BEACH TRIP!

 It was sort of crazy, but after we got back from our three week road trip, we decided we needed to go to the beach.

So, we book the most amazing AirBnB and hoped for the best for our stay in Oak Island, North Carolina.

Accommodations: Joya's Peaceful Paradise 5/5--She is a Superhost and here is why:

1) She made us breakfast, set the table, and served it to us! The first morning, it was fresh fruit (watermelon, pineapple, and blackberries), waffles, and bacon. The children had grape juice and the adults had coffee. The next two mornings, we had bagels, quiche, and more fresh fruit. Additionally, she made chocolate chip cookies (yum!) and apple pie! Plus there was delicious zucchini bread too! Hospitality overload!

2) The suites were so nice and the game room was so much fun. Typically, I would prefer an AirBnB that did not have shared space, but we had the entire upper floor to ourselves with the aforementioned rooms. The suites gave us plenty of room to move around and the amenities in the bathroom were great too--lots of great shampoo/soap/lotion. There were also a plethora of books in the rooms and game room. Some of the travel guides had me dreaming of my next trip! The ping pong table was a hit (my youngest child even challenged Hugh who obliged him to a game). We also played Ticket to Ride European addition.

3) Joya and Hugh recommended great places to go to eat or to explore. They also shared their space when we made dinner there one night allowing us to eat as a family. We loved our conversations with them and thought they were pretty awesome hosts!

Beaches: 'cause it wouldn't be a beach vacation without them!

Oak Island does charge for parking; however, it does not between nine a.m. and five p.m. It is $5 dollars an hour or $20 dollars for all day. If you do get there before nine, it only charges you for the time after nine. 

Our first stop was the Point. This is where the bay and ocean meet! It is supposed to be good for shells, but we got there after five and did not see too many. The waves are definitely a bit rougher on the beach side and you need to watch for rip currents. We loved it! The children are strong swimmers and enjoyed playing in the waves. It is also cool to watch all the crabs. The Point had port-a-potties and a foot wash, so that was great. 

Next up, we went to Caswell Beach were there is free parking near the Oak Island Lighthouse. I loved this beach (even though there were a lot of jellyfish). The waves were perfect, and it was pretty low key. We did not get a reservation to go up in the Lighthouse (if you want to do that, you have to email them at least six weeks in advance), but we did go over and view it. There were port-a-potties and a foot wash which also made coming off the beach nice. We went back to this beach before we left because we liked the free parking and area so much. Get there early if you want a spot! I would say before 10 a.m. would be perfect.

The final beach we were at were the Oak Island beaches. As I mentioned before, you had to pay to park. Additionally, we would have to walk to a pier to get to a bathroom and there were no foot washes where we parked. The beach itself was pleasant--waves good, clean sand, people well spaced. Near the Oak Island Pier were some volleyball courts. You could also walk on this pier and fish.

Restaurants: Gotta eat!

Pepperoni Grill--We ate here for dinner the first night we were in town. Joya and Hugh told us the wait could be long, the place is only outdoor seating and is quite small. We ordered two large pizzas--a supreme and a lasagna, waters (charged 50 cents each for), and a large garden salad. You had to order before you were seated after your name was called from waiting--that is something to prepare yourself for. They did bring out garlic nots to help with the wait that we weren't charged for. The lasagna pizza was novel--our children wanted that one. The supreme was excellent. The salad was also really good. We spend about $60, and I felt pretty satisfied with the meal (we had two slices for leftovers for the next day).

Fishy Fish--We ate here the last night before we left. I will be honest, we really did not want to spend a lot, so maybe that colored the experience. The place was packed, and we were told a 45 minute wait. We walked out onto the public pier to search for dolphins and watch the crabs--so cool! After 30 minutes, we were seated. Looking over the menu, we decided not to order drinks--everyone had water. We did order an appetizer of jalapeno hushpuppies--delicious, but not sure they were worth $8.50. My youngest child and I split the Carolina Seafood Platter with a $3 up charge for oysters and a $3 up charge for adding a house salad. This was the most expensive meal and the most disappointing. It was a small portion (especially compared to my husband and other children whom weren't sharing their meals). The oysters were ok as was the flounder. The salad was great--definitely a highlight. My eldest child ordered the fish and chips--it was HUGE! The taste was great as well. My husband got the blackened tuna with a sweet chili sauce. It was also HUGE and was delicious. I was grateful that they shared with me! Our waiter was fine, but we did spend more time here than we would have liked (and more money $112). 

I do recommend this beach area (and highly recommend Joya's place).