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My Stay At The Winds

An Insider’s Outside View: I have worked for the Winds for six months now, so when manager Kathy McLaurin offered me a free weekend at the oceanfront hotel I wanted to run over to the front desk and check in right away.  A free weekend at the beach sounded great, but a free weekend at an amazing resort was a bonus. She wanted me to get more acquainted with the resort I was promoting. Seemed reasonable to me . . .

I spent a few years growing up in the area—from middle school on—so I was familiar with The Winds and most of Ocean Isle Beach; but it’s been over eight years since I’ve been to the local haunts of Ocean Isle. And I have never experienced the area as a tourist, which is precisely what I wanted to do.

I wanted to go to Sharky’s, to take pictures of myself in front of a palm tree, to sit at the Tiki Bar, to take a mini-vacation, and to forget for two-days that I worked for the company and see it as a guest would. I wanted to do everything I thought would appeal to a tourist, I wanted to eat at restaurants that typically have a waiting list because I knew that’s where someone staying at The Winds would probably want to go—also because the food is said to be amazing, I knew there would be a line to get in, but this is not New York, so it wouldn’t be a long one.

When I made the drive from Wilmington, I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled up in front of The Winds, there were people my age walking around. I expected to see families with children or older couples taking a vacation.  I went to the front desk to check in, I must have looked confused when the girl working the desk told me my room number and its location, because she immediately pulled out a map and drew directions to my designated parking area which was right next to my room.

I stayed in Carolina Breeze on the first floor. After dropping off my bags, one containing only shoes—six pairs for two days— I have a packing problem, I walked out on to my private balcony. I had a great view of the cottage-side pool, where there were some kids splashing around playing volleyball. I sat in the lounge chair and let the stress of my week wash away. I could hear the ocean waves crashing on the shore from across the street amid the sounds of the kids playing their game.

I had a few moments to myself before I had to meet some friends and family who live nearby and were coming to join me at the Tiki Bar.  At 6:30 the weather was beginning to show some relief from the abrasive heat of the day.  I sat at the Tiki Bar with the cool ocean breeze hitting my back while the warm glow of the sun shone on my face.

There were a few kids in the pool that were pleading for ten more minutes before they had to retreat back to their hotel rooms to get cleaned up for dinner. George, a charming bartender with a raspy voice, kept us entertained at the bar and invited us back to the pool in the morning when he would be on shift again. He told me there would be hula-hoop contests and that if there were lots of kids in the pool, he uses the frozen drink machine to make snowballs that he throws at them. I told him that sounded fun, and he even offered to save me a lounge chair.

In true tourist fashion, we decided to go to Sharky’s for dinner. I had loved that place when I was growing up but I always knew that in summer we would never go because it meant we would have to wait for a table. But this time I was a tourist, so we went prepared to wait. They estimated a wait of about 45 minutes, but we were pleasantly surprised when it only took about 15. Everything on the menu looked amazing, chock full of fresh seafood and even some new dishes. I decided on the Shark’s Teeth, essentially jalepeno poppers stuffed with crab meat rather than cheese, and the Bull Shark Burger.  Our table also ordered a Cajun pasta dish, jerk Buffalo wings, calamari and a basket of hush puppies. We devoured everything.  They were setting up for live music but it was getting late and I was exhausted and quite full.

We woke up early the next morning and went to check out the complimentary breakfast. Eggs, grits, sausage, bacon, cereal, waffles, cinnamon rolls and assorted breads were sprawled out on the buffet; this was a true Southern breakfast.  I loaded up my plate and poured a big cup of coffee. After breakfast we walked out to the pool and discovered that we were the first ones there. It was still early morning and the beach was just starting to see some activity. We grabbed our lounge chairs and loaded up on sunscreen—I am translucently pale.  It wasn’t long before the early morning pool goers starting filing in.

The sun was hot and the pool was refreshing, a little chilly when you first stuck your feet in, but nice as the hot sun started really beating down.  There were kids playing with the community chest of pool toys and playing games while the adults lounged around trying to get some color so they could brag to their co-workers about their vacations.

George set up the bar and as promised he tossed a couple of snowballs at the kids in the pool and gave the rest out as snow cones. We ordered some mango smoothies and iced tea from the Tiki Bar and after a morning out in the sun we ordered lunch— a chef salad and a chicken Caesar salad wrap—both were excellent.

After a few more hours in the sun, I went back to my room and showered for the massage appointment at Right Touch Therapy I treated myself to. I was looking forward to this massage all weekend.  After many hours working in front of a computer, my neck and shoulders were in desperate need of attention. The massage was heavenly.

Some friends of mine wanted to meet at the Tiki Bar for a drink before I headed off to dinner. This time Kim, a glowing, bronzed blonde who asked, “Where are ya’ll from?”  was bartending. We ordered some of The Winds signature drinks, the “Hula, Hula,” the “Spunky Monkey,” and the “Coco Cream.” I felt I was in a tropical paradise as I sipped on a cool frozen drink and watched the sun setting behind the silhouette of the palm trees.

For dinner, I knew I wanted to try another local favorite—Sugar Shack.  They are known for their Jamaican style food.  I met up with one of my friends from the area and we decided to give it a try.  They started off our dinner with Johnny Bread, a spicy sweet cake that I could have eaten a lot more of. With a menu that features a wide variety of tempting foods, I decided on the Island-Grilled Shrimp with rice and beans, Jamaican slaw and sweet potato.  My dinner mate chose Crab Fritters in a Sweet Lime Sauce.  Needless to say, we were not disappointed in our choice of restaurants.  After dinner, we took a drive into Shallotte and caught a late movie.

The next morning, I managed to catch an hour’s worth of sun before heading back to my room to shower and pack up. I found myself wishing I had another day to spend at The Winds… I had just started to get the hang of this vacation life.

Although The Winds is a more of a quaint resort than I am used to, I was overwhelmed by the amazingly friendly staff, the charming coziness of the hotel, and the unique touches that make it unlike any other resort I have ever been to. Although my vacation lasted only two brief days, I am already dreaming of my next trip to the beach and another invitation to The Winds Beach Club Resort.

Written by Kim O’Dwyer

The Winds Resort Beach Club

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