Never been to OBX. Would like to rent beach house July 2004 and have been researching rental catalogs. What are the major pros and cons of going north towards Duck or going south towards Avon and Buxton? Thanks for the help.

Have been to Duck several times and loved it each time. I would say if you're with family or smaller children, to definitely go to Corolla/Duck. Although not highly commercialized, there is enough to do for the children, yet laid back enough for the parents to have a good time. Going towards Avon and Buxton is more getting away from it all- pretty, but not a whole lot to do in the way of restaurants/shopping/etc. We've visited down that area, but we are glad we've always stayed up north in Duck (also, if you have golfers, further north is better).

Thanks for the info. Travelling with husband and older children (18 and 24) and each will be bringing a friend. We are all golfers and we also want to be located near restaurants and shops but away from honky-tonk commercialization. There is such a difference in the price of rentals in the different areas. I saw an oceanfront 5 bedroom with private pool Nags Head for $5000. The same type of house in Corolla is $6000 to $7000 (peak season).I'm from New Jersey and researched our shore. A very small house in LBI Bayside is going for $6000 a week. OBX has so much more to offer. Thanks again.

It sounds like Duck/Corolla is what you're looking for. Nags Head/Kitty Hawk is more honky tonk, and Hatteras is more secluded. Duck and Corolla will offer you nice homes, restaurants and shopping.

Thanks! There are a lot of realty companies with obx properties. Any recommendations?

We used Resort Quest when we booked a house in Corolla. Their website is great, resortquest.com, and they rate the properties - platinum, gold, etc. We stayed at a home in the Currituck Club that was sound-front, not ocean front. It was a very short drive to the beach, but we had the beauty of the water and sunsets. The Currituck club has a golf course, tennis courts, and a community pool. The home we stayed in also had a private pool. We were very pleased with our experience with Resort
Quest.

Check out atlanticrealty-nc.com. They have some wonderful houses in OBX to rent in the quiet areas of Corolla and Duck. We've stayed in the same one several times and loved it--it is called Carolina Seabreeze, but there are lots of others. Enjoy the starry nights--no lights to dilute the view!

We just came back from spending a week in Waves, NC (Hatteras Island). There is nothing to do there. We rented a house - oceanfront - but had to climb over sand dunes to get to the beach. Not an easy task when you have beach chairs, umbrellas, etc. The best thing about the house was the pool and hot tub. Waves, Avon, and Buxton all run into each other. They are all VERY small with not much to do. There are some restaurants, but not many. We had to drive 30 minutes to get to a grocery store. There is no night life. Nags Head seemed to have more to do. Never been to Corolla. Ever thought about going to Myrtle Beach, SC?