Guest Comments:
We have added a new type of guest book to our homes. They are more like
journals where guests can share experiences and tips in addition to their memories.
To read many actual comments from the Guest Journal at Idyll-by-the-Sea Two,
just scroll down this web page...
| About Idyll-by-the-Sea Two |
- We wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed staying at Idyll-by-the-Sea Two.
What a beautiful home. It was by far the most beautiful, (best) well
equipped, and cleanest beach home we have ever stayed in, and we have been
renting beach houses for 18 years! By the way, we loved the kitchen and all
the labels! What a great idea for placement and keeping track fo things. The
decor through the whole house was fabulous! My husband and I stayed in the
"spa suite" and loved it. I felt like I was staying at the Ritz! Thanks so
much for sharing your beach house.
- We had a wonderful time -- it is just a beautiful property and it is
obvious how loved the home is. We are sincerely appreciative of the
visit and hope to be back soon. Off season is just great! We had such
a nice time and the weather and people were great in N. Topsail. What a
great place to stay to be introduced to this area. We appreciate your
thoughtfulness in getting us not only the reservation and in, but while
we were there and all of the helpful things you told us as well as the
amenities at the property.
- This home is above and beyond. I have seen many houses but this is one of
my favorites of all! You have such great taste. Thank for sharing your home
with us. What a wonderful experience! It is truly a "home" not just a house!
- We have had an absolute lovely time- The ocean has been constantly in our
sight and hearts. We love the quiet and have so appreciated the amenities
and our time together to renew for another year.
- First, I want to tell you that we absolutely loved your home. It was as
advertised. We had a great week.
- I want to take the time to write you a thorough message in an effort to try
to explain our deep appreciation for what was the most wonderful, relaxing
and comfortable vacation EVER. Some may think Disneyworld makes dreams
come true, but your home brought alive and satisfied dreams we never knew we
had. Pure joy. pure gratitude to you and Jerry - the appreciation we
felt upon entering your luxurious and beautiful home. We felt like movie
stars! Every single square inch of your home was as perfect as one could
ever imagine. We cared for it with the same respect and appreciation that
we care for our own belongings. My children felt like we were in a
museum!!! And, our little one. well she was overwhelmed with
Ashley's bedroom! I think there was something hypnotic about your home!
She has never been so amused and peaceful and well behaved as she was there.
You thought of everything when it comes to making a family comfortable.
The toddler-sized potty and sink were the highlight for our little one.
For all, it was a little slice of heaven on earth! Having to leave your home
was sad for myself and my children (all of us had tears in our eyes when we
shut the front door for the last time. With deep gratitude, thank you,
Carol, Jerry and Ashley for allowing us to stay in and enjoy your home!
- We loved the house and hope to enjoy many more vacations here
- What a beautiful house! Thank you!
- The house is so beautiful and all the furniture is SO comfortable. We loved
the house so much we stayed in for dinner every night. Thanks for sharing
it. We hope to be back next year. The kids loved the pool table and ping
pong. The pool was great and we swam every day. Loved the décor of the house
and all the decks. Thank you again!
- We so loved the house that we didn't venture far from he house-the grocery
store was our only stop!
- We have stayed at many beautiful places, but none have been as relaxing or
as comfortable as this house. The overall comfort and beauty grab you the
minute you enter the house and stay with you the whole time! I can't
remember ever staying in EVERY day on my trip. We love the house and the
memories we shared with our friends this week are priceless. We all agree
this should be an annual trip. Thank you for sharing your home!
- What a spectacular house. Warm and cozy décor. We had ever been to the
area before. What a treasure! Hope to come back next year. We really
appreciate that you ail agree to accommodate our dogs. They love the
house, the beach, the fenced runs.
- Had a wonderful stay. Wonderful house.
- Hi Carol -- I wanted to drop you a line thanking you for a wonderful visit
to Idyll by the Sea. We also received all of your goodies and appreciated
those very much, too! Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness.
- We had an absolutely unforgettable week there at the beach. It was such a
nice and relaxing stay. For the most part, we even had pretty decent
weather. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and could not say enough great
things about your beautiful home. We are all very grateful for the
wonderful location and amenities! We made some more precious memories that
we will cherish forever and never forget.
- Coming back to reality has been quite an adjustment! I think everybody is
suffering from post Idyll-by-the-Sea depression (is there a pill for
that??). Unfortunately, we completely forgot to sign your guest book this
year. Things got so hectic that it slipped our minds...so I wanted to
extend our gratitude and let you know how enjoyable our vacation was. Thanks
again and all the best-
- Watching a thunderstorm rolling across the intra-coastal from the screen
porch and watched it move out to sea from the deck.
- Carol, we had a wonderful (did I say that before?) two weeks! This house is
perfect. Comfortable. Luxurious. Accommodating. We have truly enjoyed
every moment we are together. It was also perfect-- thanks for sharing your
lovely home and allowing us to make such special memories here.
- Carol, words cannot articulate the incredible time we all had. We
absolutely love your home and appreciate you sharing it with us. There's so
many memories from watching my mother and father looking on the ocean for
the first time in their lives to the big family portrait we took on your
balcony and on the beach... Long beach walks collecting shells sand-stones
shark teeth. Flying kites, fishing, throwing Frisbees and baseball-boogie
boarding, watching our lab, seven years old, play in the water... he
absolutely loved the water! Although he was a big scared baby when crabs
came close!. He slept on the screen in porch every night he would get the
big orange shell and sleep with it on his bed! I'm afraid he doesn't want
to leave.
- The place was wonderful-all we could ask for-- and more-- thank you for
letting us experience a bit of heaven.
- We love the kitchen and how so much we stayed here and ate every meal and
cooked together.
- Carol-it's rare in this world that your expectations are met and
exceeded-and that was definitely the case with Idyll-by-the-Sea! Thank you
--We really were impressed with the house and all the personal touches. You
really thought of everything in putting the house together. We love the
decorations and my two-year-old loves the child's sink and toilet. Even
inspired us to decorate in interesting ways like you have. I can see us
coming back here again. The beach was probably one of the nicest we have
seen. Thank you for sharing your beautiful house!
- Your lovely house was a delight. Children enjoyed the play ran, beach,
toys, and coming together as cousins. We never left! Saw a young sea
turtle beaching and then the rescue group coming to care for her-was
amazing! Ocean was warm, sky was clear. I live in Myrtle Beach, but this
house is the greatest I have seen-
- Your house is amazing! Thank you for making it feel like home-so many
wonderful details-we loved it!
- We had a wonderful time at Idyll this past week. Thank you for helping to
make a dream come true for our family. Words cannot describe how moving it
was to see my mother and father in-law put their feet in the ocean for the
first time in their almost 80 years. We all dressed in white and khaki for
a family photo that will mark the occasion for generations to come.
- Your home is superb.
- We love your home - it is exquisite!
- This home is impeccable.
- There can't be a better set of porches from which to drink a cup of coffee and watch the sunrise!
- We never left the property, except to the grocery store :-)
- This house is magical - Thanks for sharing!
- Thanks so much for sharing your lovely home. It is incredible!
- Your home is incredible. You have made it such a wonderful vacation. Thanks for the memories.
- I wanted to let you know that our stay was one of the best vacations ever. The house was completely
relaxing. The weather was great. The decks made for a great place to hang out after the kids were
down for the night. The pool and beach combination was perfect for younger children.
- You have done an amazing job. Even as well done as the website is you can't appreciate the
size of the house until you are there. We had thirteen people and three dogs and the general
comment was that it never felt like you were on top of one another. There was ample room for
our entire party to spread out and relax.
- I wanted to let you know that we had the BEST time in your home. It was
wonderful having our whole family together in such a beautiful setting.
Your home is absolutely amazing, there is not a detail that you have not
thought of.
- We had SUCH a good time in your home. It was everything and then some for
all of us. No one was crowded in, there is space for everyone to be and can
choose to be together or alone.. I loved that we could all sit in the great
room and on something comfy.
- I loved the kitchen and having two dishwashers etc... and could go on an
on.. all the little touches were amazing.
- It was a treat and accommodated our every need-- from the handicap accessible bathroom and
elevator, to the pool and sand toys, to the well appointed (and labeled)
kitchen for preparing Christmas dinner.
- The beach was beautiful and provided a perfect get-a-way to relax
and go for a jog. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to
stay at Idyll-by-the-sea Two.
- I wanted to drop you a quick note and tell how absolutely perfect your home
is in Topsail -- pictures just do not do it justice!
- We had an absolutely unforgettable week there at the beach. It was such a
nice and relaxing stay. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and could not
say enough great things about your beautiful home. We are all very grateful
for the wonderful location and amenities! We made some more precious
memories that we will cherish forever and never forget.
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- Donna housekeeper-very friendly and helpful
- The house is so beautiful that we met several people who stopped just to
ask questions about the house!
- Friendly neighbors
- All the merchants and wait staffs were friendly
- Donna was a doll !
- Donna, Paul, and Tina-all were wonderful I enjoyed talking with each of
them-even got a great recipe from Paul
- Everyone is soooo friendly!
- All of the locals were friendly & gracious.
- Lots of nice people on the beach, pier, and park... everywhere.
- Quartermasters and Just Baked
- Colleen's Corner was a great place for buying and trying on beautiful clothes and jewelry
- The Green Turtle; Crabby Mike's for kids
- Shark attack-good selection of beach close Pilot House (Wilmington)
-exquisite dining
- Atlantis to celebrate; and the Red Pepper Chinese is great;
- North Shore is a great course- Also try Beau Rivage... Banks Grayton is a
fantastic golf instructor
- Had a great dinner at Indigo Marsh-really good. Breakfast one morning at
Mollies in Surf City. Book/gift shop Quarter Moon. We bought out Food Lion
and MaxWay
- Atlantis-wonderful Christopher's-wonderful; there is a lovely shell shop in
Surf City by the mini golf
- Riverside was really good for local fresh catch!
- II Beauchaines (very good), Riverview Cafe (very good), Sears Landing (great shrimp coconut soup),
Bike Rentals at Herring's Outdoor Sports.
- The Green Turtle (restaurant), the pier (up the street).
- The Porte-Cochere. Sitting around the beautiful fireplace with friends, family and wine.
- Mellow Mushroom & Asahi & Denoia's.
- We cooked a lot the first week including some fresh shrimp from the Shrimp Lady.
Skip the Breezeway - UGH. Molly's was slow. The Mellow Mushroom & Elijah's in Wilmington
were both great.
- We spent Sunday in Wilmington and found a fabulous exotic wood boutique
called Barouke while dodging the rain before dinner at The Pilot House.
One of our purchases included a juniper tree lamp that reminded me of
the lamp in the Tiki bedroom.
| Favorite Moments & Highlights |
- Sitting on your deck and walking the beach
- Arriving at the house and being overwhelmed/excited at the size and beauty;
watching the dolphins swim by and the pelicans fly over
- We especially enjoyed dining on the decks. One night our teenagers cooked
dinner and served us- they dressed in black just like waiters and
waitresses- it was so much fun!
- Watching sunsets and enjoying every moment in this amazing home. Thank you
for everything.
- Watching the waves break from the porches
- Just Chillin'; walk on the beach with the dogs
- Michele at Just Baked Cakes in Surf City made a gorgeous cake that we all
enjoyed.
- Oh goodness-every moment of each day. I get misty eyed thinking of how
special it was to see our family enjoying life and just being together in
this beautiful setting.
- Special dinner here catered by Keith-wonderful fish crab cakes clams special
chocolate cake champagne! Absolutely wonderful way to celebrate her 50th
anniversary kids came from all over the US the cousins had a great time
heading to know each other they don't want to break up and leave we don't
either. The house was perfect for families with young men's ranging from 21
to eight years
- The kids in the pool and hot tub-the ocean on the keyboards. The kids
playing board games due to no Xbox-woo hoo!!!
- So many memories that are just priceless; having all of my husband's
family there to celebrate his 50th was so special. I could not imagine
choosing any home above yours for such a special occasion as this -- nothing
would compare.
- Our Lab thought he was in doggie heaven; boy did he love the ocean! He
would swim out with me and my youngest son as we boogie boarded the waves
back in; when he got back to where his feet could touch well, he just
jumped up and down in the shallow waves, ready to go again. He also
chose a huge seashell to sleep with each night; remarkably unexpected, but
so sweet.
- Sitting on the balcony listening to the waves and watching kids enjoy the beach.
- Jack's developing his ability to swim; Ellen's fearless approach to the ocean; Mykel's
enjoying everything; Jamie's thorough exhaustion; The tremendous beauty of this home!
- The ocean views. The baby's first time in a swimming pool, and her footprints in the sand!
Our dinner on the veranda. The poker tournament with Scrabble tiles.
- We had a wonderful visit and hope to return very soon. The week went by too quickly, and we are sad to depart.
- Spending time with my family. Lots and lots of laughs.
- We spent a lot of special time with family we don't see often.
- The peach and lavender sunrise each morning was breathtaking.
- R&R and enjoyed time with the dogs at the beach. Great place to relax and
watch the the porpoises, shrimp boats, and pelican "squadrons"
- Sat on the beach/used the pool: hot tub, sauna, enjoyed playing charades in
the HUGE family room, played in the waves, enjoyed the grill, perfected
Sully's (the dog) diving technique
- Relaxed- talked-swam-enjoyed nature- it was great
- Swam, collected shells and shark teeth, cooked, ate too much, walked on the
beach, played ping pong and pool many times- we also enjoyed the hot tub!
- Beach Beach Beach! We same, walked the beaches, and tried to catch crabs!
On the last day of our vacation ,we held, the "Idyll Olympics"-- the kids
had all kinds of games and contests set up- even the adults raced-
- Walks of beach; relaxing; golf!; day trip to Myrtle Beach
- Swimming ;surfing;, sunning; cooking gourmet meals, baking fabulous
desserts; playing bridge , hearts, Scrabble,; walking on the beach and
enjoying every moment.
- Spent time mostly on the beach and in the pool. We enjoy the house so much
we didn't want to go anywhere. We collected shells, rode on boogie boards;
lots of swimming
- We experienced a sister's 10th wedding anniversary, toasted a new couple,
observed and interacted with an enthusiastic three-year old. By the end of
the week, there were many adults acting like pirates ,boa constrictor's,
butterflies ,and other animal imagination games. The joy and love of
cooking gourmet meals... siblings and in-laws actively taking part in
preparation, consuming, and cleanup! Shells, the smiles, and miles of fun
thank you for all the thoughtful touches. Bon voyage!
- Enjoyed Christmas festivities, and relaxed with the family.
- We swam in the pool, played table tennis and pool, walked to the beach and
look for shells and shark teeth. We saw the new Raiders movie; we grilled
hot dogs and made S'mores over the fireplace on the screened-in porch;
watched movies; relaxed!
- Played lots of table tennis; some pool; had water fights in the pool; walk
the beach and picked up shells and shark teeth; played miniature golf; went
to the movie; watched movies( including a Winnie the Pooh we hadn't seen in
about 10 years! )
- Counted our blessings and made memories. It was just precious to watch my
mother-in-law put her feet in the ocean. Very touching to watch both of
them take in the ocean views every day. Not to mention they had their
entire family-children grandchildren and one great-grandchild all on
vacation together-truly a miracle in itself
- Played on the beach, rode bikes, played tennis, explored the area (1st time to Topsail),
read & rested.
- With weather like this and two small children, lots of time on the beach and at the pool. If
that weren't enough, we also got to cherish this wonderful home. Also visited the pier, park,
some local shops.
- Walked on the beach, swam in the ocean, swam in the pool, relaxed in the hot tub,
cooked (A Lot!!), played games, enjoyed several karaoke competitions.
- Played on the beach, pool, and relaxed! Cooked throughout week.
- Walked the beach -- the pier is farther away than it looks. We picked up shells &
sharks teeth. We swam, skim boarded, played Frisbee, pool & ping pong. We watched
movies & played Wii & board games. We saw Pirates III, toured the Battleship &
tons more.
- Rented bikes and surfboards, played golf 4 days, walked the beaches,
ran the beaches, enjoyed sunrises and sunsets, hooked into your network,
plenty of scrabble, hearts, bridge and other games going on. We all learned
to swing dance too.
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"5 Star Rental Accommodations. This house was by far the most pleasant,
CLEAN, user friendly home we have come across to date. As designer or 'Art
Director' for an upscale quarterly magazine, I get to see a lot of homes all
over the world. Most of the homes that we showcase are for sale, not for
rent. But if there is ever a slot for a 'how to' set up rental properties,
this home should be the bible."
- a comment from a guest at our Florida private pool home near Disney
Would you like to get to know us better? Read guest comments from some of
our other homes...
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