After going to the Type A Mom Conference we drove about 6 hours south of Asheville, down to Ocean Isle North Carolina. I was invited there by The Ocean Isle Inn. They are experimenting with Social Media and finding out how well Social Media is impacting the travel, hotel industry by using tools such as Twitter to tell about their Inn, and about Ocean Isle, NC.

Ocean Isle, to me, is a hidden gem. It is not as crowded at Myrtle Beach and is clean and a new hot spot for beach travellers.

Our story about our experience at Ocean Isle begins here. We were weary and tired after driving all day and night from Asheville, NC down to Ocean Isle. That and a few mix ups getting off track we finally arrived at about 1 am.  And let me back up a bit, in case you didn’t know, we had a “caravan” of 2 vehicles with 9 people in our group. Which consisted of my family of 6 plus my mother and my mother and father in law. The age range was from a year old toddler to my father in law who is in his 70′s. So believe me, this was a LONG trip.

Okay, back to the story. We arrived at 1 am (approx.) and upon arriving (we were supposed to be there at about 7pm, but that didnt happen! ) Upon arriving, I went up to the office to check in, only to find that it was closed, my heart sunk to my stomach. But I called the office phone and left a message. Within 5 minutes I got a call back from Lee. The manager. He told me how he was expecting me earlier (I was expecting to have been there earlier too) but he was glad I made it and he gave me directions to a nifty lock box where I was able to get my keys to our rooms plus they had left me a cute note, welcoming us! I thought this was so sweet. Then he told me to call him back as soon as we got back to our room, so he could be sure we got in okay, and that our rooms met our satisfaction.  I don’t know of many people, managers, or staff who would’ve went above and beyond like this to make sure everything was good. He made an extremely good first impression on me right from the get go, or right from his “Hello” when he called back

We went up to our rooms, and because we were so tired, we just took in what we absolutely needed for that night and the next morning, then we would unpack the rest in the morning.

The rooms were lovely. A door to a balcony that overlooks the beach and the beautifully clean ocean. It was lovely. The rooms were comfortable and roomy. Remember we had a group of 9, so we had 2 rooms. The rooms are equipped with a little kitchenette and a nice size bathroom and a tv, and our rooms had 2 beds each. There is also wifi in the rooms and a little table with 2 chairs so your able to sit and go on the computer, or eat, or whatever. There are also chairs and a little table out on the balcony where you can sit and watch boats pass by, and just read, or watch the ocean and you can also see a fishing pier.

I loved to watch the boats at night in the moonlight, it was so romantic.

The next morning we got up and went down to the breakfast that is provided. It is a full breakfast, not just a muffin and a drink. There are make your own waffles, breakfast sandwiches, juice, coffee, tea, cereal, and much more food, I cannot even remember. But it was plenty of food to fill us for breakfast, and really we weren’t even hungry by lunch.

The staff was so pleasant too, and they were there to refill the foods/drinks when you needed them. Also the breakfast area was nice and large and very clean.

We went to the beach the first day so the kids could see it and play in the sand and also go into the ocean for their first time ever! The beach was beautiful. It is a public beach on Ocean Isle and it is so clean and nice. There are tons of great seashells. The kids loved to play in the sand and swimming in the ocean.

There are a lot of weddings held on the beach there too, and it makes for beautiful photo’s I am sure!

There is a lot to do on Ocean Isle. You can rent bikes, bogey boards, and other beach fun type things. Also there are ice cream parlors, and shops, and not too far away is a Walmart and other stores, in case you miss yours

While there we went to a Jamaican restaurant. My husband and his parents are Jamaican so they wanted to try it and see how authentic is was. It passed their “test”. The food was very good and the servings were huge. We were able to order 4 dinners and split them among all 9 of us.

The pools at the Ocean Isle Inn were my favorite hang out while there. They were relaxing and warm and the hot tub/spa was wonderful for my achy bones. They were clean, had plenty of towels to dry off on and were very large. I like that they had a very shallow end too, so my 4 yr. old was able to stand up in that end, she enjoyed that too.

The staff were all very helpful and nice. This is a huge plus. Even just to say hello and ask if all is well. It means a lot to me, even the slightest touches of kindness.

We were all able to have an enjoyable, relaxing trip to the beach and we are all wanting to go back. Looking at the pictures in my Whrrl story and then looking outside at the beginning of Winter here in Pittsburgh, makes me want to go back NOW! But I will wait out the winter and go back and enjoy it again when my husband saves up some more vacation days

You can find even more travel reviews by visiting http://www.uptake.com and see reviews for many more great places!

THANK YOU LEE and everyone at The Ocean Isle Inn, as we had a lovely time with you and at your Inn. It was a wonderful trip, and we cannot wait to come back!!!

The Plus Size Mommy

*In an effort to be transparent and comply with FTC standards – we were given the hotel rooms stay for free. However, the travel expenses, any food (except what was provided normally at the Inn) and any other expenses incurred were paid for by us.*

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