We just returned from a 3 night stay at the Islander. We thoroughly enjoyed it! As a native North Carolinian I can say that location on the beach and a clean room is all you need. This hotel exceeded my expectations. We stayed in a corner room ocean front. When we weren't on the beach or in the pool we were on our balcony enjoying our fabulous view. The breezes were spectacular. Our room was updated and clean. The bathroom was clean. We had a kitchenette with a coffee maker, larger fridge and a microwave. The staff at the desk were very nice and whenever I needed coffee, creamers, or towels they were able to help me. By the way coffee is free in the lobby day and night. The pool was a great spot for kids. We plan to return!!! Thank you Islander for this vacation!
If you are a non-smoker, you will have an issue here. Although no smoking signs are posted at the pool, they are ignored. There is a “common area” (happened to be right outside our room - 218) where there’s a huge ashtray that looks like it hasn’t been emptied in weeks. The day we were leaving people had congregated there and were very loud. Around 7 a.m. Wasn’t a problem for us, since we were headed out. I felt bad for the families with sleeping children. The bathroom in this room needs updated in a very bad way. Ceiling has cracks in it. Toilet has some ugly looking glue around the bottom and curtain rod is hung wrong. Positives: Very good location and staff is super friendly and helpful!!
My title sums up my review. First - Beautiful location right on the beach! Beautiful view. Also, my wife and I are pretty picky about cleanliness (we've generally avoided ABnBs for this reason - most don't measure up) - and this place is quite nicely cleaned - we noticed staff deep- cleaning the hotel during out stay - fantastic! Our room was very clean! Let talk about staff - Ally and Kat were standouts - friendly, southern-style hospitality. Much appreciated. Its so tough to find good staff and these two are gems - I hope the Islander folks know this is a big part of what make a hotel a place to which you look forward to returning. There was no daily housekeeping, which was a touch disappointing, but then again, in this climate, when you provide friendly service, with a clean room in a premium location, i'll make my own bed and go get more towels when i need them. Rooms - we stayed in 305 which was nicely renovated but the the location was less than desirable. We moved to 140 which could use an update but which is an absolutely A+ location. I would not hesitate to return but would much prefer to stay on the beach side - the price uptick is worth the vista in my view. This was our first time in EI - but with family nearby, we'll certainly be back and this would be my first choice on my next stay.…
What a beautiful spot. Right on the beach, spectacular views from our first floor patio. Really enjoyed the hotel. Wish they offered a breakfast option, since rules are you can't cook in the room. But our room was lovely and the staff super friendly. We'll be back!
Very nice ocean view and staff. Rooms could have been cleaner and pretty run down. It is the only hotel with an ocean view. We think black mold is growing on the ceilng in the bathroom. The rooms had a bad smell in them. The tv in one of the rooms did not work.
Just steps to to the beach! It was nice to be able to go back and forth from our room to the beach when wanted a drink etc. BUT the room we were in was not the best and not what it looked like on the website.When we checked in we were told we had a re -furbished room.Can't imagine what was re-furbished.Maybe the floor? No privacy from living area and bedroom area.Kitchenette was also used as bathroom sink with mirror.Lighting over the sink was too bright and we honestly couldn't see ourselves to do make up etc.One big negative is the fact that it was an adjoining room and trust me we could hear everything in the other room! With all that being said we loved the location and will go back but not in the Islander king rooms.Next time we'll try to book a suite upstairs hopefully oceanront!…
For the past 4-5 years, this has been our “go to” place! Unfortunately, this treasure is quickly turning into trash. Our beds were horrible. You sink into the mattresses which doesn’t make a good nights rest. There was a roach in our room. Yes, a ROACH. When we told the front desk, they said it wasn’t. It was just some water bug native to the area. Naw, y’all! That thing was a huge roach! So guess who had to keep their luggage in the garage just in case those “water bugs” wanted to relocate to my home?! Also, there shouldn’t be ANYTHING crawling in my hotel room. The hallway needs the carpets cleaned, and the walls either painted or wiped down. The bathroom grout as well. The lobby looks great but it’s obvious the minimum is being done to take care of the rooms in this once awesome place. We left early!…
I have been staying at the Islander for the last 10 years. NEVER AGAIN! I stayed at the Inlet, which is the newest part of this property. The beds are completely worn out. My friend and I were sinking in the middle. When we informed the gentleman at the front desk about this he was rude and showed no concern. We had to go and buy a pair of boogie boards to insert under the mattress to keep from sinking. In addition, That evening we had a large cockroach running in the room After screaming and running around I was able to kill it. Disgusting!!!! When we informed the front desk. We were told they were water bugs. No it wasn’t. This was a cockroach with long antennas. Water bugs don’t have long antennas. This is a sad day for my friend and I since we have enjoyed staying at this property for years. To the owner: you need to put money into your property and maintain it. Your location is unique but it is not all.…
This was my second trip to the Islander. It was just as fabulous as the first. It is in a perfect location on Emerald Island. From the back of the hotel, it’s a perfect view of the ocean. They even have 2 lay down hammocks and two chair hammocks. These were perfect to lounge in at the end of the day. The room we had was the Islander Palm Queen. It was a great size and spacious for the 5 people we had in the room.
This was our 2nd stay and will not be our last. We have already booked for next year. The convenience to the beach is amazing and a grocery store nearby makes it even better. The rooms are spacious and clean. I love that there is a broom cause we can sweep up the sand 10x a day... Lol. We had a large group, and we loved the great area around the pool to be able to hang out together, the hammocks are so relaxing, and some in our group rented bikes and rode daily. The #1 attraction is the beach though and frankly with all the stuff required to spend a day on the beach we would not be able to do it if we weren't staying RIGHT on the beach. So thankful this hotel is here. They were not doing daily housekeeping but the front desk or any of the workers that you see around the hotel were very kind and attentive when we needed towels, toilet paper or trash bags. It make the stay that much easier. Also one of my kids loves the complementary hot chocolate.... Even though it was 90° outside... Lol. Thank you. We will be back.…
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