I am a 25 year old female, and I am planning a vacation for mid August with a friend of mine and our mothers. We would like to stay in the Outer Banks area, and are looking for a rental house. We do not need anything large, just comfortable, and relatively inexpensive. We want to RELAX. Also, we are looking for something very close to the beach--walking distance. Does anyone have suggestions about where to start looking for rentals? Also, any suggestions about the area in general? Thanks in advance.

Try Sun Realty, I've rented houses from them at last 4 different times. Their homepage is www.sunrealtync.com/

As the Outer Banks is a thin strip of land, anywhere you stay is generally within walking dstance of the beach. The closer to the beach the more you pay for rent.

If you want to stay in a very low key quiet area try Corolla at the very north end. If you want something with more activity (i.e restaurants and nightlife) try Kitty Hawk or Nags Head.

Another nice low-key quiet area is Salvo/Rodanthe/Avon further south of the Nags' Head area. It takes longer to get to if you're coming from the north, but it's very nice with a few restaurants and shops nearby but not much.

Resort Quest International has listings for OBX. You can go through the website,and the listings will tell you DTB: Distance To Beach. The properties are managed locally, and we had a good experience using the rental/management service for our stay.

I agree that the northern end of the area will be more relaxing.

I also recommend Sun Realty to locate a rental house. Corolla can be pretty expensive but it's in the northern tip so it's definately more relaxing. Duck is also good. Nags Head has a lot going on but check with the realtor on places that are in walking distance. I found that we drove to many places (we were in Kitty Hawk, milepost 9.) Lots of places to eat in the Nags Head area. August will be busy so check out the northern tip and southern (Ocracoke?) There's also a day spa after you cross over the bridge that my Mother and I had wonderful massages!

For quiet, I agree with either Corolla at the north end or hatteras at the south. I prefer hatteras especially Avon (my favorite). Lots of houses can be rented thru many realties. check out outerbeaches.com surforsound.com and sun realty. Most web sites have maps which show you exactly where your house is on the island.
Have fun!

We have a wonderful beach house in Corolla, but it is much too big for just the four of you. Our agent is www.AtlanticRealty-nc.com; they are very good, and have lots of smaller houses available that you can view on line (ours is #87 but completely booked this summer). We bought in Corolla because it is very quiet, and the beaches are wide and gorgeous. Almost all of the Corolla properties are within easy distance from the beach. I'm going in three weeks--can't wait!

Also try Southern Shores Realty or Village Realty. We've dealt with both in the past. Another area to consider is Southern Shores - the homes aren't as expensive as in Corolla and it's located between Duck and Kill Devil Hills. Contact the suggested realty companies and they'll be happy to send you rental books - there are so many homes to choose from that I know you'll be able to find something in your price range. Also, most of their web sites are easy to navigate and they give you photos and descriptions of the homes available. Generally the cost starts to come down in August.

Ocracoke is a very quaint little island.I would definately check it out.You can rent bikes to ride and it is small enough to bicycle around.Also you can see the lighthouse from different parts of the island at night..which is pretty.Jolly Rogers is good for some live entertainment.Just put Ocracoke island in your search engine and go!

I would recommend Hatteras Realty for rentals if you want to consider areas south of Nags Head, where there are fewer shops and more undeveloped beach areas.

Just wanted to thank you all for your replies! We are in the final process of booking a cottage. Your suggestions were very helpful. I can't wait for the trip! Thanks again...

google to get all the rental agencies they will happily send out their rental books. I used Sun realty and had no problem and they have a hugh selection

many of these sites let you search on line, you just fill out the form and it will search availability. i suggest you hold out for ocean front or sound front, stay away from between the roads locations. Ocean side does not mean you are ocean front, you are on the ocean side of the two main roads, same with sound side. you may also want to consider a condo and not a house, nothing wrong with a balcony overlooking the ocean! these can be two bedroom condos. use obx or outer banks on google

Lots of great info. We're thinking of going to OBX for the first time next summer so I'm just starting to get ideas. How big is the entire OBX area? I'm just wondering if we stay in one of the areas as described as "more remote," how long will it take us to get to restaurants in some of the less remote towns? I prefer a more remote atmosphere but like to go out to dinner on vacation (gives me a break from cooking!).

Thanks!

Snowrooster, the OBX includes alot of shoreline--where will you be coming from? How many? What month do you want to go? For how long? The June-Aug season is extremely busy, and the northern beaches (Rt 12--Southern Shores, Sanderling, Duck, Corolla) are served by a single two lane road. Let us know more details by considering the above queries, and we can help you much better. (I just got back from a glorious week--it is sooo gorgeous!).

We'll be driving from Ohio - family of four with two young children. Not sure of the exact dates as this isn't until next summer, but it will be during that June - August busy season you mentioned. Which areas are less busy/hectic? We are used to going to Hilton Head just after high season and it is very quiet then. If we stay in a less busy area, will there still be a decent amount of restaurants within a reasonable drive? Thanks!!