If you're looking for the perfect Carolina Beach stay, Hampton Inn & Suites oceanfront is tough to…read morebeat. The views are amazing. From the moment you wake up in an ocean-facing room to the fireworks every Thursday night in summer, you've got a front-row seat without even leaving the property. The tiki bar by the pool is a total win. Tasty drinks, good food, and that "vacation mode" energy, all just steps from the sand. Being right on the boardwalk means you can stroll to shops, treats, restaurants, amusement park and live music in minutes. A couple small misses kept this from being a perfect 5. We had to call for room service since they didn't automatically come during our stay, and the pool towel supply runs out fast. Definitely bring your own towels for the beach and pool. That said, the location, views, and laid-back vibes make this a spot we'd happily return to again and again.

The location is amazing. You walk onto the beach. Surrounded by bars and food, great for big groups.read more

Check in is done via email and when I booked through booking.com we asked to come an hour early due…read moreto my husband becoming ill during a camping trip. We received a reply of declined. I call and booking.com called them several times with no answer. Then at 7pm, I get an email apology and that they were still holding a room. They had just removed the decline at 7 pm. By then, with no additional funds, we had returned to the campsite and briefly stabilized my husband. After hours of being declined, they expected me to break down my campsite and move my husband again at 7pm. They are refusing to refund me for the error they made.

This hotel has gone drastically downhill since my last visit five years ago. What used to be a…read moregreat stay is now completely unsafe and unsettling. We could hear people fighting through the walls, which was scary and made it hard to relax. The main entrance was left unlocked all night, and there were no staff members or security present--just an overall feeling of being unsafe. To make matters worse, we just saw on the news that there was a shooting at this hotel, which sadly doesn't surprise me. Our group had multiple rooms and all showed signs of pets--hair, strong chemical smells clearly trying to cover up pet odors, and a general lack of cleanliness. There was no front desk, no amenities, and no one available to help or even answer basic questions. It's under new ownership now, and unfortunately, it shows. I would proceed with caution, but personally, I will not be staying here again.

(January 22 to 25, 2026 ) Photography by 3Spade7Star…read more@3spade7star_photography We were recommended to stay in the newly renovated room in this Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Carolina Beach. My husband was immediately impressed by the new renovations in our room and the balcony with an ocean view when he checked in the hotel early without me. The room we had was more spacious with more convenient or better amenities than the hotel we just transferred from in downtown Wilmington. We had a larger fridge in our room . A microwave was located at the ice machine room - a small walk away from our hotel room. The couch in our room converted to a bed. Looking at the bed in the couch you could see it was still encased in plastic & never used. My husband was very happy with the room and the beautiful ocean view from our balcony. It is the first time we booked an oceanfront hotel room in Wilmington, North Carolina. We always love visiting the beach even in winter weather - off season. The balcony was perfect for a private & quiet Christian memorial service for a loved one during sunrise at the beach. She had loved watching sunrises on the beach before she passed away. There were some difficulties experienced at this hotel, yet the stellar customer service from the staff overshadowed the obstacles we encountered there. Therefore, we are giving this hotel a rating of excellence especially in customer service. One of most accommodating & congenial staff at the hotel during our stay was Laney at the front desk. She was very professional, easy to communicate concerns with, and sensitive to the needs & the constant discomfort experienced by my husband on the day he could not get hot water to work in the shower. On top of that, we heard what sounded like construction work going on in the room above us around 7 AM in the morning. It turned out it was hotel guests above us. Luckily, they checked out that morning. My husband was getting irritated on our second day at the hotel and was going to have us relocate to another hotel if they could not get the hot water to work. We found out the whole hotel had no hot water when they let him have access to another hotel room to use the hot water there. The problem was finally fixed at the very end of the day. Laney listened to all our questions, concerns, & requests when we encountered the most obstacles in the hotel on our second day there . She communicated to us that she would resolve the problems we experienced in the hotel as quickly as possible and followed through with immediate action to ensure our hotel stay was above satisfactory. Despite being busy with hotel guests, she had a blanket and cleansing facial wipes personally delivered to our hotel room as I requested that day. Laney elevated our hotel experience that week from 4 stars to 5 stars. We had no more obstacles during the rest of our stay at the hotel. There was construction going on in the hotel but we never encountered any problems with it. We had peace & quiet, good sleep, stellar customer service, and a spacious nice new room with a balcony & ocean view. My most memorable and visual highlight there was just going out on the balcony to listen to the ocean and to see the ocean sunrise every day. It was pure magic. Cheers

Newly renovated room, and this still occurring currently at the hotel with minimal intrusion on…read moreyour stay. One of our best stays at a Marriott. Had some issues with hot water, but it was quickly fixed by management. To be totally honest, the room on this level takes over five minutes to get hot, and then there was no turning down the steaming hot water once it finally came. It was kind of annoying but maybe they can figure this one out still. Our view was gorgeous and room comfortable otherwise. Ice and microwave was conveniently down the hall by the elevator. Room comes with a decent size mini fridge. Laney, our receptionist, took great care and interest in our needs throughout our stay and followed up regularly to ensure we were well taken care of. Thank you.

This place was great! Clean and professional. We came here after one night at another hotel due…read moreto cleanliness and price. The only downside was they had the pool closed on one day for a private party which ended up being filming of a TV series. That was all well and good but honestly, we really couldn't use the pool the day before the day of or the day after much. I get one vacation a year and I had to stay out of the way of the film crew and actors. It was novel for a few hours, but after that, I was over it. I guess next time I need to ask if there's any filming going on during our vacation dates.

The room is pretty & the staff is super nice & accommodating. I wouldn't recommend staying in…read morebuilding 2 tho. On my first nite a girl below me was screaming bloody murder for help so I called the office for help. Cops came right away and the girl said she was raped & beaten. Her screams still haunt me. I was a girl staying alone so I was terrified to sleep that nite & got no rest thinking he would come for me next. My room had little roaches & flying gnats I had to kill daily. The room view of the ocean is great but the kids at the pool were screaming all day long starting at 9am and it wasn't relaxing & woke me up way too early every day. Are there not hours for the pool? The mini fridge wasn't cold at all & my food spoiled. Also the tiki bar had a band on Thursday which was so incredibly bad & loud. If u want a relaxing beach stay, this hotel is not it. They should at least have a free continental breakfast for guests for how expensive the rooms are.

Awesome hospitality! Good rooms, prime location. Friendly service and all at a great price!read more

We stayed here for one night on our way to Virginia. The room was so tiny and the bar across the…read morestreet was so loud that it kept us up all night.

We stayed at The Lighthouse at Kure Beach for four nights in mid October. I like going to the beach…read morein the off season. The weather is still nice enough to enjoy the beach, the hotel deck and the pier. In narrowing down where we wanted to stay, it came down to who we are as vacationers. Even when at the beach we tend to spend quite a bit of time in our hotel, so it's more than just a bed to sleep in between activities, we want it to be comfortable and nice. The Lighthouse was perfect because it's just been renovated, is as close as you can get to the water, and depending on what room you choose, you can have an overview of the ocean. We chose the Grandview, and it was. I will mention there are residential homes right next to it but that was fine by us. I would describe our room as a lovely studio apartment with a massive bathroom. There's a pretty full kitchen, mini fridge, table to eat at, couch and very comfy bed. Now, the bed is very close to the kitchen but again, it was fine. The decor is trendy, grays and minimal. The dividers on the deck are sort of like shipping pallets hung vertically so you can certainly hear your neighbors conversations if they are out there. We didn't find this too distracting, just of note. Almost everything you could need is provided - dishes, coffee, towels, cooking utensils, microwave and electric stovetop. I mostly used the wine glasses. The outside areas of the hotel are also lovely. Potted flowers, fresh mulch and palm trees decorate the outdoors. There's a shower on the first floor to wash off and sand acquired at the beach. Even in off season there are a few walkable restaurants and of course the pier with a gift shop. The contact with management/owner was very easy and professional. You get a parking pass so you don't have to worry about street parking. We were on the third floor and I don't believe there is an elevator, just of note.

gorgeous! right across the beach. really well designed (love the renovations) and the bathroom was…read morehuge and clean. lots of towels and extras provided (we got a little tote bag with some snack bars and teas). we'll be back!

I absolutely love this place. Perfect location so you can walk to anything you need so you don't…read morehave to pay for parking. Their parking lot is tight but they do have space for every room. The rooms are large and clean. Upstairs rooms have a view of the ocean but only one has a cover the rest have pergola. Nice pool and beach access. Great views from the balcony or the beach to watch the fireworks on Thursday nights. They have full kitchens if you want to cook. Its about 2 blocks from the boardwalk. The marina is right across the street and I highly recommend booking a sunset cruise with Tony. I also recommend eating at the gulf stream restaurant and also visiting Kates for breakfast. Magic beanz has great coffee and atmosphere and also dog friendly. Bennies pizza on the boardwalk has huge slices of pizza for $7. Nice crispy crust. If you get a chance hop on the ferry from fort fisher and spend a day in Southport. They are the friendliest people, have cute shops and plenty of restaurant options. I recommend the provision company. Large amounts of delicious food moderately priced with great atmosphere. Back to the hotel. I will definitely stay here again. I do miss having the owners on sight. You now have to communicate through text. There were some issues with the pool and the wifi but we were out and about most the time so it wasn't too bad. The location is worth any glitches, and the price is affordable. If the pool is not opened by 9am just send them a message and they will have someone open it. The wifi is spectrum so it is what it is.

Pros: Great location in the Carolina beach, good price, and friendly staff…read more Cons: it's a typical beach inn so we didn't expect much but we called to see if we can check in early and they said it was really busy. When we got there on a Monday, there was only one other car in the parking lot. There's no housekeeping possibly because they said that they're being bought out. Next morning, we reported that the toaster and microwave didn't work. Toilet sink was clogged and it needs more toilet paper. Towels were really thin so we needed more but no one came so we had to call the number the office left posted on the door late evening. They came and left a bin full of towels and offered They have a kitchen but make sure to bring paper towel, salt, pepper and trash bags. It's a bit run down and don't expect workers until the transition is done. It needs upgrade desperately. We love to love it because it has such great potential esp in the summer but I don't think we'll stay again until new owners come in with some hospitality trained staff.

Next year's prices are rumored to be in the neighborhood of $400 a night. Save yourself the money…read moreand rent a room at Hampton Inn on the boardwalk for less AND get free breakfast. So sad to see this place go downhill like this. We've been coming here for at least 15 years and will likely never come back. The new owners made some cosmetic changes, hired a hospitality company, fired all the original staff, some of which had been working here the entire time we've been coming, and raised the rates $120 a night. You can stay at the Hampton Inn for around the same price and get free breakfast, the ability to walk to restaurants, the boardwalk, or the amusement area. **Update: I added a couple of stars to my original review because the employees here are so friendly and welcoming. They have also been very attentive when we have had a need. The biggest detractor is the increased prices.

Stayed midweek in July 2018. Room 209. On the positive side, room clean, excellent view of beach…read moreand ocean. Kitchen minimally stocked but adequate for two plus a child. Did ask for two more bowls and forks. The negatives and suggestions for future guests. There are three levels, parking, first floor, and second floor. Only second level has beach view and there is no elevator. If you have a kitchen, bring disposable plates and utensils. There is no ice maker for the guests. Empty the freezer ice immediately and save so you can get some more made. Nearest coin operated dryer is five minute car ride. Pack lots of towels. For our reservation, cancellation must be done 21+ days out. It worked out for us but one week prior it was iffy if we would make the trip. We liked Carolina Beach and the Beach House. The faults I noted may be standard throughout the area. We travel to the beach once a year typically to a different area. If we return to Carolina Beach next year, I'll shop around and all things being equal, will return to theBeach House Inn and Suites.

So gross. Bedspread in closet was pee stained. Shower is third world country…read more Drapes aren't black out.

Picked up a reservation for the Starlite through USAA. Get there at 1AM after driving eight hours,…read moreonly to find the office closed, locked, lights off, and an emergency number posted on the door. Called the number multiple times, and never received a response. Went to a nearby brand-name hotel and paid twice the original rate so we would have a place to sleep for the night prior to a big competition. Now, the hotel is refusing to reimburse us, because of a no-cancellation policy. We didn't cancel, they did not make the room available to us! My goal in life now is to post review about this place every time they refuse the refund.

It's getting a 3 because I'd stay here again. We come to CB once a year. The place just smells dank…read moreand wet and stuffy. Location is great, pool was ok and it's a super easy walk to the beach. It's just not nice for 1500 for 3 days

Dry Dock stepped in when we were wrongfully removed from our VRBO rental due to threats of the…read moreowner for too many complaints. We had 5 adults and a child and Dry Dock was able to accommodate us immediately with a room with 3 double beds, bathroom, kitchen set, TV's, etc. We stayed 2 nights, it was in walking distance of everything. Cameron at the front desk was amazing. We had an issue with the double parking spot, as someone parked behind us and Cameron handled it quickly. The only downside was the amount of gnats/midges/mosquitoes in the room itself but nothing we couldn't sweep up.