Book Direct on Topsail Island: Save 15% With the Owner

Booking a Topsail Island vacation rental direct with the owner usually saves you money and gets you a real person on the other end, and at Topsail Paradise booking direct on our site saves 15%. You see your full price, including the cleaning fee and occupancy tax, before you pay, and you check out on Stripe's secure payment page.

I'm Dipen, the owner of Topsail Paradise, a North Topsail Beach house that sleeps 22. We're also listed on the big booking sites, and they're a great way to discover a home and read reviews. But when guests ask me how to get the best deal on our house, the honest answer is to book with us directly. Here's exactly how it works.

Why is booking direct with the owner cheaper?

Because there's no booking-site service fee in the middle. When you book on a large booking platform, the platform adds its own fees on top of the rent. When you book on our site, those booking-site fees aren't part of your price, so we pass the savings to you: book direct and save 15%. Our FAQ explains how the savings work.

The other costs are the same no matter where you book: the $700 cleaning fee and the 12.75% occupancy tax. On our booking page you'll see the full breakdown before you pay anything.

How does booking direct work at Topsail Paradise?

It takes a few minutes:

1. Pick your dates on the calendar on our booking page. Booked nights are blocked out, and the calendar is synced with our Airbnb and VRBO calendars.
2. Check your direct price. You'll see rent, the cleaning fee and the tax before you commit.
3. Pay securely with Stripe. Your name, email and card go on Stripe's secure checkout page. Nothing is charged until you complete checkout there.
4. Get your confirmation. Arrival details are sent only after your booking is confirmed, and they're never posted on the website.

Would you rather talk first? Use Request to book, and I'll confirm your dates and send payment instructions.

Is it safe to book a vacation rental direct?

It's a fair question, and I'd rather you ask it. The Federal Trade Commission's advice on vacation rental scams is worth reading before you book any rental. Its main points: don't pay by wire transfer, prepaid card or gift card, don't let anyone rush you, be wary of prices far below the market, and check that the address really exists. The FTC's rental listing scams page also suggests checking that the property appears on the owner's own website.

Here's how that checks out for us:

• The address is public: 204 GySgt D.W. Boatman Dr, North Topsail Beach, NC 28460.
• This is our own website, and the house is also listed on the major booking sites with the same photos and details.
• Online payment is by card on Stripe's secure checkout page.
• You can reach me before you book. My contact details are on the contact page, and the person answering your questions is the same person you'll text during your stay.
• Past guests' reviews are on our reviews page.

What do I get by booking direct besides the savings?

• The owner, not a call center. If something comes up during your stay, you text me.
• The golf cart, booked with your stay. Our 6-seat golf cart is an optional add-on when you book direct. Military families get it free when booking direct. Details are on the golf cart page.
• Flexibility for long stays. Online booking covers up to 28 nights. For a longer stay, just contact us.
• Clear answers on the house. Want to know which rooms share a bath or whether the pool is heated for your dates? Ask me directly, or see the layout.

What are the policies when I book direct?

• Minimum stays: 7 nights from May through September, with Saturday-to-Saturday stays preferred. From October through April, 3 nights, and a Friday-to-Monday weekend works.
• Check-in and checkout: 4 PM and 10 AM.
• Pets and smoking: no pets, and no smoking inside the house.
• Cancellation: cancel by email. Sixty or more days out, everything you paid comes back. From 30 to 59 days, half the rent comes back, plus tax on that half and the cleaning fee. Inside 30 days the rent stays, though the cleaning fee comes back if you cancel before check-in.
• Travel insurance: not required, but worth having from June through November, because a storm or a mandatory evacuation isn't by itself a refund of rent.

The full policy is on our booking page.

What does the house include?

Topsail Paradise sleeps 22 in 8 bedrooms with 6.5 baths, beds only, no sofa beds. It has a private saltwater pool with free, self-serve heat from October 1 to May 15, 2 hot tubs, an outside elevator, a Level 2 EV charger, 2 washers and 2 dryers, and a driveway for 6 to 8 cars. The beach is about a two-block walk on the quieter north end. Our large-group guide shows how families usually split the rooms.