Last weekend I had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday in Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington, North Carolina. We arrived Friday evening around 5 p.m. at Trailborn Surf & Sound. I stayed at this hotel a few years ago when it was under different ownership and called Blockade Runner. Since then, this landmark hotel underwent a major renovation and rebranding; and although the outside has the same familiar look, the interior is almost unrecognizable.

The new lobby is modern and open with loads of seating options both inside and out. The best selling point of Trailborn Surf & Sound is really the outdoor activities. Whether you’re in the mood for a bike ride on the hotel’s beach cruisers, a romantic sunset cruise, fishing off the sound-side dock, want to learn to surf or start your day with yoga on the lawn, there are so many experiences to take part in.

Trailborn Surf & Sound Lobby – Photo by Christian Harder Courtesy of Trailborn Hotels & Resorts

Trailborn Surf & Sound Front Desk – Photo by Christian Harder Courtesy of Trailborn Hotels & Resorts

La Duna Paradiso Interior – Photo by Christian Harder Courtesy of Trailborn Hotels & Resorts

Trailborn Surf & Sound Guest Room – Photo by Leslie Ryann McKellar Courtesy of Trailborn Hotels & Resorts

The onsite restaurant, La Duna Paradiso, has a bar so inviting I wished we had time for a pre-dinner cocktail. But we arrived just in time for our dinner reservation, so we headed straight to our table. The old hotel and restaurant had a coastal beach feel, with lots of blue tones, but it was a bit outdated. The new restaurant still has a seaside feel but with a more contemporary and luxurious aesthetic, with rich tones and nice mood lighting.

Bar Duna – Photo by Christian Harder Courtesy of Trailborn Hotels & Resorts

To start, we ordered the burrata appetizer with raw honey, herb oil, peaches, roasted red peppers, chopped cerginola olive and cracked pepper, served with miso toast. I loved the seared halibut with eggplant and olive caponata, buttered polenta, charred broccolini and pancetta jus. My husband had trouble deciding, so our awesome waitress, Ellie, helped guide him to choose the New York strip loin with ammoglio sauce, roasted heirloom carrots and balsamic-glazed shallot, and it did not disappoint my hard-to-please husband. And Ellie informed us the tiramisu was excellent, so even though we were full from our meals, we made some room for dessert, and we were happy we did!

Buratta Appetizer © Tracey Cullen

Steak © Tracey Cullen

Tiramisu © Tracey Cullen

On the main lawn on the ocean side, they have a wood firepit, surrounded by Adirondak chairs, and kits for making s’mores, but on this particular night, things were a bit wet from a passing shower earlier that day. So we ended our night relaxing by the gas fire table near the pool, making friends with other guests who were also taking advantage of the great gathering spot.

Smores Kit – Photo by Christian Harder Courtesy of Trailborn Hotels & Resorts

The next morning we relaxed in front of the sliding glass door overlooking the sound, taking in the beautiful sights of sailboats and dolphins frolicking in the sound. Later on we would take advantage of the fact this hotel has the sound on one side and the beach on the other. Since it was an unseasonably warm day for November, we went on a long walk along the beach, watching as surfers tried to catch a few big waves.

Trailborn Surf & Sound Lawn – Photo by Christian Harder Courtesy of Trailborn Hotels & Resorts

Trailborn Surf & Sound Lawn – Photo by Christian Harder Courtesy of Trailborn Hotels & Resorts

Trailborn Surf & Sound Lawn – Photo by Christian Harder Courtesy of Trailborn Hotels & Resorts

Stay tuned for our adventures the next day in nearby Wilmington!

— Tracey Cullen, art director