The 50 best breakfast and brunch in Wilmington (2024)

We had our first stay this past weekend, a cold January weekend at a great rate. I was impressed and pleasantly surprised by a birthday enhancement waiting in our room which was a great way to start our trip. The hotel is in a great location and has a cool vibe despite being an older hotel. However I felt like some attention to detail would have gone a long way. For a cold weekend I could never seem to get warm. The blanket on the bed was way too thin and the older air system would never quite heat up and I couldn’t get the fan to remain on. I was also hoping to keep it on to drown out some of the hall noise since the walls are quite thin and with the tile floors sound really travels and echos. The combination made it difficult to sleep.We were excited for the jazz brunch and while the food was great the attention to detail was lacking. I think because it’s the off season and staff is hard to come by, they might have been a bit off their game which is understandable. With that in mind, the chairs were dirty, I twice received a dirty coffee cup. I had a hard time finding an entree as a vegetarian and was met with too much resistance when asking for a veggie omelette when the one omelette option was meat. They were able to accommodate me in the end but I was left feeling like a bother and honestly just would have preferred to eat breakfast elsewhere in the end.Ultimately it was all a great value for the winter, but it could use some fine tuning.

We purchased the New years package that included 2 night stay, breakfast in bed, New Year's dinner, & brunch, not to mention a 1 pm check out. They placed a full color picture of Walker Texas Ranger as I requested .I cannot state how happy we have been with the experience. The staff was extremely helpful & polite. Food was phenomenal!! I will definitely do this every year!!

Is it the nicest beach resort ever? No. But would I recommend staying here? Absolutely!The rooms are fine. They're a little outdated and nothing special. The TVs are smart TVs, so streaming platforms are available for you to log into. They have a mini fridge, Juliette balcony, and they are a bit more spacious than your typical hotel room.But the real winning features about this hotel are the extra amenities. They do have conference and ballrooms available. There's a gift shop in the lobby, but fair warning, they do NOT sell bathing suits if you forget yours at home. There's an in-hotel restaurant. They have a concierge where you can rent kayaks, book surf lessons, and more at an additional cost. Out back, they have a pool and bar. You can order drinks or food if you want for fairly decent prices. They have a HUGE grass lawn with hammocks, fun chairs, and a fire pit (no additional cost). And out back leads directly to the beach. They do offer beach chairs, but they're about $45 for 2 chairs for the whole day. I would personally recommend just bringing your own lawn chairs. But the beach isn't super busy and packed, so it's a great spot if you're looking to spend a day or two on the beach without too many tourists. They also have towels you can use without extra cost.I was pretty happy with the service here as well. They do offer valet parking, but it's not required. One night, when the parking lot was full, they actually offered free valet parking. The staff was very friendly and made the stay all the more enjoyable.The location itself is great as well. It's about a 5 minute drive from several restaurants and a grocery store. If you're looking for mostly just a place to rest for the night while you spend the day full of activities, this is definitely the place for you! I would absolutely come back to visit here!

We have come to Blockade Runner many times. This was the first time we came with our 19 month old son. We enjoyed it like always. We walked into the lobby and it always smells so fresh. A staff member helped us up to our room and pushed our cart of stuff upstairs. We got an ocean view room and it was gorgeous. We love being able to look at the water from our room and the pool and beautiful landscaping. We also love the pool it’s very very clean. They have pool towels available and plenty of seating. There’s a bar at the pool and you can order food from them as well. They have a nice walk to the beach where you can walk by the beautiful landscaping and they always have wild bunnies hopping around eating the grass. They are so cute. Last year they had a bunch of babies. After the beach they have a hose you can rinse off and a dryer to dry the water off. It’s a really nice added feature. There is so much seating outside where you can enjoy the view. The rooms are a little bit dated. And the beds are a bit cheap. But we love it here so much we don’t really mind. The customer service from literally every single staff member is top notch I don’t know how they find so many wonderful employees. They must be really good to them. We will come back many many times it’s our favorite place at the beach.

Beach Nourishment is going on now. Unfortunately I did not learn about the months long process before I booked my stay. I have tried to call the manager regarding my issues, even demanding to speak to the Owner, to no avail. The "manager" will get back to you when they do. I have NEVER encountered this type of service for the money spent, and have it all documented and recorded. Please see Google for my videos of what might be your stay. Also, please look up Army Corp of Engineers project. I even called and talked to Army Corp of Engineers and they said property was aware. I would not normally recommend another beach, but now I am.

I had a wonderful stay at the Blockade Runner Resort. The room was very comfortable and lovely with a beautiful view of the ocean and the grassy zen garden area in the back. The service was amazing, especially the front desk manager who was very friendly and accommodating. I will definitely be staying there again.

This was my go-to place for years. This last visit was the first time since before the pandemic. I was disappointed. The beds were very uncomfortable, like a cheap hotel. The bolster on the bed smelled lime body outdoor. The restaurant food was mediocre at best. Housekeeping was terrible. We were there for 6 nights and continually had to ask for housekeeping. They didn't come on there òwn. Last time I will be going.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The facilities are clean and well maintained. The front desk staff was super attentive and friendly. The grounds are gorgeous and well manicured. Great beach access. We had a balcony room and it was great. The hotel restaurant is a bit pricey but the food quality was great and the food was delicious. I f i had one criticism i think the pillows in the room could stand to be upgraded and the sheets as well. All said and done, I highly recommend the Blockade Runner!

My husband and I checked into the resort around 6:30 pm on 4/3/23. We were greeted by one of the managers at the front desk and a kind young woman. We immediately felt welcomed and happy we had chosen to stay at the Blockade Runner. As our stay continued, we received the same level of customer service from every staff member. In addition, the manager was extremely helpful a few days into our trip when we decided to stay an additional night. He was able to honor our original rate and he allowed us to remain in the same room, which we absolutely loved. We stayed in a double queen oceanfront room with a balcony; the bed and the room were extremely comfortable, and the views were breathtaking! Thank you for making our first vacation without our four children an amazing experience!☺️

We had high expectations for this resort but it was a complete disappointment. We were three families and spent Father’s Day weekend here. The rooms were good, nice and clean, but no shampoo and we had to ask everyday for the same thing. One day we did not even had towels in the room. We called prior to ask for amenities and were told that umbrellas and beach chairs were included in the price. We had no info on the charges until yesterday when we saw the $725 extra charge for all the three rooms, $242 per each couple which is crazy for beach umbrellas, chair and parking. Nobody told us anything when we checked in. Also everyday when we got the umbrellas and chairs nobody made us aware of the costs but they were signing their papers about the number or chairs and umbrellas and not making us aware of anything. We did not sign or agree to anything. Spent more than 2 hours on the call with them yesterday and no one cared. Just frustrating and disappointing…Just wanted to make folks aware of all these hidden charges that come after the fact, stay away from this hotel!

Called Blockade Runner on 8/20/2023 to reserve a room for 2 nights. Was told the total price would be $480.00 plus a deposit. Called on check in day, was told that we must pay $525.00 plus $20.00 parking fee. Asked for a refund, they said must cancel 48 hours ahead of time. They agreed to cut one day off which the room would be for $469.00. Plus $19.00 For parking. If we would like to stay two nights, the cost would be over $900.00. We couldn't get back our $469.00 so we went ahead and stayed for one night. When we checked out and asked to get our deposit back, they said the deposit was a part of the discount for eliminating one day. Our breakfast & coffee charge amounted to $53.87. The food was awful! Recommend not to reserve a room at Blockade Runner at Wrightsville beach. Instead of Blockade Runner this should be named Queen Anne's revenge!!

Overall, this hotel is pretty good. The view is amazing and this is the first hotel I’ve stayed at that used RFID / NFC tech via a watchband as a room key.That being said, on the first night, my pillow constantly fell behind the bed. We solved this for our second and third night stay by pushing the mattress back against the headboard. If we didn’t do this, I might have rated this place 2 stars.

Absolutely loved our stay at The Blockade Runner! This hotel is located perfectly in the heart of Wrightsville Beach with direct access to the ocean. The staff is so attentive, food and drinks were delightful and everything was perfect! We will definitely be returning!

Where do I begin? I am going to start this review with one word "Amazing"! Alex, Guest Service Manager, was "Awesome"! He and his staff delivered an "Amazing and Awesome" guest experience! I had a queen-sized room on my first night, but due to the location not being appealing, Alex and his staff were able to provide me with a king-size room with a" vivid view "on my second night. The service was "excellent" from the valet parking to the front desk to the restaurant! Everyone was engaging, friendly, and helpful! The fish/crab cakes on the dinner menu were "scrumptious" and the Pina Colada was very good. The common areas were clean and comfortable too!The king-size guest room had a beautiful ocean view so I could see the sunrise and sunset above the ocean.Lastly. Alex, Colin, Colby, and the night auditor collaboratively worked very hard to put together "precious memories" of my vacation with Colin and Colby taking the pictures and Alex and his night auditor taking the time to send them to my two email addresses!It was a "special treat" for me to stay at this resort and I also highly recommend it because of the harbor and surf side views at this resort.

Better than a great deal of oceanfront hotels I’ve stayed in. The staff were nothing short of being welcoming and helpful. The breakfast food was nice as well. While the rooms themselves were not exactly roomy, they were acutely kept (with the beds being quite comfortable despite initial impressions). Furthermore, the view of the beachfront was remarkable! Overall, I would say this is a fine place to stay, and I could only imagine the experience during the warmer months.

We had a phenomenal stay here. The rooms, although a little musty and in need of a facelift, are well laid out and have gorgeous views. Easy beach access with a person ready to set up an umbrella and chairs for you. Highly recommend the evening sunset cruise!!! The food is excellent, though the menu really could use more choices, especially healthy ones. However, what really sets this place apart is the service. From the bellhops to the housekeeping and room service to the concierge and wait staff, this place gave me the best service experience of my life. They are truly on another level when it comes to friendly, super-responsive service. I can't recommend this place enough.

Overall, if it were possible to go back and plan this vacation again, I would not choose Blockade Runner. If you are only looking for location, convenience, and a place to sleep, then perhaps this place may be a good fit. If you are expecting service that competes with other resorts or hotels at this price point, it may not be for you.Firstly, I would strongly advise against paying for any “packages” that they offer because the quality really isn’t there for the money and you can spend less elsewhere and save yourself a lot of disappointment.As for us, my partner and I paid for the “rendezvous” package that was supposed to be a romantic stay where you arrived to a spread of wine and a cheese and cracker platter in the room. I’m not sure if it was due to an error of system or error of staff, but this part of our package was entirely absent upon arrival. My partner had to go downstairs to ask about it, and we were told that they’d have someone up with the promised “enhancements” shortly. I was very disappointed not only because of the lack of effort to really make things with such a large oversight of a relatively easy paid service to deliver (and supremely costly service when you do the math), but also disappointed with what we received in place of what was promised/paid for. While they did provide the wine, instead of the cheese and cracker platter that was promised, we received 5 stale, small, very artificially flavoured macaron cookies on a regular plate with plastic wrap over them. They were not a delight at all and we have had way better for WAY less than these cost us when you do the math. We were both extremely offended and displeased with that first impression of service.The breakfast in bed we had the next day arrived on time, but the temperature felt like it’d been forgotten for some time before it got to us. We decided to eat in the restaurant the next day for breakfast because we were not impressed by the in-bed service.The only consolation was the service we received from the restaurant servers we had during our stay. They were warm, friendly, and attentive and helped us find something we actually wanted to eat on the restricted menu you have to order from if you paid the extra 00s for the all-inclusive package. The food was decent, but I will note that the cake of the night was very dry, dense, and odd-tasting. I couldn’t finish it and my sweet tooth is usually insatiable.The room was mostly clean, and the bathroom was well stocked. It was just disappointing that our “ocean view” was about 30% obstructed by a large, white building. The room only has a window to view the ocean, not a balcony, so we had to struggle to really take in that view that we paid extra to have without the unsightly building getting in the way. This was especially disappointing because there was no net for the window that would allow you to keep it open without bugs coming in. However, I suppose that’s only a minor quibble.It would have been nice for a resort at this price point per night (especially with added paid services) to have been more thoughtful and attentive to guests outside of the restaurant. Presently, I am a bit soured by my experience with Blockade and think I’ll go for the Holiday Inn next door next time where I can pay $100 less per night for a package that includes breakfast, dinner, AND co*cktails.

Nice place, great food, super beautiful beach and great service but the bathrooms are really dated and need remodeling. Bedrooms are nice. Great restaurant and outside bar. Would absolutely come back.

I didn't stay there, but walked through on my way to the local coffee shops. There were always doormen at the entrance door and they offer valet parking. I loved the landscaping. I had to snap a few pictures of the succulents and pepper plants!

I overall had a great stay at Blockade Runner this weekend.Positives: Ideal location, good amenities. I especially enjoyed walking on the beach, getting a drink at the pool side bar, and then hanging in the hammock and watching the rabbits that live in the dunes. Breakfast here was great, and all the staff I interacted with were helpful and friendly.Negatives: The room we stayed in was very dated. While clean, it could definitely use some upgrades. The air conditioning was as loud as a freight train when it kicked on. The beds were hard and not very comfy.Overall: Great stay! Will possibly come back in the future.

Meh… I was told we were in a newly renovated room. But it looks like it was renovated in about 2003. The bathroom door is a sliding barn door with 2 inch gaps that you can see right through. No USB outlets and a dirty extension cord on the floor. Plugging in the lights. The pool area was very dirty and the hot tub jets did not work. would not stay here again. Although the staff was very friendly and helpful.

This hotel is our favorite place on the beach. We have been staying here for years. The gardens and lawn are beautifully taken care of and landscaped. The beach is awesome and the view cannot be beat. Sadly, we have probably stayed here for our very last time. The price gouging has reached a tipping point for us (no we are not poor, far from it) and we no longer see any value in it. It always seems every visit they take away an amenity and add a cost. Breakfast used to be included, parking used to be included, and now they are charging for both. We had a balcony room this visit and it really didn't correlate to an almost $600/night room. The furniture is damaged, everything is worn and old. One handyman would make a world a different just replacing worn parts and adjust doors. For example, our room had electric outlet faceplates with the screws backed out of them. Closet doors that fought against each other to close and needed adjustment. The furniture in the room had water damage on the flat surfaces. Easy stuff to remedy. As I mentioned above, last weekends visit was probably our last.

My husband and I just experienced the Rendezvous Package and found our room to be very clean and spacious. The staff were so helpful and this enhanced our stay. Wine and chocolate covered strawberries were brought to our room, our breakfast was delivered each morning and we enjoyed a delicious meal in the dining room. Can truly say this was a great get away for us.

Just wanted to give a shout out to Jill in reservations. We had extenuating circ*mstances that made us unable to make our reservation and she went above and behind to help our situation. Thank you so much Jill and Blockade Runner for understanding that life happens! We will always be loyal to you guys when going to the beach because of your customer service and understanding! Highly recommend!

The staff was amazing! The manager was very helpful, front desk staff were all great, pool staff were great, and the valet guys were all so nice and helpful too. Our room was wonderful. The bed was so comfortable, we had a deep soaker tub with a TV in the bathroom. The grounds were gorgeous!!

A gorgeous resort on the water with beautiful views of the ocean and numerous places to sit and enjoy with others or in solitude. Close to restaurants and walkable. I would return at the same time to avoid the busy season because it was quiet and very peaceful. Opened the door wall in my room and slept to the surf sounds with no other noises to distract. Room had nice amenities and coffee, asked for cream the night before to put in the fridge provided. 2 seating areas, one in and one out, was unique and a great touch.

The two stars I'm giving this hotel is only because the terrific staff lifted the rating from a MINUS Ten. Yes, you read it correctly. - 10.The Good Vibe:The rooms have been "freshened-up" with new paint, pop-art, and fancy bedding. The view is always amazing, especially during Flotilla, which is the weekend I booked for my family, 3 rooms on the sound so we could have primo views of the festivities, including fireworks. So, we intended to spend some money.Parking was included with our package rate.The Bad Vibe:The bathrooms utilize the awful "Barn-Door" privacy system, which don't lock and aren't even remotely private. Yuck. The Blockade restaurant, East, was short-staffed every day, as per our conversations and apologies from the restaurant staff , the buffets were minimally stocked, and for regular dining, our large party of 8 had to wait a significant amount of time to be served.There was no heat in one of my purchased rooms, and when maintenance came to repair, they dropped down the ceiling air vent to examine the heat/ cool control circuit, and there was so much dust and dirt and junk in that system ( I was standing there watching them) that I was all at once sorry for not only my family staying in that room, but this junk in the duct system has got to be happening through out the entire hotel affecting every one else!! Another Yuck!Several times since then, I emailed and left voice messages for the concierge and the general manager regarding my disappointment with my stay. I emailed them in November 2023. It is now April 2024. No reply whatsoever. I spent a few thousand dollars.I wouldn't advise a stay here, except that the staff was doing the best job they could at the time. So, if you do want to stay at this hotel, please give the staff a nice tip.Props to the staff.Boo to management.

I was concerned due to the mixed reviews, I would also say like most people a clean hotel is top priority. I was very pleased to find such a sweet hotel that was very clean! The hotel has a great location and yes you have to pay to park but if you travel to this area or anywhere along the beaches nearby then that’s common, with this however it’s unlimited parking and you can walk anywhere. The hotel had a great pool, gym room and beach access. They don’t sell the grounds as much as they could and this is a unique and lovely part of the hotel! I agree shower was poor water pressure and beds remind me of my great grandparents mattress when you move but the comfort was nice.I would stay again and I recommend to anyone visiting in this area!

Sorry for the below average review. We used to come here all the time and it was always a great place to enjoy the beach in a great setting. Now it is just an old and worn out hotel with mediocre service and below than average food. They need and deserve better management!

Absolutely the worst hotel I have stayed at. Rarely do I leave a review but in this case it’s warranted. The over night staff was astrosious. The room was dirty and smelled of mold. There was a dirty food tray outside of our door. When we asked for a different room we were given attitude by the front desk. They did not tell us no pets on arrival. Two minutes after checking in the front desk staff called our room and asked us to leave and informed us they are charging us $500 which they did due to having a small puppy with us which never made it out of his carrier as we had to exit the property immediately. On the way out the guy at the desk was a complete prick and informed us we couldn’t stay there and proceeded to charge the $500. Aside from that this isn’t the first time we have stayed there and had issues it’s never been I nice facility. There’s always an issue here. It’s run down and smells of mold. Poorly maintained. Any review that claims the place is nice is false. Avoid this place at all cost.

We are very seasoned oceanfront resort patrons, so we feel we can provide an educated and fair review of this particular resort. I'll start with the pros:All employees are extremely friendly and helpful. The landscaping is extravagant, and that's obviously where the majority of the money is spent (think full-time gardeners). The grounds are all well-maintained and the photos don't even do it justice...it's basically a big botanical garden. Breakfast at the downstairs restaurant is delicious if ordered off the menu (we didn't have a choice of the buffet). Highly rec the breakfast sandwich and biscuits and gravy. The beach is clean and wide, and the water is clear and warm in the summer. Sand is soft enough, but no good shelling for shell hunters though. The rooms have decent soundproofing - we never heard the guests in the rooms next door. All rooms have a water view, and the harbor/river views are fantastic with all the boats. I'd even venture to say the harbor view rooms have better views than ocean rooms. The location is quiet, yet within walking distance to shops, restaurants, etc. There's a ton of activities you can sign up for (yoga, boat tours, etc.) Hammocks, corn hole and walking trails fill the grassy area between the resort and the beach. Beach access is easy and a very short walk. The greenery and grounds would make for a lovely wedding setting or small celebration.Unfortunately there are some huge downsides with this property itself. This hotel is in grave disrepair. The building needs extensive maintenance inside and out (cracked floors, cracked walls, outdated fixtures, inefficient hvac, I could go on and on) and it's sad to see a property be so neglected over the years... yet the gardens are kept pristine. This place needs a staff of full-time maintenance workers like the other places we've been where you constantly see people painting or maintaining areas. The rooms are average at best, our shower was awfully outdated with a stained basin and old, completely faulty shower fixtures. Bathroom has a sliding barn door (really? for a bathroom?) with a 2-inch gap ALL around the opening. Madness. Mattresses are cheap and basic but the platform bed helps fortify the sleep quality. Our a/c took roughly 12 hours to come down to a bearable temperature. Trays of food sat on the floor in the hallway for 2 days before staff picked it up. We were charged a ridiculous daily parking fee but were also told we had to valet. The restaurant for dinner was nearly empty and we see why (menu is too limited as well as uninteresting) so we ate elsewhere for all our dinners. The coffee situation is just crazy - rooms have kcups but thankfully there's a coffee shop downstairs, so that's a relief for all of us latte drinkers, right? Except the 'coffee shop' only serves previously-brewed black coffee from a warming canister (awful tasting, and not even hot) for $4 a cup. ($5 inside the restaurant for a black cup of joe, not kidding!) No lattes or cappucinos to be found, which we've had at every single resort we've ever been to, ever. So we walked down to the corner and got great cappucinos and lattes.... along with everyone else. People were leaving the hotel in droves to walk and get decent coffee down the street every morning. Nearly everyone in that very crowded coffee shop had the resort bracelet on. Ridiculous, but the walk is enjoyable none the less. The resort is really losing out on an opportunity here.Final thoughts - this resort is overall average and thankfully the location and grounds make up for what its lacking. The cost of this resort is *grossly* above what we've paid for much, much better accommodations and amenities, and the photos online are deceiving. For the price, you can stay in much better oceanfront resorts. But we do love the area, the people, the culture, the small town feel, and being away from all the typical riff-raff you get when staying oceanside in a beach community. Would we come back to this particular resort? No. But we absolutely would come back to Wrightsville Beach.

The first night there was zero heat and it was 35 degrees. We couldn't figure it out. We eneded up just going to sleep because it was 4 am. The second night we called and they came to fix it and it worked beautifully. Location is great! We did not have ocean view but was still beautiful! The landscaping was AMAZING major major props for this! Outstanding. The walk to the beach was amazing. Beach was great!There's construction going on right across our room, which is great they definitely need to be updated. But if that's the case I'm not sure why they had us in that room. It wasn't greatly busy at all. They started early and the first night we got in at 4am.Our bathroom door would not latch. It's fine it's was my sister and her daughter and I. But could be a issue.It just looked "dirty" but maybe more stained than dirty. Curious what the rooms will look like. I didn't like the tile instead of carpet or something the floor was very cold.Staff was very pleasant.I didn't see breakfast but maybe we just didn't look.Decorations are very lovely.Bed was decent but very noisy!Location. Location. Location. And landscaping spot on. I still can't get over how beautiful the landscaping is.

We stayed here for the weekend for my husband's 40th birthday and everything was wonderful. The room was clean and the bed was very comfortable. The view was absolutely amazing and I spent most of my time in the giant patio furniture thing on the balcony. The staff is absolutely wonderful, every single person member we came across was very friendly, greated us, and asked if we needed anything. A major plus was the wildlife. Bunnies on the lawn and pelicans flying right by our window. We will defintely return and bring our kids next time.

I booked a stay at Blockade Runner for my husband and I to celebrate our Anniversary.It was our first stay at the establishment, it was $335 a night plus tax. I had looked at pictures on the website and read reviews. Don’t know if this review will be published because it looks like they only publish the ones they want to show.I just wanted a nice place for us to relax.I was never told when I booked my reservation that there would be a $21 charge PER night to park in their parking lot!The room I chose was ocean front with a balcony. Some of the furniture in the room was worn and damaged. The bathroom was small with a sliding barn door type door.I had looked at pictures of the restaurant and it looked nice. But, when my husband and I went down to get the breakfast buffet, it was terrible! The gravy was uncovered, the dipper was laying on a plate covered with gravy and there was a fly on it! None of the Sterno pans had been refilled, there was a tablespoon of eggs, the bacon was barely cooked, it was just a total bad experience.At $18 a person.It was 9:30am there were only 2 other couples in there. That should have been a warning sign.The elevator that we had to use was small, made terrible noise and was kinda scary.I would like to give a shout out to the ladies working the outside restaurant/Bar area.They were very nice.I will not return to this hotel again.