I'm drawn to any landscape that man has put their mark on, whether it's a coal mine in Wyoming, a grain silo in Montana or an old excavator in a chalk quarry in Sussex. As human beings we often mar our surroundings but occasionally we unwittingly create great beauty in the most mundane of objects and places. I have devoted a huge amount of time to photographing coastal towns and especially the promenades and piers. I look for tat. I like tat. I like how many seaside resorts remain virtually unchanged.
Reviews (9)
Kevin Zeigler
May 28, 2022
My family has been vacationing at holden Beach for 20 + years through Alan holden vacations. Unfortunately this will be the last time. Since vicasa took over the rates have tripled. People are struggling and this company seems to want to take advantage of people. I guess holden beach just doesn't want you to stay there. We will be looking for a different beach and company next year. One that has rentals at a reasonable rate.
Corey Eye
Dec 17, 2021
I'll give the full story as I've been waiting for my refund to process before writing this review: On Friday 12/3, my wife and I spontaneously decided to rent a house at Holden beach for a few days since the weather looked good and we wanted to take our daughter for a few days of family time. I called Vacasa and booked over the phone. Then gentleman who helped me was extremely professional and informative.
Around 2pm, we decided "Why not head down today if we can?" I promptly called back and added Friday 12/3 in so we could check in that night. I was assured repeatedly on the phone that the key would be left in the box for an after hours check in, even though it was only a couple of hours before they closed when I spoke to them about adding an extra night.
After 2.5 hours of driving, we arrived at the Vacasa office at 8:20pm to find no key in the box (although there were two other keys for other visitors). I called the service line and was told that they would have someone there within five minutes and that she would call me back or have them call me. Five minutes seemed like a stretch to me, so I gave it some extra time and finally called back thirty minutes later after hearing nothing. Speaking to different person, she assured me she would reach directly out to a manager and that the person I originally spoke to "submitted a request".
About 20 minutes after that conversation, Yvonne texted me asking "Have you heard from the manager? I have not been able to get in contact yet." to which I replied "I have not heard from anyone." Probably 15 minutes later, sitting there stranded with my pregnant wife and three year old daughter, we were forced to drive 2.5 hours back home as we had our dog, and there were no pet friendly places in the area with vacancy.
When I spoke to someone the next morning about cancelling my reservation, I was told: "Sorry, the office manager was unaware you added the extra night." Unaware? I verified TWICE upon reservation before adding the night. And yes: it was last minute but I was assured there would be no issues. Instead, we basically had a 5-hour cruise in the middle of the night.
After speaking with different people who also stay at Holden, apparently Vacasa is a nightmare to deal with (and the reviews speak to it). I highly recommend NOT using Vacasa, and going with one of the other rental companies for your Holden Beach stay.
Around 2pm, we decided "Why not head down today if we can?" I promptly called back and added Friday 12/3 in so we could check in that night. I was assured repeatedly on the phone that the key would be left in the box for an after hours check in, even though it was only a couple of hours before they closed when I spoke to them about adding an extra night.
After 2.5 hours of driving, we arrived at the Vacasa office at 8:20pm to find no key in the box (although there were two other keys for other visitors). I called the service line and was told that they would have someone there within five minutes and that she would call me back or have them call me. Five minutes seemed like a stretch to me, so I gave it some extra time and finally called back thirty minutes later after hearing nothing. Speaking to different person, she assured me she would reach directly out to a manager and that the person I originally spoke to "submitted a request".
About 20 minutes after that conversation, Yvonne texted me asking "Have you heard from the manager? I have not been able to get in contact yet." to which I replied "I have not heard from anyone." Probably 15 minutes later, sitting there stranded with my pregnant wife and three year old daughter, we were forced to drive 2.5 hours back home as we had our dog, and there were no pet friendly places in the area with vacancy.
When I spoke to someone the next morning about cancelling my reservation, I was told: "Sorry, the office manager was unaware you added the extra night." Unaware? I verified TWICE upon reservation before adding the night. And yes: it was last minute but I was assured there would be no issues. Instead, we basically had a 5-hour cruise in the middle of the night.
After speaking with different people who also stay at Holden, apparently Vacasa is a nightmare to deal with (and the reviews speak to it). I highly recommend NOT using Vacasa, and going with one of the other rental companies for your Holden Beach stay.
Meredith Jolly Sain
Sep 27, 2021
We rented from Vacasa a few weeks ago (Sea Breeze house on Holden Beach) and our first night there, we found 30+ German cockroaches in the home. The next day, a bug exterminator came out mid afternoon to kill the bugs (he was surprised by the number and the home not being on a maintenance plan) and late in the day right around dinner/bath/bedtime for 2 toddlers we were offered a replacement home for the rest of our stay, which ended up working out despite the huge inconvenience of repacking/unpacking in a new house.
The negative review is mainly due to not being reimbursed for the first night of our vacation (despite finding bugs on the bed!), as well as Vacasa filtering out my negative review on the home from their site. How are consumers supposed to verify the quality of a home if the rental agency filters out negative reviews? It's one of the only tools we have for evaluating a home when considering a vacation. Shame on Vacasa for the poor customer experience.
The negative review is mainly due to not being reimbursed for the first night of our vacation (despite finding bugs on the bed!), as well as Vacasa filtering out my negative review on the home from their site. How are consumers supposed to verify the quality of a home if the rental agency filters out negative reviews? It's one of the only tools we have for evaluating a home when considering a vacation. Shame on Vacasa for the poor customer experience.
Charles B.
Sep 10, 2021
573 - Heavenly Sunshine - (Sept. 4 - 11, 2021) OK. 1st- I want to say that the "local" employees of Vacasa are wonderful people and very friendly and professional. This review is not against them in any way. (I do not like the main number that is located somewhere out West, where they have no idea of the Holden area and previous structure and support).
Now onto the review: We were notified that the house was ready via a call and text message. Went to pick up the keys and there must have been 30 people in the parking lot. I went in, got the keys and papers and all was good. We got into the house, and then it all began. There were 8 bags of dirty sheets, towels, etc.on the landing (even though linens and towels were not provided to us. which we knew about).
These bags remained throughout our 7 days. As everyone settled into the bedrooms, everyone started calling my name (as "I" had handled the reservation). Well, 2 rooms were not cleaned, or quickly cleaned. (Garbage on the floor). I checked my bathroom, and the water would not drain in the sink. I called and local Vacasa sent someone out immediately to handle. Ok. all good.
Little things started to be discovered. all the ceiling fans were dusty, ,a nd 3 wobbled and made thumping noise. Also, the AIR FILTER by main furnace / ac return was completely plugged, and looked like it had not been changed in a year. I called again. Well, within 15 minutes a wonderful professional supervisor was on the scene (Jessica), and an employee. Jessica and her employee proceeded to handle this, and also replace the air filter. Kudos to Jessica for prompt and professional support.
Still reading? Sunday morning.discovered NO HOT WATER on the 2nd floor. Called Vacasa again. A gentleman came out.checked that the breaker had tripped, and the hot water tank was leaking, and shut itself off for safety. He handled and checked back a few hours later, and we had hot water again. Now for the almost funny part. Vacasa called and asked me if it would be ok for them to replace this hot water heater on Friday morning.
I reluctantly said "OK", and from 9:30 a.m. to 12:15, I lost beach time on my last day. I'm sure doing it after we checked out on Saturday, this could / should have been done prior to the next renters coming in. OK. last part. So the house is very nice, location on beach is perfect, parking is great, neighbors were fun and pleasant. I have been coming to Holden since 2005 (minus a few years), and everyone LOVES this beach and people. Looked on the website to check the rates for 2022 for this house and number of others we have rented. THE PRICES FOR 2022 HAVE MORE THAN DOUBLED FOR THE PROPERTIES!
This location has always been family friendly, and available for the average working class.but it appears no longer for a number of the houses under Vacasa. I'm hoping that enough people bring this to Vacasa's mgmt.'s attention. On a closing note. we consider Holden Beach our little sanctuary for peace and quiet.to enjoy company of friends, family, and new found people.
Now onto the review: We were notified that the house was ready via a call and text message. Went to pick up the keys and there must have been 30 people in the parking lot. I went in, got the keys and papers and all was good. We got into the house, and then it all began. There were 8 bags of dirty sheets, towels, etc.on the landing (even though linens and towels were not provided to us. which we knew about).
These bags remained throughout our 7 days. As everyone settled into the bedrooms, everyone started calling my name (as "I" had handled the reservation). Well, 2 rooms were not cleaned, or quickly cleaned. (Garbage on the floor). I checked my bathroom, and the water would not drain in the sink. I called and local Vacasa sent someone out immediately to handle. Ok. all good.
Little things started to be discovered. all the ceiling fans were dusty, ,a nd 3 wobbled and made thumping noise. Also, the AIR FILTER by main furnace / ac return was completely plugged, and looked like it had not been changed in a year. I called again. Well, within 15 minutes a wonderful professional supervisor was on the scene (Jessica), and an employee. Jessica and her employee proceeded to handle this, and also replace the air filter. Kudos to Jessica for prompt and professional support.
Still reading? Sunday morning.discovered NO HOT WATER on the 2nd floor. Called Vacasa again. A gentleman came out.checked that the breaker had tripped, and the hot water tank was leaking, and shut itself off for safety. He handled and checked back a few hours later, and we had hot water again. Now for the almost funny part. Vacasa called and asked me if it would be ok for them to replace this hot water heater on Friday morning.
I reluctantly said "OK", and from 9:30 a.m. to 12:15, I lost beach time on my last day. I'm sure doing it after we checked out on Saturday, this could / should have been done prior to the next renters coming in. OK. last part. So the house is very nice, location on beach is perfect, parking is great, neighbors were fun and pleasant. I have been coming to Holden since 2005 (minus a few years), and everyone LOVES this beach and people. Looked on the website to check the rates for 2022 for this house and number of others we have rented. THE PRICES FOR 2022 HAVE MORE THAN DOUBLED FOR THE PROPERTIES!
This location has always been family friendly, and available for the average working class.but it appears no longer for a number of the houses under Vacasa. I'm hoping that enough people bring this to Vacasa's mgmt.'s attention. On a closing note. we consider Holden Beach our little sanctuary for peace and quiet.to enjoy company of friends, family, and new found people.
Stacy Ferner
Aug 11, 2021
I booked through Allan Holden in Feb, emailed later that Vacasa has taken over. The house was fine. The original reservation included linens/towels. We arrive and find no bath towels, call Vacasa "customer service" the woman tells me the house includes linen service but no towels. Which seems ridiculous. When I asked her for the name of a local service we should call for towels, her managers suggestion was "I should go to a local store and purchase towels" Well thank you so much for your well thought out solution.
I've had to rent linens & towels before but we were notified well in advance. If you offer the linens why not spend the extra $50 for towels. For the price of these rentals seems tri me it should be standard. Won't be using Vacasa again. They're a larger company, beet to stick with the small locals.
I've had to rent linens & towels before but we were notified well in advance. If you offer the linens why not spend the extra $50 for towels. For the price of these rentals seems tri me it should be standard. Won't be using Vacasa again. They're a larger company, beet to stick with the small locals.
Lori Keller
Jul 15, 2021
We rented unit 435A at Water's Edge Condos (Lorraine's By the C). It's a beautiful unit with a beautiful view. Our AC unit malfunctioned halfway through the week, & they were very quick to send someone out to fix it.within a couple of hours. Later in the evening an employee from Vacasa called me on her personal cell phone to be sure it had been fixed.
She said if it hadn't, she'd send her 24 hour maintenance man to install window units for the night. Luckily it had been fixed. We were however very disappointed to find no toilet paper upon arrival after a 12 hour trip from Ohio. There were no garbage bags & only 1 dishwasher tab. There was also a big chunk of hair on the shower stall door, & fingerprints & residue on a lot of the surfaces.like it hadn't really been cleaned well in quite some time.
With as beautiful as the owner has it remodeled & decorated, & with as much money as we paid for the week, I think expecting it to be way cleaner isn't too much to ask. I also don't think having toilet paper, paper towels & soap for the dishwasher is too much to expect either. We shouldn't have to purchase those items when paying $3,000 for the week. Overall, our experience was good, but there are definitely some improvements to be made under the new ownership.
She said if it hadn't, she'd send her 24 hour maintenance man to install window units for the night. Luckily it had been fixed. We were however very disappointed to find no toilet paper upon arrival after a 12 hour trip from Ohio. There were no garbage bags & only 1 dishwasher tab. There was also a big chunk of hair on the shower stall door, & fingerprints & residue on a lot of the surfaces.like it hadn't really been cleaned well in quite some time.
With as beautiful as the owner has it remodeled & decorated, & with as much money as we paid for the week, I think expecting it to be way cleaner isn't too much to ask. I also don't think having toilet paper, paper towels & soap for the dishwasher is too much to expect either. We shouldn't have to purchase those items when paying $3,000 for the week. Overall, our experience was good, but there are definitely some improvements to be made under the new ownership.
Harleigh Pino
Jul 09, 2021
The home we stayed at, we have stayed before and it was never as bad as it was during our stay. Not only was the front desk snippy and rude when asked about check in but the home had issue after issue. There was a ceiling leak during the tropical storm, there were cockroaches in the home, bodily fluids in the bathroom when we first arrived, dirty sheets on the bed that were "clean".
There was a broken box spring, nails sticking up on the beach access and porch along with loose boards that felt they could give any day. No one seemed to concerned about any of these issues when we brought them up to be resolved. After paying 2500$+ to rent a home for the week, we barely got any money back for our troubles. The customer care here disgusts me and I hope no one stays in the shack we stayed in.
I had an 8 month old there, god knows that should could have been bitten by a roach or hurt herself. I need a vacation from the vacation we experienced here. The stay was more stressful then my job. I will definitely be booking with another company if we ever decide to visit the island again as we have for many years.
There was a broken box spring, nails sticking up on the beach access and porch along with loose boards that felt they could give any day. No one seemed to concerned about any of these issues when we brought them up to be resolved. After paying 2500$+ to rent a home for the week, we barely got any money back for our troubles. The customer care here disgusts me and I hope no one stays in the shack we stayed in.
I had an 8 month old there, god knows that should could have been bitten by a roach or hurt herself. I need a vacation from the vacation we experienced here. The stay was more stressful then my job. I will definitely be booking with another company if we ever decide to visit the island again as we have for many years.
Elizabeth Grimes
Dec 22, 2020
I rented a house last summer from Alan Holden Vacations and booked it again recently. Everyone I have dealt with at Alan Holden Vacations was professional. They seem focused on getting the work done. I never felt like anyone was rude, just maybe "done to business, " and I was happy matters were handled quickly and well. Gloria especially went out of her way to go above and beyond my expectations in helping with a reservation glitch, and I appreciated her time and effort.
Lisa Krawczyk
Nov 21, 2017
Came back three years ago after not being here since a teenager ( Now in my 50's). Loved it then, love it now! My husband is a fishing freak and he has as good a time as I do. Alan Holden Vacations have always been excellent to deal with. Very professional, clean houses, something for every budget. Highly recommend them! If you find a place you really like - better book ahead for next year - they will give you dibs until halfway through your week.
And definitely get the travel insurance! Hurricanes happen. When we got here last year the beach had just reopened after one. Years ago I had reservations for my parents and my dad was in the hospital. They covered everything the literature said they would without any hassle. And compared to the price of a week's rent it is cheap! It is a quiet "family beach" not a Myrtle Beach although Myrtle isn't a far drive. And the waves won't beat you to death like on the Outer Banks. Hope we can keep coming for many more happy years. Would move here if we could.
And definitely get the travel insurance! Hurricanes happen. When we got here last year the beach had just reopened after one. Years ago I had reservations for my parents and my dad was in the hospital. They covered everything the literature said they would without any hassle. And compared to the price of a week's rent it is cheap! It is a quiet "family beach" not a Myrtle Beach although Myrtle isn't a far drive. And the waves won't beat you to death like on the Outer Banks. Hope we can keep coming for many more happy years. Would move here if we could.
