WHAT TO BRING:
You must furnish your own sheets, pillow cases, blankets, towels, beach chairs, etc. If you don't want to bring your own, you can rent a linen package for $158. The linens will be delivered to the house before your arrival. For about $35 extra, you can have the beds made up before your arrival.
Golf Cart Outlet is the best place we've found to rent a golf cart at $325/week or $600/week for 2 carts. Their number is 910-579-8070.
The large kitchen is well stocked with service for 12. It is equipped with a flat-top stove, oven, microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, blender, sandwich maker, dishwasher, and refrigerator/freezer with ice maker. There are plenty of pots, pans, casserole dishes, mixing bowls, muffin tins, etc.
It's not in the kitchen, but the house is also equipped with a full-size washer and dryer, as well as an iron and ironing board. There is also a clothes line in the carport for hanging wet beach towels.
RECREATION:
Of course, the main attraction is the beach and building sand castles and collecting shells. There are also two community pools located in our Island Park neighborhood. On the island, there is a miniature golf course and tennis courts. You can also rent bicycles or charter a fishing trip, The Museum of Coastal Carolina is also located on the island.
Just off the island, you can find go-cart racing and more miniature golf. The Silver Coast Winery is only 15 minutes from the island and offers tours and tastings. Myrtle Beach is only 45 minutes away and has everything from water parks to outlet malls to the NASCAR Speedpark. It is also home to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Atlanta Braves Class A minor league baseball team.
The house has a big yard where kids can play safely. Inside, there are toys and board games for younger kids and we just added a PlayStation 2 with a variety of games for the older ones.
RESTAURANTS:
When we stay at the house, we tend to eat at home a lot. That said, we do have a few favorite restaurants. For dinner, Roberto's Italian Restaurant, just off the island, is our favorite. The Bang Bang Shrimp makes a great appetizer. The fish is always wonderful. If you are a beef person, the Filet Mignon is hard to beat. And the pizza is great (we often have them prepare 2 or 3 that we freeze and bring home). Roberto's also has a full bar.
Calabash, the 'Seafood Capital of the World,' is only 6 miles from Ocean Isle. For dinner, we love The Boundry House. We have never been disappointed here. Capt. Nance's offers the typical fried fish and shrimp and the prices are decent. Also, the hushpuppies are outstanding.
For breakfast, we like the Purple Onion Cafe in Shallote. It's a 15 minutes drive, but the giant pancakes, blueberry biscuits and raspberry croissants are fantastic.
