River Dunes Marina

Excellent place to visit. The staff is very accommodating and anxious to please. This is the cleanest marina on the East Coast ICW.

always a favorite stop for seasonal migration. well protected and maintained, floating docks, great staff.

Beautiful facility and a great crew. We heard that the restaurant is excellent, unfortunately it was closed for a wedding on the day we arrived. Will definitely stop again.

Ethan was very helpful and resourceful. Took great care of us while taking care of everyone else. 5 stars

Can't say enough good things about this marina and it's staff! If we weren't trying to outrun Debby, we would have stayed longer! I was first impressed by a quick, after-hours confirmation of our Dockwa reservation. The dock master was very experienced and helpful in directions and assistance with lines. The docks are in excellent shape and the grounds are beautiful. There's a ship store that has basic needs. The main restaurant was closed but there was a casual dining facility open and we had a great meal. There's a pool and a bar by the pool. Everything is well kept and the staff are super friendly! We are coming back for sure!

Marina is lovely. We didn't stay long enough to take advantage of some of the amenities like the pool or kayaking. Cafe and restaurant were nice. The dockmaster and staff were excellent. Please be certain to hail and be able to listen to the dock staff on channel 72.

Very attentive dockmaster, Scott. First class facility and beautiful community.

We always stop here when transiting the ICW. It is wonderful as always except for one critical element. They no longer have a loaner car to get you to the nearest town (Oriental) for groceries or marine supplies. For $10 Piggly Wiggly grocery store will take you to its store and bring you back. Otherwise it is the still an elegant stay offered in this high end Southern Living developed community. Play tennis or pickleball,swim in the pool, workout out in the top of the line workout room, get great food at Yawl cafe or in the dining room. Marina staff are friendly super competent. I feel bad about complaining about the loaner car but we hope it will help them reconsider since there are no taxis or Ubers.

Great experience. Friendly, helpful staff and wonderful facilities.

Thank you, Scott for warm welcome and your help.

Great marina to stop at on the ICW. Scott is fantastic and very accommodating! Super amenities including excellent fitness center, pool and restaurant! A must stopover for us!

Great marina, impeccably clean, fun atmosphere, nice respite.

Very nice facility! The Dock master was very helpful and crew met us at the assigned slip. The renal home beautiful and the water is protected. We really enjoyed our stay.

Beautiful facility all around.

Even though the marina was remote from town, this place was definitely fantastic and highly recommended. The staff such as Chris, Mr. English man (sorry didn’t get his name), provision staff, restaurant staff and all the rest of the property staff were amazing. Pool awesome. Lounge with working desk awesome. Shower with massage awesome. Harbor Club restaurant- great meal. Property awesome for walks to see all those beautiful homes. Safe and calm harbor - slept great! River Dunes is a MUST stop in Oriental, NC.

Great facility. Dockmaster extremely helpful and friendly.

Great Place, great staff and well protected

Awesome stay! Beautiful marina, easy access. Special shout out to the great staff at River Dunes and most especially the Dockmaster Scott who was very helpful!

Superb amenities. Staff very professional.

Everything from docks, captain plounge to lavatories were impeccable. The staff professional and knowledgeable, Chris and Julie. Amenities galore, the only minus were the bicycle, which have seen better days.

Lovely, protected marina with friendly staff.

A very nice, quiet place. Facilities are clean and fresh and the staff is very helpful and friendly.

Dockmaster Scott was extremely helpful getting us Dockton tied up prior to a storm and provided quick and attentive service throughout our stay. Marina facilities are very nice. Showers have multiple jets and a steam feature -a lovely treat for weary boaters. There is a café on the property as well as the harbour club for dinner. Lots of green space to walk the dog. I wouldn’t hesitate to come back to this marina. It’s a first class facility.

Always a great stay at River Dunes. The staff is top-notch, the facilities and setting is beautiful.

Scott and his crew are the best.

This is very nice marina tucked away in a very pretty inlet. I would give it 5 except for the distance from Oriental (6mile) to restaurants and shopping. My bad for not realizing that when I booked it.

UNBELIEVABLE! When the dockmaster confirmed we would be staying for one night and I replied that I'd like to renegotiate and stay for the rest of my life . . .says it all. What a beautiful spot unlike any other. Highly recommend.

Scott the Dockmaster is always so helpful, friendly and professional. If you arrive late week into the weekend you can enjoy a lovely dinner at their clubhouse. The facilities are southern living beautiful. Fellow boaters are always delighted to see you and your fur babies too!

Awesome. Staff is first class and facility is a resort.

River Dunes Marina is such a cute little “town”. Very attentive dockhand. Hot tubs were still open in October great boaters lounge and showers.

Very nice marina. Amenities all in good shape. Main restaurant was closed (not sure if it was a planned or seasonal shutdown, did not ask), small cafe offered great food options but has limited hrs and days of the week when we visited in Oct. The propane grill had no gas tank, was in poor condition,..and not useable. outside BBQ tables had been removed (not sure if removed due to potential Tropical Storm Ophelia or end of season).

River Dunes is one of the finest Marinas on the ICW! Located in a beautiful Community, with excellent amenities - a wonderful Captains Lounge, Pool and Hot Tub, Yawl’s Cafe for Breakfast or Lunch, and the Harbor House for dinner. The docks are in excellent condition, and WiFi is strong. If you are cruising the ICW, this is a Must Stop!

Great hurricane hole with floating docks. Super amenities including Yacht club, pool , bar, restaurants, courtesy car, nice showers and restrooms. Very luxurious environment.

Traveling from Annapolis to Sarasota and this marina so far has been the best we have seen!!!! Can not recommend it enough!!

This is a bonafide review from my trip to River Dunes on October 29, 2020. Upon arrival, I ran aground in the entry channel in 7.5 feet of water (per my depthfinder) due to what I felt were rocks in the port side of the channel. The next day, I had a diver confirm that my prop was trashed and then had the same diver walk the channel in the area of impact. He did indeed find multiple rocks at depths of 4.5 feet at points as far away as 9 feet from rocks on port side of the channel. I have the video proof of the rocks for anyone interested. I took the case to Scott Bearhope, Marina Operations Manager an he denied the presence of rocks even with the video evidence. Thus far they have been non-responsive to my reasonable request for the marine to pay for the damage to my boat from the unmarked obstacles in the channel. I love the marina, but the failure of the owners to take responsibility for my damage and then to either mark the channel appropriately or remove the rocks is unbelievable for a facility on this level.

Excellent facilities. Good service. Very good dining. We will return.

Best transient stop on ICW!

Great spot! Awesome staff!

From Maine to the Keys, we have not had a better experience than at River Dunes. We are return visitors and it is always a pleasure to stop there. We look forward to another visit in the spring!

This is a first class marina. The staff are amazingly hospitable. I felt like I was visiting friends. The facilities are exceptional and the restaurants have great selections and terrific service. I highly recommend staying here if you are heading south on the ICW...or north!

Great relaxing marina with excellent facilities and outstanding staff.

Top Shelf marina in our top 5 on east coast

Staff was professional and very helpful. They helped me with a flat tire issue on my boat trailer while traveling from Florida to Mass. Not sure what I would have done had they not been so great. I will be staying there again in the fall when I head back to Florida.

Beautiful & quiet. Top shelf facilities. Fairly isolated with two restaurants, one closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Approach is shallow- stay in the middle of the ditch!

One of the best marinas. Beautiful village to walk around in. Swimming pool, clean spa showers, pet friendly! We love staying here. Cafe includes breakfast service

Modern first class marina with amenities. Wi-fi available but spotty sometimes. Restaurants (YAWLS Cafe & Harbor Club) have limited hours and are not open every day, so check the schedule if you want to eat at these excellent restaurants. Swimming pool and cabanas are great.

Great stop. Solid staff. Fantastic amenities. New shops and restaurant were open. Looking forward to returning.

Very helpful dock hands. Beautiful facility. Opened restaurant for pizza night for large group of Loopers stranded by weather.

2016 Boater's Choice Award Winner as Voted by Members and Visitors of Marinas.com

This has to be the nicest marina I have ever been to....and when your home port is the nicest marina on Lake Ontario, this is a hard decision to come by. Rich, Rick and crew have it all together here

I visited River Dunes a couple of weeks ago and now know where to find heaven! The entire experience was perfect. While there, I took advantage of as much as I could, the Harbor Club, the fitness room, bikes, laundry and especially the beautiful cottages. Beautifully decorated and filled with all you need to stay a night, a week or forever. Now, I’ve stopped at many spots along the east coast and River Dunes has become my favorite. It’s a first class resort with a comfortable feel. And it's not far from the quaint town of Oriental where you can find wonderful restaurants, great shops (Marsha's Cottage, I'll be back) and provisions. JC, Louise and the entire staff made me feel like I was visiting with family. I will be back.

Oct 2008 - Dockmaster JC Cappleman and his staff make this beautiful facility feel like home. Pool, spa, exercise room, clean and modern showers, loaner cars, new floating docks and friendly boaters' suppers in front of the clubhouse fireplace . . . all combine to make River Dunes an unforgettable gem on the ICW. Oct 2011 - We've visited River Dunes five times now on our way north or south. If you haven't stopped by yet in favor of another marina or anchorage, you're missing one of the best spots on the waterway.