Shell Island Resort — Hotel in Wrightsville Beach

So, here goes. We booked a stay here for the week of 13 June 22. Couple days prior to arriving I asked the spousal unit if she'd read any of the reviews and she said no. I found that odd but it was what it was. I decided to browse some and found them very mixed. Some were very blistering and some where very good...all within the same date range which was two months prior. Ok, not a lot we can do about that now. Checked in without issue. Front desk staff was very accommodating and friendly. Parking deck was very adequate although somewhat confusing as far as access to the main level and lobby area. Plenty of luggage cart but one thing...PLEASE install some hooks along the top rail so as to be able to hang bags/items from them possibly preventing two trips (just a thought). I did find out that all the units are individually owned so each room may vary as far as ammenites therein. Honestly I was skeptical based on what I'd read but our room was very clean, well stocked and we had a full size fridge rather than a dorm-sized one...which was wonderful. Cabinets all clean dishes all clean. Adequate amount of towels too. Hot water was fine/plentiful as well (I'd read different on some reviews). Wifi works very well too. Beach access was on point with more than one station to wash sand off prior to coming back inside. None of us utilized either of the pools so I have no report on them other than the kids/adults that we did see using them seemed to enjoy them. Noise levels from outside were little to none. There again this is based on OUR particular room which was second floor, left side facing the ocean. It happened to be blistering hot for our stay so we really didn't use the balcony area however, it is cool that all rooms here face the ocean. The HVAC in our room...perfect! Never had an issue. If you set it to a certain temp it would maintain/cycle as advertised. I also read some reviews with issue concerning the entrance door. OUR door had no issues. It closed and locked like it was supposed to and the seal around the door was tight with no air/light leaks. We didn't find any used underwear under the bed or in any of the dresser drawers either. (yes that was a posted review concern). The restaurant..now there's a concern. We didn't use the restaurant because of the hours...or lack there of. No, continental b'fast. Open on random days that you'd have to inquire about the night before...very weird. There is only complementary coffee in the lobby on the days the restaurant is closed. There MAY be a random breakfast/cereal bar to choose if they haven't been picked over. Coffee was good though but the containers weren't marked reg/decaf. There was a 4-cup coffee maker in our room with coffee and filters. Front desk staff has all that extra and readily available for the asking. Again, we didn't even use the restaurant due to that fact. We just brought along our own b'fast items and sandwich fixin's Cheaper that way too ;) Room service...we didn't utilize any sort of housekeeping services. We kept our own room clean and when we needed clean sheets/towels/etc we either called down and someone brought up exactly what we needed or, we either stopped by on our way back to the room. Again, the front desk staff was more than willing/ready to assist. All in all it was a great stay for us. We are sorta low maintenance types so we really had no great need for anything extra. I feel though had a certain need arose the staff would have been willing/able to meet our needs. I feel four stars is accurate. There was nothing "bad" about our stay but still a few things that could have been improved. Will we book here again? I would have to say definitely yes. I also will post an update once we've checked out to include that process as well. UPDATE The checkout process was seamless. The person @ the front desk was quite helpful and very courteous. Again, the only thing I wished they would change as far as checkin or checkout would be the addition of the hooks along the top rail of the...

I made the reservation in a short time-frame. After making the reservation, I saw some negative reviews on yelp about cleanliness so I called the resort to ask about their cleanliness and told them I'm a stage 4 cancer patient on chemo so I need to know it's going to be super clean. I was advised their rooms are deeply cleaned and immaculate. So we stuck with this reservation. When we got there, the first thing we did was to look around the room, including opening the sheets to check the bedding. One bed had what looked like a pee stain and something brown on the sheet. We called the front desk and they sent someone up to change the bedding. Although we were grossed out by the shower and some other small things, we decided to stay. Apparently, they only changed the sheet because the next morning one of the pillows that hadn't been slept on got flipped over and had what looked like snot wiped all over it. Once we saw that, she went to the front desk with the pillow and they apologized although it didn't seem very genuine. After some discussion, they finally agreed to refund one night of our 2 night stay as long as we left right away. We started packing immediately and housekeeping was knocking on the door trying to get in before we could even get out. They didn't have beach towels available when we tried to get them. The restaurant wasn't open on Wednesday when we got there...so the $25 a day resort fee seems exorbitant for us to checkin and walk on the beach. The unclean conditions wouldn't be so bad if it was a $100 a night room...although it's never acceptable. The room was $250 a night because we did book the premier room that they say is fully upgraded. I think that just meant it had some new flooring and new counters because everything else was old and the shower floor was totally disgusting. Water fixtures are stained. We hand washed any dishes we used based on everything else we'd seen although the water has such a strong sulfur smell that it's hard to think of it as clean. I'm familiar with the smell being more common in beach areas but not to the extent it was here. It's just overall a dirty environment. There's also barely any lighting in the "living" area. There's one small lamp that has to be turned on/off on the wall lamp and then make your way back through a dark room. It's such a shame too because the hotel could be a wonderful establishment with its location and just a little upgrading and a LOT of elbow grease. Even the elevator floor and walls were dirty and stained...both days so it's not something they clean regularly. Since the front side of the hotel is marshy land, the mosquitos were horrible. I didn't expect that so early in April and based on my recent stay on Emerald Isle with absolutely no mosquitos. There aren't screen doors on the sliding glass doors so if you want to enjoy the ocean waves inside the room, you'll be sharing with a LOT of mosquitos sadly. Bird poop was all over the patio and chair/table outside the room. Lastly, there's not good insulation so you hear so many sounds from the other rooms, especially the one above us with a small child jumping, yelling, stomping and screaming. I called the front desk and was told they'd let the manager know. I have to assume they didn't address it because it continued on into the night. So the entire stay was very disappointing, disgusting and I'll never return...unless it changes management and they actually clean the entire hotel from top to bottom. I know they call it a resort but it's definitely more of a motel than a hotel even. So they refunded one night but we ended up only staying the first night and leaving the next afternoon when we found that disgusting pillow. You would think they would recognize the seriousness of the issue and make some additional concessions or make you feel like they take your concerns seriously. There was none of that. I can handle basic as long as it's clean and sanitary....and I'm not paying premium prices. Pictures are attached of some of the dirty elevator, room and the...

I will just paste what happened here. It’s what I sent to the accuser. We all know what assumptions make us look like. Capped off with rude attitude to boot….. Horrible stay at this place. Felt like I was under surveillance the entire time. Nevermind the underage drinking and someone smoking weed there. Heaven forbid a smoker stay there…. Unreal….. Hello,

This is Michael Neece. You called me yesterday in regards to smoking on the balcony. I’m an effort to not argue with you, I agreed to what you were saying. I had just got in from work and haven’t even been able to get settled. I will have you know that, I was not smoking on the balcony yesterday. I did however the night before due to the weather. So yes, there is that instance. The doors to the unit we closed while I was doing that.

I was NOT smoking there yesterday when you called me and threatened me for an amount of $250 for Smoking on the balcony. I agreed to not smoke on the balcony and noted the conversation. It

There is a sign inside the room that says no smoking in the unit, as I would never do that anyway out of respect for others property. No signage in the room about the balcony. After you brought it to my attention, yes there is something about it on the paper, although very seldom do I read those. So my fault there.

I will have you know, as I was on the balcony for most of the night, in between packing and making trips to my truck with stuff, and to smoke, I just happened to notice the gentleman right below was having a cigarette with his morning coffee.

So I’m guessing you just assumed that it was me for some reason? Why?

I just stayed there last week and there wasn’t any problem at all. There is no doubt I was just seen last week going to my truck to smoke. Due to respect of others and others property.

I actually gave the establishment a rave review about my stay.

That will not be the case this go round. I had planned on staying there as I am in town running a project that requires my presence.

I will be in town for the next 6-8 months overseeing this project and would have really loved to stay there.

I’m not and will not give any more of my money to your employer because of this situation.

It felt like I was under surveillance the entire time I was there. You were rude speaking to me about this situation and apparently didn't do your job and look into this situation. You just assumed it was me because, I don't know, I smoke, look different, or you just didn't like me.

Whatever the case may be, you couldn't have been more incorrect and I do not appreciate being accused of something that at that moment did not do.

By speaking to you and the time that you had, there was no way I was going to even attempt a defense so I just agreed.

If you would have paid any attention at all, you would have seen that I extinguished my cigarette while I was still in my truck upon arrival before I even got out.

So I suggest that you confront the man that's directly below me about smoking on the balcony. Can't miss him with his smokers cough.

I do not appreciate your assumption, demeanor nor your overall lack of customer service etiquette.

I would like to suggest that in the future, you may investigate just a little bit into a situation before assuming you just know who is at fault.....

That speaks volumes in itself and I don't have to further explain to you how incorrect you actually are/were.

Lastly, the plumbing in that room is horrible. The master lavatory and water closet is stopped up and needs attention.

Being as attentive as you try to appear to be, I would have assumed you already knew that.

Good day to...