My siblings and our families are contemplating a family vacation to the Outer Banks in late June. Would like to be beachfront yet close to shopping and restaurants. Maybe 4 small cottages? Any ideas?

The northern part of the Outer Banks (Corolla and the like) are packed with MacMansions which can accommodate up to 25 people.

I'd hold off a day or so before making a booking since the OBX is having some, uh, dicey weather at the moment.

It will be more fun if you all stay in one house - most sleep at least 10 and there are MANY that sleep 20-30. The only problem with 'small cottages' is (1) finding enough that are close together (neighboring homes are seldom owned by the same co) and (2) the small ones are ussually VERY basic, not decorated as nicely, seldom beachfront, and dont have space enough for you all to be together. Little ones are ususally more 'summer camp' than 'vacation'! I am sure there are some exceptions, though.

You have plenty of time to search the web for OUTER BANKS RENTALS and will find no less than 20 or 30 companies who do nothing other than rentals...many have online websites that will show you the interior, exterior, and (maybe very important to you): what the VIEW IS from inside. Get their catalogs sent to you , too, great winter reading!
If you are sure you dont want to share, or want to economize, look at condos. Many have not only a pool but a common room where your group might be able to all get together a few times.
For easy access to all the food and fun, avoid Hatteras Island, there's not muchto do , comparably..it is beautiful but remote . Stay north of the bridge!Cross it and go south for visiting beautiful areas but not lots of eating, shopping, amusements.

I wont go into more detail, I think you can look at my profile and see where I gave some recommendations on this same subject not long ago.

I have used and been happy with
(not SURE of their website URL, best guess is: sunandsand.com, carolinadesigns.com, and also Kitty Hawk Realty. Some ( carolina designs is one) have your linens on the bed, which saves lots of suitcase space!

Have fun...Isabel is a few hours away right now and my daughter and family are scheduled to check in their rental in Kill Devil Hills in 48 hours uh-oh!

There is no such thing as a small cottage on OBX. The smallest we could find was a 3 bdrm 2/bath in Avon, and they were few and far between. If you want separate places, you will probably have to go with condos. We rented from Outer Banks Realty and they were wonderful. Ask for Oceanfront if you want to be ON the ocean. Oceanview can mean a cat walk on top of the house with a slight view or a little view from a bedroom window with rows and rows of houses in front of you. Kittyhawk area very touristy and the traffic was horrible.Waves/Salvo area is about mid point, but only a few restaurants/shops in the area.

We live a few hours from the Outer Banks & rent houses on the beach in the summer -large enough to accomodate sons, daughter-in-laws and grandchildren & our lab,11 plus dog! You will not find a "nice" house that's small. All the small ones have been torn down and mansions have been built. SO wanted to save you some time on that one! The really nice areas that fit what you're looking for are Duck & Corolla. We have stayed in both. Many restaurants,grocery stores & shopping but a lot of traffic on a two lane road. You will find 5,6,7 bedroom homes- most with many master suites and pools. We prefer the four-wheel drive area of Swan Beach. AND you really must have a 4-wheel drive as you drive off the paved road and down the beach several miles. It's the area where the wild horses live. Beautiful large homes with a lot of open space. Hurricane Isabel hit the Outer Banks really hard & they had a lot of damage- not sure if they have power yet. IF you do want small cottages, you might try Ocracoke Island. You will not find homes on the beach as no one can build on the beach but you can find them close to the beach. The beach is beautiful with shells and the little village is very cute with lighthouse and restaurants and shops. Hope this helps you a little.

The statement " Hurricane Isabel hit the Outer Banks really hard & they had a lot of damage- not sure if they have power yet." is misleading.

Power has, for some time now, been on in the Outer Banks, Much of the northern banks never lost power or other services. As of last Sat/Sun, utility workers were being re-routed into the Hampton Roads area where power outages were more extensive.

Parts, not all, of the Outer Banks sustained considerable damage from Isabel, specifically Hatteras Village, So. Nags Head and parts of beachfront Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk. The majority of the OBX sustained very little damage (missing roof shingles, crunched dune decks). The damage was far worse inland from trees downed in the wind.

Typically, the OBX community has pulled together to help those who lost the most.

Overstating the destruction serves no purpose except to deter visitors who tourist $ are needed more than ever.

OBX

I'm sorry- I did not mean to mislead anyone on the after affects of Hurricane Isabel. The news casts must have been wrong. Did you miss the bad damage?

No Jann, I didn't miss the damage. I was there and saw much of it first hand. The worst destruction was focused in the areas I mentioned above. You said the entire Outer Banks was "hard hit" and that is simply not true.

Newcasts are businesses interested in attracting viewers to sell advertising dollars. They typically show the most dramatic footage over and over. The same house falling into the same raging ocean. I can't tell if you're being facetious or naive.