We visited Bald Head Island via the ferry and will tell you that getting there is a good bit of fun. Buy tickets on line and you will be rewarded with early boarding and a better choice of seats. On a nice day it's great to sit outside, which we did. Pets are welcome outside. Parking was easy, but the lot is huge so assume you may need 10 minutes to walk from your to the ferry. I suggest using google maps so you know which way to walk... there seem to be no signs. The ride was smooth and took about 30 min. The staff was helpful and friendly. On the way back we left early and were allowed onboard at 2:39 even though our tickets were for 4:30. No doubt that it's not an exciting destination in itself, but it's a pleasant way to travel. read more

Inconsistent uncaring and a general bad time. Won't run when the wind blows or anything happens.... wrecks into the rocks at the dock. Never know what to expect. read more

Bald head management gets more ridiculous every year. Make reservation thru their lame app. App is poorly contrstucted Then if you don't check in 15 minutes before "scheduled" time you go to general boarding. Meanwhile ferry is ALWAYs late! Be better. Make things easier not harder for customers. Or be on time....your choice read more

Absolutely horrible. I have been going to Bald Head for about 10 years ago and have never had a proble with the ferry until last weekend. First, they lost my sisters bag and did absolutely nothing about it. Second, they got grease on all are designer bags completely ruining maybe around 4. Genuinely so disappointed with the BHI ferry and will never be using them again. read more

Purchasing your ticket in advance is the best way to go!! I had an inspection on the island so I knew I wasn't going to be there long so I purchased a round trip ticket in advance. They recommend you add your ticket to your digital wallet and boy did that come in handy! Showed up for my ferry time of 1pm and was directed to the reservation line... I was one of 3 people in that line when the other line was packed around the corner from same day ticket purchases and standby. The ferry is fast and smooth sailing with restrooms on board and plenty of room to sit or stand across 2 levels. When purchasing a ticket online, don't forget to select a tram option if needed. Plenty of lots to park in but be prepared, unless you have a parking permit, you'll do a little walking from your car. read more

Bald Head Island Ferry - Tours Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

We booked a round trip ticket from Southport to Bald Head Island for $23/each. We left at noon and took the 4:30 ferry back, both trips were about 20 minutes. If you reserve a ticket make sure you get into the reserved line instead of the general. The ferry was on time and it was easy to board and depart. It is $12 to park your car so it can get pricey for a trip but it's worth a visit to BHI. read more

We had reserved paid online tickets for a specific trip from the island to the mainland and even when we were on time as stated on the ticket, we were still bumped and had to wait an hour and a half for the next ferry. They have unknown rules. If you have a reserve ticket you have to be in the reserved waiting area, but there is no signage. There are no staff people to give you the information needed and they allow general admission ticket holders to board before they make sure that all the reserved ticket holders are on board. The staff at the dock was unfriendly and unhelpful, and we were not even guaranteed a spot on the ferry that we had to wait an hour and a half for. It was a busy Saturday afternoon. They should've added another ferry. From our experience we saw there were many people that were not allowed to board and we're waiting and had to wait for another ferry sometime later on in the day. We were very frustrated as our online ticket gave no instructions as to where we were supposed to be waiting with our reserved ticket. read more

Not really impressed. I know the owners of this company will never read this review. Going over there is pretty and I feel like q to do once he isn't cheap. It's $23 per person for a round-trip ticket which is a little steep. We went over on the noon ferry and back on the 5:30 ferry. Beware of the changing times. It goes over every hour and back every half an hour, but things change around 5 o'clock so double check. The strange part was that when I bought my ticket, I mentioned that I had a stroller which clearly implies that I have a child. The girl was like "that's totally fine." Apparently, I did need a free ticket for the child, but I was never told that. When I got on to go over to bald head, the man was very concerned about the ticket situation, but let me on anyway...on the way back, the man was straight up, rude, demanding that I have a ticket for the child, and I told him that nobody minded it on the way over. He also demanded the name of the person that sold me the ticket. How should I know. You don't need to yell at somebody because of this. Overall, kindness goes a long way. This experience was not cheap or free and I feel like there could be a bit more courtesy when it comes to explaining pricing to visitors and guests. read more

When I arrived, the ferry was pulling away, just on the hour. I was not thrilled about this of course, but at least I figured it meant that it would consistently run on time. This was not the case at all, as I spent my wait searching for a ticket booth and listening to locals complain about poor service. My next ferry did not leave on the hour at all, but didn't board until 15 minutes after. It was a quiet ride over with everyone wearing masks despite being separated by a good distance and with open air and sunlight abound. On my ride back, the long line to the boat was stopped for capacity and I wasn't even close to getting on, leaving me to wait another hour as passengers obnoxiously waved goodbye. There were several ferries available, but they were only running one even on a nice weekend day. The mainland dock is distant from Southport, making the trip twice as long as if it left from the main settlement in the area, and it's hard for me to see how they could keep their hourly schedule when the trip takes a half hour each way and you still need to load and unload. They charge a lot for a ticket, and when you're done, they'll gouge you more for parking. Given the ample passengers, they ought to be able to staff a second boat at peak times. The island really needs a more convenient ferry service to provide competition, because this one seems to be complacent. read more

Bald Head Island Ferry - Tours Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Getting to Bald Head Island is half of the fun! BHI is only accessible by boat and the BHI Ferry makes it easy to get there. Here are some tips because it can be overwhelming it is your first​ time visiting the island but once you get the hang​ of it....easy peasy! If you are renting a home on the island and do not have someone picking you up on the island, you need to reserve tram service. I would suggest making your reservations to and from as early as you have set dates because it sells out in the summer months. You make the reervations on line but you do not pay for the tickets until you get to the terminal. When you pull up to the terminal you will stop and drop off your luggage (if you are staying on the island). You will be greeted by the staff who will have you attach luggage tags to your bags. You can print them online and put them on ahead of time. After that,​ you will go and park your car in one of the lots (this is paid parking). Make sure you take a picture of where you parked because in the summer months it can be confusing to remember where you parked because the lots are crowded. There is a little cafe open in the spring and summer months to catch a small bite and a beer while waiting for your ride to the island. The inside waiting area is air-conditioned or heated all year round. The ferry ride itself is very fun! It takes about a half hour to get to and from the island. Pets are allowed on the ferry but they have to sit upstairs and outside. Make sure you have your camera ready when you first arrive to the harbour because it is so lovely. The staff is always freindly and helpful! Once on the island check in with the staff to find out what tram number you are in. Then go retrieve your bags take them over to the tram and the staff will load them inside for you and take you off to your fabulous stay. Enjoy! read more

They don't honor reservations. Someone identifying themselves as a captain of the boat starting yelling violently at everyone for no reason and not letting passengers in the boat. People were forced to wait for the next boat because of this. Unacceptable. read more

Buyer beware!!!! Would be zero stars if could select that. When trying to leave the island to get back to the shore had reservations. One member of the crew scanned the tickets but when going to board the boat some white guy with a black beard stopped us and claimed we did not check in. We mentioned the tickets had already been scanned. He shouted he was the captain of the boat and determines who boards the boat and we could be left there if we didn't listen to him dispute the expensive tickets. We asked him to calm down and let us board, but he would not listen at which point he pulled a knife and threatened to stab us if we did not back up in front of a ton of other passengers waiting to board as well as other ferry staff who looked away and refused to do anything. We moved away quickly and waited for the next ferry at this point which was over an hour later. We Called into the ferry support to report this which did nothing. Do not patronize this business the captain is crazy and thinks he can do whatever he wants with no repressions. I have been having nightmares for weeks about this experience. No one would even give us the captain's name to file a police report. This guy belongs in jail, not terrorizing people trying to vacation and leave an island they paid good money for. read more

Fun way to get to Bald Head Island. Lots of space during the off season and everything was right on time. read more

Bald Head Island Ferry - Tours Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

The bald head island ferry building at deep point is very large. It includes a great shaded seating area right on the water, clean restrooms, indoor lounge area and a cafe. The summer schedule is great- running very frequently. The price tag for the experience of riding over to Bald Head Island is a bit steep. It is not a long ride. that costs $23 per person with additional fees if you have extra baggage. That cost wouldn't be so bad if they didn't also charge $11 for parking. Seems a little extreme. read more

The only way on to Bald Head Island is by ferry or private boat. The ferry is run by the sate of North Carolina, and the operation is pretty darn efficient. You can't make reservations for the ferry trip, it is on a first come, first serve basis, and the cost is about $25 for a roundtrip ticket. If you are taking luggage you do need to make reservations for the tram to pick up your luggage and take it to your cottage, or to the ferry for your return trip. The trip takes about 20 to 25 minutes, and is generally a very smooth ride. The folks collecting and moving the luggage do an amazing job. It must be quite a sight during peak periods. The terminal at Southport is big, clean, and airy. The one on the island is much smaller, only outside seating, and a little worn, but functional. All the employees we encountered were very friendly, and very efficient. read more

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Their website states the ferry leaves mainland on the hour, you set your reservation for an on the hour departure, you travel across the country and arrive 45 minutes early and unload your luggage. You go park while your family buys tickets. You run .5 mile to make sure you catch the 9:00 ferry with no issues. When you catch up to your family they inform you the ferry is running on the half hour today so you missed the 8:30 ferry by 2 minutes. Your family then has to sit at the ferry for 1 hour and 45 minutes total. It does not seem like much to ask to have the ferry run on the advertised schedule read more

they're always late, their schedule online isn't accurate at all, when their late they don't even try to make up for it, 0 consideration for the people on the island trying to make it to land I've been coming here for about 2 weeks now and every day the boats have been extremely late and instead of waiting for people to get there at the time they have online they just leave whenever with about 3 people on the boat. very poor service and very inconsistent. I would give them 0 stars if it was possible. read more

My husband and I love coming out to Bald Head. My sister and her boyfriend were visiting us from Scottsdale AZ so I figured it would be nice to take them here. Getting our ferry passes for a day was super quick and easy. The lady checking us out was very friendly and quick. The ferry ride is very nice. It's amazing to see the crew work together to get the ferry backed up and driving forward. Everyone was super friendly. I can't wait to come back. read more

Normally a good service to get to Bald Head Island. Appears that the ferry mate/ticket taker was having a bad day though. I just had the gate closed on me because my wife had to walk back around the corner with tickets in hand. This ferry mate saw her a mere few feet away with the tickets; we were all calm and nice and I actually thought he was going to let her in the shortcut gate as she was right there at the ticket booth next to him. Instead he physically closed the gate on me and said "Can't wait", turned around and left - would have been at most a 30 second delay. Last people ahead of us were not even on the ferry yet. Close to an empty boat. Worst service and demeanor that I have seen from any one at Bald Head Island in 30 years of coming here. Like I said, he must have been having a bad day. read more

I've used the ferry service to BHI for more than 10 years now and have never had anything but an excellent experience. One thing to note, another review said this is the same service that goes to Ft. Fisher. It is not. The Ft. Fisher ferry service is just down the road from the BHI ferry and they do not share vessels. it would be impossible to do so, because BHI ferry don't transport cars (there are no personal use cars on the island) As for the service, here's some tips to make things easy: If you are bringing anything more than a carry-on with you, schedule your trip online so that you have a tram reservation when you get to the island. The trams are there waiting for people with reservations when you ferry arrives on the island, load your bags on the tram for you, and drive out to your home / rental property. The earliest you can check in to a rental home is 3pm, so there is no sense in taking an earlier ferry than that, unless you plan to hang out with your bags until 3pm on the island. You can print the luggage tags and put them on your bags before you leave home. This speeds things up for you at the terminal if it's busy. Most of the year, ferries leave from the mainland on the hour and leave from the island on the half-hour. You can't purchase your ferry tickets online, only in person, so arrive at the terminal in Southport early. Your ticket's will not be for a specific time and it's first come, first served for boarding. If you decide to hang out inside the ferry terminal or on the upper deck over-looking the marina, be sure to come down to the lower waiting area about 20 minutes before your ferry is set to leave if it's busy. If its nice outside, the upper deck that overlooks the marina is an awesome place to hang out while you want for your ferry to arrive. Glad a rocking chair and soak in the view while you wait. Parking is ample and the lots are nice. It's not like at the airport. You don't need to keep your parking stub with you, which is nice because it's easily to leave it in your car so you don't lose it while you're on the island. Last thing... enjoy Bald Head Island! It's an awesome place to relax. read more

Bald Head Island Ferry - Tours Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

I've always enjoyed going on the ferry over to Bald Head Island it's great scenery oout there you shouldn't have to take a ferry ride with sometimes you can consume a lot of time just to get to a healthcare emergency facility for instance you should be able to just going to a medic or something on the island with professional people at least in case of emergency it could probably ]ave somebody's life. All in all in my case it was a great visit and ride ] John [ on the ferry the weather was beautiful nor was there any kind of mist from sprinkling or anything enough because usually you can see a rainbow on the way over sometimes three rainbows all in once in that one same spot halfway across there is an island that has a lighthouse on it it's not part of Bald Head Island it's more on the Oak Island side I would think but it's always beautiful to look at when that rainbow shows up and usually it shows up as a triple rainbow which is pretty cool and very rare to see had an awesome day that day as always when I go over it's like being in a whole other world when you're there. Sometimes you forget that you're still and Society it's so quiet vehicles riding around or anything cuz they use golf carts on the Island mostly I can't even emphasize the peace you feel when you're there it's like being disconnected that brief. Of time they are there read more

Bald Head Island Ferry - Beautiful - Tours Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

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An impotent sign declares COVID mask requirements but they're not followed by many of the guests or any of the staff. I'm don't know why they won't wear masks - maybe they think hospitalizing others is a small price to pay for avoiding slight discomfort? read more

It has been a few years since I spent any time on Bald Head Island, and I had forgotten how the ferry service worked. So, this past weekend, I was headed back down to the island for a friend's wedding. When I went online to check out the ferry situation, I was shocked to see that the ferry cost was $25 (round trip). I didn't remember it costing that much last time. But, after my visit, I say this is well worth the money and quite a bargain for what you get! :-) So, just what does your $25 get you say? For starters, you can drive right up and drop your luggage curbside for baggage check service. Then, it includes your 20 minute ferry ride to the Island. When you arrive on the island, your luggage is brought out for you to take to the tram. Then, a friendly employee will take you on the tram to your house or condo and unload your luggage for you. When you are ready to depart the island, you just call to make a reservation for the tram to come retrieve you and your luggage. And the whole process is repeated for your return trip. Also, if you want to go back & forth to the mainland without luggage, they have a "no frills" ticket option that doesn't include luggage handling or tram service. The employees we encountered were all very friendly and helpful so don't forget to take some extra cash for tips! Oh, and if you are traveling with your dog, don't worrry -- both the ferry and the trams are dog-friendly. My little Izzy-dog enjoyed the ride as much as I did! read more

I had a very bad experience on the ferry that continued even after departure. My husband was kicked off for tossing me his keys. It is apparently not allowed. The crew was extremely mean to me. I was verbally abused by one crewman for my husbands bad behavior. When I exited the ferry the crew member laughed and said I hope your husband makes it back tonight from baldheaded. I responded by letting him know my husband was on his way by boat.He then called my husband is a sissy. We are senior citizens and could not believe our experience. The passengers on the boat were great. One woman who rides daily for work said that man was always mean. One gentleman said he was going to intervene if the crew member hit me. It was uncalled for to make fun of my husband as well as throw it up in my face. The crew are very mean and disrespectful. I will never ride the ferry. My advice is to go by private boat. read more

Ugh, no clear directions for parking. Came over from Southport Fort fisher Ferry and couldn't make the 10 am so had to wait an hour. Bad timing and no signs made us miss it. The entrance to board is cordoned off and creates a trip hazard as it forces people to walk 100 feet and then back around. There is NoONE waiting in line. Maybe if you did some observations and real time interviews of passengers, you would find out how annoying it is. Probably won't come here again and definitely won't buy a house on bald head with all the old bald headed farts. read more

It's amazing you can take 6 bags on your trip. We paid an additional fee for a couple of Kayaks and a bike, but it was still waaaaaaaay cheaper than trying to rent that stuff on the other side. The baggage handlers work like crazy, they have a very limited time to load and unload. We tipped them well. After dropping off our stuff and leaving to park the car, we were walking and a lady came along and gave us a ride in a kart back to the ferry. Nice touch. It was hot! Sadly, on our return trip the tram was a little late picking us up. We had just enough time to get on our ferry and our luggage didn't make it. But, it was the first stuff off of the next ferry 30 minutes later, so not really a big deal. Looking forward to next time. read more

Beware of the PARKING! Paid through an attendant and was Double Charged on 8/26/19, immediately called when I saw on line.....was told today that I would need to open a Dispute through the Credit Card. I just wonder how many people are double charged and never notice? Ferry Service was fine though, nice trip to and from. read more

Nice ride to Bald Head Island. No frills, just a 20 minute boat ride, each way to and from the island. People (passengers) are pretty cool and staff is friendly enough (but not overly). Parking at the marina is a bit pricey and the ferry ride itself seems a little pricey but it's the only way to the island unless you own your own boat. read more

The BHI Ferry is a wonderful experience...until they lose your bags. Or rather, until their old school process makes it easy for an idiot fellow traveler to take your bag by mistake, then keep it for 5 days before bringing it back to the ferry terminal. Responsibility for your bags (tagging them, counting them at both ends) is obviously the traveler's responsibility. So job one of this review is to help others understand, amid the chaos of kids and dogs and a week's groceries, that the BHI Ferry employees "move 10,000 people a weekend" and don't have time to worry about your junk. They just stack the bags up on the other side, and you grab what you want. The labels you print from their website are a joke. Alert to all small time crooks: you could make out really well just pulling up to the ferry terminal on a summer Saturday afternoon to load up on a few bags... Where the two stars comes in, though, is the BHI Ferry staff's response to a lost bag. One guy was nice, bending over backwards and asking his drivers to revisit the deliveries on the night we went over...literally knocking on doors to check if there was an extra bag. Turned out that there were 3 other households ON THE SAME FERRY with the same, unusual, last name as us...recipe for disaster. That didn't pan out. Ferry staff told me to keep coming back to see if someone had returned the bag to the terminal. That's it. Day shift, veteran employees, focused on the 10,000 families, were more dismissive than guy #1. Willie, the head guy, threatened me after I pushed him on their crappy process. "That's the way to make sure your bag never shows up, sir," he said. Admittedly I didn't use the word "crappy." But this was 3 days in, and the bag in question had all of my wife's clothes. She'd had to buy a bathing suit and wear her driving clothes repeatedly, in the hope the bag would show up. We did not want to go and purchase an entire wardrobe (and cosmetics etc) from the island's charming but expensive stores... Our landlord finally busted things loose. We called her, and she called the ferry offices outraged. She threatened to call the police, accusing the ferry of theft (or at least implying). SURPRISE! The house phone rang about 8 minutes later...it was Willy, and someone had just returned the bag!!! Amazing! Thanks BHI Ferry...for the incompetence, the attitude, the medieval process, and 4 days without clothes! We may be back - the ride over is fantastic, the terminal modern, the island a special place - but we won't trust your ability to deliver bags. And your ethics will forever be in question. read more

This was a fun afternoon . The ferry was very professional to the beautiful island . We felt very safe .

Unless you have your own boat, the ferry is the only way to get to Bald Head Island and they take advantage of that. They charge $23.50 for a round trip ticket and you have to purchase your round trip ticket before boarding. Put your return ticket in a safe place since there is no way to replace lost tickets even if you have the receipt. We took the ferry in the off season, so they were less strict about the baggage rules. The website says that everything has to be in closed bags or covered containers or they won't take it as baggage. We had a few bags that they handled for us just fine (that being said, they were well packed within nothing sticking out). The put all the luggage into containers to load onto the ferry so keep your eyes on what makes it into the container and what container number your stuff goes into. They weren't exactly gentle with the bags, either, so if you have something fragile or breakable you might want to carry it with you rather than have it checked. Most of the baggage staff was pleasant enough but not overly friendly. I found the ticket counter staff (at least on the mainland side) to actually be rude and off putting. When purchasing my tickets, she didn't greet me with hello, just "how many tickets" and then was short when I asked a question. This was especially true when my sister in law lost her wallet the morning we were leaving and we called to see if there was anything the ferry could do. The person who answered at the main land side told us we were SOL and that there was nothing she could do for us. We called back and asked for a supervisor. She said "you just called me, there is no supervisor, I can't help you" and she hung up. Most people show at least some degree of compassion when you just tell them you lost your wallet, all your money, credit cards, license etc. Nope. She was very rude. The staff on the island was much friendlier and understanding. They allowed the purchase of a one way fare and then allowed for a refund when the wallet was eventually found on the beach. They were also compassionate about the lost wallet and offered helpful suggestions. Overall, not a bad experience, but one that can be improved, especially if the staff are friendlier. The ferry ride itself if smooth and uneventful. You can sit enclosed on the lower level or open air on the top which provides a great breeze and wonderful views. read more

This was my first time visiting the island for a day trip, and I cannot thank the staff at the ferry enough for saving this traveler's proverbial bacon. While on the island and traveling by golf cart, my carelessness in securing my cargo resulted in my arriving at my destination minus my backpack/computer bag. This presented a plethora of issues as in said bag were my car keys, wallet, cash, return ferry tickets, and MacBook Air. Not good, bro. After retracing my steps with my traveling companion for the next hour and a half, our search had proven fruitless. I was slowly becoming resigned to the fact that I was not going to find my bag - I held out hope that if someone had picked it up off of the cart path, they would find a business card and contact me directly. As I rode the ferry leaving the island, I was powerless and left to only imagine if and how I was to ever be reunited with my life in that bag again. And then, there was Chuck... Upon returning to the dock I was encouraged to ask one of the baggage handlers at the dock to check the lost and found "just to be sure" that my bag had not been returned to the mainland. Fat chance, I tonight, but as I had nothing else to lose that day I thought "why not?" I was introduced to Chuck, who disappeared for a few moments. To my ever-loving surprise, what did Chuck produce from beyond the great beyond??? That's right, my backpack (and my life). Every pen, card, device and dollar remained just as they had been when the bag was ejected from my golf cart. All hail CHUCK and the amazing ferry staff that brought this idiot's bag back from the grave. read more

This is a fun ride. They actually go a bit faster than I thought they would. If you ride up front you will likely get wet. They are dog friendly as well. So bring your polite pooch with to basically the only truly dog friendly beach in NC! read more

The BHI ferry was a pleasant 20 minute ride. The terminal staff and ferry staff are very helpful and courteous. The cost of a round trip general ticket is a bit pricey, $22.00. The parking lot staff were exceptional helpful in helping us find our car in the ferry terminal parking lot last night at 10:45 pm. Thanks to Vince and the other staff member that drove us around the different lots till we found our car. Thanks so much!! read more

I took the Bald Head Island Ferry for the first time this weekend. It was a lovely ride there and didn't take very long at all. At the end of the trip, my husband went inside to collect our bags, and I stayed on the outside of the boat near the exit. When we docked, I waited for the ramp to be lowered and for the chains to be unfastened. I then took a step onto the exit ramp only to be screamed at rudely by the man in charge of the docking. "Ma'am! Ma'am!," he roared. He ordered me back onto the boat as if I was a navy private because he didn't have his "chain hung up yet." I wish now that I would have kept going. It was horribly embarrassing, and several passengers expressed their concern about his behavior. My husband spoke to another ferry worker, who did not seem to be super concerned, but he did notify the captain. I thanked the captain for the ride, but I also expressed how I felt about this man's behavior. The captain said that he would talk to the man. My husband was irate. He obtained the name of this rude man. It is Joe, if we were correctly informed. Joe definitely needs sensitivity training, and, if that doesn't help him improve his behavior, maybe he should take a job as a security guard or something that limits his interaction with others. read more

First off, it's a ferry. I know, rich people have crazy high unreachable expectations- eh, what are you gunna do? I've been taking the ferries for 8 years and I've never had a bad experience. And I probably go more than most, unless you work on the island. I just wanted to write a review in response to the funny lady who complained because someone yelled at her. Driving Miss Daisy! read more

I love this ferry landing for multiple reasons. Primarily free wifi and a nice little cafe! It's also very modern and the parking lot is close. read more

I love BHI! My family and I have vacationed here for almost 15 years, and it always is the highlight of my summer (if not, my year). The Bald Head Island Ferry and Marina have been recently upgraded, and the dock is now beautiful and a great place to take a load off after a long road/plane trip while you wait in eager anticipation of your island retreat arrival. It's a lovely ride as well. read more

Another adventure. We have a handicap parking tag (wife has a bad knee) are there any directions to get to those spaces. No.

Nice facilities, clean, efficient and friendly helpful staff