We stayed here for one night at the end of a week long vacation on Topsail Island. We just needed a room for one night and this was the closest hotel with a vacancy. The price was a bit expensive, but the hotel and the room were very nice. Clean and comfortable, nicely furnished and decorated. It is just over the bridge from North Topsail Island so it was convenient for us coming from the beach. We did not use the pool, but saw other people out there who seemed to be enjoying it. We did not have any problems with mosquitoes or bugs. Breakfast was good. Would stay here again.

Where should I begin....overpriced, dirty carpet throughout, continental breakfast only on the weekends, hairdrier did not work, refrigerator was not plugged in. To top it off there was a foot of black mold growing on the shower walls. When we reported it to the front desk, they seemed shocked that it existed...really? Doesn't anyone clean the bathrooms and look up?? So, what do they do? They clean the walls with Clorox while we were out of the room and then it smelled so bad that we could not breathe. The promised a fan and some room spray but never delivered. The next day, they painted the walls in the bathroom to cover the mold. We moved the tiles in the acoustic ceiling and it was full of black mold also. This place should be shut down by the board of health. Absolutely the worst experience we have EVER had in a hotel.

Stayed here for dependability and consistency at or just below cost of local motels on Topsail Island. Loved it. Clean rooms, quiet, good staff, plenty of easy parking, nice breakfast to get the day started even when I needed it a bit before 6am (official starting time) because I had to leave early. Turn left, go over the bridge, and you are officially on Topsail Island in three minutes. It took about 10 minutes to hit main surf city, about another 15 minutes to arrive at southern end of Topsail Island. I read the reviews of other options for motels, camping or renting a house (watch for extra charges) and decided to trust the HOliday Inn Express name and reputation. All you can eat King Crab on Mondays at Breezeway Restaurant is a local secret, which I love, but I ordered by the "clutch" at $10 and couldn't eat more than $20 worth, so maybe skip the "all you can eat" craze and save a few bucks. Thanks to my nav-system on my smartphone, I found Riverview Cafe in Sneads Ferry proper (about 15 min drive) and what a local treat. Skip the meat and go crazy on anything seafood. I sampled this and that, loved everything but my steak (came out almost raw instead of med-rare, then still was nothing special). Use your nav system and find the non-franchise eating spots - they make the trip better.

For the amount of money that is charged a night, I expected an updated room WITH a workout facility. When I asked if there was one, it was recommended to run outside. Really people? With a heat index close to 100 degrees outside, I don't think running outside is wise. There isn't a covered screen above the pool, so if you don't mind being a meal to the king sized mosquitoes outside, swim at your own risk.

Our room smelled, had ripped curtains...not what I expected. I will not be back.