mrsgo

Time to travel to NC and the Outer Banks area! Have never been....We are hoping to learn which section we should attempt to rent a condo or get a hotel reservation. Ideally, we would like a great pool, close to the beach, and lots of restaurants, entertainment, FUN, options for nearby trips. We are active seniors. Thanks!!!

(If you have a specific hotel in mind, YES, please send it on!)

We appreciate your time!
Suzy

girlonthego

The Sanderling is a nice hotel on the outer banks. I have not stayed there personally, but friends of mine have and liked it.
https://www.sanderling-resort.com/

CaliforniaLady

With all due respect, your vision of what the Outer Banks is like is not reality. We traveled there in October, 2018, and found it to be a natural, subdued area that is quiet at night. If you are looking for a fun beach scene, then the Outer Banks is not your place. I will start by posting our itinerary for the three nights that we were in the Outer Banks. We arrived at Raleigh airport in the late afternoon, and drove straight to the Outer Banks, where we spent two full days sightseeing. On the third morning, we left early to continue on our road trip through North Carolina. Here was the itinerary that I developed, and my husband, bless his heart, drove tirelessly to all the places I wanted to see:

Sunday, October 7 - Visit Bodie Island Lighthouse (15 miles from hotel), climbs are from 9 to 4:30. Next visit Pea Island Visitors Center (10 miles), open until 4. Next, visit Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, (33 miles) climbs are from 9 to 4:30. Ranger talk at Hatteras, on the history of the lighthouse, is at 2:30 PM. Stay at Days Inn Kill Devil Hills (.56 miles).

Monday, October 8 - Visit Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (17 miles). Visitors Center is open 9 to 5. Ranger talks at Fort Raleigh: 10:30 AM, The Lost Colony, and 11:30 AM, The Civil War. Next, visit Jockey's Ridge State Park (20 miles), walk on the boardwalk. Next, visit Wright Brothers National Memorial (12 miles). Ranger talks at Wright Brothers: 2 PM, history 1903, 3:30 PM, Wright Brothers history. Stay at Days Inn Kill Devil Hills (one mile).

Please note that the lighthouses are open seasonally, and I believe they close around Columbus Day. Early October is an ideal time to go, since it starts to cool down a bit, but you can still walk on the beach and go "seashelling" which is lots of fun there.

Hotels:
The hotels in the Outer Banks are not good value. I chose the Days Inn because it got fairly good reviews. I thought it was fine, but my husband thought it was a little too funky. Breakfast is included in a claustrophobic room, so I would try to get there right when they start serving. The beach is right behind the Inn, so it's fun to take a sunset walk.

Food:
The restaurants in the area are really highly priced. One of the hotel managers told us that restaurants up their prices to make up for being open only seasonally. The first night, we ate en route, the second night we had some marginal fish at a marginal restaurant, and the third night, I convinced my husband to eat baked chicken and some veggies from Publix, which is right near the hotel. We also picked up turkey and bagels for lunch from Publix, and we got ice from the hotel to keep it cool in the car until lunch time.

Hope that helps.

Dukey1

Well I have to disagree with California Lady is terms of exactly where you end up staying on the Banks. Nags Head, for example is NOT "quiet at night" by any means amd there are a LOT of places to eat just in that section. In terms of where to stay there are numerous rental agencies for houses. Now, if you go south to say Avon (or at least to Rodanthe/Waves/Salvo) or even further down to Hatteras Village and beyond that to Ocracoke the whole situation changes drastically. Same thing with north toward Corolla Light. You might want to do some more research

Bobmrg

Off topic, but this thread really takes me back. In 1947, when I was stationed at Little Kinakeet Lifeboat Station, there were no roads, no electricity other than what generators provided, and the nearest restaurant was in Manteo. Mail trucks used to depart from Hatteras and Manteo, drive on the hard-packed sand close to the water, and meet in the middle to swap loads. The only telephone line was the one that connected the Coast Guard stations. I don't miss it a bit.

CaliforniaLady

Dukey1 - Everyone has a different perspective in terms of "quietness," but suffice it to say that the restaurant we dined at closed at 8 PM, and the surrounding ones closed at 9 PM. Yes, there were indeed many restaurants around, but I found them overpriced with boring menus. I would go to OBX for nature and history, but not for gourmet restaurants and evening entertainment.

I forgot to mention to the OP that the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse has an informative museum, with a great exhibit on German U Boats that were lurking around the area.