Get Ready for SUMMER!!

It is hard to believe that the summer months are fast approaching. It seems like summer 2010 just ended. Time to get those beach chairs, umbrellas and coolers out of the garage again! It has been a long, wet, cold winter here on Holden Beach this year. We are all glad that we can get out of the house and get some fresh air and maybe mow the grass. Ooops! Did I just really say mow the grass? I don't enjoy mowing the grass a whole lot, but it is nice to get outdoors and enjoy smelling the crisp salt air again.

Over the past few weeks the traffic here on the island has been steadily increasing little by little on the weekends. Today is Good Friday (Easter Weekend) and the traffic has REALLY picked up at the gas stations and grocery stores in the last few hours. The weather looks like it will be in upper 70's to mid-80's over the next several days. The visitors look anxious and excited to be back at one of their favorite destinations and we are so glad to have everyone back.

Don't forget about Days at the Dock on May 7, 2011. Started in the 1980′s, the Springtime festival called “Day at the Docks” host over 50 arts and crafts vendors and a dozen food vendors. This year the event is being held May 7th, with vendors selling their wares from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm under the Holden Beach Bridge.

Day at the Docks is FREE to the public with FREE parking and FREE live entertainment all day. This year there will be a King Mackerel Fishing Tournament, inflatable rides for the kids, huge kites flying overhead and a horseshoe tournament.

Around 3 pm (depending on the tides), the world famous “Bopple Race” takes place. Buy your “Bopples” from any merchant prior to or at the festival for a dollar. The Holden Beach Mayor Alan Holden and fellow commissioners toss the “Bopples” from the atop the Holden Beach bridge and let the currents carry them toward the designated finish line. If your Bopple is first or second to cross the finish line, you win a handsome prize. What’s a “Bopple?” Sorry, you’ll have to attend to find that out.

Don't forget to join our Facebook page if you are on Facebook. Just search for "Holden Beach Surf Report" and "Like" us. Feel free to ask us questions, post photos from your trip to Holden Beach or just say Hi! Don't forget to check our "Specials" page if you are wanting to come to HB and have not made arrangements yet.

2011 Brochure Available Online and other News

WOW! What a great winter we have been having here at Holden Beach, NC. Our staff here at Alan Holden Vacations worked very hard this past fall to get out our newest rental brochure for the 2011 vacation rental season. Our brochures were completed, printed and mailed out a few days before Christmas 2010. If you were wanting to get one, and did not get one in the mail, you can download and print it right off our website. Just go right to our Alan Holden Vacations and click on the brochure in the upper left corner of the page. Here you can browse the brochure, click on a home for more information and it will take it to the house description page right on our website. From there you can book right online!!

You folks up north who have been fighting the severe snow storms this winter, you should start thinking about the our 95 degree, sunny weather here on the island. Start thinking about that cold drink in your hand while lounging in your beach chair listening to the seagulls sing their songs. Gently gazing out onto the smooth 84 degree ocean water with knee high waves gently lap onto the shore. Ahhhhhhhh, seems like your paradise is not that far off in the future. To be sure you are able to make it to the beach this summer, now is the perfect time to start making your beach plans with your friends and family.

It looks like the number of reservations are picking up in the rental market! Our reservations for the upcoming 2011 rental season are ahead of last years numbers. If you are wanting to wait until the last minute to make a reservation and come to the beach, it is possible you may have a harder time finding a place that will meet your requirements. All the snow storms up north have seemed to have sparked an earlier rush in the beach rentals for this summer. Everyone is wanting to "just get away from it all".

The sales market here in the Brunswick County area and Southern Brunswick Islands seems to be picking up as well. More foot traffic has been increasing in our RE/MAX at the Beach offices. Speaking of RE/MAX at the Beach we have opened a new sales office in the southern part of Brunswick county. The new office in now located within the Sea Trail Golf community down near the Sunset Beach, NC and the Ocean Isle Beach area. You can read more about it in the previous post on this blog. The opening of this office assures you as a seller or buyer that we have all of the surrounding areas covered. Due to our remarkable and experienced agents, we will have you in the house of your dreams in no time!

Our new RE/MAX at the Beach sales office!!

Our sales office has grown a little more in last month! Alan Holden Vacations and RE/MAX at the Beach are proud to announce the opening of our new sales office located within the Sea Trail community at Sunset Beach, NC. We opened this office to help serve the golfing community of Sea Trail and surrounding areas. Our new office is located right across the street from the convention center in Sea Trail. Please give our professional and experienced agents a call if you are thinking about buying or selling in the area.

You can find our location by putting our address in your GPS at:
80 Mill Pond Rd.
Sunset Beach, NC 28470
910-287-1149
800-338-9672

To see if we have anything that interests you, please visit our sales site to search our listings. Our sales page is www.AtTheBeachNC.com In the upper left corner of the page, there is a drop down menu. Please choose "Subdivision" and in the blank box put in "Sea Trail". Hit "Go" and there you can view out all of our listings in Sea Trail.

We hope this will help us serve you better. Remember, "Nobody sells more real estate than RE/MAX".

So long Hurricane Earl! Hello Festival By The Sea!

Whew! That was really a close call from Hurricane Earl a few days ago. Just wanted to get the word out there on the World Wide Web that Holden Beach did NOT get hit by Earl. We received just a few drops of light rain and some winds blowing around 25 mph from the North on Thursday. I was off work the day Earl passed us by so I was out surfing on the 8-12 foot waves that were produced. The ocean was mostly glassy except for the large swells. It was truly a "surfer's paradise".

Earl is long gone and this Labor Day weekend is absolutely beautiful! Come on down and see is this fall and stay for a weekend. We are now offering partial week rentals with a 2 night minimum stay. Please don't forget to make your weekend reservations now for our yearly Festival By The Sea. The dates this year are October 30 & 31 2010. It is the last full weekend in October. Give us a call at 800-720-2200 for your reservation!

The Holden Beach Merchants Association hosts this very popular "NC Festival by the Sea." This 2 day events is kicked off with a parade down the Holden Beach causeway. This is the only day of the year that you can walk across the Holden Beach bridge and each year several hundred take that high altitude stroll to stake out the perfect spot to view the parade. Arts and Crafts vendors are open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sat. and 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sun. You'll want to plan to be on site for at least a couple of meals and a snack or two, just to sample a tiny portion of the food on hand. For the competitive sort, there is a horseshoe tournament and a sandcastle building contest. Children enjoy face painting, huge kites flying overhead and the children's rides and amusements. There is live musical entertainment both days at Holden Beach's Pavilion under the bridge.

The 2009 Festival by the Sea hosted two new events: a Surf Off and a Grom Fest, as well as a King Mackerel Fishing Tournament. Both events had some great prizes and proved to be a lot of fun.

Hot Summer Temperatures & Fall Weekend Rentals

Whew!! I guess the big news this summer is the heat. What is up with this weather? These last few weeks the the average temperature here at Holden Beach has been around 92 degrees with a heat index of over 100 degrees. Combine that with the humidity and it feels like you are living in a sauna. It has been so hot that my family go to the beach between 9am and 12pm.

If you are headed this way, please make sure you bring some really strong WATERPROOF sunblock because as much as you will sweat, you will need it. Also, please remember to bring some hats for the kids as well. Don't forget to bring a cooler and a large strong umbrella to block those hot summer rays. Sometimes those summer SW winds get pretty strong and can be a pain. One important thing to remember...if it is cloudy you still need to wear your sunblock. I have been burnt pretty bad on those cloudy days.

We will begin booking for Fall weekends on August 21, 2010. If you are looking to get away just for a few days, please give us a call and get a great rate on an oceanfront home! Our number is 910-842-6061 or 800-720-2200.

Gulf Coast Oil Spill

First off, our company wants to wish the best for the families and businesses of those who reside in the area where the oil is affecting. Our hearts go out to all of you at this critical and stressful time. We all hope that the well is plugged very soon and effective measures are taken to keep the threat of the oil and damages to a minimum. It really bothers me to know that so many livelihoods are being destroyed because of it.

We have been getting a lot of calls in the past week or so from people who usually visit and vacation along the areas of Louisiana, the Florida panhandle, and Mississippi asking for information on our area. I would guess that 75% of those calling are not really familiar with our beaches and the charm we have here in southern Brunswick County. Those calling are telling us that they are scared as to what to is going to happen with their already made vacation plans in the effected areas.

So...I thought I would give a short description about our beach. Our area is well known for its low-key atmosphere, quite and serene surroundings. Holden Beach, NC is a small 8 mile long island that does not have ANY high rise hotels or buildings. Only one small grocery store and a few small shops are on the island. If you are looking for something to do with the kids, we have small putt-putt courses, local museums, and much more that are close by. Also, we are only 30 minutes to the north of Myrtle Beach, SC and 30 minutes to the south of Wilmington, NC. Myrtle Beach, SC of course is well known all over the world for their beautiful golf courses. Holden Beach is in a perfect location for warm sunny weather and having literally 100 golf courses within an hours drive. The closest golf course to Holden Beach is called Lockwood Folly Golf Course and it is located only 3 miles from our beautiful white sandy beach. The 18 hole, par 72 Willard Byrd designed course measures 6836 yards from the tips and has a rating of 73.9 with a slope of 140. The front tees provide a distance of 5029 yards for a rating of 71.1 with a slope of 122. Whatever a player’s ability level, Lockwood Folly Golf Course will provide one with an unforgettable round of golf. In a way, this can be considered the "Holden Beach Home Course”. Grab your clubs and do a few rounds!


Holden Beach, NC is truly a sparkling gem nestled on the deep blue Atlantic Ocean coastline and was voted one of the Top 10 Family Beaches in the US" by National Geographic, TRAVELER Magazine. Please, visit us at www.Holden-Beach.com and see what we have to offer. You can reserve one of our homes online if you prefer.

If you are looking for an alternative vacation destination, please consider Holden Beach, NC. Families have been bringing their children to vacation here for more than 50 years. Now, those children are bringing their children to make lifetime memories.

Again, we wish the best for those people being affected by the devestation of the oil spill.

Summer is coming up FAST! 2010 Brochure

What beautiful weather we have been having the last 2 weeks! It looks like Easter weekend will be around 80 degrees and sunny. Come on over and see us for the weekend. If you have not made you summer plans yet, you still have time to snag a beach house before we are booked up.

We now have our 2010 vacation rental brochure on our site now. It can be downloaded and then printed at home if you like. Or you just want to browse through it to see if you see anything that suits your family needs. You can view the brochure by going to our site then clicking on the link on the left side that says "Request a FREE Brochure". Or if you prefer, here is a direct link to our online brochure

We finally got the bugs out of our live streaming webcam. Most of the focusing issues have been resolved. So if you are not at the beach, you can join us virtually!