Looney Dunes

Five days before checking in to my fully paid Thanksgiving Pawley's Island beach house where I was to host 24 people for the holiday, I was emailed that my house was no longer available. I was given two options : a full refund or a different house on a different beach 15 minutes away (instead of a stone's throw where we had several dogs that needed tending to throughout the day) The new house had a table that sat 8 people. I was given 10% off and early and late check in. They said they would provide "nice" tables and chairs. At check in, when I mentioned that my husband who had yet to arrive in SC, wanted further compensation for this stressful predicament, a man who introduced himself as the owner of Tide Life told me there would be no more accommodations while shaking my hand to the point of pain. He said "let's just be nice now and get along" which made us feel extremely uncomfortable. He also told me that I should have read the contract and never apologized for putting us through this.(a woman previously did apologize in an earlier email, however)He told me the tables and chairs were at the house. They were and were filthy, in the driveway and needed to be carried up a flight of stairs. There was sand, pet fur, cob webs and crumbs on the stove and next to the sink. A prescription pill was on the MBR floor. Looney Dunes is spacious & directly on the beach. It's great for large groups and the kitchen was fully stocked. The photos and reviews are accurate. The house needs a lot of TLC. Both the MBR and main floor back door did not lock, safety concern as both had direct access to the beach. The grill had not been cleaned and was completely rusted. I picked up garbage on the "lawn". A small pile of someone else's clothes was in the MBR closet. The lower level was very musty. My concerns are almost entirely a reflection of the poor management provided by Tide Life. Shame on them.

Very good, thank you all for fixing a few things & your patience

late July stay

Manager's Response

Our family of 15 enjoyed our vacation July 13 - 20th at Looney Dunes!
The house serves a large crowd well. It is very well appointed with all you was clean and neat. The beach is easily accessed and not overly crowded.
There are some areas that could be updated but the living area has new comfortable furniture. Tidelife was wonderful to work with offering excellent customer service.
I recommend this property if you have a large number of people.

Manager's Response

Everything from checking in to the actual house was great! Very clean and plenty of room for 11 adults and six young children.

Manager's Response

Great place!!

Manager's Response

Overall our stay was great compared to other places we’ve stayed (different rental company). The updates in the common areas are very nice and the house was cleaner than any other house we’ve stayed in. The kitchen is so spacious and we enjoyed the openness of the main level. The screened in porch on the beach side is fabulous. A few drawbacks were the bad pest problem in the downstairs bedroom with the 4 twin beds. This seems to be an issue beyond just pest control. The areas where they are getting in need to be fixed. Also one of the ovens doesn’t shut tightly, the spiral staircase was a little rickety, some of the bathrooms showed signs of age/wear & tear, one of the dressers was destroyed (was like that when we checked in), & a huuuuge puddle forms in the driveway when it rains (looked like a pond). All of this could be overlooked except the bug problem. Hopefully they will address the issue and seal where the bugs are coming in.

Manager's Response

Overall our stay was great compared to other places we’ve stayed (different rental company). The updates in the common areas are very nice and the house was cleaner than any other house we’ve stayed in. The kitchen is so spacious and we enjoyed the openness of the main level. The screened in porch on the beach side is fabulous. A few drawbacks were the bad pest problem in the downstairs bedroom with the 4 twin beds. This seems to be an issue beyond just pest control. The areas where they are getting in need to be fixed. Also one of the ovens doesn’t shut tightly, the spiral staircase was a little rickety, some of the bathrooms showed signs of age/wear & tear, one of the dressers was destroyed (was like that when we checked in), & a huuuuge puddle forms in the driveway when it rains (looked like a pond). All of this could be overlooked except the bug problem. Hopefully they will address the issue and seal where the bugs are coming in.

Manager's Response

Improvements this year helped.
Suggest you have directions available on how to use the televisions. We have always had trouble with this. Also, the bottom floor bedrooms still have really serious insect problems. We had to move the teenage girls elsewhere, as they were very affected by this.

Still a great house with a good location. We have booked for next year.

Manager's Response

Improvements this year helped.
Suggest you have directions available on how to use the televisions. We have always had trouble with this. Also, the bottom floor bedrooms still have really serious insect problems. We had to move the teenage girls elsewhere, as they were very affected by this.

Still a great house with a good location. We have booked for next year.

Manager's Response

We loved the newly painted walls and the new floor covering. Also, liked the boards that were replaced on the boardwalk.
These are a couple of suggestions for the future stays. Could you please replace the twin beds on the main level, or just fix the beds. Every time you move, the headboards bang against the wall. Very disrupting of sleep.

Manager's Response

This house is perfect for several families to stay in. Great design and big kitchen. Great porch.

Manager's Response

The Looney Dunes Home was great. The location couldn’t be better. The home does show its age however it doesn’t matter because the location is top notch. We will definitely go back. Our score would be a 9 out of 10 Stars.

Manager's Response

We absolutely loved this home. Plenty of room for our group of ten. Amazing location. Clean home. Everything was in working order. This house has so much character! Some beach homes have been renovated to the point that they are sterile and lifeless, but this home feels rich in memories. Thank you!

Manager's Response

We had 3 families stay at the rental house. We all had plenty of space. The screened in deck was our favorite place to hang out. When we got there the cleaners were still finishing up but didn’t take too long before we could go inside. We love the large kitchen with two stove/ovens and having 2 refrigerators was great too. The ice maker was a plus for sure. We did have a few roaches but nothing too extreme. This rental had everything we needed! Our most favorite part was the nice and quiet location of the rental....being right on the ocean without being packed in, it was like we had our own personal beach to enjoy!!

Manager's Response

House pros: We loved the easy access and the sparsely populated beach just a block from Huntington Beach State Park. Two refrigerators, two dishwashers, separate built in ice maker, great screened in porch (as well as one open to air), a multitude of bedrooms and bathrooms, five bikes, and a covered garage for two vehicles. Cons: Two ovens but only one heated properly, one of four stove top burners nonfunctional, doors of refrigerator have railings replaced by duct tape (!!) and several items fell including a small milk container which splattered everywhere, two of the mattresses are softer than our preference, one of the beds squeaks and moves around the room with the slightest movement, moth ball smell throughout the home, carpets stained in places, and one advertised amenity (kayak/canoe) was not provided. I called Tidelife and was told one would be dropped by, but it did not arrive. Even so, a couple of the beds were very comfortable, and the bathrooms were all working well. We would rather stay here another year than miss out, but I will look for a more updated and fully functioning property.

Manager's Response

Wonderful time as always.

Manager's Response

Wonderful time as always.

Manager's Response

There were bugs in the basement rooms.

The location of this home is perfect, with direct access to a beautiful sandy beach. Our family of 12 recently stayed at Looney Dunes, and the house accommodated our needs. We would happily stay here again.

Manager's Response

The location of this home is perfect, with direct access to a beautiful sandy beach. Our family of 12 recently stayed at Looney Dunes, and the house accommodated our needs. We would happily stay here again.

Manager's Response

We had a large party, and it can be hard to find beachfront homes to accommodate so many people. Looney Dunes was such a great beach house & we had a wonderful week! The home hasn’t been updated in some time (aside from new dishwashers etc), but everything was clean & in excellent condition. They have the house set up with large groups in mind - 2 dishwashers, 2 stoves, plenty of housewares etc.
The staff at Tidelife was very responsible with any concerns while we were there.
I would absolutely rent here again!

Manager's Response

We enjoyed the house set up.. it was set up for a large family or two. The house did smell funny and there is dog hair everyplace. overall good experience perfect location.