My family has had a timeshare at A Place At The Beach for over 20 years and this is the first year that I have been dissatified. The outdoor pool was dirty with frogs and leaves in it and around the pool was littered and dirty. The furniture in our condo was in terrible shape. The couch had holes in it and was completely worn out. The walls had marks all on it and the kitchen was filthy. The light bulb was burnt out in the kitchen and I called the front office 3 times with no luck so we did without a kitchen light the entire week. The phone did not work and I reported this to the front office 4 times and it was never fixed. We had family staying in the L building as we were in the K building so a phone would have been nice since I had to walk everytime I needed to tell them something. The front office staff did not seem like that they wanted to help. In recent years I have loved this place but this year was not a good experience.

My husband and I vacationed at APATB during the first week of October 2005. The weather was grey and gloomy most of the week .
We had a one bedroom convertible with a beautiful oceanfront view on the second floor. We really lucked outI guess ,as I didnt have to walk too far to the ramp. Being partailly disabled this was a plus for me.
When we arrived the air conditioner in our unit had frozen up and it was over 80 drgrees in the unit. They moved us to another nice unit #219 and we stayed there overnight Next day we moved back to our original unit at my request. An ant problem in our little living area was taken care of the day I called
The staff responded but wer not overly friendly as had been mentioned. There were a few children on fall break enjoying the pool but it as too cool most of the week.
The unit was small but comfortble .As others have reported it could use new furniture I found the bed in the master bedroom to be in good shape, My hubby used the trundle and said it was ok once you got used to it .The long long hall with the galley kitchen was a hoot. but kinda dark. I would recommend that bring your own light bulbs as the light was rather dim. There was only one small TV the living room We missed the second set. They are working on the outside of the buildings and it is shaping up
We ate dinner at the The Sanitary and enjoyed it as well as dinner at Loughry's Landing Both place are excellant for fish but watch the fried hush puppies if you have digestive problems Other dinners were eaten at Pizza Hut and The Golden Corral in Morehead City
Nice lunches were had at The Garden Cafe, acreek front place in Beaufort where we saw beautiful yaghts and A 50 's place in Swansboro
We walked on the beach collected some shells. We visited the Carolina Maritime Meuseum in Morehead Ciry as well as their Historical Meuseum.
Over in Beaufort we toured the little historical village and rode a vintage London bus to see the homes on the national historical register. We also did a self guided tour of the Beaufort Cemetary where people have been burried sincce the late 1700's We alo took a drive out in the country
We did not do the boat tours this time as we had already done them in the spring
All told this place is probably very family friendly in the summer and more senior oriented in the spring /fall .It is largely privately owned and some people live here full time especially in the larger 2-3 beroom units It was very quiet
It is an excellent place to people watch, swim ,fishand relax There really aren't any shopping places per se
It it is asimple blue collar place without the hubbub of Myrtle Beach or the Glitz of Hilton Head which is where we spent our second week
I liked it but probably won't return again to this particular area .If I doI will probably stay elsewhere besides APATB I rate it a 5.5
Oh watch the pizza place by the Food Lion It's not that great

Place at the Beach is a nice place to stay if you're not looking for something ritzy. The inside definitely could use to be re-done, and it is past time for it, but it's no worse than staying in a Super 8 or Howard Johnson's; it's just if you trade through RCI, and you want something like Marriot, this isn't the place for you.

On the plus side, the beach is gorgeous, with sand far out into the ocean, it's not populated, there are many excellent restaurants in the area, etc. We enjoyed seeing Fort Macon and going out on a ferry boat to Shackleford Island, collecting tons of seashells (didn't see the ponies - it was too hot that day). There's a great spice shop in a B&B the next town over for those who love hot spices, and Elmo, the owner, is a treat to meet! Be sure to visit each surrounding town. They're all different and have their own flavor.

Within the next year, the main area around Atlantic Beach will be developed more with some high rises and shops, so it will become busier, but it should still remain an area with local color and flavor. My husband enjoyed going to the coffee shop every morning and meeting the locals. They were very welcoming and asked if he had moved to the area.

It's a great place to vacation; we will definitely return; although we may find a different place, we met several couples who have been coming there for years.

After paying to stay here year after year after year, we were lucky enough to buy 2 timeshare units for the middle of July! I can't wait to walk barefoot in the soft, white sand!!! Yes, there are no elevators (but I think of it as getting in shape climbing up the stairs to the 3rd floor). Yes, the timeshare furniture is not what I would buy for myself.

BUT-- I have an oceanfront unit and an oceanview unit. I can see dolphins from my bedrooom. I can go shelling each evening up at the point. I look forwrd to foodshopping at the FoodLion. The kids are old enough that they can do what they want. It's tradition that they go mini golfing and to the movies., each year.

I love being able to sit on the beach and basically, do nothing.