First trip to Emerald Isle........
 

We're planning our first trip to Emerald Isle this September. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Looking at cottages/duplexes on the oceanfront.........is there any better area to stay in? How about good restaurants?? Thanks for any help.

Check out Bluewater/GMAC and Emerald Isle Realty companies. They both have easy to use Web sites with lots of rental properties. You'll probably be in luck finding properties, but we typically reserve in February or March for September. We prefer to rent in The Point, but any areas off of Coast Guard Road are nice, I think. You'll have to e-mail or phone the rental companies to ask for a list of rentals in this area because the Web site listings aren't organized this way.

For restaurants, we like White Oak Bistro just over the bridge in Swansboro. For lunch, we like Flipperz in Emerald Isle. In Beaufort, we like Spouter's Inn for lunch or dinner.

Lee06, Emerald Isle Realty is really great. The ladies there are always very honest with me about where THEY would rent, which properties are the nicest, etc. We've stayed in several different Emerald Isle properties over the years. I like to stay near the shopping center, convenient to things there and to going across the bridge to Swansboro. Be sure to have lunch at Yana's, the old drugstore in Swansboro ... good comfort food.

Will there be a group or just two of you? We stayed in a great house there a few years ago, but it has about 4 bedrooms so is too big for just a couple.

I agree with Ruff's restaurant choices, plus the Crab Shack in Salter Path (I believe) if it's been re-opened after the latest storm damage.

The Crab Shack was up and running last summer after having been wiped out the year before in the hurricane. We go there almost every year to eat hard shells, but the crabs were really bad last summer, so we probably won't go when we're there in early September.

Last summer, we ate lunch at the place that used to be Bill's between the bridges heading into Swansboro, and that was quite good. Don't remember the name, but it is pretty hard to miss. It shares a parking lot with Clyde Phillips Seafood (the pink shack), a great place to buy fresh fish.

Oops! I meant to type Bulls and not Bills.

I have used both of the realty companies mentioned with no problems. Bluewater has more pets allowed places and the last few time I have brought my dog. I don't like being in the area close to the shopping center. You pay a premium for ocean front when there are some very nice deals in the second row and you still usually have a view. Look carefully at where the nearest beach access is if you don't stay ocean front. You can have quite a hile to get to a cross over. My favorite restaurant is the Sanitary Restaurant in Morehead City - but I could live on sweet tea and hushpuppies!