Terrapin Station: Oceanfront Home for Vacation Rental, Pet Friendly, Sleeps 10

This Topsail Island home is in Surf City, NC with direct access to the beach. Terrapin Station is just over a mile from the center of Surf City, which is "big enough to be competitive, small enough to be happy!" Uncrowded beaches with gentle surf make it ideal for families of all ages. The high season is June - September, but this home is available year round. An off-season rental is especially affordable and relaxing. With plenty of restaurants, shops, and other attractions, you can do as much or as little as you like. The one traffic light that was in the center of town has been removed, so forget about traffic. Leave the mainland behind by crossing the new, high-arch Surf City bridge with dramatic views of the sound, island, and ocean, and you're on Topsail Island.

The views from the Terrapin's two-level oceanfront deck are equally impressive, with the Surf City pier to the south and North Topsail Beach to the North. The pictures have been updated since Florence decided to do some remodeling! Outdoor dining tables and chairs on the upper deck let you enjoy a meal or drinks in the sun or under the stars, and the lower deck is available to lounge in the shade while looking out over the ocean. Be on the beach in moments with your private access, which has a shower for after your swim.

The modern yet comfortable interior is two-floors, with three bedrooms and two baths on the first floor. A king bed and private bath are in the owner suite, and each bedroom has a separate sliding door onto the lower deck. A queen bed is in a bedroom with direct access to the second bath, and the third bedroom has a total of four twin beds in two bunk-bed units. Each bedroom has closet space and is fully furnished. A full-size washer and dryer is also on the first floor.

The upstairs great room has a vaulted ceiling and a bank of windows looking out to the beach. There is tremendous natural light, a spacious living room area, large dining area, and full kitchen. The kitchen is completely outfitted for those who choose to prepare a meal during their stay, with smooth-top range, oven, microwave, and extra-large refrigerator with filtered water. The cookware and implements go well beyond what is normally found in a vacation rental, and basic spices and staples are available. Ample tableware is provided for 10 people.

The upstairs bedroom has a queen bed, closet, a dresser, and a sliding door out onto the upper deck. This bedroom is adjacent to the upstairs full bathroom. The carpeting throughout the house was replaced in 2018.

The house is equipped with high-speed WiFi, and there is a cable-equipped television in each bedroom in addition to the great room. A stereo and DVD player are provided in the living room area. A two-zone air conditioning system keeps the house comfortable on both levels whatever the weather. Cars may be parked in the two-car garage, and/or in the private driveway. A second refrigerator for guest's use is in the garage.

About Topsail Island and Surf City:

Topsail Island is a barrier island on the North Carolina coast south of Emerald Isle and North of Wrightsville Beach. We enjoy surf fishing in the 25 miles of Atlantic Ocean shoreline, and fishing on the sound, which is part of the Intracoastal Waterway. Most any water sport imaginable is available as well as cruises, rental boats, and deep sea fishing. On a trip to the gulfstream on a friend's boat, we came home with a 50-lb cobia!

In the summer the water is warm and generally calm, with just enough wave action to be fun. Paddleboarding is popular both on the ocean and the sound, and when the wind kicks up a bit you'll see the kite boarders and surfers come out. People swim from May to October, with brave souls (and those with wetsuits) out during the rest of the year when the wind and surf is up. Even in the summer the beach is relatively uncrowded, but happening enough to be fun.

Terrapin Station is in Surf City, which is roughly the central third of the island. To the south is the town of Topsail Beach, and to the north is the town of North Topsail Beach. There are several guide books for Surf City and the surrounding area in the house. On the Island there are restaurants, shops, and live music, and unique to the area are the Turtle Hospital and the Missiles and More Museum. For restaurants, our favorites are the Shukin' Shack (Oysters, seafood, and general fare); Diver for smoothies, coffee, and sandwiches; Miss Pho (Vietnamese, in Sneads Ferry, about 10 miles away), JM's on the water (Seafood, burgers), and Low Tide (Steak and excellent house-made burgers). The best Mexican place nearby is Cancun in Sneads Ferry, but Margarita's is not bad and within a mile. For a walk-up kind of meal, try Fast Fish for Poke bowls or Shaka Taco, both in Surf City. Both are about a mile away from the house, and are local favorites.

Topsail Island is a renowned sea turtle sanctuary (see https://www.seaturtlehospital.org/), with nesting season between mid-May and August. Volunteer spotters walk the beach to find and mark off nests buried in the dunes. The hatchlings come out as a group, following the moonlight into the ocean. Loggerhead turtles have nests on the Island during the summer, and if you're lucky you could witness a hatch!

With a bicycle you can explore the length of the island (about 25 miles), with bike lanes along the major north-south road. Last April your host (a novice rider) did the 26-mile ride to benefit breast cancer research, which is held by the "Reel Housewives of Topsail Island." Bicycles and all manner of sporting and beach equipment are available for rental at numerous places on the island.

For golfers, there are a number of good local courses at reasonable rates, and for a real challenge Myrtle Beach is just two hours away. We met the real estate agent through which we bought Terrapin Station at North Shore Country Club! The Club is open to the public and is just off the island over the northern bridge, about 15 minutes from the house. There are many more courses within a half-hour in the Hampstead area. Miniature golf for the kids is just 10 minutes away by car.

There is a famous indoor/outdoor skateboard park (the Skate Barn) in Hampstead, about 20 minutes away. The Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington is a unique self-guided tour of a decommissioned WWII ship that is a must-see for folks who are interested in that sort of thing. Wilmington is about 45 minutes away, and there you will also find the closest movie theater and about any kind of store you would imagine in a fair-sized city.

The house has puzzles, cards, and games for a rainy or rest day, and the Surf City pier and the center of town is about a mile walk. A fun and scenic thing to do is to walk or bike the Surf City bridge. There are both pedestrian and bike lanes laid out on the bridge, and there is parking on the mainland side. Come and enjoy! We have been coming here for 15 years and haven't run out of things to do!


Tips on booking Terrapin Station:

The master calendar is kept on the Vrbo site to avoid any possibility of double-booking. To check availability and pricing, go to Terrapin Station on Vrbo:
https://www.vrbo.com/7560655ha

Without entering stay dates, click the “check availability” button, which is a bit down and to the right side on the home page. Advance the calendar to the time period you are interested in. Unavailable dates will be grayed-out. Available dates will have a white background, and available check-in dates are shown with a blue underlined date. Note: during the high-season (mid Apr - Oct) all rentals are Saturday - Saturday. During the off-season, the minimum stay is 3 nights, and guests can choose any day of the week to check in and out.

Please note that the linens, cleaning, and pet fees are not included in the Vrbo quote due to limitations in how the Vrbo software collects and remits fees and taxes. The cleaning fee ($145) and the fee for a full set of linens ($171.87) will be collected via an additional payment request. These charges are the same for any length stay. Linens are optional, and if linens are not needed for any or all of the beds, the fee will be reduced to what is actually charged by the vendor. Bath linens come as a set with the bed linens.

Pets are welcome, but must be approved by the owner. We allow a maximum of two moderate-sized dogs. We do not allow cats. The pet fee is $170 per pet per stay. After booking and approval of your pet(s), an additional payment request will be made. The pet fee is a fee and not a security deposit.

We regret that the Vrbo software is not capable of producing a single, all-inclusive quote at this time. The fees discussed above are currently the only fees not included in the original Vrbo quote for the stay. After the additional payment requests are made, the cost will be reflected in your Vrbo quote. You may pay the additional payment requests in any manner that you would make any Vrbo payment, and the payment is held by Vrbo until after your stay commences. The Vrbo quote can be difficult to read; should you have any questions please contact us.

Also note that the cancellation policy for this property is not correctly reflected in the summary the Vrbo site uses. Please refer to the Vacation Rental Agreement for the actual policy. In the event you must cancel your reservation, get in touch with us as early as possible. Our policy is to issue a full refund if we cannot provide the accommodation due to a Government order. Otherwise, we will give you a full refund if we can re-rent the property at the usual rate. Throughout the COVID situation and, in fact, since we have been renting on Vrbo, no rental payments have been forfeited.