For me this is the perfect place to stay. The location is great. The ocean is a hop, skip and a…read morejump across the street and the sound of the waves is perfect. Restaurants and shops are very close, but far enough away that it's still nice and peaceful and quiet. The cottage is incredibly clean and very well kept. It is sweetly decorated with cute, charming little touches. Basic conveniences are perfectly covered. The owners were great to work with. They were very caring and responsive. I can't say enough good things. Seagulls Landing is a great find so while I wish the owners the very best of luck, I hope it doesn't get too popular! It's the kind of place you want to return to year after year.

I could not say enough nice things about this cozy cottage. It was just steps away from the beach…read more Susan provided everything we could possibly need. Including kitchen utensils, blender, grill outside, beach chairs, and even dog bowls. It was very pet friendly. We had a great time and want to book again next year. Susan was a great person to rent from

I have always like this place and I have stayed here several times; however, this last time we took…read moreour new member of the family :) our precious 7 month old baby girl. I was so excited and happy that they have a pack'n play, high chair and even a baby bath tub. So you literally don't have to worry about anything. The place is in a great location and the owners are very friendly. I highly encourage you to book your stay, I'm sure you are not gonna regret it!!!

TheeRiviera is a great place to stay! Clean place, beautiful views, everything we wanted for our…read morevacay! Thank you!

have been vacationing in Topsail for over 20 years, and unfortunately this home, rented through…read moreWard Realty, did not meet our expectations. The standard checkout time is 10:00 a.m. and check-in is 3:00 p.m. We received a notification that the home was ready for check-in at noon, which meant there were only about two hours between the previous guests checking out and our arrival. Based on the condition of the home, it appeared the cleaning was rushed. (We did not ask for an earlier check in). There were stains on the walls, carpet, and baseboards. The floors were dusty and sticky in several areas, and the overall cleanliness fell well below what we expected. Outside, the picnic table was unstable, and the front porch railing was noticeably loose. We were uncomfortable using the porch because it did not feel secure. The photos of the listing are also not accurate of the current state of the property. The furniture is not the same. The listing does not reflect what you are truly renting. (Fun n the Sun) Overall, the property appears to be in need of both a thorough deep cleaning and some maintenance and updates. This is now the second time our family has rented from Ward Realty (last February) and the property was dirty and not as advertised. So much so that my parents had to ask for a replacement sofa because of how bad of shape the furniture was in. My parents left a negative review about this property as well but it was not posted on the listing. Which is unethical. We went multiple times throughout the year at Topsail, we will never rent from Ward Realty again. We have always had positive experiences vacationing in Topsail, so this stay was disappointing. Given Ward Realty's reputation, we expected the property to be in much better condition.

There's a reason Ward Realty has such a strong reputation on the island--they are organized,…read moreprofessional, and provide excellent customer service. During our stay, the air conditioner stopped working. While we got a bit of a runaround initially due to the late hour, the service couldn't be completed until the following day. Throughout the process, Ward Realty was attentive, communicative, and accommodating, which made the situation much easier to handle. Aside from that hiccup, we walked into a clean, well-maintained house on our first day, and everything was exactly as described. Booking and check-in were seamless, and the staff made the entire process feel effortless. We look forward to rebooking with Ward Realty in the future--they make island rentals worry-free and enjoyable!

We stayed in CB Seebea #2 for 3 nights. Didn't read the fine print... they only give you ONE roll…read moreof toilet paper and ONE trash bag. You'd think for $300 a night, they could swing a few rolls of toilet paper. There were no pans, but maintenance guy went and got some. They were probably $5 and total garbage. Cooking was not an option. Location was great, AC worked, and it was a comfortable unit, just super cheap management company. Dishes were hodgepodge and dirty. Could be a really nice spot if it was maintained by someone who cared. Would not stay again.

Customer NO Service!…read more Multiple issues and the AC has been out for several days. Surprised in the lack of effort to accommodate or help. We've usually stayed with Ward Realty over the years and they are Awesome! When AC was on the Fritz's with them, they showed up the same day with fans and portable AC Units! This is hottest summer on record and just not much care or consideration for renters.

Saltwater Real Estate Co is THE BEST of the best. Dale and Carol have gone so far beyond normal to…read morehelp me find a place to stay during the off season that I dont think its possible to give them the proper credit, but they are "The Best! My situation is not normal. My house that I lived in for 25 years burned in 2022, and it left me in a situation that I could not afford to buy the house next to me since the values went up 300% and just like that I was houseless with only half enough money to function, so this dilemma has sent me on a journey to totally relocate and start my life over somewhere else, so at 72 I was totally adrift, and just by chance I saw Carolina Beach NC as a fantastic place to headquarter out of while I look around, and by chance I called Dale at Saltwater Real Estate about staying in a condo or many condos on the beach for the off season, and Dale worked so hard to accomidate me and help me navigate thru my many time sensitive road blocks as my apartment lease in Texas was up and I had no place to seemlessy go, so I was in limbo for lack of a better word, and I have never had anyone step up so quickly and take control of my situation and totally look out for me, and his lease clients, and Dale played a heck of a game of chess to secure a place for me to temporarily live while I get to know the area and buy a new place if I find here is where I want to be, and I cannot thank Dale, and Carol enough for saving me so much stress, time and money, and Dale has been the absolute best, and he is very in tune with the area, and he has a heart, and so honest, and professional and all I can add is, IF you need a realestate agent, for vacation rentals or for a forever place, Ill assure you you will not find anyone that will take care of everything you need more than Dale and Carol at Saltwater Real Estate. "THE BEST OF THE BEST"

We have travel plans booked to search for a home near Calabash and vicinity…read more Mike Smith has TWICE missed our prescheduled phone appointments. Will be arriving 9/6/25 from PA. Open to recommendations for another agent!

We rented a Topsail beach property for seven nights for approximately $18,000 from Landmark…read moreVacation Rentals. Unfortunately, the condition of the home differed significantly from what we expected based on the listing and price point. Cleanliness: The property was not adequately cleaned before check-in. The deck was covered in sand, exterior windows were heavily coated with salt residue, and the third-floor floors, bunk beds, mattresses and bedding were sandy. Simply running a hand across a bunk mattress picked up visible sand. We also found sand throughout the quilts, raising concerns about whether they had been properly laundered between guests. The living room couches had numerous marker and food stains, the rug was dirty, sandy and badly tattered, and an HVAC intake vent was heavily caked with dust. We photographed and reported everything immediately. Management said the cleaning crew would return. One person came two days later and vacuumed the third floor and cleaned the HVAC vent, but the deck/windows were not cleaned and the beds remained sandy, so we handled the rest ourselves. Maintenance: The shower head needed replacement, our door code did not work at check-in, and the hot tub was green with dirty brown foam and sand upon arrival. Management did send the hot tub company, which completely drained/refilled it - and returned two days later to drain/refill it again, however, the entire event was a hassle. The listing was also very misleading as the "ground/first floor" was actually a converted garage and basement. We reported a very strong musty scent of mold, and the Management office told us "this was typical for a bottom floor of a coastal property" and to run the dehumidifier. We have been coming to the Island since I was an infant, and we have never encountered this issue with any other rental over the last 40 years. To their credit, Management responded to reported issues, but no accommodation or compensation was offered for the numerous inconveniences. We genuinely felt that the listing's photos misrepresented the actual product we received. We spent a significant amount of our vacation communicating with the Property Management office to address these issues, which was exactly the opposite of a relaxing vacation. The location and beach access are appealing, but at this price point we expected a clean, maintained, guest-ready property. Based on our experience, I would not rent this property again or recommend it in its current condition.

I am writing this review to share my experience with Landmark Vacation Rentals and Alana Malechuk,…read morewhich has been extremely disappointing. On Wednesday, September 24, 2025 at 9:52 PM, I reserved a vacation rental through Landmark Vacations LLC for the dates August 29, 2026 - September 5, 2026. My credit card was processed the following morning on Thursday, September 25, 2025 at 11:17 AM, for a total of $7,067.44. Unfortunately, the dates did not work for my family. Within 19 hours of booking, on Thursday, September 25, 2025 at 5:04 PM, I sent a text message, email, and placed a phone call to cancel the reservation. We had not signed a contract with Landmark Vacation Rentals and canceled well within 24 hours of making the reservation. Despite this, $576.18 was withheld for "service charges." Alana Malechuk refused to refund this amount and stated in an email: "The fee is not retained by Landmark, but rather paid out to a third party vendor. For that reason, we are unable to refund the reservation fee." To better understand the charge, I respectfully requested: The name of the third-party vendor who received the fee, and An itemized receipt or accounting showing how the fee was distributed. I also asked that the company reconsider the charge given the timing of the cancellation and the lack of any actual service provided. Ms. Malechuk responded: "We will not be providing itemized documentation of these charges, as they are internal business costs disclosed and accepted under the terms of your booking. We consider this matter closed and will not be issuing a refund. Please refrain from further contact regarding this issue." I find it concerning that a significant fee was kept after a same-day cancellation, without a signed contract, and without any transparency regarding where the money went. Refusing to provide even basic documentation for a disputed charge does not inspire trust. I am sharing this experience so future customers are fully aware of how cancellations and "service charges" are handled by Landmark Vacation Rentals.

When I put a deposit on a vacation rental in good faith that it would be available for my week, I…read moretrusted Century 21 to honor that. When I called this office prior to my stay, they informed me that the home was being handled by a different realty company and that I'd be contacted. I was never contacted so I began calling century 21 looking for answers as to the status of my deposit and future payments toward the rental. I called and called and called. Amazingly, the owner and rental manager were IN MEETINGS FOR TWO STRAIGHT DAYS AND WOULD NOT RETURN MY CALLS. I took matters into my own hands, found that Wards Realty had the listing but were never told about my rental agreement. Wards tried to help us by finding another rental property and absorbing my lost deposit which Century 21 decided to KEEP for office expenses and commission. Have you ever? This company will not last with that lack of customer courtesy, care, or concern. My vacation, my money, my business meant nothing to them. I vowed to warn everyone of their practices. BEWARE **although the owner/broker responded to this review, it's unfortunate that he missed the point. Of course things happen that might interrupt a smootH rental. The real integrity would have shown itself in honest/upfront answers to our queStions beginning in November when we first inquired, and a more immediate response to dozens of calls in December and January, and a refund of all of our deposit since none of the changes were our fault. And please: don't blame No Carolina real estate laws on that because we know that's not the truth either. If you're just another unsavory realtor, what's the point of using your office for anything?? Character and business integrity, and maybe a little fake sincerity mean a heck of a lot more than a silly rental transaction. I hope my experience with you guides others in their realtor choices.

Beware, if you use this company for a winter rental you will be paying a lot to clean the cottage,…read morecarpets and upholstery when you leave. The place we rented was not clean when we got it. pretty sure they did not have it cleaned after being rented out all summer. They did suggest we get estimates from a few cleaning companies so we would know the charges(which I did). At the end of our lease we were told we could only choose from their two approved cleaning companies and only one carpet cleaner. We had to be out of the house before the end of our lease so the cleaners could get in before the weekly rentals started. We ended up paying ~$1000 for cleaning the place.

We rented the house Lookout, as we have done for approximately 15 years in a row. The house has…read moresteadily declined in upkeep over the years. The furniture is mostly the same as when we first started renting all those years ago. The formica counters are peeling and separating. But this year was an exceptionally bad experience. 30 minutes before check-in we were told that the a/c in the upstairs portion of the house was not working, but that "it should be fixed this week," and that they had installed a portable a/c unit. When we arrived in the house, the temperature upstairs was in excess of 80 degrees...and that was WITH the portable unit running. Thankfully it cooled down somewhat once the sun went down. The upstairs a/c was never fixed. Two more portable units were brought in, but those didn't make upstairs particularly comfortable. In addition, based on where they were installed, we completely lost the use of the upstairs porch. So at no point during our stay did we have complete use of the entire house in a functional way. When I reached out to A Beach Place about this and expressed our dissatisfaction, they said they were able to offer us a 10% refund. I reiterated the fact that we were not able to utilize over half of the house during the entirety of our stay, but they were unable or unwilling to offer anything else. It was a disappointing conclusion, considering the fact that we have spent so much money with them over the years. Neither the property owner nor A Beach Place seem concerned with ensuring that their customers have a satisfactory experience. So, in summary, do NOT stay in Lookout. The owner only seems to be interested in doing the absolute bare minimum maintenance, and has no interest in improving the property. A Beach Place is fine if everything goes smoothly, but if you are looking for someone to go to bat for you when things don't go well, they are either unable or unwilling to do so.

This year, 2025, was the 12th out of the last 13 years that we rented through A Beach Place…read more Everything is straightforward and easy to follow with the rental process. On the couple of occasions that we had minor maintenance issues with the rental, they were promptly taken care of. We love our current rental, Hidden Treasure", and hope to continue there years to come. It's clean, well kept and perfect for my wife and myself. Our previous home through them, the "Round House" (previously Ospreys Nest) was the upkept in the same manner, so I can imagine there are no surprises with any of their properties. We have not had any problems on their end that we have ever felt that they weren't acting above board on anything. A+

Essentially, Access Realty gets somewhere between a 1.5 to 2 star rating for their customer service…read moreand a 4.5 to 5 star rating for their accommodations, so I reckon that works out to about a 3 star average. Let's start with the positives. They offer relatively decent rental pricing and their properties (or at least the one that my family stayed in) are very well-maintained and clean. You also get a little tote with some "orientation" materials (ie, local brochures and ads, some toilet paper) upon checking in. That was a nice touch. However, checking in can be somewhat of a nightmare when dealing with Access Realty (or at least it was in my experience). Essentially, they do not let you take house keys prior to check in time (even if check in time is approximately 40 minutes away and it's not like you're going to barge into the house), they stress the need for you to present back at their command when your keys are indeed ready, they then neglect to call you when your keys are ready, and all the while they act as though it would be a major inconvenience to them should you pick up your keys any later then 3:30pm (their established check in time) and only very begrudgingly admit that they man the office until 6pm. The bottom line is that I would book a beach house via Access Realty again in the future (as their houses seemingly are very nice), but I would just try to interact as little as possible with the staff.

Homeowners Beware -- My Experience With Access Realty I…read morepurchased a $1.89M beach house in April 2026 with plans to self-manage it as a short-term rental. At the time of purchase, I understood that the previous owner had an existing management that I was required to honor until the reservations already booked were fulfilled. Because of that, I had to work with Access Realty for the upcoming season. I had about one month before the first reservation. During that time, I repeatedly asked Access Realty to come to the property, review the changes I had made, update the amenities, and take new photographs. Instead, someone from the office took unprofessional photos, which I found extremely disappointing. The property was not accurately represented, and it took an excessive amount of time for the photos to be updated on their website. Lack of communication was another major issue. I repeatedly had to ask the same questions and request basic information. I asked whether I could handle the linens myself because homeowners are charged $203 per week reservation for linens, plus $8.50 per bed for making the beds. I was told I could. After the first reservation, I arrived on time to begin the laundry, only to discover that Access Realty had not communicated this arrangement to the cleaning company. The cleaner was visibly upset by my presence, and I was made to feel extremely uncomfortable at my own property. I went to the office to address my concerns right after. I explained that more than a month after purchasing a nearly $2 million property, no one from the company had come to inspect it, discuss expectations from both sides, inventory my home. I left feeling there was very little accountability for the problems or interest in understanding my expectations as the homeowner. I felt that my property was being treated as though it were their investment rather than mine. My property was just a cash cow for the company and I was in the way. I start cleaning the property myself. The cleaning fee is $550, but I was also charged a $30 inspection fee after I cleaned the property myself. I later found that the $550 cleaning fee was actually built into the room rent rather than being charged to the guest as a separate, itemized cleaning fee. This meant that when I cleaned the property, I was cleaning for free. If I hired a cleaner, I would have been paying that cleaner out of my room rent income rather than the guest paying for the cleaning fee. I was also told someone would roll the trash cans to the road, only to discover that this was an additional $20-per-week charge. Access Realty charges 16% commission on room rent and also charges guests a $250 reservation fee per booking, for admin work. I repeatedly requested itemized breakdowns of reservation charges and was told that obtaining basic information about my rental income was a "special request" I eventually hired an attorney regarding the cleaning-fee issue and how the charges were presented. During a conversation involving my attorney, a representative of the company stated that they had dealt with many homeowners who had threatened to sue them and that those homeowners had NEVER WON. I found that statement extremely concerning and unprofessional. Why are so many homeowners unhappy with their payouts? Access Realty's own statement to homeowners:"No Hidden Fees or Charges: We don't charge our homeowners any hidden charges or fees. Our easy to read owner statements will clearly show rental income, our commission, and any other agreed upon services or work orders. We don't charge our homeowners housekeeping fees or convenience charges." LIES I felt there were numerous individual fees for services and that I was being nickel-and-dimed throughout the contract. For perspective, one guest paid $10,497 for a week, while my payout was $6,640. I am extremely relieved that my contract with Access Realty is over and that I no longer have to deal with the company. There's much more context that I can't add for the length of the review. Just avoid hiring this company it's shifty.