Once again we stayed at the sea ranch and had a wonderful time. After reading some of the other comments i decided to just add a little foot note. yes its true the showers are terribly small, and difficult to wash in, the water leaves you feeling some what soapy, but for the price, location, ammenties , and exceptional friendly service from the WHOLE FAMILY. you cant beat it. If i wanted to go to a hotel to spend tons of money ,i would go to a hilton, but im going to the beach for swiming, fishing and quality family time, not to look at four walls and a tv. I can do that at home. the sea ranch as a overall hotel is just the place to bring your family to have a nice quiet relaxing stay and enjoy what you came for. I will not stay anywhere other than the Sea Ranch, cost, location and excellent service, is what makes the sea ranch the best choice for your ocean visit.

We live in Raleigh and were looking for a quick getaway to the beach.
We had always stayed at Atlantic Towers, but they were booked, so we decided to try the Sea Ranch.

PROs:
1. Pools were clean and not too crowded. Hot tub was large, clean and not crowded.
2. All non-smoking rooms.
3. If you're looking for a cheap quick dive, this is the place.

CONS:
1. Pool closed at 9pm and didn't open up again until 9am. If you have to check out at 11am, there isn't much time to enjoy the pool.
2. Bathroom was filthy. Towels were stained and ripped.
3. Decor was old old old.
4. Not enough outlets. With their fridge and lamps, the only outlets free were in the bathroom. Bring surge protectors with you if you need CPAP machines and if you bring your laptops and charge cell phones. The power blipped several times while we were there. Wiring/
outlets looked old.
5. You had to plug in the mini fridge when you got there (and wait for it to get cold), and unplug it when you left.
6. They charge you 25 cents for each time you fill your ice bucket. Come on...
7. Lock on door was very very old, and flimsy. Had to slam door several times to make sure the door locked which I am sure the neighbors loved. Wound up carrying all valuables around with us since
there was no safe to lock them in.
8. Did not feel safe there. There are no private balconies, so if you get a room in front of some stairs, like we did, other people and especially kids are always running back and forth in front of your room to get over to their rooms. I felt like someone was going to bust through that flimsy lock at any moment. Couldn't leave drapes
open due to so many people passing back and forth. Felt like I was on
display in my 'vacation' getaway.
9. Maid walked IN without knocking and way before we checked out. Just turned the key and walked right in.
10. Since no smoking was allowed in the rooms, everyone was smoking outside on the porches in the rocking chairs. You could smell it at the outdoor pool area, the indoor pool. It was disgusting. I was trying to enjoy the pool and couldn't due to all the smoke.
11. There is no way to see the ocean from the 'ocean front' pool as they advertise. All you see is sand due and weeds.
12. Parking is horrid.

I will not go back. I just cannot believe this property is rated #2 in Carolina Beach. No way. Atlantic Towers, Marriott, Golden Sands are much nicer.

Based on reviews here on Trip Advisor, we decided to try the Sea Ranch...and were very happy with the experience. No, it is not an upscale, high dollar motel with tons of amenities. What it is, though, is an affordable beach front motel close to everything and with enough amenities to make it a great value.

Since the purpose of a "beach trip" is to visit the beach, we did not spend lots of time in the motel....but the room was adequately sized and clean, the bathroom was a little small (particularly, as noted in several other reviews, the shower), but for the price, I don't think we could have had a better experience.

Also, the place has character....We have stayed in countless motels and can't remember anything about any of them....the Sea Ranch is different enough that we WILL remember it (with a smile). Great choice.

My family and I stayed there for the fourth of July. We had an oceanfront room with a kitchen. That was very nice and clean. The only thing that was bad was you had to climb 2 flights of stairs, but I needed the exercise. I really enjoyed the fact that they had 2 pools and we always went to the enclosed one. In all, I will stay at the Sea Ranch again. Nice place and cheap for the fourth. Oh, one thing they really need more parking places.