Spacious, dog-friendly home with ocean views, beach access, & pool

The Whale Den did not meet our expectations, by far. To start, the WiFi password information provided in our welcome email was not correct. Even when we called the property manager, we were still given the wrong information. We ‘happened’ upon the correct information later in the evening. There was mold and mildew throughout the entire home (this is a health hazard for those who are pregnant, have asthma, etc.). Most blinds throughout the home were broken and window screens ripped. Curtains, lamp shades, and flooring were dirty with stains. Most TVs in the home did not work and/or did not have access to cable as advertised. The kitchen was filthy along with a hand-written note on the disposal to say that it did not work. There were no drain plugs in the bathtubs. Some of the bedroom doors did not latch or were difficult to close. The mattresses were very uncomfortable. One of the queen beds actually had three bunkbed mattresses stacked and covered to act as a queen mattress! This was neither comfortable nor stable.Screws on the decking were rusted, sticking up with sharp edges. Additionally, the stairs (decking) entering the home had several significant cracks (hazard). And last, but certainly not least, we could not use the dryer due to ‘standing water’ inside the dryer!I would not recommend this rental.To end on a nice note, our family still enjoyed a nice week of good weather.

We stayed at this house almost 3 years ago before it was managed by Vacasa. We really enjoyed that trip and the house was large enough for our big family so we booked again. The location is perfect, love the direct access to the beach and the community pool. The problems we had with this trip is there has been 3 years of wear and tear, but it appears no maintenance or updates. There was mold or mildew in some of the rooms, severely overgrown thorny vines that in some cases were a tripping hazard on the boardwalks/stairs to the house (we trimmed them so our little kids didn’t trip), the tvs in rooms either don’t work or don’t have remotes. Then the decking and boardwalks are a little concerning, weakened boards throughout and nails sticking up. The beds are fairly hard/uncomfortable and one bedroom had broken blinds. It’s a shame, this house is really great if a bit of time and maintenance was invested in it.

Liked being in Northern Top Sail. Less traffic this time of year.

Great location and relaxing. Comfortable beds. Easily housed our group of 17. Needs some updating.

The house did have the advertised number of rooms but it needs a lot of work to make it hospitable. Not recommended.

We had a nice stay. Deck to walk out to beach was nice. Decks are close to neighbors, so if it is a busy week, your space will be limited. This is our favorite neighborhood in Topsail to stay in. House was open and felt inviting and homey. Beds are out dated. There is no where for pets to potty by the house so you have to walk them down the drive way. Overall, we enjoyed our stay and the house was nice.

The location is great, there was almost no one on the beach we had it all to ourselves. Big beautiful sandy beach with great waves for boogie boarding. Nice to have an unpretentious, dog friendly house with its own beach access.

Loved the house we stayed in and the direct access to the beach

This is the second year we have stayed in this house and we still love it. Nice house, great location.

Location and weather