Within a short walk of Swan Lake, this vacation home is within a mile (2 km) of Surfside Beach. The vacation home includes a kitchen, a balcony, and a dining area.
Quintana Beach County Park - 9 min drive - 2.1 miles
Port of Freeport - 11 min drive - 7.2 miles
Quintana Beach - 19 min drive - 6.3 miles
Restaurants
On The River Restaurant - 11 min drive
Lupita's Mexican Bakery - 10 min drive
Seahorse Bar & Grill - 19 min walk
Beachfront Deck Bar & Grill - 3 min drive
Maria's Kitchen - 10 min drive
About this property
Entire place
You'll have the entire home to yourself and will only share it with other guests in your party.
Dog-friendly waterfront home on canal with kayaks, firepit, & furnished decks
The Quirky Whale
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Get ready for fun at this unique, waterfront home on Follet's Island! Bright and beautiful, this grand getaway features a fantastic island kitchen with stainless steel appliances, an adjacent dining table with bench seating for meals or game nights, and a sunken living area with a wall-mounted TV for streaming all your favorite channels. This home also features front and back furnished decks, a ground-floor covered patio, and a firepit. You're also along the canal where you can easily drop into the water in one of the provided kayaks.
Things to Know Check-in time: 4:00 p.m. Check-out time: 10:00 a.m. All guests shall abide by Vacasa’s good neighbor policy and shall not engage in illegal activity. Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. No smoking is permitted anywhere on the premises. Due to fluctuating tap water quality in the Village of Surfside Beach, it is recommended to bring bottled water for drinking and/or cooking during your stay. During times of elevated water contaminants, water coming from the faucets and toilets may have a yellow tint. The water is safe for bathing. Whole house water filtration system and RO system for drinking water installed.
If you are bringing a dog on your trip, the pet fee is already included in your quote when selecting ‘Yes’ to pets. If you would like to add more dogs, please contact us. The pet fee is per stay and ranges between $150 and $200, depending on the bedroom count, and will apply for each additional dog.
Parking notes: There is free parking available for 4 vehicles.
Dock details: The dock is available for docking a boat.
Please note: this home resides in a noise-sensitive area and the owners participate in our Good Neighbor protection program. Our smart home technology will alert our team if excessive decibel or occupancy levels are detected, allowing us to reach out directly with a reminder of maximum occupancy and quiet hours. This technology is privacy compliant, and only monitors the presence of decibels and devices-not any personal conversation or information. Thank you for supporting our efforts to be good neighbors!
Damage waiver: The total cost of your reservation for this Property includes a nightly damage waiver fee, plus tax if applicable (the “Damage Waiver”). (A discount may be applied for stays of 28 nights or longer, if permitted.) The Damage Waiver covers you for up to $3,000 of accidental damage to the Property or its contents (such as furniture, fixtures, and appliances) as long as you report the incident to the host prior to checking out. The Damage Waiver fee eliminates the need for a traditional security deposit. More information can be downloaded from the "Rental Agreement" on the checkout page.
Due to local laws or HOA requirements, guests must be at least 25 years of age to book. Guests under 25 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian for the duration of the reservation.
The vacation home is air-conditioned and features a kitchen, 3 bathrooms, and a balcony. There's space to spread out with 3 bedrooms and a dining area. Other standard amenities include a washing machine, a coffee maker, and an ironing board.
Note from host: Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the premises.
Services and conveniences
Iron/ironing board
Location highlights
Near a hospital
Near the marina
Near the sea
Things to do
Kayak
Birdwatching nearby
Fishing nearby
Hunting nearby
Jet skiing nearby
Kayaking nearby
Motor boating nearby
Parasailing nearby
Sailing nearby
Surfing/bodyboarding nearby
Swimming nearby
Water skiing nearby
Wildlife walks nearby
Windsurfing nearby
Safety features
Carbon monoxide detector (host has indicated there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property)
Smoke detector (host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property)
First aid kit
Fire extinguisher
Deadbolt lock
General
Unit size: 1,660 square feet
Policies
Check-in
Check-in time starts at 4:00 PM
Contactless check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 25
Check-out
Check-out before 10:00 AM
Special check-in instructions
You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions
Pets
This property welcomes pets
Service animals exempt from fees
Note from host: Dogs only. Max of 2. Weight limit: 20 lbs each.
Important information
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, and a deadbolt lock
This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation
Check-in: 4:00 PM
Check-out: 10:00 AM
Minimum check-in age: 25
We should mention
Details about charges, deposits, or other important information:
This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business, or profession.
Charges for extra guests may apply and vary depending on the property's policy.
A cash deposit, credit card, or debit card for incidental charges, as well as a government-issued photo ID, may be required at check-in.
Special requests are subject to availability at the time of check-in and can't be guaranteed. Certain requests may come with additional charges.
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited.
Onsite safety features include a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, a first aid kit, and a deadbolt lock.
Property is also known as
60972
Frequently asked questions
What can I see within easy reach of this vacation home?
This vacation home is located in Surfside Beach, a short 16-minute walk from Surfside Beach and also 12 minutes on foot from Swan Lake. You'll also find Surfside Jetty Park and Follets Island Beach within a short drive.
Is there parking available at this vacation home?
Yes, there is a garage.
Is this vacation home adjacent to a casino?
No, this vacation home is not connected to a casino.
Will I find an indoor pool at this vacation home?
No, there is no indoor pool at this vacation home.
What amenities will couples enjoy at Dog-friendly waterfront home on canal with kayaks, firepit, & furnished decks?
Couples staying at this vacation home will value amenities like a kitchen, kitchens in some accommodations, as well as a firepit.
Are there hot tubs at Dog-friendly waterfront home on canal with kayaks, firepit, & furnished decks?
No, there isn't a spa tub at this vacation home.
Does this vacation home provide breakfast?
No, this vacation home doesn't offer breakfast.
Will this vacation home allow pets to stay for free?
Although pets can't stay for free, they are welcome at this vacation home.
Are there connecting rooms at this vacation home?
No, this vacation home doesn't feature connecting guestrooms.
Are there rooms with balconies that I can book at Dog-friendly waterfront home on canal with kayaks, firepit, & furnished decks?
Yes, every accommodation at Dog-friendly waterfront home on canal with kayaks, firepit, & furnished decks comes with a balcony.
Dog-friendly waterfront home on canal with kayaks, firepit, & furnished decks Reviews
Reviews
8.4
Very Good
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travelers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.
Rating 10 - Excellent. 21 out of 39 reviews
10 - Excellent
21
Rating 8 - Good. 8 out of 39 reviews
8 - Good
8
Rating 6 - Okay. 7 out of 39 reviews
6 - Okay
7
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 39 reviews
4 - Poor
2
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 39 reviews
2 - Terrible
1
8.8/10
Cleanliness
Reviews
10/10 Excellent
Candis P.
Jun 23, 2025
Liked: Cleanliness
Family Vacation
This house was so cute and in a great location. We had so much fun and it was so close to the beaches and bait shops and restaurants. The pots and pans needed to be washed due to them not being fully cleaned but everything else was good.
Candis P.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025
10/10 Excellent
Sue S., Houston
May 14, 2025
Liked: Cleanliness
Sue S.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025
10/10 Excellent
Michael G.
May 4, 2025
Liked: Cleanliness
Fishing with friends
Awesome place! We had a great time and created many memories!
Michael G.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2025
10/10 Excellent
Bernice P.
Mar 3, 2025
Liked: Cleanliness
Family oriented
Love the layout of the house.
Bernice P.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2025
6/10 Okay
Elizabeth N.
Sep 19, 2024
Liked: Cleanliness
Water is horrible in Freeport
The house was nice, although it had an odd smell. The water was unbearable! You could not take a shower because the smell was horrible. I contacted the property manager and they instructed me to flush the water lines by running all the hot water lines in the house for 30 minutes because no one had been in the house in a while. We did flush the line but the smell was so bad we could not be in the house during this time . After flushing the line and not noticing a difference we decided to end our stay early and go home after the first night. The house would be fine except for the water but from my understanding the water quality in Freeport,Tx is an issue.
Elizabeth N.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2024
8/10 Good
Veronica V.
Aug 31, 2024
Liked: Cleanliness
Great location
Everyone enjoyed their time. Location was everything! 5 min to the beach, restaurants, etc. bring mosquito spray! (Luckily we did.) The water in the house does have an awful smell, but that was stated in the house description. I will say be careful when using a hair dryer. It blew out the electricity in the upstairs AC, master bathroom lights and the tv in the living room. I beloved they fixed that after we left. The picture provided of the outside w/ the fire pit looks way bigger
Veronica V.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024
6/10 Okay
Kenrick
Jul 5, 2024
Kenrick
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024
6/10 Okay
Clay R.
Jul 1, 2024
Disliked: Cleanliness
Loved location
Loved location. House was great, but wreaked of dog urine. Would not stay there again if smell was not taken care of.
Clay R.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2024
4/10 Poor
Windy L.
Jun 19, 2024
Location was great but the house needs improvements
My family and I went on our first vacation at Surfside Beach and when we got to the house it was clean and a good location to the beach. We noticed all doors were unlocked. We also noticed some of the pictures that were online was not what we got the swing was broken and the garage was a mess and the gas grill was really dirty and did not work at all we had to go buy one to grill out for my husbands Father’s Day. The dishwasher was broke and wouldn’t run the soap stayed in the holder, the drawer in the fridge was broken and the trash holder was broken, the umbrella on the tables outside would not work. Two TVs in the bedrooms did not work they came on but would not connect to the server at all. The worst thing was the water smell, taking a shower or using the restroom was unbearable the sulfur smell made me gag and it messed with my asthma really bad. I had to take breathing treatments all week long. The house needs a lot of work and may not be being kept up due to the for sale sign out front. The amenities were not what they appeared in the pics that are online. Despite all of this we made the best of our vacation.
Windy L.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2024
10/10 Excellent
Bernice P.
Mar 1, 2024
Liked: Cleanliness
Cozy
Love the layout of the home.
Bernice P.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024
10/10 Excellent
Mark H.
Jan 23, 2024
Liked: Cleanliness
Get the Best of Beach & Bay Living
The quirky whale was roomy, clean, comfortable, and comes with a ton of extras! The wraparound decks offer three seating areas plus the fire pit by the canal is a great place to hang out and check out the stars at night. We took the kayaks out on the intercoastal waterway and checked out a few wrecked boats and a bunch of wildlife including cranes, herons, egrets and migrating monarch butterflies.
Read the negative reviews carefully. The water in Freeport/Surfside is a little funky smelling, but that's true no matter where you stay. The kitchen sink has a reverse osmosis unit for drinking water but we brought plenty of drinking water with us for cooking, coffee and brushing teeth. The hot water in the shower has a sulfur smell, but the clothes that we washed in the unit's washer and dryer came out smelling clean and fresh.
Compared to other properties, the quirky whale was a great value. With the money you save you can buy plenty of Ozarka!
Mark H.
Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2024
6/10 Okay
Tim J., Houston
Jan 3, 2024
Falls short
The house was okay. It fit the needs of what we wanted. There were a few things that happened while we were there. We arrived at our check time and they were still cleaning the house. The toilet in the main bathroom did not work. they came and fixed it, but it was still kind of funky our whole stay. We were warned about the smell of the water used in the house. It was worse than expected. There were empty Coke cans and cigarette butts in the yard and loose boards on the hand rail.
Tim J.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2023
8/10 Good
Bree W.
Nov 27, 2023
Liked: Cleanliness
Cute house!
The house is super cute and loved the layout, the rooms were somewhat separate so you didn't hear the others. I loved the interior colors and decorations. The only downside is the sulfur smell from the plumbing. The males in the house didn't notice it, but the females did. I don't know if that's something that can be fixed, but other than that, it was a great place to stay and I would come back in the future.
Bree W.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023
4/10 Poor
Stephne G.
Aug 8, 2023
Unusable Water
The water in this home is absolutely disgusting. It smells like it comes straight from the canal directly into the house. We could not brush our teeth with it, could not drink it, could not shower in, could not wash dishes in it. Very dissapointed that this was not mentioned.
Stephne G.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023
10/10 Excellent
Sandy M.
Jan 4, 2023
Liked: Cleanliness
So Fun
We had a great time. Home was clean and spacious and well-stocked. Service was great! We hope to come back! Thank you!
Sandy M.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2022
6/10 Okay
Kent F.
Dec 15, 2022
It was okay
The house itself was cute and a nice place to stay. There are, however, a few things that need to be addressed. The bedroom we stayed in, the one with the king and queen bed, had a faulty shower. It was very hard to get the temperature to stay consistent- it was either scalding or it was ice cold. Also, the bottom of the shower filled up and did not drain at all during a shower. I was concerned that it was going to overflow, as the little ledge that you step over to get into the shower isn’t very tall. Another thing I noticed was how incredibly dirty the floor must have been, as evidenced by the bottoms of our white socks. Which seems strange, since there is a sign by the door that instructed us to remove our shoes upon entering. We abided by this, but it seems that the floors had not been mopped in awhile. This is surprising, especially since it is a pet friendly home. The bedroom off of the living area, to the left of the tv on the wall, had a nail in the middle of the bottom step that was sticking out, so we put a bandaid on top of it so we could remember it was there and not step on it. The other step had a nail sticking up on it as well. Most of these things are easily fixed…I just wanted to make you aware of them.
Kent F.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2022
8/10 Good
Christina R.
Oct 3, 2022
Liked: Cleanliness
It was alright
The house was able to sleep 10 people comfortably. The layout is cool, loved the fake grass! Fire pit & dogs stuff was nice too!
The house had an bug spray or chemical smell when we first arrived. Although, the listing details stated we would have access to kayaks and other item there was no key to access anything in the garage. The toilet paper, trash bags, paper towels were limited. There was only 6 rolls of toilet paper for a group of 10 for 3 nights/4 days. Just not enough. The available supplies were very limited.
Christina R.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2022
10/10 Excellent
Latoya M., Missouri City
Sep 26, 2022
Liked: Cleanliness
Great out of the way spot!!!
Great property enjoyed every bit of it, great activities for whole family & right around the corner from beach!!!
Latoya M.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2022
10/10 Excellent
Matt A.
Jun 18, 2022
Liked: Cleanliness
Beautiful house
Everything was wonderful. Would stay here again.
Matt A.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2022
10/10 Excellent
Nan O.
Jun 12, 2022
Liked: Cleanliness
Blew me away
House was so cute and comfortable. Accommodations equal to what you would expect from a high end hotel. The property manager Melissa made the stay. They did get some kitchen towels but could use a couple more. That is it. NOTHING else was missing or lacking in any way!
Nan O.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2022
10/10 Excellent
Bonnie M., Lewisville, Tx
May 21, 2022
Liked: Cleanliness
Great house!
We wanted to fish so try the canal in back of the house but only seem to get crabs to bite. It is a wonderful house and great breeze u der the house. It would be nice if they had some suitcase stands in the bedrooms because there are no dressers to put clothes in and we had to leave the suitcases on the floor. Would rent again!
Bonnie M.
Stayed 6 nights in May 2022
10/10 Excellent
Dennis and Cathy L.
May 3, 2022
Liked: Cleanliness
Wonderful vacation home at Surfside Beach!
Our family enjoyed a great vacation at this fabulous vacation home. The house was immaculate and well supplied,…even beach towels. The beds were very comfortable This location offers so much! Our family used the supplied kayaks in the channel behind the house, fished off the wharf, cooked on the gas grill, and roasted marshmallows around the fire pit. Sitting on the patio under this elevated house, with the sea breeze blowing through, was incredible! The beach is just a short drive away. We highly recommend the Quirky Whale.
Dennis and Cathy L.
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2022
10/10 Excellent
Brenda and John H., Azle, Texas
Nov 22, 2021
Liked: Cleanliness
Great Getaway
Perfect property for just the two of us and our pups...the house was actually larger than we needed but it was on a canal which made it a great location for easy fishing for someone with health issues... everything was as advertised, very clean and was well stocked with most everything you would need... it is only a short drive to restaurants, shopping, etc. or there is most everything you could need right there on the island... highly recommend this property and would definitely consider it again on a return trip to Surfside...
Brenda and John H.
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2021
10/10 Excellent
Dawn V.
Nov 1, 2021
Liked: Cleanliness
A piece of paradise
The location of this property is perfect. About a mile down the road is a beautiful beach where we were able to walk during sunrise. We also had a fishing day where my son caught a 20 lb. Bull Redfish right on the Jetty along with a couple sheepshead. Our family had such a wonderful time here and only wish our stay was longer! This house had everything we needed from plenty of toiletries, extra sheets & blankets and even some spices as well as a stocked kitchen with all of the cooking ware needed to feed a family. This place has so many balconies and outdoor seating, that even on windy/rainy days we had a place to enjoy outside without getting wet or blown over. We would love to book this very house again in the future. Thank you!