Monday, July 3, 2017

Ocean Isle Beach

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

Happy Monday! I missed blogging last week but I had the most relaxing vacation with my family. I have lived in North Carolina my entire life but there are still places that I haven't visited yet. When I was a child, we typically always visited the same beach or mountain destinations so when planning this year's summer trip, I wanted to go somewhere we have never been. We chose Ocean Isle Beach because we had heard it was a great family friendly beach. My children are seven and five so it's super important to find vacation spots that are fun for them and relaxing for the parents. I would absolutely give Ocean Isle Beach five out of five stars for family friendliness. It's the perfect beach town for families! 

Where we stayed...
Ocean Isle is mostly houses so there really isn't a lot to choose from in terms of hotels. I found our accommodations via Expedia. I use Expedia to book all of my husband's business travel and most of our personal travel. I earn points by booking that can be cashed in to save on your trips. One of our nights was free thanks to our points! We stayed at The Islander Inn and we were very pleased with our stay. We had an oceanfront room with two comfortable queen sized beds. The hotel has an outdoor pool (with a poolside tiki bar), indoor pool, and jacuzzi. They also offered a free breakfast which made our mornings much more relaxing. Overall, I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking for reasonable, clean accommodations with a great view at Ocean Isle.

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast


What we ate...
My husband and I are foodies! If you follow me on Instagram, you know my stories are filled with food. I love to eat and I love trying new places! 

1. Provision Company | This isn't actually in Ocean Isle but fairly close by near Holden Beach. We stopped on our way into town and again during our boat ride. They have the best shrimp burgers and cucumber salad. Really, you can't go wrong with any of their food! It's also self-service drinks which are on the honor system. I think this is the only place I have ever been that allows you get your own drinks!

2. Sugar Shack | This locally owned Jamaican restaurant was by far my favorite place we ate at! I've never really eaten Jamaican food before but we went here twice because it's that good. The ribs were the best I've ever had and the coconut shrimp is amazing. This place did not disappoint!

3. Causeway Gourmet | We ate dinner at the restaurant once, got takeout for dinner another night, and picked up dessert to eat on the beach the last night. It's so good! The salmon BLT was my favorite meal and the key lime pie is delicious (the graham cracked crust has chocolate chips in it)! 

4. Jink's Creek Waterfront Grille | The food here was wonderful but their location is the star of the show. It's located right on the water and the decor is gorgeous! The natural light and beachy, industrial decor were so pretty. The staff was also so courteous and polite! 

5. Beaches Burgers | On the only day it rained during our trip, we headed here for lunch since they are only open limited hours. This place is super simple, it's small, and looks like a whole in the wall kind of restaurant. But the food was so yummy! I got a bacon cheeseburger with chili cheese and it was delicious. Best burger I've had in a long time!

6. Ocean Isle Fish Company | This is a popular tourist location with a fishing center and a store as well as a restaurant. We did the tourist thing and gave it a try but the food wasn't anything to get excited about. It was pretty mediocre for the price and the wait for a table was forty minutes. I personally wouldn't recommend the food if you are a foodie like me.

7. Sunset Slush | This isn't really a food place but it's our favorite treat while we are at the beach. We've had it before at other beaches and we always look forward to it. It's Italian ice and you can get it in their shop or they have carts that go up and down the beach. It's the perfect treat to enjoy while you are sitting on the beach! 

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

What we did...
We spent a majority of our trip either on the beach or in the pool. The beach is gorgeous and it wasn't crowded while we were there. I could literally sit on the beach all day long. It's my happy place! During our visit, two of our church friends invited us to ride on their boat so we had to take them up on it! It was the girls' first boat ride and they loved it! We boated down the Intercoastal Waterway and made a stop for lunch at Provision Company. Our hotel was super close to a putt putt course so enjoyed that one evening after dinner. The Ocean Isle pier was also super close to where we stayed so we spent another evening taking a walk down the pier to see the amazing view and to watch the sunset. It only costs one dollar per person to walk down the pier and it's worth every penny for the view. Ocean Isle also has a great playground for the little ones to play at after dinner. But like I said, relaxing on the beach is my personal favorite! 

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

ocean isle beach, travel guide, beach trip, nc coast

If you are looking for a beautiful, family friendly beach location for your family, I would highly recommend Ocean Isle Beach. I can't wait to go back again soon!

SHOP THE POST:

Float | Amazon
Hat | Walmart, similar
Flip Flops | Tory Burch
Sunglasses | Nordstrom
Swimsuit | Target
Pants | Marshalls, similar 

11 comments:

  1. Looks like you all had a blast! I have always wanted to visit NC.

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  2. Looks like a beautiful vacation spot!

    Gisel | www.mintandthrift.com

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  3. Seems like a great place and a lot of fun! Beautiful photos!

    Linda
    https://lindatenchitran.com/home/2017/7/3/top-tips-for-buying-sterling-silver-jewelry-online

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  4. Looks like you had a lovely vacation!
    xo, Hales | www.sincerelyhales.com

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  5. It looks so beautiful there and not too crowded, which I love. I will definitely have to check it out! Thanks for sharing! xo, Emily

    http://bailylamb.com

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  6. Looks like a well deserved vacation! It helps the kids had a blast too!

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  7. I just came from vacation and this makes me want to go again lol

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  8. I've lived in North Carolina for a while never been to Ocean Isle! Looks lovely. I'm a foodie as well, can't wait to try this spots ❤️

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  9. awesome! great to hear you get to unwind yourself :) looks like a fun filled trip!

    Courtney Bentley || http://www.starsystemz.com

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  10. This vacation sounds so nice! The babes are so beautiful and I appreciate the recommendations!
    xo Debbie | www.tothineownstylebetrue.com

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  11. Looks like it was soo much fun! :) Lovely pictures, too! I love Ocean isle, it's so beautiful there. Thanks for sharing your recommendations!!

    -Katie | http://www.meshkomoments.com

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