Outer Banks vacation for couple (not family)?
 

We've always rented at the Maryland or Delaware beaches (several times at Kiawah also), but thought it might be pleasant to try the Outer Banks this summer. In my initial research, however, it looks as if the OB are a place only for large groups, i.e. there are just houses to rent, no one or two bedroom condos? Is this correct? Do couples not vacation there alone?
Thanks for info!

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Duck, and loved it. I'm sure there are condos available, try one of the rental companies or cyberrentals.com, craigslist outer banks, or VRBO. Duck & Corolla are more upscale, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, & Kill Devil Hills are not as upscale.

I've stayed in a one-bedroom condo in Duck, so I know they exist.

I've also stayed at motels in Nags Head and Kitty Hawk. So yes, there are plenty of options for couples in the OBX.

There are lots of condos - just visit any of the online rental sites - we stayed at a very nice two bedroom condo on the beach in South Nags Head years ago - I don't recall the name but it was quite nice.

We've since started staying on the Northern Beaches - renting houses - if you go during the off-season you can get a nice house for the same price as a condo.

Brindly Beach Realtors and Corolla Vacations are two good ones for the Northern Beaches.

My husband and I don't have kids, and go to OBX every year at least once. There are definitely many one and two bedroom condos available for rent.

I suggest you decide whether you want to be on the Northern or Southern part of the Outer banks, then contact the rental companies for those areas. If the budget allows, I recommend getting an oceanfront condo - the views are great. You will also want to ask if the laundry is in the condo or in a shared laundry room for the entire complex - we've had both.

By "north" I mean north of the Oregon Inlet Bridge. In the "center of the OBX are Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk. North of them are towns like Southern Shores, Duck, Pine Harbor, Corolla.

"south" is Hatteras Island (towns like Waves, Salvo, Rodanthe, Avon, Frisco, Buxton, Hatteras) and Okracoke Island(which is accessible only by ferry.)

It would probably take about 4 hours to drive from the most northern area of Corolla to the most sourthern part of Okracoke, so the decision about where to stay depends larely on how much moving around you want to do.

The northern part has many more restaurants and shops and visitor atractions. We loved trying to hang-glide at Jockey's Ridge. And we love sailing Hobie Cats from Nor Banks Sailing in Duck. We've stayed in Duck in the Barrier Island complex and liked it - those are all condos. I've worked with Sun Realty in that area and could recommend them.

The southern towns are very small and are dotted along the National Seashore and Wildlife Refuges. Very long stretches of totally undeveloped beaches and marches on the sound side. If you want to be able to walk on the beach and not see other folks, the south has many many opportunities for that. And there isn't much to do other than sit on the beach, fish, wind surf - no bars, very little live music. It's a great place to sit on the beach with a book. It's very quient - wich some people find delightful and others find boring. There are very few beaches with lifeguards if that is important to you. We've stayed in Avon at the Islander condos and liked them. I've worked with Hatteras Realty there and would recommend them.

I've never stayed on Okracoke, just made day trips there, but it's really charming, and I could easily see renting a place there and having a great time. But Okracoke and Corolla share one thing - they are at the southern and northern ends (respectively) of the Outer Banks, so if you want to visit lots of places, I wouldn't choose them. But if you just want to hang out on the beach, any of the towns will do.

Enjoy!

I first visted OBX in mid-1970's and have gone back many times since. Development really began in 1980's, before then there were just individual beach houses not planned communities. The houses built in the 1980's were reasonable in size, mainly 3 and 4 bedrooms. However, over past 10 years everything built is a "McMansion" with rarely less than 6 bedrooms and frequently 10 or more. Sadly, the recent trend has been to knock down the old homes, meaning those built in the 1980's and replace them with mansions (especially for the oceanfront lots). That said it is still posible to find 2 or 3 bedroom houses, particularly in Duck.