This 11-story, oceanfront high rise offers fully furnished one- and two-bedroom condominium suites with separate bedrooms and full kitchens. Each suite includes a private balcony and can accommodate up to six people. All 120 condos are oceanfront, and amenities include an indoor heated pool, an oceanfront outdoor pool, a game room, a gazebo/sundeck, a grilling area and a club room area with wireless Internet. High-speed Internet is accessible in each suite for no additional charge. Nightly, weekly and monthly rentals are available.

For families, Beachside Inn is just the ticket. Homey, comfortable and cheerful, each room is furnished differently, with a variety of arrangements available. Choose from single, double, king-size and combinations to meet your needs, including some two-room suites. Amenities in each unit include microwave, refrigerator and 27-inch color TV with cable. Guests can stroll a short distance to the beach or enjoy cooling off in the inviting pool located adjacent to the lovely flower-filled courtyard. Four separate cottage-style buildings house 18 rooms, both smoking and non-smoking. Beachside Inn is one of the best values on Pleasure Island.

A wonderful place for families and friends to relax in a home-like apartment or cottage, Blue Marlin is just a few steps from the beach and miles away from worries. Amenities include fully equipped kitchen facilities with basic dishes and utensils, central heat and air, color cable TV, private bath, telephone and high-speed wireless Internet. You'll appreciate having your own hot water heater, and bed linens and bath towels are furnished for your convenience. Apartments sleep from two to six people, depending on the unit, and the beach house sleeps five to eight. Apartments 1 through 4 were recently remodeled. The Bait and Tackle Shop has T-shirts, souvenirs, rafts, gifts and a small line of groceries in addition to fishing gear.

If you're looking for a clean, friendly, reasonably priced family motel, this is the place for you. The Columbus Motel's quaint charm and convenient location make it especially appealing to folks who don't want to be driving all over the place to have their vacation needs met. Here you'll find comfort, a big blue pool, and old-fashioned, down-home atmosphere. Within walking distance are the beach, shopping, the Boardwalk and good places to eat. The motel offers 18 rooms on two levels, each with a view of the pool.

The 10-story Courtyard by Marriott at Carolina Beach boasts 144 oceanfront rooms with private balconies. In each beautifully decorated room, amenities include complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access, a coffee station, a mini refrigerator, a hairdryer and a desk with a chair and dataport. For ultimate comfort, the hotel recently upgraded all its mattresses to the Serta Sweet Sleeper. Suites also include a separate living area with a wet bar and microwave. The hotel offers a large variety of the latest video games and pay-per-view movies. A luxurious focal point of the hotel is a custom-designed oceanfront outdoor pool and tropical plaza featuring a sunbathing deck with direct beach access, an outdoor café and staff to deliver cool beverages poolside. The heated indoor pool and hot tub are open year round, and an exercise room and guest laundry facility are also available.

For your beach enjoyment, kayaks, surfboards, body boards, bikes, beach chairs, umbrellas and other items are available to rent during the season. The upscale hotel lobby is spacious, bright and attractive and features a lounge where guests may purchase a wide selection of beverages. A conveniently located business center has three computers with high-speed Internet access, and the Market Place shop sells sundries, snacks, gifts and beverages. The Carolina Beach Courtyard by Marriott offers a full-service restaurant, the Seaside Grill, which is open every day serving a lavish breakfast, lunch and dinner. Room service is available. A 3,300-square-foot ballroom can handle groups of up to 300 and can be divided into three spacious rooms for smaller events or conventions.

If you want to be a darling, take your darling to Darlings By the Sea for a romantic get away. This small boutique hotel offers five fabulously appointed oceanfront whirpool suites, just steps away from the beach. Each suite offers an ocean view, a king-sized bed with Egyptian cotton triple sheets and Siberian goose down comforters, top-quality interiors with Natuzzi leather seating from Italy, and a mirrored whirlpool for two with thick towels imported from Scotland and custom soaps and bubble bath. Each morning you'll enjoy a breakfast of fruit, pastries, juice and coffee served in your suite, and each evening watch the sun set from your private balcony. All suites are non-smoking.

Enjoy visiting family or friends or create your own peaceful retreat at Dry Dock Family Motel. The motel is ideally located within a few hundred yards of the Atlantic Ocean and within walking distance of Carolina Beach Park's lake. Stroll to the beach, walk around the lake or enjoy a dip in one of the motel's two pools. All rooms include refrigerators, microwaves and complimentary coffee, and a coin laundry facility is available. Their affordable prices will leave you with funds to explore the area's attractions.

Conveniently located one block from the boardwalk, next to the charter boat docks and across the street from the beach, this cozy motel has been a Carolina Beach fixture since the early 1940s, and family-owned since 1960. With a variety of amenities, the rooms and apartments are a boon to families, something for which the friendly owners pride themselves. Small kitchenettes are in the majority of rooms and the others have coffee makers, refrigerators and microwaves. Three rooms sleep up to four people. The remainder of the motel is apartments, which accommodate three to six people each. The rooms and apartments are exceptionally clean, and the staff even washes the bedspreads between guests. Other amenities include cable TV with HBO, rockers and lounge chairs on the street-side patios, and a refreshing outdoor pool.

No matter which of the ten comfortable rooms you choose, you're only a few steps away from the beach at Kure Keys Motel. Regular rooms include two extra-long double beds and a small refrigerator. The efficiency rooms have complete kitchens with microwave, stove, refrigerator, coffee maker and all tableware. All rooms have phones and, of course, cable TV complete with HBO and remote. Amenities include an outdoor pool and hot tub, on-site coin laundry, a picnic area, an outdoor fireplace, even a fish-cleaning area and a grill on which to cook your catch. Located in the heart of Kure Beach close to the pier and restaurants, Kure Keys Motel is a great place for a family vacation. During winter months, call ahead to ensure the hotel will remain open.

One of the most popular oceanfront motels on the beach, Sea Ranch offers both standard sleeping rooms and efficiencies. While most rooms have two full-sized beds, some singles with one full bed are available, as are some oceanfront efficiencies with queen beds. Every room has a refrigerator, television, telephone and air conditioning. Efficiency units have full kitchens that include a stove, a microwave, a coffeemaker, pots, dishes and silverware. Whether poolside or overlooking the ocean, these accommodations are clean, comfortable and inviting. An outstanding feature of the Sea Ranch Motel is its large heated pool and adjacent over-sized Jacuzzi, which has room for 20 people. Both are located within a windowed brick enclosure. An oceanfront pool with a slide is great for small children as its depth ranges from just 2 to 6 feet. Guests may also enjoy a poolside gazebo. A relaxing retreat, the Sea Ranch has a wide sandy beach with a private access walk.

Family-owned and operated since 1992, Seven Seas Inn is centrally located on the oceanfront in Kure Beach about 30 minutes south of Wilmington. Seven Seas Inn features 32 rooms and efficiencies available in a variety of configurations, including two-room suites, interconnecting units and ground-level rooms. The inn's accommodations offer limited handicapped accessibility as well as standard kitchen and non-kitchen rooms, and all units are non-smoking. In-room amenities include telephone, refrigerator, coffee maker, 32-inch plasma TV and WiFi. On the well-kept grounds are an oceanfront pool, gazebos with picnic areas, outdoor grill and guest laundry. Small children, seniors and non-swimmers will appreciate a second 3-foot-deep pool with surround seating. Restaurants, shops and the popular Kure Beach Fishing Pier are within a short walk of the inn. When entering Kure Beach by the main road from the north (U.S. 421), look for Seven Seas Inn on the left with its many beautiful agave plants.