East Blockade Runner Beach Resort

The rooms were lovely, and I really appreciated the ocean view. I checked out on July 24 and requested that my receipt be emailed to me, but I haven't received it. On July 26, I called to ask again for my receipt. Paige emailed me a receipt, but it was for a different customer and dated August 2008. I called back to inform her of the mistake and requested my own receipt again. Now, as of August 1, 2023, I still haven't received it.

As we eagerly counted down to the 21st, we received an email on July 20th confirming a change to our reservations. Upon reviewing both the resort reservation and cabana booking, we found no alterations and assumed it was simply a technical issue. We planned our entire laid-back pool day meticulously, even arranging meal deliveries due to food allergies. We arrived on Friday afternoon and checked in without a hitch—everything was going well, and there were no hints of problems ahead. However, we woke up Saturday morning to an email stating that our cabana reservation had been confirmed for Sunday the 23rd instead of Saturday. Panic set in as we searched for our original confirmation email, which clearly reflected the correct date. When we went back to the reservation site, it now showed our booking for Sunday. We called the front desk immediately, and they explained that there had been a mistake. Someone had supposedly attempted to reach us (which we verified that they had not) and had adjusted our booking to Sunday while assuring us that we could still use the cabana. Unfortunately, we couldn’t, as we needed to leave early Sunday. The on-duty manager promised to call us back with more information. When we did receive a call from the manager, she explained that there had been a booking issue and that cabanas were being booked simultaneously, with our reservation being the last in line. We were frustrated to learn about this change after arriving, and we voiced our displeasure since we had received no notification prior to check-in. The manager said she would call us back. Since our plans had been completely disrupted, we began to adjust our Saturday itinerary. The manager offered us alternative options like lounge chairs or a tent-like bed in the green areas, but by then, we had already rearranged our plans. We requested some form of compensation for the inconvenience, but she stated there was nothing more she could do and assured us that her general manager would contact us. When we returned to the resort in the early afternoon, the general manager was off-site. We left a message requesting a follow-up, but we never heard back from either the general manager or any other staff member from the resort. We typically don’t leave negative reviews unless a situation is mishandled or left unresolved. While the manager did attempt to assist us, we feel that the overall situation was poorly managed, leading us to feel as though we wasted our money for our two-night stay. Thankfully, the charge for the cabana was refunded; otherwise, it would have been an even worse experience. Instead of enjoying a relaxing weekend by the pool, we found ourselves wandering around Wilmington looking for activities. Given this experience, will we return? At this point, the answer is no.

This is a lovely location with fantastic food, a stunning beach, and excellent service. However, the bathrooms are quite outdated and in need of renovation. The bedrooms are quite nice. The restaurant and outdoor bar are great as well. I would definitely come back! Rooms: 4/5.

Sadly underwhelmed… lovely location and that’s what you’re paying for because the room is shabby. Scuffed up walls, rusted door frames, tub faucets dripping all night. Stained carpets, no water in rooms. Wanted to charge me for tea in dining room though they have coffee machines in the rooms. For what they are charging per night ~600) the rooms should be fresh, clean and well stocked. Won’t return. Next time I’ll stay in town and park at beach. Giving it 2 because the grounds are lovely.

The Blockcade Runner has a lot going for it: great location, great beach and grounds, pleasant rooms. But there are things it needs to fix if it wants to be truly first rate: the restaurant needs a serious upgrade, as the food is so-so (food overcooked, wrong/incomplete orders), as is the service. The bathroom fixtures are somewhat old, somewhat rusted, and not in great repair. And the air conditioning in the rooms is quite noisy. One of the two rooms we reserved was not ready until well after check-in time, although they did give us a late check-out to compensate. And there is inadequate self parking. Overall, a pleasant place, but with some work it could be truly first-rate.