Emerald Isle Realty Beach Vacation Blogs

Thirty-four years ago was my first ride home from a week with my family in Emerald Isle.  It was an emotional ride marked with sadness at having to leave but also recollection of the many memories we made and ideas of what we couldn’t wait to do the “next year”. This ride home was to be the beginning of many growing and changing family traditions.
We have grown from our childhood family of five to our now family of fourteen. Some of us have migrated from North Carolina so we now also drive in from Michigan and Pennsylvania.  
Many things have not changed over the years.  Our family ranges in age from 2 to 68 and something about Emerald Isle brings us all together in so many ways.

The Truly Amazing Shell Contest
Our shell contest is second to none with categories ranging from smallest (we weren’t sure if one of the entrees was a piece of sand or a shell), to most beautiful (a perfect auger) to shells looking most like something else (one looked just like a tiger)…We get some very unique entrees and ideas.

The Chip off the Old Block Book Group
We have an entire family book club. We choose and read a book in the spring and we wait until the beach to discuss it.  It is so great to see grandparents and grandchildren discussing their favorite Kate DiCamillo character. 

Fabulous Food
Each family picks a night to prepare a meal.  We’ve been treated to authentic lasagna, paella, local fresh catch, Mexican fiesta, and a full Chinese feast including fortune cookies to name just a few.  Of course this always leaves us an open night for a trip to Morehead City and a night to visit the famous Big Oak for the unforgettable shrimp burger.

My mind is flooded with things we love to do at the beach. Fishing, long beach walks, great talks on the deck watching the sun rise and watching the picture perfect sunsets, putt putt golf, the yearly Aquarium trip, the many Food Lion trips, riding the waves and the time spent with our family just being together at a place we all love so much.

I can’t wait until next year!

Past Guest of Emerald Isle Realty

You're already a fan of the Crystal Coast so you know we are famous for our beautiful beaches and elegant vacation getaways. We're now becoming renowned as one of North Carolina's favorite foodie escapes for our outstanding local flavors and savory seafood. Discover Grande Villas this April during the Beaufort Wine & Food Festival and come see why we say The Coast is Cookin'.

Say Hello to Spring by reserving your Grande Villas home for the week of April 19-26. We have two and three bedroom condos available, all with direct oceanfront views. Spend the first part of your week indulgently soaking up the sun on the beach and by our oceanfront pool, de-stress with a workout in our innovative fitness room with its panoramic ocean view, and experience some welcome down time in the gaming room with billiards and your favorite sporting event on the large flat screen TV. By Wednesday you'll be ready for all the delights of the Beaufort Wine and Food Festival. Book your Villa and be our guest with complimentary tickets for you and your best guy or gal at the Festival.

Our Villas, Vino and Festival Packages start at $1800 and include over $500 in savings!

Villas, Vino and Festival Packages Include:

• Your Grande Villas accommodations for the Week with a bottle of Vision Cellars wine chilling for you in the fridge.
• On Thursday enjoy a Winemaker Dinner for the two of you – Late afternoon enjoy appetizers and wine onsite on the Grande Villas oceanfront terrace then head to the Wine Dinner of your choice. That evening incredible meals will be prepared by outstanding Guest Chefs such as Walter Royal from the Angus Barn in Raleigh, Ashley Christensen from Poole's Diner, Raleigh as well as Michael Chuong from An, Cary. Guest Winemakers will be the always popular Vision Cellars and Mac McDonald, Owl Ridge and Willowbrook wines with Joe Otos, and Mauritson Wines with Matthew Weese, Cellar Master. All of the guest and local chefs and of course, the winemakers are eager to share their epicurean passion through their gifted approach to wine, food and the art of storytelling. 
• On Friday head to Beaufort for the Wine and Cheese Seminar at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort - Enjoy 2 tickets to this seminar where fine cheeses from Roth Käse are specially paired with great wines, and featuring the wines of those winemakers appearing at Beaufort Wine and Food Weekend. Beaufort is celebrating its 300th year and there are many charming old colonial homes, museums and shops to enjoy.
• Finish your week at the Vin de Mer Grand Tasting & Culinary Village - The Festival comes to life on Saturday when the Vin de Mer Culinary Village officially opens! From 12:30pm to 4:30pm, guests can venture to the North Carolina Maritime Museum's Gallant's Channel site to experience a culinary affair like no other. Touted as the Festival's "heart," the Beaufort Wine and Food Culinary Village features a large enclosed vendor village that showcases over 60 culinary related businesses including top restaurants, wineries from all over the world, culinary related merchandise, sponsors and much more! Guests are invited to mingle between cooking stations to experience the latest in food trends from the area's top restaurants, caterers and food vendors. Village Tickets include wine and food tasting, commemorative glassware, chef and author cooking demonstrations.
  
  Book Today Your Villas, Vino and Festival Package
  
  Call 866-348-7054!

Once a year, three generations of our family come together at Emerald Isle and laugh, reminisce, and create new memories that will bring us smiles for years to come.  Delighting in life’s simple pleasures, all our cares and worries fade away.  For one glorious week we are all children again.

Although arriving from many different places, we converge on our beach house nearly simultaneously – precisely at check-in.  None of us wants to miss out on a minute of fun.   The kids are already playing excitedly in the sand as we stuff the refrigerator full and set up the canopies on the beach that will serve as our “headquarters” for the next week.   We take to heart the sign that hangs in the house, “If you’re lucky enough to be at the beach, you’re lucky enough”.

Sipping coffee on the deck in the mornings rewards us with views of dolphins gliding behind fishing boats.  We spend our days building giant sandcastles, collecting shells, and playing in the waves.  Afternoon gives way to bocce, horseshoes, and ladderball matches that leave us all with the sense of winning despite what the final score may be.  In keeping with tradition, a lively family dinner is topped off with treats from the nearby ice cream shop.  Not wanting the day to end, we make our way down to the beach armed with flashlights where kids and adults alike squeal and run from crabs that scurry to and from the surf after dark.

As we pack up our bathing suits and boogie boards on our final night, we are sad that our fantastic week at the beach has come to an end, but at the same time we are already filled with the excitement and anticipation of our next reunion at Emerald Isle.

Past Guest
Knoxville, TN