Avis Dog-friendly home with private pool, hot tub, WiFi, central AC & private W/D

My friends and I stayed at the starfish retreat this past weekend. It was nice but we were not given any trash bags so we had to use food lion bags to throw our trash away. The hot tub was a bit dirty and we wish they had a few essential items that are normally needed when you stay at a beach house for a few days. The location was fine and close to the beach and the house was nicely decorated.

This property worked out great for our family Thanksgiving trip, plenty of room for everyone to gather and plenty of room to spread out when needed. There were a few very minor things that could be addressed but nothing that diminished our experience. There was talk of making this trip a yearly tradition even before it was over.

Upon arriving at this home with my team, I found the house to be unclean beyond what words can describe. Dirty dishes in the cabinets, kitchen countertops and stove filthy, coffee pot with the previous person used coffee filter and K-cup still in the machine, bathrooms with the previous persons hair all over the bath tubs, toilets, floor and sinks, carpets unvacuumed and floors not swept or mopped -- it was a total wreck. Thankfully we had cleaning supplies and could clean it all for ourselves. I would NOT recommend this home for rent to anyone.

We love the outer banks and the location was a perfect place and close to the beach. The house itself needs updated and some regular home improvements. The second floor balcony did not feel safe as the wood is deteriorating and the railing around it did not feel safe. The pool was nice to have. We had ants in our kitchen the entire trip and called/emailed several times and they responded on Wednesday, the fifth day we were there asking about it. By then, why bother! The place was not thoroughly cleaned-there was sand all over the floors when we arrived. We swept the place everyday, which was fine, and it should have been cleaned better prior to our arrival. There were also dog hairs on the living room furniture and on the bedspreads. While I knew it was a dog friendly rental, that should have been cleaned better as well. We rent vacation homes frequently for our family and this was by far, the least clean. I also want to add I never write bad reviews but thought it should be reported. Feel free to reach out for more details. Overall, we had a nice week but things should have been taken care of with the amount of money we paid for the week. I inadvertently asked for the wrong date when I booked and called right away as soon as I realized. When I asked to add one additional day as we planned to be there, we were hit with a huge one day bill that included pet costs, (we have no pets), cleaning, taxes, etc. as if it were another booking. crazy!! Best regards, Joan Taormina

We left a day early due to tornado warnings at this location. Upon arrival we noticed that door handles were loose, looks like someone punched one of the doors and the cleaning was sub-par. Now to what really has me upset. Prior to booking this house, an email was sent in reference to pool heat availability. It’s the main reason we book any house, because it’s late in the season and my daughter swims nonstop. We were informed it was available and I even sent a message on this thread about wanting it. Fast forward and trip is coming up and PAST CANCELLATION deadline, arrange for pool heat call and paid for it over the phone. Get a call a few days later stating it’s not available, because it broke and owners didn’t want to fix it. I don’t understand why we weren’t notified before cancellation deadline? Was this on purpose? We enjoyed our vacation anyways, but it’s hard to convince a child that they can’t go in the pool due to the water being too cold!! I don’t think that we should be charged the last day (possibly more) and in my opinion an explanation as why I was not contacted about the pool heat being broken and would we like to find another house that had it. That’s just poor management and customer service.

House was large and could easily sleep 8 adults and a lot of children.

Worst experience ever…I plan on sending a detailed communication with photos…..Ritz price for an unkept motel experience

The property worked fantastic for our family reunion.