The view from the back porch of Starboard, 899 Ocean Blvd W
Every time we decide to go to Holden Beach, the houses that are available are different. It doesn’t help that we’re usually making our reservations last-minute, often within a week or two of the rental dates. Still, it’s always exciting to discover a new house and enjoy some else’s décor for a week.
This time, we chose half of a duplex, Starboard (the other side is called Port) at 899 Ocean Blvd W. It’s ocean-front, which was nice after so many years of renting in the second row. Even though it was a little more expensive than we’ve paid in the past, that was ok since it had what we needed, namely, enough beds and free WiFi.
Enjoying the (chilly) waves
Below, I’ve outlined the pros and cons of Starboard. Hopefully it will be helpful to you!
Pros of Starboard
It’s rented by Brunswickland Realty. We’ve always rented from Brunswickland, in part because they always have the cheapest prices, and in part because we have a relationship with them and they’re always nice. I mean, always nice.
The front of the house
It’s ocean-front, and it’s a very short walk from the back deck to the beach (but not so short that the tide comes up to your door!)
It has a large dining area with 8 seats – it was easy for us to cram in two more chairs around the table (it sleeps 10, so it might as well seat 10, too).
The dining area…the blue chair in the foreground (left) is the beginning of the living room area
The kitchen is generally well-stocked with pans, plates, silverware, dishes, etc. (But bring your own mixing bowls.)
There are four bedrooms. Much nicer than having all 10 beds packed into two bedrooms…
A dolphin from the back porch
I love the layout of the house. There is one very large room with the kitchen, dining area, and living area in it. The living area is on the back of the house, so you can cook dinner and look out at the waves at the same time! It’s also easier to all be “together” in a large room like that, even with several different activities going on. Three of the bedrooms are on the front of the house, and one is in the back.
The hot water heater is pretty large. We could get 8 of us through the shower without using up the water if we were careful.
The laundry room is well-stocked with boogie boards and other beach stuff.
Bed linens were included, even in the winter. That meant we didn’t have to bring our own sheets. Wa-hoo!
The back porch
The TV wasn’t the focal point of the living room; the fireplace was. That was a nice change. The TV is still very there, though, and is connected to the internet enough that we could watch YouTube videos on it.
The back porch is large and well-equipped for sitting outside and enjoying the ocean from the comfort of a rocking chair.
Cons of Starboard
There is only one washer and one dryer for both sides of the duplex. Seriously???? It’s a good thing we both knew how to share!
A sea gull serenely observes the waves
The owners had last used the house and didn’t leave it as clean as I would have appreciated. It really wasn’t bad, but we found a half-eaten cinnamon roll under one of the beds, wrapping paper under the couch, and when I went to make spaghetti the first night, well, let’s just say the pot had last been used for chicken soup…
Oh, and all the decent sized spoons were in a plastic bag on the top shelf of the pantry along with about 50 butter knives 🙂
One of the bathrooms. The shower is to the left, out of view.
The owners showed up on the other side of the duplex, unannounced, for a few days. I can’t complain; it’s their house and they certainly didn’t bother us much. But I do gather that they always come for New Years…
Long story short, Starboard is a nice house and I’d definitely rent it again. Its atmosphere is more “lived in” than other houses, with photos of the owners in several of the rooms, which I found a nice touch. But I’ll definitely be bringing my own mixing bowls next time 🙂
Sunset from the back porch
Furnishings 
Well-stocked
Location
Scenery
Would I go 100 miles out of my way for this?
Overall Rating:
Zoom map out to browse nearby hikes & places of interest
This Week’s Featured Product!
I love this book. It’s a great guide to the shells, flora, and fauna of the Holden Beach area, and it even has some colored pictures to help you identify things like shells. Highly recommended!
