A Wave From It All / 1631 E Pelican Drive

We were so happy with this house for our vacation. It was exactly as advertised, clean and comfortable with new updates. The open floor plan was very spacious for everyone to be together. The location was perfect. We walked out the front door and had the ocean one block to the right and scenic walkway over the Davis Canal to the left, with quiet streets all around for riding bikes. We loved it.

We wanted so much to enjoy this property and experience all Oak Island has to offer, but our experience was less than enjoyable. As we retired for the evening on the first night, my wife noticed something crawling on the ceiling in the master bedroom. It wasn't a centipede or some other bug, it was a ROACH. Figuring it was seeking refuge from the rainy weather outside, we wrote it off as a fluke occurrence. Then, later the next afternoon (Saturday), we found two more in the kitchen and one in the dining room. Fortunately, there was some spray under the kitchen sink (should have been our first hint that the management company knew of this issue beforehand) so we armed ourselves with Raid and began looking for others. By the end of the evening, we had killed more than a DOZEN large roaches in the kitchen and dining area. I had already sent an email to the management office about a plumbing issue (the toilet in the master bathroom would not stop running) so I sent another letting them know they would need an exterminator to come out when the plumber came by. This was on Saturday night. Sunday passed without any response or correspondence from the management company, but with the death of another dozen or so roaches. A plumber showed up on Monday morning to fix the toilet and when I asked if the office said anything about the bugs, he said he wasn't aware. It wasn't until later that afternoon, when I sent an email to the office letting them know the toilet was fixed, that I received a response about the bugs: great, do you still need an exterminator then? My response to that query was a definitely, but we will be leaving the property as soon as we can. Overall, the location of the house was nice: a close walk to the beach, on a quiet road with little traffic, and a nice screened-in porch. The condition of the house left a lot to be desired, it was easy to tell this was a property managed by a company who cares more about making money than keeping up with preventative maintenance. The screen on the porch wasn't even secured on one corner, blowing in the mild winds we were having and not really doing anything to keep the flying insects out of the porch. The screen door on the porch was also not securable so it, too, constantly blew open and closed in the winds. If you're looking for a nice quiet place to stay, I would look elsewhere. If you're set on staying here, though, be warned. And bring your roach spray.

Very, nice -- better than most in this price range. 3 minute walk to the beach access couldn't have been easier. House has a good layout, everything was clean and kitchen was well appointed. As another guest noted, the second bedroom is TWO TWIN BEDS instead of a full, so pack accordingly. We look forward to staying here again.

There's a lot to commend this house: price, location (2 short blocks to beach access, across the street to marsh boardwalk), ample space and light for a 3BR unit, screen porch, side porch, and outdoor shower. Cooking and dining: The kitchen has ample space and a nice fridge. We cooked all of our meals, and found most of what we needed of pots, pans, spatulas, etc. The dining table is a great size for 6 or 8. However, we often enjoyed the screen porch for outdoor meals. Although there isn't a table on the screen porch, it was very pleasant to sit with plates in hand! Bedrooms: The listing says 3BR - 2Q and 1F (all pictured). When we stayed, there were 2 singles in place of the full - not ideal for a bring your own linens booking. All beds would be much helped with some new pillows. Overall, recommended. We'd be glad to return again.

Great property very nice neighborhood