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Peaceful Surf City cottage with ocean views and easy beach access

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Exterior
Living area
Beach
Living area
Living area

Reviews

7.0 out of 10
Good
3 bedrooms2 bathroomsSleeps 8

Popular amenities

  • Onsite parking available
  • Kitchen
  • Washing machine
  • Air-conditioning
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Dryer

Explore the area

View map
Surf City, NC
  • Place, Surf City Beach
    ‪3 min walk‬
  • Place, Back in Touch Massage, Yoga, & Lomilomi
    ‪15 min walk‬
  • Place, Surf City Pier
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • Airport, Wilmington, NC (ILM-Wilmington Intl.)
    ‪55 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 8)

Bedroom 1 - King

1 King Bed

Bedroom 2 - Queen

1 Queen Bed

2 bathrooms

Bathroom 1

Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom 2

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Kitchen
Dining area

About this property

Peaceful Surf City cottage with ocean views and easy beach access

New in our program, this home as many great reviews from past guests!

Perfectly positioned along North Shore Drive, Living the Dream is a charming beach cottage offers beautiful ocean views, easy beach access, and a peaceful setting away from the crowds. Recently remodeled, the home blends classic coastal charm with modern comforts, creating the perfect spot for a laid-back Topsail getaway.

Step inside and you'll immediately feel the warm, inviting atmosphere. The cozy living room features a spacious sofa that converts into an additional sleeping area, a TV for relaxing evenings, and direct access to the deck—ideal for enjoying the ocean breeze. Just beyond, the dining area provides a comfortable space for meals and gathering together.

The kitchen, tucked into the soundside corner of the home, is thoughtfully arranged and equipped with everything you need to prepare your favorite dishes during your stay.

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About the area

Surf City

Located in Surf City, this holiday home is by the sea. Back in Touch Massage, Yoga, & Lomilomi and Escape Spa are worth checking out if an activity is on the agenda, while those looking for area attractions can visit Ohana Paddle Sports and Thomas Tackle and Seafood. Mia's Marketplace and The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center are also worth visiting. Jet skiing and kayaking offer great chances to get out on the surrounding water, or you can seek out an adventure with ecotours and cycling nearby.
View more Holiday homes in Surf CityOpens in a new window
Map
Surf City, NC

What's nearby

  • Surf City Beach - 3 min walk - 0.3 km
  • Back in Touch Massage, Yoga, & Lomilomi - 15 min walk - 1.3 km
  • Inis Spa - 19 min walk - 1.7 km
  • Escape Spa - 2 min drive - 2.0 km
  • Surf City Pier - 3 min drive - 2.6 km

Getting around

  • Wilmington, NC (ILM-Wilmington Intl.) - 51 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Shaka Taco - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Daddy Mac's Beach Grille - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Surf City Line - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Sear's Landing - ‬5 min drive
  • ‪Buddy's Crab House And Oyster Bar - ‬3 min drive

Reviews

7.0

Good

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 6 out of 20 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 5 out of 20 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 4 out of 20 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 20 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 20 reviews

7.8/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Check-in

7.0/10

Communication

9.6/10

Location

9.0/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified

10/10 Excellent

Shelby

These hosts really thought of everything! The beautiful decor made for a cozy, homey feel, the beds were all very cozy, the outdoor shower helped keep sand to a minimum, there were plenty of towels provided and extra blankets,
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2025
From a partner site

8/10 Good

Chris G.

Nice place

Great access to the beach
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2024
From a partner site

8/10 Good

Michael S.

A quick stay for the Paddle 4 Troops event

House is close to everything that you need and literally just a walk across the street to public beach access. We really enjoyed our stay.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2024
From a partner site

8/10 Good

Michelle B.

Great Trip

House is located right next to beach access. Beautiful view. We really enjoyed our stay.
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Kim N.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Short vacay

Perfect location and great price
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2024
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Jessica Z.

Lovely house steps from the ocean!

We just had the most wonderful week at this home! It was so close to the public access, and it was on a dead end street. This beach house was a hidden gem for sure! We will be back!
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Tonya B.

Great vacation home!!

This house was absolutely wonderful. It was very nice abd clean when we arrived. Plenty of room for me, my husband, our daughter and 3 grown sons. The view of the ocean was amazing. We had everything we needed to make our stay here like home. We would definitely love to stay here again!!
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2023
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Theresa G.

Great home. Not great customer service.

The home, location, and price were perfect for our family of 5. However the lack of response on a broken oven, that was apparently known prior to our stay, was unacceptable.
Response from VrboOwner on 27 June 2025
Hi Theresa, thank you for your kind words! We're delighted to hear you had a great stay and felt welcomed. We appreciate you bringing the oven issue to our attention, and our local team is actively working to resolve it. Your feedback is invaluable, and we look forward to the opportunity to provide you with an even better experience in the future.
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Fred W.

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Rental

Good size for 8 adults. Beach access was very close and handy. Driveway would fit 4 cars. Walk in shower was a nice find not mention in the listing.
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2023
Verified

8/10 Good

steve s.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beach trip June 2023

We loved the location. The kitchen was fine. The 2nd bedroom bed was horrible and the twin bed mattress was a box spring. Living room couch needed to be replaced.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 6 Sept 2023
Thank you for your review, Steve, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that you have experienced during your stay with us. Our local operations manager strives to provide every one of our guests with the best vacation possible and we apologize for the lapses during your time. We do hope we will have another chance to better serve you in the future.
From a partner site

4/10 Poor

Ann Grey N.

Public Review

This beach cabin was really dirty. It’s a shame because it’s close to the beach. Both from and back decks need replacing.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2024
Verified

6/10 Okay

Brandy H.

Liked: Location
Disliked: Cleanliness, communication, listing accuracy

House needs updates and better cleaning before guests

The kitchen has several issues and needs updates
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2024
From a partner site

2/10 Terrible

Savannah W.

Before arriving to our vacation, I had a few questions and the staff was very helpful and quick a...

Before arriving to our vacation, I had a few questions and the staff was very helpful and quick at responding. This house was the perfect location, it was so close to the beach and had a pretty view from the porch. But we discovered the dishes were left in the dishwasher, there were things still in the dryer. We were stuck smelling all the trash in the trash cans from the previous renters for our 6 day stay. We also found live cockroaches in the kitchen, every single night and the pots and pans weren’t very clean.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 22 Aug 2024
We highly appreciate your review, Savannah. We have brought your feedback to the local operations manager to look into the concerns regarding upkeep. Steps have been taken to make the necessary improvements, such as ensuring cockroaches are not present in the home. We hope to exceed your expectations in the future.
Verified

6/10 Okay

Bridget S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location, listing accuracy
Disliked: Communication

Great Place if the cockroaches didn't show up:(

Great location, floors and counters clean, kitchen clean, day 2 - I saw and took pictures of roaches in the kitchen. I called VRBO or Vacassa and was told someone would be there ASAP - noone showed or contacted me - I was in this house for 5 nights. We saw cockroaches in the kitchen and one in the master bathroom..... Needless to say I won't stay at this house again.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 10 Sept 2024
Thank you for your feedback, Bridget. We understand that cleanliness is of utmost importance and we deeply regret that the home was not up to your expectations upon arrival. This is certainly not the level of service we strive to provide to our valued guests. Rest assured, we have taken your comments seriously and have addressed the matter with our cleaning crew to ensure this is an isolated incident. We hope that you will give us another opportunity to provide you with a much-improved experience in the future.
Verified

6/10 Okay

Buster B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Not worth the money I payed

No barbecue grill couldn't empty trash from the house cuz the outside trash cans were overflowing dirty linens from the occupants before us stayed on deck for 3 days
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 6 Sept 2023
We apologize if you felt the home was not on par with our cleanliness standards and for any issues you encountered during your stay. We are committed to providing exceptional customer service, and we will follow up with the appropriate parties to ensure our service standards are fully met. We also appreciate our guests' preferences as a means to improve and we have forwarded your comments along to our property management to consider and rectify the issues. We truly hope to have the opportunity to impress you in the future.
Verified

8/10 Good

Theresa G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location, listing accuracy
Disliked: Communication
The location, price, and overall amenities were perfect for our family of 5. The toys were a nice addition.The oven was broken the entire time we were there. This was apparently a known issue before we arrived because we received a text about it before even using the oven. We ended up having to discard food we bought to try to save ourselves money because we could not get anyone to come fix the oven. I texted daily and kept getting excuses to wait. We finally gave up by Thursday, gave the neighbor our oven food, and spent more money on going out. This part was not the property owner's fault but I am very unhappy with Vacasa who was managing the property.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2025
From a partner site

2/10 Terrible

Kandice G.

Probably wouldn't stay here again

The location of the property was the only positive feedback which there are several other homes with a good location. There was very little hospitality felt from this stay. The kitchen was not at all updated, the temperature on the stove was either on or off so all of our food burned, the kitchen tools were all from dollar general, the broom we were provided to clean with was snapped in half where you had to bevcareful of the jagged metal. Overall my assessment of this property is that the owners use this purely for an investment and are not concerned with the comfort of their paying customers.
Response from VrboOwner on 6 Sept 2023
We're sorry to read you were unhappy, Kandice. Upholstery cleaning is scheduled, the broken broom is replaced, and the oven will be inspected. Hopefully we can impress you another time. Thank you!
From a partner site

6/10 Okay

Lea Ellen B.

Good and Not so Good

The house had many good and not so good features. First, the location was great. It is super close to the bridge and restaurants, and has a nice ocean view from the front of the home. The public beach access is right in front of the home, which was very convenient. However, the beach itself right there is very shallow, there is practically no sand available at high tide, so walking and fishing in the area had to be planned with the tide schedule. This is no one's fault, but future renters should have this information. The home is plenty roomy and the furnishings were comfortable. The issues we had with this home were all related to the maintenance and cleanliness, and this isn't the home's fault. If the property management team and owner can address these for future rentals, it will be a great place to stay.
Response from VrboOwner on 6 Sept 2023
Hi Lea! Thank you for sharing your feedback and bringing some items to our attention that may need some TLC. We have forwarded your feedback to the local staff so they can work to improve the house for future guests. Please know that our guest services team is available 24 hours a day to assist should any concerns arise during your visit. We hope you choose to stay with us again
From a partner site

4/10 Poor

Madison T.

Location was the positive

We originally booked this through a local reality company and then it switched to Vacasa managing the property. We had poor customer service and miscommunication from Vacasa. The location of the property is great. However, some things need updated and lots routine renter upkeep was needed. The house was relatively clean but the showers did not seem to be cleaned when we arrived. There were only two coffee cups and one wine glass. The main couch looks like it need to be cleaned or replaced. We put a blanket that we brought over the couch the whole trip. With the location of the home, we do think that the home has potential; however, we would not pick to stay at this home again when we come back to Surf City or would not book a property managed by Vacasa.
Response from VrboOwner on 6 Sept 2023
Madison, while we are glad you found the home to be well-located, we are disappointed to learn that you had a negative experience with us. Please know this is not the standard grade of presentation and service that we provide, and we take this feedback seriously. Our management team has taken your review to heart and will dedicate the time and energy to correct and improve any issues present in the home. We hope you'll give us a second chance to better serve you!
From a partner site

2/10 Terrible

Thomas H.

Do not stay here!

This is the worst vacation experience my family has ever had and the lack of customer service from Vacasa is astonishing. We reached out to the local and corporate contacts for help and no one stepped up to help. We had to deal with mice/rat poop after they ate our bread and other typical food items on the counter. While eating at the dinner table cockroaches crawled across the table. There are 2x4’s and plywood in place of cabinets, towel hangers are falling off the wall, there were numerous light bulbs out making visibility difficult. We left the home in fear of sickness and our son’s allergies. Do not stay here, it’s terrible the house’s condition is so bad as the location to the beach is good.
Response from VrboOwner on 18 Sept 2024
Thomas, thank you for sharing your experience, and we're truly sorry to hear about the issues you encountered during your stay. We want to assure you that we have since completed pest control to address the concerns you raised. We are also actively working on the other issues, including the cabinet repairs, towel hangers, and lighting. We apologize for the lack of immediate response from our team, and we understand how frustrating this must have been for you. Your feedback is invaluable as we strive to improve our services and the condition of our properties. If you have any further concerns or if there is anything else we can do to address this situation, please let us know. We hope to have the opportunity to truly impress you in the future.
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