Oak Island retreat, 'Don't Stop Believin', spacious 4BR with ocean views and private pool.

The house was never cleaned before our stay yet we had to wait til 4:30pm to check in. When I say nothing was cleaned I mean nothing and this was during a pandemic. I found feces on the cabinet next to the toilet. My kids were so excited about the bunk beds and jumped up on top to watch tv while we unpacked and tried cleaning up. My daughter kept complaining that she smelled urine. The comforter had urine dried into it and found a huge yellow urine stain through to the mattress pad. So yes that means even the blankets were never cleaned. The pool was beyond filthy and you could barely smell any chlorine. The pool company showed up the next day and we asked if he would vacuum the pool. He said no and that he would skim the bottom. We had to have him also fix the hot tub because it was stuck at 110 degrees and about melted your skin off. We were told that the hot tub has a ton of issues and was previously used. If this house was clean and the amenities up-kept this would be an amazing place to stay. The rental company is beyond horrible. I called multiple times demanding to speak with Kim (property manager) or a manager and no one would call me back after telling them how the house was found. We honestly wanted to leave and go back home with a refund but I couldn’t and still can’t get anyone to contact me and compensate us or attempt to make up for this disgusting mess we were left with. I needed a getaway due to an overwhelming amount of stress at home and got here and had a whole other headache. The housekeeping company admitted that the house wasn’t cleaned but tried to tell me that the house was spray sanitized for Covid. I don’t even believe that. The housekeeper came to take the urine soaked blankets and tried to leave the comforter and never wiped down the mattress. ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING!!!!!! If the owners read this and I pray they do: Make sure the house is cleaned. Take care of the pool and hot tub and have your windows cleaned so you can actually see outside. Follow these simple things and you’ll have a 5 star rating by everyone. The house is cute and decorated nicely and in a wonderful location. But the things we were left to deal with is completely unacceptable!

We really enjoyed our stay! The house was very cute! It was clean and the location was perfect! The pool and hot tub were excellent as well. I would suggest the description be updated to include all the terrific beach accessories available to use! The listing said chairs, but there is also a wagon and a tent so we didn’t need to bring those items with us! It could have saved us some room in the car! There was a golf cart available to use. We received emails from the property company about its use (and we signed the relevant paperwork and returned it) but when we got there, there were no keys. Tried contacting Kim at Better Beach Rentals but never received any response. That was frustrating as the area lends itself to golf cart use with several restaurants and stores within a mile.

The house was not thoroughly cleaned. There was food in the fridge and freezer and a load of laundry left in the dryer. We were not given enough towels and when I tried to call during business hours, I could not get anyone to answer the phone. I sent an email and no one responded to that until we did have a girl show up at the house unannounced saying she was there to pick up our linens a couple of days after we emailed them. We didn’t know what she was talking about because she wasn’t giving us more linens to replace the ones we had but then realized she must have meant the load of laundry that was left in the dryer. We told her we had not been given enough towels for everyone and I had not been able to get ahold of anyone at Better Beach Rentals and she said she would get me more but she never did. I was constantly washing towels so we could all shower. We did however meet the owner to the house because they were having work done and he was extremely nice. The pool was definitely an added bonus however no one came to clean the pool until Right before we left and the owner said it should have been earlier in the week. I had also called Better Beach Rentals a month before our trip to finish paying our rental fee and the person I spoke to was extremely rude.

My friends and I enjoyed ourselves at Don’t Stop Believin’! Across the street from the beach and within a few blocks of two cute coffee shops, the house is in a fabulous location and had plenty of room for all of us. Downsides were there was no grill and the hot tub was too cold initially but after calling the rental service, that was fixed within a couple days. Other than that, extremely smooth check-in and stay! Loved the bunk beds and two full bathrooms, the living room with the views and the balcony. Will definitely consider coming back next year!