

We enjoyed the view…..It was awesome. We were on 3rd floor…and other than
the unpacking and packing the van…the steps were not too bad…It was nice
having the towels and linens provided. The kitchen was supplied very nicely.
The love seat in the living room needs to be replaced and it would be nice if
the dinning room had seating for 6. Clean unit and well taken care of…We will
rent this unit again!!!

Seems that they thoroughly enjoyed their stay at the beach. More information on renting this property is available here.

If you’ve stayed in this rental we’d like to hear your opinion of it. Feel free to leave a comment below.

Happy Renting,

Jason

I always thought Pebble Beach was well maintained, of course I only drove in and out occasionally. Perhaps property owners felt a little differently. The landscape around the complex and it’s common areas always had a well manicured look to it. The pools here always looked so inviting to me. So its hard to tell whether or not it was the HOA who decided to change managers.

Of course there is always the possibility that Bluewater deemed it unprofitable for them to manage this property any longer. Although, I find that hard to believe since I’m sure their management fee was quite nice chunk of change. But I guess once you factor in employee pay, materials, and other overhead you reach a break even or loss point pretty quickly.

Well whatever played out, I would like to wish the Pebble Beach HOA and Emerald Isle Realty the best of luck in their new partnership. Emerald Isle Realty is a class act, staffed with some really nice folks who do a great job.

And I’m confident Bluewater will find other condo complexes to manage, or they may be trying to get away from that segment of the business. I can only guess. Nonetheless, I wish them and their staff the best of luck as well.

Emerald Isle –

I will be adding many properties in the coming weeks that I can find consumer reviews on, and that also represent a great value to folks looking to stay in a beach house this summer.

From what I can read about this property, its definitely a winner. The price doesn’t seem to go over $2,00 a week even in the prime season. 1 A Pelican’s Perch offers 5 bedrooms and 3 baths. It is a well equipped, tastefully decorated third row single family beach rental. You will find some excellent views from this property as it is well situated to allow you to view the ocean from the decks.

Like most rentals in Emerald Isle it is  equipped with washer/dryer, dishwasher, central heat/air,and high-speed internet (both wireless and CAT5 cabled).  The house is also loaded with color cable TVs so there should be little arguing as to what to watch.

I found these reviews from previous renters on tripadvisor.com. Emerald Isle Realty has a lot of their properties listed here with a lot of reviews.

This guest stayed in July of 2009:

The house was perfect for us, 3 families, each one had a level to themselves. The kitchen is very well stocked. The access to the beach was great, walk down the driveway, across 1 non-busy street, and the boardwalk was flat, with a few steps at the beach side. Great view from the decks w/the sound of the ocean, quiet neighborhood. The least thing we liked was parking, being from up north we all drive trucks or SUV’s so we had to juggle vehicles occasionally, but it did not take away from our vacation time. Nice grill, (which alot of places we have stayed have not been). Would stay again. Easy check in and check out from EIR.

Most guests seemed quite pleased with their stay at 1 A Pelican’s Perch. I’m confident you will be equally pleased.

As always happy renting.

This Emerald Isle rental has a lot to offer you and your family while visiting the Crystal Coast. You may have stayed here before when it was called Narnia-West. I haven’t been in this particular rental, however when I worked for Bluewater, I had the pleasure of visiting the East side. And truth be told it has always been one of my favorite beach rental properties in Emerald Isle.

I’m sure the west side is just as enchanting since these duplexes are always similar in layout. This is a modern property that rents at an attractive rate in my opinion. Like the majority of rentals in Emerald Isle this one does not allow smoking or pets. Please respect the owners wishes, whichever property you rent.

Alpha West is a 4 bedroom, 3 bath vacation dream come true. Some holiday weeks are still available at the time of this writing. This would be an excellent place in Emerald Isle to spend Memorial Day, Labor Day, or any day for that matter. I found some pretty nice reviews online about this excellent rental.

If you’ve never visited tripadvisor.com you should check there to see what previous renters had to say about the property you’re thinking about. And as always, if you’ve stayed in one of the properties featured here, I’d love to hear about your experience.

Here’s what one guest had to say about Alpha West:

Our stay at alpha west was so wonderful! It was everything we hoped for and much much more! It far exceded everything we were told to expect! Very clean! Very well kept up. Very, very nice! Thank you for sharing your home with us and being a part of such an unforgetable time! A memory we will never forget! We will be back!!

And another guest that has been staying here since it was Narnia West seemed to be equally pleased:

We have been staying at Alpha West as long as you have been renting it,
and before it was with Shorewood, it was called Narnia West, we also rented
it. This year was our 7th year in the same house. The new owners made
great improvements. We love the house, and will continue to rent it as long
as our health allows.
We found the house to be exceptionally clean on our arrival this year. Not
having to strip the beds before we left was a big plus for us. We use to have
to strip all the beds, even though we never use any of the beds in the loft.
All of us that stay there are over 60, and I will celebrate my 74th in a few
days, so the things that make it easier on us are greatly appreciated

None of us have anything negative about the house. If you could control
the weather, then I would complain to you, but we know who’s in control of
that, and accept whatever comes.

Thanks for a great place to spend our too short time in Emerald Isle

For more information about renting Alpha West contact Shorewood Real Estate. I’m sure they would be glad to assist you.

As always happy renting,

Jason

Emerald Isle

There are 2 oceanfront master bedrooms each with a jacuzzi to relax the worries of your everyday life away. They also have a 20″ LCD TV and DVD player as well as an IPod dock.

On the ground level there is a playroom with color cable TV, VCR, and DVD player. The kids will be entertained with Nintendo 64 and X Box. The adults will enjoy the mini fridge and accompanying wet bar. There is a game table and ping pong table on the ground level as well.

On the main level you’ll find a quiet study with a queen sleeper sofa, desk, telephone/answering machine, and computer. This cottage also provides you with high speed wireless Internet access. The home has real hardwood floors and is exquisitely decorated. Breezy Cottage also sports a well equipped gourmet kitchen should you feel like cooking some serious cuisine. If you find yourself here during the cooler part of the year there is a gas fireplace to cozy up next to.

The media room sports a 50″ LCD TV with digital cable and HD channels with DVR. If you’re not able to, or dislike climbing stairs, have no fear, this cottage has an elevator.

If you’re in the military you will be pleased to know this rental in Emerald Isle offers a military discount. I found several reviews of Breezy Cottage on the Internet and it seems most guests were quite satisfied with their rental experience here.

The Thompson Family from Ohio had this to say:

I have been coming to Emerald Isle for over10 years, I love the weather ,the houses are all great, some are better than the others but I am always happy, I hate to leave the island and cant wait to come back down to my second home. The staff at Emerald Isle Realty is super, the houses are always clean and ready for the best vacation ever. They treat you as family and who could ask for any thing better than that. The Thompson Family

Another family from Florida were equally as pleased:

Eight of us stayed at Breezy Cottage for a week over Christmas and found it perfect in every way. We were amazed at the conveniences that came with the house. It was wonderful waking up in the morning and watching the sun rises. The sunsets were just as spectacular. Food shopping was not too far away either. If we could afford it we would definitely come back in the summer.

So from what I can tell Breezy Cottage would be a nice choice. Booking information can be found here.

If you’ve stayed at this rental I’d love to hear your comments, leave them in the space provided below.

Currently Emerald Isle Realty is managing An Island Oasis so be sure to contact them when you decide to pull the trigger and book this rental for this year’s vacation. This cottage is oceanfront and offers hot/cold outside showers to rinse off when you get back from the beach.

The lush landscape is maintained professionally and always looks like a tropical paradise. This rental offers both ocean and sound views, which is not extremely common in Emerald Isle. An Island Oasis is dog friendly, provided you pay the $200 non-refundable pet fee per dog.

You’ll still be able to stay in touch with the office considering this rental includes high-speed Internet. Do some folks in your party have mobility issues? No worries here, there’s an elevator to make to make things easier. There is also a hot tub for your enjoyment.

An Island Oasis is a non-smoking Emerald Isle rental so please be mindful of the homeowner’s wishes and future guests health.

If you feel like cooking out there’s a gas grill to throw some steaks or pork chops on and really enjoy summer at the beach.

Most of the reviews I could find regarding this property were very positive. I’ve been in this house before and it is obviously professionally decorated which makes your first impression that much more awe-inspiring.

Happy Renting!

When you rent the Clamdigger the linens are provided by Emerald Isle Realty’s Island Club linen service with the beds made. I know I wouldn’t want to make the beds after a long drive heading to the beach.

You’ll no doubt enjoy watching the sunsets from the soundfront porch while you’re here. Just kick back in one of the rockers and relax all your cares away. Clamdigger does not have its own Internet access. But personally, I’d like to leave my laptop home while on vacation at the beach. However, if you’re totally unable to leave your work at the office for the week, Time Warner does have WiFi for a daily or weekly fee. I’ts the older “b” standard wireless so it’s only 11 Mbps, but it will get the job done.

Who needs Internet access anyway when the Clamdigger has a wet bar? Pina Colada anyone? Crank up some tunes on the stereo with CD player.  There’s also 3 color cable TVs. Perhaps you’d like to grill up some local seafood on the charcoal grill while you’re here. The Clamdigger is a non-smoking rental. Also it is not pet-friendly so you’ll have to leave the pets at home.

I found some guest reviews while browsing Emerald Isle rentals online. Most folks that rented this property seemed to be rather pleased with it.

This review was posted by a guest from Lincolnton, NC:

The house was really nice and had a lovely view of the sound. The only problem I had was that there was poison ivy crawling up the back deck which caused problems when letting the kids run around. I also didn’t really like the sky light in the master suite….other than that, it was perfect for the 4 families to say in! I also loved that there is an ice maker!!(6 adults & 3 kids)

Another guest, this one from Fort Mill, SC seemed to enjoy their stay as well:

I have stayed at the Clamdigger many times and keep coming back…thank you for fixing the ice machine! You do need to know that the steps into the water are loose and dangerous. The bottom step has completely fallen off. Someone fell our first day attempting to get into the sound,and scraped her leg up pretty badly. It would also be nice to have access tho the kayaks locked up downstairs. Overall, I highly recommend the Clamdigger. The back deck and pier are priceless…so are the sunsets!!!

Manager Response: June 06, 2009

Thank you for your comments and we are so sorry you fell using the steps. Maintenance has been sent out and fixed those steps so on your next stay you should have no problems

I hope you find that perfect rental in Emerald Isle and have the vacation of a lifetime here on the Crystal Coast. You can find more info on this rental by visiting Emerald Isle Realty’s site .