Just to give you an idea of some things you might need:
- Beach chairs (If you’re interested in renting beach equipment from a local service — such as umbrellas, chairs, boogie boards, bikes, games, etc. visit: Beach Gear Rental. For orders over $50, your items will be delivered and picked up after your departure.) Unfortunately, we try to supply chairs, but they invariably go missing, so we can’t guarantee they will be available. If they are, they will be stowed next to the outdoor shower in the carport, but please use caution if you choose to use them, as they also tend to get very rusty — despite trying to replace them several times a year.
- Cooler
- Sunscreen
- Beach towels (please don’t use bath towels on the beach; housekeeping charges additional cleaning fees for this). If you’re from out of town, you can get inexpensive beach towels at some of the tourist stores. You may also rent beach towels from the company linked above.
- Extra rolls of toilet paper (two rolls provided at check-in — we try to keep extras under the sinks, but they don’t always last and we can’t restock till we’re there).
- Extra paper towels (we provide a roll at check-in)
- Dish cloths/Dish towels (we couldn’t keep these staying nice and clean looking — & tossing them every week or two was about as wasteful as paper towels…)
- Kleenex/Tissues
- Paper plates & cups (dishware is all there, but you’ll need paper & plastic for eating/drinking on beach)
- Laundry detergent (High Efficiency (HE) detergent is a must; we provide 2 pods at check-in so that you can run a load or two of linens as you’re leaving)
- Extra trash bags (we provide one at check-in — and like with other things, we try to leave extras under the sink, but they don’t always last)
- Dishwasher detergent (we stock enough for each guest to run the dishwasher at check-out, but if you plan to run the dishwasher several times during your stay, please bring additional detergent)
- Saran wrap, aluminum foil, ziplock bags, & food storage containers
- Charcoal, lighter fluid & a lighter, if you wish to use the grill
- Additional linens (we provide 1 bath towel, 1 hand towel, 1 washcloth, for each person staying + hair towel twists for anyone who needs them. We also provide bed linens with 1 pillowcase for each person staying, so if you require additional linens, please plan to bring those; there are extra blankets and extra pillows — but you’d need to supply the extra pillowcases. If you plan to convert the twin beds to a king, please bring king linens as well)
- Bottled water (if desired; the water on the island is potable & does not have that typical “beachy” taste — we drink from the tap when we’re there)
- Coffee — there is usually some in cabinet above the coffee maker, but it’s not replenished by our cleaner, so we can’t guarantee it will be there
- Specialty cleaning supplies (we supply the basics, but you might have your own preferences; please do not bring any bleach products)
- Specialty bath soap, shampoo, etc. (again, we supply the basics, but you might want your own brands)
- Biodegradable bath soap and shampoo (for the outdoor shower; we do supply this, but you might want your own)
- Specialty hand soap (we supply the basics; refill bottle is normally under the guest bathroom sink)
- Rainy-day games (we hope you don’t need these, but — ya know — just in case)
- Casual clothes (if you plan to eat out, most places on the island are pretty laid-back and casual)
- Flip-flops (no-brainer, right?)
- Extra phone chargers + your laptop chargers
Please note: We try to provide the essentials for a short stay and enough to get you started for a longer stay, but please understand that we can’t offer an unlimited supply because we simply don’t have a staff — as a hotel would — to continually re-stock supplies for future guests if one guest uses more than anticipated. Also, we don’t live nearby and are only able to get down occasionally to re-stock, ourselves.
We recently began offering linens at no additional charge (like many homes on the NC coast, we formerly asked that folks bring their own or offered an optional linen service, but they charged guests up to $110 per stay). We hope you understand that turning over a home with multiple loads of linens in a limited amount of time is very challenging — we’re not a hotel, so we don’t have lots of sets of linens & multiple laundry machines — thus, our cleaner can only get so much done in the time they have between check-in & check-out. This is why we kindly ask that you run at least one load of laundry before leaving (please don’t overload the washer, though). If you would prefer not to do this, please let us know so we can schedule extra time for cleaners — or you’re welcome to bring your own linens or rent linens from this local business: http://www.sweetdreamslinen.com.
Note:
- We provide some supplies at check-in to get you started: a roll of paper towels, two rolls of toilet paper, a trash bag, & a laundry detergent pod for you to wash a load of linens prior to checking out.
- Some toiletries are provided, as are a few other household items such as dish soap, etc. – just use what you need and leave the rest for the next guest. All-natural, earth-friendly all-in-one bodywash/shampoo is provided in the outdoor shower. Please use this when you shower outside to keep chemicals out of the soil — especially when it’s so close to the ocean and wetlands.
Indoor entertainment:
- WiFi (usually 200+ mbps & up to 440 — on an island. Seriously.)
- Books/Magazines
- Living area:
- Smart TV
- Streaming HD Cable
- Master bedroom:
- Smart TV
- Streaming HD Cable
General:
- New plank flooring throughout
- Central air conditioning and heating
- Ceiling fans in living room and master bedrooms (both with remotes — please return remotes to receptacles upon departure)
- Washer/dryer (standard capacity — high efficiency (HE) detergent only)
- Iron and small ironing board
- Alarm clock (if needed, in bottom drawer of white chest of drawers)
- Covered parking available for 1-2 vehicles. Parking available for 4 average size vehicles.
- “Smart” wifi thermostat
- “Smart” keyless entry
- “Smart” exterior lighting
- Linens: Bed sheets, in addition to one bath towel, one hand towel, and one washcloth per person staying. We also supply “hair turbans” for those washing longer hair.
- Box fans for both bedrooms
Kitchen:
- 4-burner range
- Microwave
- Refrigerator/freezer with icemaker (brand new)
- Dishwasher (brand new)
- Toaster oven (pop-up toaster in cabinet above)
- Blender (kept in cupboard to right of range)
- Coffeemaker: Keurig with pod or decanter options
- Kitchen towels: in the cupboard to the right of the dishwasher; please include anything you use in the laundry; fine to go in with the whites.
- Garbage disposal (switch is under the sink; Note: Please run water while running garbage disposal and please do not put any of the following in garbage disposal: coffee grounds, eggshells, popcorn kernels, sand, shells, and other things that may damage it.)
- Pots, pans, silverware, dinnerware, drinking glasses, coffee mugs
- Serving bowls
- Cooking utensils including kitchen knives, can opener, colander
- Recycling bin (in kitchen cabinet under the sink)
Bar Nook:
- 4-bottle wine fridge
- Glasses – types: white wine, red wine, champagne, martini, hurricane, low balls
- Wine rack & cocktail shelves
- Bartending tools including a wine opener and bottle opener
Bedrooms: 2 bedrooms, sleeps 4 in total
- Bedroom 1: one king bed, 4 pillows, 1 quilt, 1 throw pillow
- Bedroom 2: two twin/single beds – Each: 1 pillow, 1 comforter, 2 throw pillows
- Note: If additional pillows are desired, each sham has a pillow inside it with a pillow case. You must launder any used pillowcases at checkout.
- Luggage Racks (a total of 3)
- Beds will be made prior to your arrival (unless you choose the king conversion option for the second bedroom)
- **Please do not use any linens on the beach.
Bathrooms: 2 full bathrooms
- Bathroom 1 (master): toilet, stall shower + hairdryer
- Bathroom 2: toilet, combination tub/shower
Private outdoor amenities:
- Two walk-out decks
- Two chaise lounges (for use on the porch, only)
- Outdoor shower with hot water
- Outdoor hose-off area
- Private beach access/private walkway
- Please keep the “private” sign up & the rope on the beach side up, as well; otherwise, others will use the walkway & we’ve had issues with people from other houses dragging their coolers and chairs up and down the stairs & also leaving trash (note: the couple in the seafoam-green house beside us occasionally use the walkway when they’re there, as does the woman to the other side — but they’re not in town often and when they are, they rarely access the beach)
- 21″ x 21″ Charcoal grill (permanently installed in the ground just behind the house — please clean and then cover when done; grill tools are in the drawer under the range and grill cleaning spray is under the kitchen sink)