After a couple of days on island my first impression…quiet. My second impression is quiet. And coming from the Washington DC area quiet is what we were looking for.
Now Bald Head Island has two “members only” clubs. The Shoals Club and Bald Head Island Club. These clubs have pools, athletic centers, multiple restaurants, golf, and of course croquet. Yes croquet. However if it’s a must do on your bucket list please be prepared to dress in all white for the occasion!
Let’s talk about the differences between the two clubs. We spent the first day relaxing in the pool at the Bald Head Island Club. This pool has two water slides, an adult only larger lap pool, a children’s splash zone, and the main pool. When we arrived we picked out our chairs, threw our stuff down and headed straight into the pool to cool off. The pool seemed a little murky, but given that it’s a salt water pool I didn’t think much of it. What we found with this pool is that after lunch it gets crazy busy and crowded. I will say the kids loved the water slides! But those got shut down because a kid busted his nose on the stairs. And then that Caddyshack moment happened. While we were relaxing in the pool a pool attendant was walking around the pool asking all guests to please exit the water. When he got to us this is when he said “we may have found a baby ruth in the pool so please exit the water for 90 minutes.” Not good!!!
The Shoals Club is a much different scene. It’s quiet, relaxing, a larger clearer pool, and ocean front with an amazing view of the Shoals. This is our type of pool and my choice for sure. And the kids loved the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.
On another note, I booked a self-guided paddleboarding tour with Coastal Urge. This tour allowed us to explore the salt marshes by paddleboard. We thought we would be able to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the maritime ecology during four hour experience. It was a great experience, but paddling back against the wind and current made it extremely challenging, especially for the kids. They hung in there and made it through, but we only stayed out on the water for two hours because it was hot and the kids were exhausted. Be advised if you plan on booking one of these tours (it was still a better cost though to do self-guided tour for four hours ($30 per person) versus a guided tour for one hour ($60 per person).
The best part of Bald Head Island, for me, is that there is zero light pollution. I was shocked when on Saturday night as we were standing on the deck I looked up and we could see the Milky Way. This made me extremely excited to see if I could get a decent photo. Below is the outcome.
I also love that during our nightly beach walk we have the whole beach to ourselves. This place makes you feel like you have the whole island to yourself. We were not expecting this. We love it! The beaches here do not have lifeguards so you swim at your own risk. Due to the most recent shark attack here on island, we have opted to stay cool via the pools and not the warm Atlantic ocean.
Another night we witnessed an amazing lightning storm off the coast. It was like Mother Nature did this just for us. I could’ve stayed out there all night.
Two more days to go…
Love these updates, and the pictures are amazing.