Is Dolphin Rise – Relaxation Starts Here pet-friendly?

No, only service animals are welcome at the property.

How much is parking at Dolphin Rise – Relaxation Starts Here?

On-site parking is available at the property.

Where is Dolphin Rise – Relaxation Starts Here located?

Situated in Topsail Beach, this beach holiday home is within a 15-minute walk of Surf City Beach and Topsail Skating Rink Topsail Beach. Missiles and More Museum is 0.9 mi (1.4 km) away.

Dolphin Rise – Relaxation Starts Here Reviews, Deals & Photos 2026

10/10 Excellent

Edward S.

31 Aug 2025

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The view is amazing. The entry way leading upstairs and the deck, walkway and seating area out back could use new lumber. A refrigerator with a working ice maker would have been nice. If you're planning to grill out might want to bring your own grill. The grill provided was in pretty rough shape. We didn't use it because of this.

Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

Emily T.

21 Sept 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

The location of the house is great on the quieter south end, walking distance to the shops and restaurants of Topsail Beach. The beach is extra wide. The rear deck is a straight shot out with no railings to block the view. The house itself needs a refresh. Beds were comfortable but showing age and wear. Screws on the deck sit up in places, so walking with care is important. The stove burners are wobbly and can disengage mid cooking. Navigating the spiral staircase with luggage was a challenge. It is not a bad deal for a low cost

Stayed 14 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Lora D.

17 Oct 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great experience

Accurate listing. We enjoyed our stay.

Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Teresea V.

8 Apr 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Fantastic!

The views were amazing! Very clean house, had everything you could think of needing. Great location and loved the decor.

Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Michelle S.

22 May 2019

Awesome vacation

Dolphin Rise was amazing and far exceeded our expectations! Super easy check in and out. Thank you VRBO for making this booking so easy! It was perfect!!

Stayed 7 nights in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Holly E., Indian Trail NC

6 Oct 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful ocean view!

Loved this place! Perfect getaway, so relaxing. Felt like we had the beach to ourselves most days. Loved watching the dogs on the beach playing, just wish we could have brought our fur baby to play too.

Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2020

8/10 Good

Bob M.

27 Sept 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Best view we’ve had at Topsail

We had an amazing time! Overall, it was a great experience. The huge deck gave us plenty of space and amazing views. The couches are pretty uncomfortable, and just about all the dishes/cookware we used needed to be washed beforehand but I don’t go to the beach for clean dishes and comfortable couches. I go for the beach, fishing, and the views. This house gave us plenty of that.

Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Elizabeth M.

10 Oct 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful!

Dolphins Rise was great! Great view of the ocean. Nice private access to beach (lots of steps true-but at 71- I appreciated the exercise) The kitchen is wonderful (and well equipped ) and the house decor is lovely. The circular stair case would challenge many folks, but it allows for more space in the house. I stayed downstairs and let my adult children stay upstairs. The porch is magnificent, with a view that would be hard to beat. Everything worked fine! until the outer band of Helene knocked out the wifi-but there were lots of games, and we had a front row seat to a wildly beautiful ocean.

Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2024

10/10 Excellent

Clifford H.

8 Jul 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Dolphin Rise - Oceanfront Home with beach access

Nice home.. some things were broke before we arrived ,like the faucet handle for the hose on the back deck and some of the beach equipment in the storage room and a toaster in the kitchen that didn't work ... the floors could have been cleaner , lots of dirt and pieces of stuff under the furniture and the carpets looked like they could use a good steam cleaning and the up stairs toilet could use an upgrade ... they make toilets these days that flush a whole lot better then that thing does ,.... But we still enjoyed our stay there ... it was definitely nicer then some other beach homes we have been in. The owners did a great job with the decor and the mutitude of items they funished the home with... It would have been nice to stay longer. Would recommend this home to anyone wanting to have a great beach vacation .

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Cory B.

16 Jul 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Very nice property

The property was very clean and well kept. The rooms were very clean and spacious and the mattresses were some of the best we've had in a beach house. The new owners have definitely invested well in the house with plenty of blankets and pillows, games and puzzles, and books to keep you entertained inside. We appreciated the chairs and kitchen table outside as well. The location is perfect to keep the beach around you open since you're not close to a beach access, hotel, or condo complex. We had tons of room to let the kids roam around and play without being worried about other beach goers. Though this is a duplex you don't share a wall or walkway with your neighbors so you still have plenty of privacy and no sound carried either. The only watch outs I would note is the walk to the beach is a little long and there is a bit of an uphill walk to get over the dunes. There's nothing the owners can do about this but worth noting if anyone in your party has a hard time with walking. Also, the slats blocking the upstairs overlooks and the spindles on the stair case are wide enough for a small child to fit through. We could see this from the pictures and came prepared for it since our small children were sleeping upstairs with us. You can hear everything happening downstairs through the accordion doors upstairs. Again, nothing that bothered us but something to note when you are staying at the property.

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

Erin C.

16 Jun 2022

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Cozy cottage

My family had a wonderful time staying at this property.

Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2022

8/10 Good

virginia w.

29 Apr 2022

Liked: Check-in, location, listing accuracy

Nice houses, great location

Good

Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Charles G.

25 Apr 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful oceanfront house.

Nice!

Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2022

4/10 Poor

Amy M.

28 Nov 2021

Liked: Check-in, communication, location

Disliked: Cleanliness, listing accuracy

Very Disappointed

Wonderful location on the beach. We loved the deck and views of the sand and surf! Now for some honest feedback. We have been staying in beach houses in North Carolina for over 30 years and feel the house needs some updates and know it is a work in progress! The kitchen cabinets are hard to open by design and it would be nice if they had pull handles. The refrigerator has many broken shelves on the door, runs non-stop even turned to its lowest setting (annoying at night). The coffee maker switch is going bad and needs to be “jiggled” constantly or just use the plug once you get the switch to work. The pots and pans are a hodge podge with only one lid for all. There are only two pot holders which was tough for a thanksgiving dinner. The living room furniture is very sturdy but the foam cushions are extremely uncomfortable for long sittings such as a football game, rainy days or when too cold for the beach (we experienced both). The foot of the main level bed is several inches higher than the headboard. The upstairs bathroom shower nozzle leaks and the toilet is very slow to flush. The house appeared to be vacuumed prior to our arrival however we noticed quite a few dead flies as well as cockroaches on the floor which concerned us that it had possibly been recently fumigated. We did find a few more roaches some dead and some alive. There were goldfish and Ritz crackers under some of the furniture. We also vacuumed the air return grille as it was covered in dust and put in a new air filter as it was very dirty. You may want to address this with the cleaning company.

Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2021

10/10 Excellent

Josie H.

26 Oct 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Ocean View

Beautiful beach house. Can use some updates but clean and comfortable.

Stayed 14 nights in Oct 2021

8/10 Good

Stacy B.

4 Sept 2021

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Disliked: Cleanliness

Great beach location

Nice house for small family but property is in need of general maintenance. Needs deep cleaning including kitchen cabinets which are in disarray. Nice Bosch dishwasher but dishes weren’t coming clean because filter was filthy and probably never cleaned. I cleaned it thoroughly and added rinse agent and then it cleaned great (you’re welcome). Upstairs plumbing needs snaking. Shower had standing water so my son snaked the tub and removed large glob of hair after which water drained (again, you’re welcome). Toilet requires 2-3 flushes each time. We couldn’t fix that. Shower liners in both bathrooms were moldy and gross. We took them down and put them through the washer with white vinegar and they came clean (you’re still welcome). Refrigerator water and ice dispensers don’t work so plan on bringing your own ice and water because tap water tastes bad. The oven didn’t work so I reported that to realty company. Realty company advertises extra cleaning for Covid requiring a delayed checkin. No extra cleaning occurred at this house. It was livable after some cleaning and repairs of our own. House has beautiful unobstructed view of ocean and direct access across newly created second dune. Nice deck chairs. Two Roku TVs. Amazing Nextdoor neighbor who bought us a charcoal grill when the grill that was advertised to be there wasn’t, and she wouldn’t let us pay her for it. She even assembled it! We had an enjoyable week but in all honesty I wouldn’t stay here again. I’m too much a neat freak especially during Covid.

Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Shaun C.

18 Aug 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Better than expected.

First time in Topsail. Knew nothing about the location or the house rented. Went out on a limb and couldn’t of been more satisfied. From my wife to the kids all were completely happy with the house and the beach. Absolutely beautiful ocean and beach. House was exactly what we expected. Communication was great. My complaint and I use the word very vaguely is that it would of been nice to have an actual outdoor grill for cooking. Would of helped out a lot. Other than that I have no other complaints. We are definitely coming back and looking for dates now to book.

Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Kristen H.

31 Jul 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful

My family had such a wonderful time! We have 2 younger boys and they had a blast being so close to the beach! We have no complaints!

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Beth C.

30 Sept 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect vacation spot!

Dolphin Rise was perfect and Lewis Realty made the process incredibly easy. Will definitely go back.

Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2020

10/10 Excellent

JEAN S.

23 Sept 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

loved oui stay

very nice we had health issues and we had good help from management will definitely come again jean

Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2020

8/10 Good

Daphne m.

17 Sept 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Relaxing

Nice property. Uncrowned beach.

Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2020

10/10 Excellent

Donna A., Fortville Hancock

23 May 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Dolphin Rise wonderful oceanfront house!

Our trip was during COVID-19, so the trip getting there was challenging. Once we got to the house, the house was charming. We didn’t get to shop or go out to eat like we normally do on vacation. Our weather could of been better. All in all , the house could of not been more relaxing, love all the windows on ocean side and the nice deck. Dolphins Rise is a great place to stay. Hopefully we will be back in a couple years.

Stayed 7 nights in May 2020

6/10 Okay

Calley C.

2 Oct 2019

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Rt on Beach with great views!

Needs some updates for sure... older house but we aren’t picky and worked out fine for us:) Great location and beach rt in your face!!! Which we LOVED! Spiral stairs were fun and easy to get up too. Had no problems with anything and had a great week!

Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2019

This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

6/10 Okay

Bethany W.

22 Oct 2016

Great views but home needs attention

The location is great and you can see the ocean from it's deck, which has both covered and uncovered areas. This is a big plus. Unfortunately, my family felt the house was desperately in need of some TLC and attention to the needs of it's visitors. Sorry to be so detailed, but my sister-in-law and I made a list to manage our frustration. We've been renting houses on Topsail for eight years and the condition of the house was subpar. Here's our list: Dirty, cluttered, needs maintenance Grill was in such bad shape we couldn't use it Ice maker didn't work Dishes in cabinets and floors needed washing upon arrival There was no pantry space available. The shelves that were available (in the laundry closet) were dirty and full of the owner's items. We had to move things like paint supplies and rags, so we could clean a few shelves for our dry food and supples. Unstable shelving. Bug problem - not infested, but we had to kill two enormous roaches and deal with small ants on counters Kitchen garbage lid didn't work Had to change lightbulbs on first day Light over stove didn't work Outdoor furniture - straps broken Ocean side windows hadn't been cleaned recently This could be a lovely home with a little more attention to maintenance, cleaning and decluttering.

Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2016

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