We love this house. Unfortunately mold was à big issue for us. We can't stay here again until that is fixed. Also East door to the deck didn't close properly. The loft area is great and the kids loved it.

This is our second time renting Dune Castle West. It's the best location, and the new beds are comfy. Lots of pots and pans for every item you're trying to cook. The grill was working great. The only issue we had (and I know salt and sand are hard on metal) the door locks on to both decks were finicky, the kids couldn't unlock them. The locks were stubborn and salty. So we used the slider to come and go mostly. But it's a highly used beach house on the ocean with amazing views and a great air conditioner, what else do you need. The hot water in the outside shower was awesome, it was the most used shower of the week! The new deck was splinter free. We're booking again for next year. It's my favorite spot on EI.

We come down every year to visit my daughter and this beach house is our favorite. We rent the whole house, it has four bedrooms on each side +2 loft rooms and a ping pong room in the basement. The deck is brand new this year and I believe the east side got new vinyl flooring. The owners are very easy to work with and we truly enjoy our stay!

This home provided plenty of room for our large immediate family (2 adults and 6 kids). It was very comfortable and clean. The house had durable items that we didn’t have to worry about our children ruining. The gas grill right off the kitchen was perfect for dinners. The kitchen was well equipped missing only crab crackers (although we left a set there for the next occupants). The location was amazing right on the beach. Overall we had a wonderful stay and look forward to renting again.

We had such a good time. This property is conveniently located and will definitely be sought after for my next trip to Emerald Isle.

The entrance door is gross. The stairs leading upstairs (both,) were dirty. The smell when opening the door to the game room was nasty. The laundry room was way too cluttered with an extra appliance and a non-working laundry tub and the refrigerator was nasty! The floor leading to and including the laundry room needs swept and mopped. We had to pull out all of the items in the cupboards and oven and scrub most of them!! The kitchen cupboards were totally unorganized and dirty, TOO MANY POTS & PANS! Need a vent & new lights in the upstairs BR. Ne No light in the outside shower (we had to buy one). Need new vacuums. Deck & steps need replaced, dangerous. We pounded lots of nails and the condition of the wood is in really bad shape. Lots of attention needed throughout the house. Really need lights on the deck stairs, very dangerous. The game room was a joke. Broken card table, no chairs, the rocker was broken, the ping pong table needs replaced. ( I had to clean up drinking glasses, & trash in the game room). Closets need to be finished. The outside downstairs room is scary, needs cleaned out and the door needs secured. Having beach toys & boards for the kids would be nice. Beach chairs would also be a plus. Had an issue with flys, they were horrible inside. We figured out if we moved the trash & recycle cans away from where they go, that pretty much eliminated the problem. Swifter dust mop and mop would be helpful! The Baki’s

View and deck good condition of home very poor late check in home needs desperate work advertised blender one doesn’t work the other no top pictures online do not match the shape this place is in

Perfect location at this updated duplex beachhouse. We are a family of 6, with a 13, 11, 6, and 7 year old, plus our tiny elderly dog in tow, and we all just had the best time! A screen on the upstairs master sliding porch door would have been a lovely touch, but didn’t stop the crashing waves from lulling us to sleep each night. The property is just steps from the beach - so convenient for the kids to go in and out of the house as they pleased. There was a loggerhead nest 4-5 houses down, but sadly those little buggers didn’t hatch while we were there ☹️ The kitchen was well-stocked. We enjoyed coffee on the porch each morning, and the kids had so much fun in the downstairs ping-pong room. The kitchen and bathroom granite was beautiful. The property was quiet and peaceful. Thank you for the amazing time and all the memories!

We had the best time and the location was everything.

Dune Castle west is fabulous. We have stayed at various VRBOs along Emerald Isle and this one is hard to beat. Great and tasteful updates to the kitchen, the mattresses are perfectly fine (in contrast to what some older reviews may say - no one in our group had any issues). The kitchen is stocked with all the appliances you’d need and there is a gas grill (just pick up your own small propane tank at the grocery store when you drive into town). We had 3 couples, an infant and 3 kids under 10 years of age who all slept comfortably in beds. The loft with twin beds is great and spacious, and it doubled as a playroom for the smaller kids while adults hung out in the main living room. 5G WiFi is zippy and we hooked up our chromecast and streamed all the usual things. The beach views, sounds and deck are great. Plenty of comfortable chairs and a table set to hang out outside and eat a meal or sip some coffee. Craig the owner and Koral the property manager are so responsive with any questions or concerns definitely recommend them. They are so professional. The place is clean, inviting and comfortable. Highly recommend!!

*** My husband and I chose Emerald Isle before the season was underway for some quiet and R&R. We were instead greeted with a major construction project going on the beach in front of the house (8 bulldozers with backup alarms, trailers, cranes, massive rusted pipes operating 24/7 in front of the house with bright lights at night. I spoke to the contractors and learned that they would be gone in 2-3 days. I called Craig who was very kind and offered a refund (very nice, but where to go late Saturday with a dog after a 12-hour drive?) or to stay the week, get back to him in a few days, and he would compensate us for the inconvenience. Seemed the better way to go as we were tired from the drive. We did get back to him a few days later, reported that we were now able to enjoy the beach, and would appreciate compensation for the 2 days. That was the last we ever heard from him. That was the most disappointing part of our stay. The décor in the house was nice. The beach is spectacular and the view from the house breathtaking!! The master bedroom is washed with sunlight from sunrise to sunset- I loved it! I would have been 5* for that alone, had we not been misled and not responded to. For those that are like me, please know that the house is old and attention to detail not there. It was not very clean (sticky cabinets, crumbs and dead flies in drawer’s, lots of white hair and threads all over the couch and floor kind of stuff. Maybe this is standard in beach rentals? Not sure, this was our first. Other details we did not anticipate were things like construction materials stored in bedroom/bath closets, a large 20”rodent trap in font of outdoor shower, lots of rusted nail pops on decks, debris strewn about outside, rusty entrance door, strong smell of mold in the lower level where you enter etc. Again, maybe this is standard, or standard in this price range? If small details do not bother you, this is your place. Kim & Fitz 2021

Amazing place with everything you need for a wonderful beach week.

We had a wonderful experience. The owner communicated well with us and all our needs were met. Beautiful property and wonderful vacation.

We will be back! The house was great, It's a vacation rental on the ocean so it isn't 100%, but it's definitely a solid 90%. The owners were great when we had a slight issue, and it was everything I could have hoped for. You can't beat the location. Steps from the ocean. A great beach. Close to the stores. Everyone loved it! The kids loved the big TV, comfy couches and barstools! I loved the porch and the view!

Great place!

We had a fantastic week on the beach! Property was exactly as described, and we really enjoyed being steps from the beach. Owner was very responsive-- when the washing machine broke our first night, he immediately ordered a replacement. I highly recommend this property for families.

I never doubted that my family and I would have an awesome beach vacation at Dune Castle. We love this place so much that we rent both East and West side....actually this is our 3rd year here. The connecting door just makes it all the better to interact with family. The updates are spectacular. There is nothing better than a week at the beach with the family you love. Thank you!

Loved our stay but the outdoor shower not working made it a bit sandy for everyone. Recommend new beds! Many thanks!!!

We really did enjoy our stay at this property. With 2 families of 4 each, there was still plenty of room for us all. Nice location on narrow section of the island and the direct beach access is very convenient when kids are in tow. My main complaint would be the main living area carpet. With high traffic areas where there is sand an water, the carpet always felt damp and dirty no matter how frequently you vacuum. The beds felt old, were not comfortable, and several had major squeaks. The place needs some general attention to maintenance (squeaky stairs, loose/rusty door handles, etc.), but nothing major broken or non-functional. Overall, I would consider staying at this property again. It is a fair price for the quality and size.

This was our second year renting this whole house and it was just as wonderful as last year! Loved the new deck furniture and carpet. Also enjoyed the new comfortable couch on our side of house. We hope we are able to rent it again next year!

Beautiful home with everything my family needed. We were pleasantly surprised with updated paint and decor throughout. Home owners were very quick to respond to any questions or concerns.

Enjoyed this trip and the beach!

No complaints at all. It was perfect for 2 families. Very clean and very nice. Communication was great.

We had a wonderful week with our family at Dune Castle West ! We had family rent the East side the same week and we loved having the whole place to ourselves . The house was comfortable and warm and you can't beat the view . We have been vacationing in the area for more than 20 years and the views here and the private beach was the best . The owners made themselves available to answer any questions I may have had . We did have some issues with a lot of debris left around the deck and the house but I am thinking this had more to do with cleaning service and inspector not communicating with home owners since we were there at the end of the season . The home owners went to fix any issues we had after we left . No issue there stopped us from enjoying a wonderful week !

We have a large family so we rent both sides of this duplex. With 8 bedrooms plus 2 lofts, we have plenty of room for our extended family vacation. It is close to shopping, movies, aquarium, putt-putt and more!!

We had a large group, so we rented both sides (East & West) of this beach house. We had a wonderful vacation… Emerald Isle is hard to beat! Positives: the owners were very communicative throughout the process, door code made access very easy, beautiful location, beach (very clean; like having a private beach), great deck, convenient hose to wash off the sand, spacious kitchens, a door between the dining areas that connected the two sides (this was huge for us), good WiFi (we could stream video), the cleaning crew did a really great job, extra refrigerators downstairs (which made keeping bags of ice and extra food very convenient) Negatives: the property wasn’t cleaned and ready at the specified check-in times, the outside shower wasn’t operational and was very dirty (The one side you couldn’t get into because the door was broken. The other side you couldn’t use because the door was broken and the area was filled with sand, so it wouldn’t drain), the carpet throughout the property is pretty dirty (carpet in a beach house is just not practical), the beds are pretty uncomfortable (they seem like very cheap mattresses), missing remote in one of the bedrooms, a lot of junk laying outside (we cleaned it up), trash and gross stuff under one of the beds, it is evident that the downstairs (where the game room is) was fully or partially under water at one point- it is very musty down there (in fact we didn’t go down, accept to wash clothes) In general, this place was adequate, but not a place that will knock your socks off. Updates and upgrades are definitely needed to make it a 3,4, or 5 star property. We were nervous before our trip when we read a recent (April 2019) comment that was posted, so we contacted the owners. They were very kind and called us (not just emailed) to reassure us. This was very helpful and extremely appreciated! We arrived early and could see through the windows that the place was wrecked by the previous occupants, but we went to the beach and waited for the cleaning crew (as planned). When it got to be 30-45 minutes before the first check-in time (3:00 ET) we got nervous and called the owners. They were able to reach the cleaning crew, who was delayed due to cleaning other wrecked properties (which was understandable). While waiting for the cleaning crew I was in communication with the owners (via text) and took pictures of the dirty property so they would know how the other occupants left it (trying to be helpful). At one point

This was our family’s first vacation and we couldn’t have chosen a better home or place to enjoy the beach and ocean. The home was right on the edge of the beach which made our stay even more family friendly. Having 24 hour access to enjoy the ocean was amazing! We also enjoyed the shops being close and affordable. We were blessed and made an abundant amount of memories to cherish for a lifetime.

Let me start by saying that you can’t beat the location of this house. We loved being so close to the beach. The attention to detail is definitely lacking, though. This is likely the challenge of renting through vrbo instead of an agency. The house wasn’t very clean when we arrived. There was food left in the kitchen drawers (eggs, plantain & bread). Most of the silverware was missing and the dishwasher was broken. Dishwasher was halfway through the stay but didn’t work properly for the whole stay. The mattresses are all very old as well as the sofa in the living room. The entire house shows signs of deferred maintenance with railings in need of repair, paint, etc. The game room on the first floor has had water damage and smelled so mildewy that we couldn’t use it. Overall we were underwhelmed with the house outside of the great location.

The house was lovely and the view was hard to beat. Unfortunately we booked the week that they were dredging that area of Emerald Isle and we had no access to the beach in front of us all week. I’m glad they’re rebuilding the beach, but it would have made so much more sense for them to have done this during the winter, not during the spring/beginning of busy season. The house was great and the owner communicated with us well and has even offered a small refund to try to make up for our troubles. The house was well maintained and well stocked and the rooms were laid out well. It would have been a wonderful trip had they not been dredging! I’d highly recommend the property!!

A beautiful house with great beach access. We watched dolphins everyday!

Dune West is not perfect, but it is far from camping! Parking is limited and the game room is a shared space with East, but this location Wowed Santa! The grandkids will never forget the family of dolphins that entertained daily... Plan ahead and rent both sides! Owner provided great communication... Fully stocked kitchen, just bring food, drinks and ice with you so you don't have to leave the ocean front deck! Worth IT!

Very cozy duplex right on the beach. Excellent value.