Emerald Isle Resort

The lake view was breathtaking, and the area was full of fish, turtles, ducks, and geese. We spent a week here and made good use of the family amenities: kayaks, a four-seat paddle boat, pool and jacuzzi, sports courts, tether ball, miniature golf, a fire pit, sauna, and a giant battleship board. The rec room had giant Connect Four, pool, and ping pong. There’s also a relaxing room in the office where you can check out books, movies, games, and sports balls. We could walk to the Mexican restaurant right next to the resort, which I believe is called Jose’s. So good. The place could use some updates to look more appealing, but we had an amazing stay otherwise. Everyone was friendly, and Kiara was our favorite.

That lakefront view was amazing and made the room worthwhile. Inside, though, the furniture was dusty and looked straight out of the 80s or 90s. The TV and tech setup was a joke, but I wasn’t there to watch TV anyway. Service was basically nonexistent, which honestly didn’t bother me. They charged us a $110 cleaning fee and still expected us to take out the trash ourselves.

The place is kept up really well and has lots of activities and amenities. I’d read that the rooms were dated, but I didn’t think so. The front desk manager was super friendly and took great care of us.

The resort was in a great spot for exploring, and our condo location was perfect. The reception staff were friendly and helpful, and the lobby was neat and tidy. We enjoyed the pool and the warm spa with its powerful jets. Road noise was distracting sometimes, though there were plenty of areas where we didn’t notice it. The condo itself was in disrepair. Having a dishwasher and clothes washer and dryer was convenient, but both the dishwasher and washer were possibly the loudest appliances I’ve ever heard. Under each bed there was a little trash left by previous tenants, and it looked like nobody had swept there in a long time.