corolla or duck?
 

We are traveling to OBX in July. Two kids, 8& 10 years old. Which location would you recommend, and do you have a place you prefer to stay while there? Our preference would be a condo, cottage or villa. Access to pool, and very easy access to ocean. Am I asking for the moon? Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Nancy

We stayed at a friend's house on Corolla. Corolla is very nice. Lots of homes (huge) to rent with pools and on the ocean. $$$. I'd check into a rental agency. The town of Duck is pretty for restaurants and shopping...

A word of advice- BOOK IMMEDIATELY. July dates for the most desirable places are filled. You will have some choices left but not for long.
I have stayed at Corolla Light and have posted pretty extensively before on that, as have others- if you do a search for "outer banks" or "corolla" the posts will come up, or click on my initials on this message and take a look for the posts by title. The general search will bring up alot of other posts on both these areas.

One thing to keep in mind is that Corolla is a ways north, so if you think you're going to want to go to the dunes at Jockey Ridge and other places around Nags Head and further south, then Duck would save some driving.

I personally think Corolla is way overdone - but at this late date it is probably the only chance you have of getting a house. We have always stayed oceanfront - those are hardest (and most expensive) to get, but you can not beat it. Warning - soundfront means NO beach. You would have to trek to the ocean side for swimming. (The sound would be spooky to me to swim in - snakes etc.) Go to the various realtors web sites (I have used Resort Quest among others) and see what they have available - it's all on line.

We own a place in Duck, and (obviously), prefer it over Corolla. The minimum lot size in Duck is larger than Corolla, so there are fewer people that are squeezed in. The village atmosphere in Duck is nice as well. Having said all that, if you don't mind driving to the beach, the Currituck Club in Corolla is very nice. Between Duck and Corolla is Pine Island, which also might be an option. Like others have said, the pickins' are going to be slim at this point. The best places are usually booked by the end of the prior year. Good Luck.