Seven Seas Inn — Hotel in Kure Beach

I've actually waited a few days to cool down before posting just to give the owners a fair chance at a review. But I am still as upset today a I was the day I left. I've been coming to kure/carolina beach/fort fisher area over ten years with my family and know the area very well. I decided to take a solo trip before I gave birth in one week with my 6 yr old and two 8yr olds which is a feat in of itself. I wanted a beach front room and someplace who's pool was open for my boys. I regret not paying $20 more to stay down the street, but I drove 3 hrs and wanted the boys to get as much playtime in as they could. After the man in the window gave me a price, a woman came out to return my card and key for the room. As she began to tell me all of their regulations I immediately began to regret my choice as I asked the pool hours. I was quoted that the pool was open until 8p that night and would reopen at 9a. But she quickly stated that we were only allowed to use it until check out at 11am as well as the parking (i understand since it would be taking space from new guests). She also stated the children are not allowed to dive or run in the pool area (logically i agree as this is the same at any pool)but then she stated no jumping in off the side, no cannonballs, no being loud, and they can only use the stairs and ladder to get in and out of the pool,and a few more rules, ihave very respectful boys and I'm a responsible parent, but we're talking about 6 and 8 yr olds not being able to jump feet first into a pool...so if you have children, especially small ones, this place NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY. The entire night i was telling my boys to walk on their toes to make sure we didn't get a complaint. The following morning i wanted to take advantage of the pool as long as they could, so we got up early, cleaned up, and packed the car so that all we had to do is go from the pool to the office and drop off the keys before heading to the beach. I tried to turn in the key to a sweet young woman cleaning. I told her we were done with the room and were just going to stay at the pool until checkout, she said to remember we only had until checkout for the pool and to just hold onto the key until we left in case someone had to use the bathroom. I sat by the pool in which they have a clock next to and at 5 min to 11a the man from the front desk comes and asks if we plan on staying another night, i advised him no i was just waiting until 11 to put the boys in the car and drop off the key 20ft away. He then stated "that clock is off by a few minutes, you only have 2 minutes until 11a" at which i stated sorry i didn't know. He then continued to wait for me to get out stating "well you only have 2 minutes and you need to be off the premises". At this point i was feeling humiliated, and there were other guests around. And i stated i hadn't known that. He said, well the lady at check in told you and i told him that all she said was they had until checkout to use the pool, she never stated that by 11am we had to off the premises in that manner. I apologized and was in tears as i got my boys into my car. The young lady reappeared and collected my key and saw ne crying asking what happened. I explained and told her i didn't mean offense, but even if you say something politely, the words and deliverance can be just as rude and demeaning. She apologized stating they're under pressure from the state for on-time checkouts or something of that nature. But i told her i paid $200 and at11:01 was checked out, but was humiliated and my boys made to watch me cry for their clock being off and checking out a minute late from their parking spot. Mind you the room had been vacated since 10am. I will never stay here again, never in my 10 years have i experienced this kind of behavior from this area, i love it because people are so nice and courteous here. Its a shame because the rooms and other staff were nice, but just one person can make your entire experience horrible, and with the micromanagement they have going on here, once again NOT...

We stayed in July 2015, in Suite 1. It was oceanfront on bottom floor looking directly out on ocean. rooms were $250 a night, a sky high price and the room and service made it nowhere near worth that price. It should’ve been $80 for the condition of the room and the lack of service. Her husband was so rude. My mom was talking and telling a story to the woman and he was sitting in the chair and muttered “..get her out of here..” Then the woman said thanks for coming, basically ushering my mom out. He’s got the personality of a wet rag and that was so unbelievably rude and disrespectful. Her father was the only really nice person working there. Everything was outdated and rundown. The remote didn’t work. Had to manually cut on tv, which was up on the wall. We had to climb on the counter to hit the buttons every time we wanted to change the channel. We ended up pressing the wrong button and we couldn’t get the TV to work after that. The chairs around the kitchen table were peeling and stuck to our legs. The furniture was mismatched, like an old home rather than a hotel. The air conditioner unit in the window was so loud we could barely hear anything. The closet smelled bad, the sheets were stained and looked so gross I didn’t even want to sleep in them. The lamp didn’t even work, we had to call them to come and fix it so we could have enough light to see by. The toaster was under the sink, not sanitary at all. There was a stick to put in the sliding door to “lock it.” It had no lock outside of the makeshift stopper. There was no light on the porch so couldn’t see anything at night. Outlets were slow to charge and things got hot. One outlet sparked and smelled burned. The outlet in bathroom was loose, nothing would stay in and it wud fall out. Not enough outlets, then the outlets that were there were in inconvenient places. There were no sheets or blankets for the pullout bed, no extra bedding at all in case anyone needed it. There was also no internet connection for the entire trip, and we stayed 2 nights. We called her and she couldn’t figure it out; she foisted the blame on our laptops, just happy to get the responsibility off her shoulders. So we never got to get on the internet even once, a major inconvenience because in this day and age you need the internet for a lot of things. There was a sign saying there was a $50 charge for not washing dishes and $40 for a lost key. Things like that are a turn-off, especially considering how unclean the rooms are. There were bugs in the room, a spider was crawling in the living room and a big cockroach was in the bathroom. That is so disgusting to see a bug in your hotel that you have to deal with. Their little boys swam in the pool and were unattended by the family. She peeked in once but that was it. They bothered the guests and I thought it was unprofessional to have their kids in the pool where guests swim, esp since no one was watching to make sure they weren’t being a bother. I had to leave the pool to get some peace. The deck off the room was big, there were only 2 chairs though so only 2 ppl could sit down, leaving the other to stand. If you were sitting down you couldn’t see the ocean for the tall bushes. It gave privacy from people walking by but blocked the ocean view, so the deck wasn’t a comfortable place to be at. Public beach parking is behind the hotel, so right in front of my room. Constant ppl and vehicles coming and going. I could not get over the price most of all, it was an outrageous sum of money for this hotel. There was no continental breakfast, no coffee, no anything to treat guests with after they sunk so much money into a place that wasn’t worth it. The pools were nice and it was right off the beach and a short walk to the pier, those were the...

First, the pros. Great location, beautiful grounds, lots of outdoor seating and full size showers. We’ve stayed at several other local hotels and this is the first with an actual “normal” shower. The others all had “mini showers”. Our room was serviced daily with trash removal and fresh towels/wash cloths. TV channel options were great. Coffee maker, dish towel and dish cloth provided. Fridge, microwave too. Nice area for sandwich prep and snacks. Loveseat and two seater table in our king bed room. Beautiful pool and gardens! You can purchase a bag of ice from the office which is great if you’re filling a cooler. Mattress was relatively new and comfortable. Air conditioning worked beautifully and there was a ceiling fan (HUGE plus for us!). They have a guest laundry on site which is convenient for those staying a long time or those traveling with little ones. I’ve seen multiple posts decrying the lack of “security locks”. This area is safe. You don’t need them. If you feel you do, buy a travel lock from Amazon. The grounds cameras offer another level of security. You are within walking distance to the pier and several restaurants. You literally can arrive, park your car and not move it again until you leave if you want! ||It might be better for the owners and guests if online reservations were an option. That would eliminate confusion as expressed by other reviewers. For us, I spoke directly to someone then followed up with an email confirming to ensure there was no confusion. We got the room requested and it was perfect for our needs. They have ground floor rooms with king size beds where many others don’t. ||Cons: Room was clean but I think the dated furniture and bedspread might lead others to think it’s “dirty”. The towels were yellowed but I think that’s probably due to someone attempting to bleach them. They are on the smaller side but it wasn’t a big deal to us. WiFi was patchy, however we’ve had the same experience at the other nearby hotels. Maybe it’s just the service available to the area? Limited outlets to plug electronics in but if you’re creative, you can make it work. Coffee isn’t provided so bring your own coffee and filters. Also bring your own hair dryer. My greatest wish would be better WiFi. It’s there but verrrrrrry slow and spotty with service. ||If you’re used to luxury accommodations, this place isn’t going to be the same. If you’re familiar with family run beach hotels, this is a nice place. I travel frequently for work and have stayed in four star resorts and small family run motels. There is nothing that would keep me from staying at Seven Seas again. In fact, we decided this will be our “go to”...