Blue Tide

Blue Tide sits one row back from the ocean on an Ocean Isle Beach canal, and it lives like a private little compound. Out back, a floating dock and boat lift open straight onto the finger canal and the Intracoastal beyond — drop a line, launch a kayak, or just watch the water from the screened porch. A private pool sits in the fenced yard, with a covered ground-level lounge and outdoor bar alongside it for the long, easy afternoons that a beach week is really about.

Inside, the cottage has been brightened top to bottom: an open living and dining room in coastal blues and greens, a full kitchen with granite counters and stainless appliances, and comfortable bedrooms with ceiling fans and their own TVs. Upstairs decks and rocking-chair porches wrap the water side. Best of all, the public beach access is right at the end of Concord Street — a short walk to the sand, then home to your own pool and dock. Bring the whole crew.