Packed Inn / 481 Ocean Blvd West

This was our 3rd time here at Packed In 481. We are simple folk that love this simple beach house.

Where to begin? The pictures online do not do this house justice. We were expecting an older, dated home, similar to many we've stayed in over the years at Holden Beach and/or the Outer Banks, but this is a very delightful place to stay.The house is clean and (mostly) updated . The kitchen is VERY well-appointed and organized (there are even labels on the cabinets for where everything goes). We cooked all but one meal in the house and had all the utensils we needed, and then some. The fridge, range and range hood were brand new. The built-in ice and water dispenser in the fridge was a nice touch. I'm not sure why all beach houses don't have that. The bed linens were provided by a third party as part of the rental. They were on the porch when we arrived and everything matched the beds and appeared to be clean. This was a huge plus for us in that it saved us a large amount of space while we were packing and was one less thing to worry about.There were beach chairs, floats, boogie boards, sand toys, etc in the downstairs closet. That, too, was helpful because we thought we'd have to rent chairs when we got here and it was nice just to use those.There was also a small charcoal grill in the closet but we didn't end up using it. Nice touch though.There is a downstairs bathroom with a shower under the house which is a little dark/scary but is perfect on a hot day so we didn't have to go into the house covered in sand. This house is one lot over from the general store/ice cream store/beach shop, which was huge. We probably spent more $$ than we would have but it was very convenient to be able to run next store to grab something we'd forgotten, and the kids (and adults!) loved the proximity to the ice cream shop. A note about the general store: they have a ton of local-to-NC foods. Try the Conrad and Hinkle Pimento Cheese. The view from the back porch and living room is outstanding and probably what I will miss the most. It was so nice to sit on the couch, with the windows open, just looking out over the ocean and enjoying the breeze. It was also nice because we felt pretty safe letting the kids head on down to the beach while we finished getting ready. We could see them from our bedroom or from the living room. There is a large-screen, smart TV (Roku) which has the standard apps such as Disney+, Amazon, Netflix, etc, in addition to cable TV. There are no TV's in the bedrooms but for us that wasn't a big deal at all. Some people might miss them though. The internet was more than adequate. There were several times where we were streaming something on the TV with several other devices going at once and we never had any issues. The beds were comfortable and each had a mattress pad on it which provided some additional comfort. Only one bedroom actually faces the ocean. Again, not a big deal for us but it might be for some people. There were the standard beach-house puzzles, board games and novels available for use. I was impressed that there were some kid-friendly novels as well. The water pressure in one of the showers was insane (in a good way). I'm not sure what they did but I wish I could get that much pressure in my house. We always had enough hot water, even after four back-to-back showers. The AC and Heat (we used both!) worked very well. I noticed the heat pump was brand new. I could go on and on. This house is obviously not one of the "new ones" on Holden Beach, but in spite of its age it is a very enjoyable house. We have already booked again for next year and I would recommend it to anyone. We've stayed in quite a few duds over the years but this one was definitely worth the money and I'm glad we were able to stay here.

Great time! Wanted to get the family back together and Packed Inn was a perfect venue, comfortable and just the right location. We throughly enjoyed the week and the weather was perfect. We have enjoyed Holden Beach for many years and will return.

Wonderful house with very nice amenities. Clean spacious. Great cable and Netflix. Hot water was excellent and the AC fabulous!

This is an older home but is very clean and comfortable the Ocean front porch and seating area offers great beach views and easy access to the ocean. The house is within easy walking distance of an ice-cream shop and a small store. Holden Beach is a great quite vacation for those who prefer less congested beaches traffic and noise.

Well stocked kitchen! Love the porch swing!Wonderful customer service! An inspector welcomed us and was attentive to our needs, making sure we had everything we needed! Thanks so much!Our first — but definitely not our last — trip to Holden Beach was fantastic! Beautiful island. Easy rental process with Hobbs Realty! Thanks so much for the wonderful welcome and customer service. We will be back!