Plush gold carpet covers the stairs leading to the second level, as well as the three bedrooms there. On the top level, you'll find the fourth bedroom and the inviting living/dining/kitchen area. Both levels open on to roomy decks affording marvelous Topsail beach vistas, and steps leading you down to the shore.

Living/dining area: Sliding glass doors open on to a marvelous deck furnished with easy-living Adirondack chairs and built-in benches. Inside, enjoy the ocean view from a comfy sofa and matching loveseat outfitted in shades of blue with yellow starfish and blue and green fish accents. An aqua overstuffed chair plus an aqua recliner decorated with a dragonfly throw offer more seating. A round glass table holding a large flat woven tray filled with shells is the perfect centerpiece for the seating group. The flat screen TV and DVD/VCR will keep you connected to the outside world or give you plenty of movie-watching opportunities, or you can enjoy the selection of games and puzzles. A tall shutter with two carved wooden fish makes an eye-catching wall decoration. Enjoy meals at the long light oak dining room table with eight matching wide-back chairs.

Kitchen: This efficient kitchen features a wide white bar, toaster oven, tea kettle, a butcher block full of sharp knives, coffee maker, cordless phone -- and importantly, two huge steam pots just waiting to hold enough Low Country shrimp boil for the whole crowd. An antique wood cabinet shows off delightful and huge coffee mugs designed as fish, with fins on the handles. There are matching bowls and plates in coordinating solid colors.

Bedroom 1 (top level): A queen-sized birch bed dressed in a pastel lavender, pink, and gold shell-patterned spread with matching shams is the centerpiece of this left rear bedroom. A coordinating shell valance adorns the window. Twin white night tables with storage drawers hold matching nautilus shell lamps. A birch chest, with a wall mirror above, and an ample closet provide storage. There is an extra chair and a wall-mounted TV/VCR.

A shower curtain with wide stripes of blue, turquoise, green, and sand creates a vivid splash of color in the bath on this level, and a five-shelf rattan étagère with storage baskets offers plenty of room for stashing essentials. A built-in hair dryer is provided. A flip-flop and sand bucket patterned floor mat coordinates with wall art featuring beach chairs and sailboats.

Bedroom 2 (Master, first level): This inviting oceanfront bedroom with private bath is so warmly welcoming that you may never want to leave, except possibly to step out on to the deck to enjoy the sea breeze from the swing or pair of rockers. A stunning large framed photograph of a cutaway nautilus shell above the queen-sized bed and a mirror with a wide frame of bamboo, burlap, and gravel over the chest of drawers are the commanding features of the room. A half-dozen plush pillows in rust, gold, and brown—plus one cream-colored starfish—accent the natural tweed comforter on the bed. A tan deep-cushioned sofa sits across the room beneath an acrylic painting of fishermen pulling in their nets on the beach. A wall-mounted TV/VCR is perfectly positioned for movie viewing. A shell-filled lamp and green pottery butterfly on the three-drawer end table provide perfect finishing touches.

The nautilus theme continues in the adjoining private bath, with two canvases of these chambered shells on the pale yellow walls beside the extra-wide vanity and mirror that occupy the far end of this spacious room. A built-in hair dryer is provided, and a wrought iron and rattan shelving system with baskets offers storage for all your essentials.

Bedroom 3 (first level): A tan matelasse spread over a pale olive bedskirt dresses the queen-sized bed in this cozy room, with a light olive quilt and matching bedskirt covering the additional twin bed. Subdued red pillows with green details provide accents on both beds. Other furnishings include a double white dresser with mirror; a bedside table with a lamp, alarm clock, and seashell candle; and a wall-mounted TV/VCR.

Bedroom 4 (first level): The younger set will love the two bunk beds here, enlivened with bold blue, orange, green, yellow, red, and white fish print spreads and a coordinating sea turtle and fish valance over the window. There's plenty of space for stowing treasures and togs in the three-drawer pine chest, storage baskets atop a handy shelf, and eight nifty pegs for hanging important things.

Bedrooms 3 and 4 share a pale yellow bath with an extra-large shower adorned with a fish print shower curtain in aqua, blue, green, pink, and yellow. A built-in hair dryer is furnished, and a double-doored medicine chest and silver wire shelves offer ample storage. Colorful bottles, shells, and flower atop the medicine chest provide perfect decorative touches.

Other amenities: In the enclosed garage on the ground level, you'll find two gas grills, a charcoal grill, and skimboards and kites. A stackable washer and dryer are located off the hall on the first level. A baby gate is provided for stair safety when tiny guests are present, and an outside shower lets you leave all the sand out of doors. Stairs connect decks on both levels.

Your check-in location is our Surf City office. Linens are provided. Pets are not permitted in this property. Smoking is not permitted in the property. Maximum occupancy is 11 at any time. Your check-in time is 3:30 pm unless you have confirmed and paid the early bird check-in option. Please be sure we have received complete payment within 30 days of your arrival to avoid cancellation.