By: LeftField11
11/8/2008 5:18 PM
Good morning to all, and kudos on your very active board. I've found that people that are knowledgeable/fanatical/nuts enough about something to have 100s and 1000s of posts are generally a pretty good source of information :wink:. Message boards/forums are one of the best sources of information for anything I'm doing, and I have been involved with several for a while although.
A little background on my outer banks experience: I'm from south central PA and I've taken my family (myself, wife, 4 yo son, 2 yo daughter) to the outer banks for the past two years and we love it. We were OC, MD and Myrtle beach people before; we'll probably never vacation in those locations again. I don't know what took us so long to find the outer banks. The first year we stayed ocean front in Nags Head, last year we stayed ocean front in Pine Island. We liked both areas for different reasons, but I'm thinking about trying the Hatteras area this year just to get a taste of that area.
Any advice on areas to look at or to avoid in the Hatteras area? We typically don't run around a lot (no movies, malls), we do enough of that in our everyday lives. We like to just hang out at the house and relax but we do go out to dinner almost every night.
We go the week before memorial day (May 16-23, 2009) to get better rates and everything seems to still be pretty quiet. We've had a heated pool the last 2 years (at this time of year there isn't any point in having a pool if it isn't heated), but I'd give up the pool if we could walk off our back deck and be on the beach (no long boardwalk to the beach). I don't expect anyone to do a vacation search for me. I've been meticulously combing through all of the realty agencies list on the OBX Connections website for exactly what I'm looking for, but if anyone has some inside or local info on a place that might suit I'll list what I'm looking for below:
May 16,17 - 23,24
<$2500
3+ bedrooms, 2+ full baths
Option 1:
Ocean front - close enough to see the beach, preferably not behind a huge dune.
Heated pool
Option 2:
Ocean front - right on the beach, walk off the back porch/deck onto the sand.
No pool
Like I said, I don't expect people to find a house for me, but if you can point me towards where I might find something like this I'd appreciate.
Thanks for reading/replying.
LikeQuoteFlag
By: judyk
11/8/2008 5:30 PM
there are sveral rental outfits you can check with -- the ones that come to mind are hatteras realty, outerbeaches realty, surf or sound realty & midgett realty. we stay in avon, it is centrally located (kind of, anyway) on HI & close to Buxton, where we go to fish "the point."
i have used 2 of these firms in my 20+ years of visiting HI -- hatteras realty & outer beaches realty, so they are the only two i have first hand experience with -- both have always been very good to me & my family.
i would suggest going to either, or both, of their websites
[url]www.hatterasrealty.com[/url]
[url]www.outerbeaches.com[/url]
and search for vacation rentals there - the search feature allows you to type in the amenities & prices you want.
the other firms probably also perform the same way, but i have no hands-on experience with them.
good luck & have a wonderful vacation.
LikeQuoteFlag
By: MargaritaJack
11/8/2008 5:40 PM
Hello, I am also from Pa. We visited Hatteras for the first time this year. We ended up liking Hatteras Village the best. Biggest downside for us was the extra distance. Somehow, once we got on the island, the trip was so nice that that didn't matter. Each town seemed to have its own feel and each seemed very nice. Hatteras Village seemed just right for us. From what I know, I echo the comments on realty agencies to check with. You may want to add Sun to the list as well. Jack
LikeQuoteFlag
By: KathyM
11/8/2008 5:42 PM
I stayed in a brand new (I was the first renter) home in Rodanthe for that week last year. With the heated pool it was $1395. It was on the west side of the highway, but Rodanthe is very flat. We had a gorgeous ocean view from the front deck and the walk to the beach was about a city block. I use Surf or Sound. I've heard some negative things about them, but have never personally had a bad experience. You should be able to easily find and oceanfront house, even with a heated pool, for under $2500. HI is a quieter area. I'm like you. Once I get there, I only leave the house to go to the beach or out to eat. There aren't as many restaurants, but there are enough that you should be able to eat out happily. I highly recommend HI, if for no other reason than you should experience it before you decide what part of the outer banks you prefer. I tend to stay on HI most of the time, and go up to the four-wheel drive area north of Corolla about once every third year. I love both extremes, but I'm not crazy about the Nags Head/Kh/KDH area. It's just gotten to over developed for me. Good luck finding the perfect place.
LikeQuoteFlag
By: YMINIowa
11/8/2008 6:04 PM
[COLOR=royalblue]If you like to kick back and relax, Hatteras Village is the place for you. And, they have some great rentals, especially on South Beach Drive (across from the ferry docks) or the northern part of the village along Lighthouse Road.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#4169e1]Avoid nothing in Hatteras Village. There are wonderful restaurants - I recommend The Breakwater, Dinky's, Shrimp Shack and Sonny's. There are wonderful galleries and quirky little shops in the area. There are a number of marinas in HV - even if you don't fish, it's fun to walk the docks to see the day's catch![/COLOR] [COLOR=#4169e1]Be sure to ferry over to Ocraco*ke, even more *remote* than Hatteras. Renee is our resident Hatteras source. I'm sure she'll have more advice for you.[/COLOR] :smiley55:
LikeQuoteFlag
By: Dukey
11/8/2008 7:53 PM
Another possibility is Colony realty: [url]www.hatterasvacations.com[/url]
LikeQuoteFlag
By: LeftField11
11/8/2008 11:11 PM
Thanks for all the information. I think that I will start to concentrate my search in Hatteras, it seems like there are a lot of nice places there.
LikeQuoteFlag
By: SMB
11/9/2008 12:11 AM
Another agency with lots of houses on Hatteras Island would be [URL="Click to follow link..."]www.midgettrealty.com[/URL].
LikeQuoteFlag
By: Renee
11/9/2008 7:52 PM
Midgett especially has a lot of rental in Hatteras Village. For the past 25+ years I have stayed somewhere between Frisco and Hatteras. Well, in the winter we stay in Avon. If there are any specific questions you might have, please feel free to ask. Or any specific streets/houses etc...
LikeQuoteFlag
By: hoi toide
11/9/2008 8:26 PM
LeftField11- welcome & hoi! If it were me i might ask "MargaritaJack" about his cottage in HV. Besides the enticing Margarita thing, that is a v. nice beach...maybe even the nicest on the OB, IMO. None of that horrid lugging stuff like a camel over double dunes or "long boardwalks." You'd be in walking/biking distance of Oden's Dock & The Breakwater. [URL]Click to follow link...[/URL] :fish::fish: Sublime entertainment when the boats come in at 4-5pm & Risky Business is right there for those who don't feel like cookin/catchin or dining out, but would like to kick back at the cottage w/ some fine seafood. Dang, i gotta get there ASAP...:smiley48:
LikeQuoteFlag
By: YMINIowa
11/9/2008 8:48 PM
[COLOR=royalblue]If you do rent a cottage with a pool through Midgette, check the availability of the pool - they have a very short pool season. (Grrr ... now I'm p!$$ed off all over again.)[/COLOR] :smiley55:
LikeQuoteFlag
By: LeftField11
11/9/2008 10:25 PM
[COLOR=royalblue]If you do rent a cottage with a pool through Midgette, check the availability of the pool - they have a very short pool season. (Grrr ... now I'm p!$$ed off all over again.)[/COLOR]:smiley55:
Thanks, that the kind of info I'm looking for because I'm seeing a lot of potential houses at Midgett, including Jack's. Midgett hasn't posted 2009 prices yet, so I may ended up calling them this week.
Thanks again for all the replies.
LikeQuoteFlag
By: KathyM
11/9/2008 11:07 PM
Hatteras Realty has posted 2009 prices, and I think that Outer Beaches has, too. Surf or Sound hasn't posted them yet. I can tell you for sure that if you can stand the uncertainty, both Surf or Sound and Hatteras will offer the home at pretty nice discounts if you wait until a month or two before you're planning to go. If you really want oceanfront, you probably ought to book sooner, but if you just want a nice house with a heated pool, you'll save $300 - $600 by waiting. I go down in May, and I always wait until the last minute. I haven't been disappointed yet.
LikeQuoteFlag
By: LeftField11
11/10/2008 12:41 AM
Hatteras Realty has posted 2009 prices, and I think that Outer Beaches has, too. Surf or Sound hasn't posted them yet. I can tell you for sure that if you can stand the uncertainty, both Surf or Sound and Hatteras will offer the home at pretty nice discounts if you wait until a month or two before you're planning to go. If you really want oceanfront, you probably ought to book sooner, but if you just want a nice house with a heated pool, you'll save $300 - $600 by waiting. I go down in May, and I always wait until the last minute. I haven't been disappointed yet.
You know I was thinking about this, especially with the current state of the economy. I guess rental companies could be slashing prices in the spring.
There are couple reasons this makes me a little uneasy. First, I'm looking for something pretty specific - ocean front, close to the beach, heated pool. I'm worried that if I wait for a last-minute special I might not get exactly what I want. Second, my parents are coming with us for their first trip ever to the Outer Banks. I don't want to have to settle on a place that is anything less than the absolute nicest we can find, I want their first trip to be as nice as possible, especially since they're splitting the cost :smile9: But I guess the other side of that coin is that we could get an even nicer place in our price range if we wait.
Hmmm. . . . I'll think about it for a while.
LikeQuoteFlag
By: its all about the sh
11/13/2008 2:12 PM
If this helps The first picture was taken from Our upper deck at the house we had in Frisco in June. There is only one small dune to cross and it has an oceanfront pool. The second picture is from the beack looking back at the house. The beach is wide there and the surf is a lot gentler there.
LikeQuoteFlag
By: PaulfromMD
11/13/2008 3:25 PM
Ish is going to LOVE your second picture, Shells
LikeQuoteFlag
By: frecklesVA
11/13/2008 3:55 PM
My husband & I stayed in this house the first time I visited Rodanthe back in 2003: [URL]Click to follow link...[/URL] The house is right on the beach. They have added the pool since we stayed there in 2003. They house is very nice. My husband has been going to the OBX since he was a kid. We LOVE Rodanthe! Good Luck! and Welcome to RT 12 South!!! 
LikeQuoteFlag
By: its all about the sh
11/13/2008 5:28 PM
Ish is going to LOVE your second picture, Shells
ya well, I'm NOT in it :roflmao: and the ones who are.....well.....they're much much too young.........
LikeQuoteFlag
By: LeftField11
11/15/2008 3:07 PM
If this helps The first picture was taken from Our upper deck at the house we had in Frisco in June. There is only one small dune to cross and it has an oceanfront pool. The second picture is from the beack looking back at the house. The beach is wide there and the surf is a lot gentler there.
Thanks. That is what I'm looking for. Who did you rent through?
frecklesVA, that house would work too, but it's currently not available the week we're planning on going.
I'm going to wait until after Dec 1st at least to see if any of the pre-reserved places open up.
On a different, but somewhat related note, I didn't realize that Hatteras was so far away from Kitty Hawk. Google maps is telling me that it's 2 hours and 50 minutes from Kitty Hawk. Is that accurate? I think we're still going to look in Hatteras, but another 3 hours in the car is significant with a 2 yo and a 4 yo.
LikeQuoteFlag
By: judyk
11/15/2008 3:15 PM
hatteras village is the southernmost tip of hatteras island & sorry, but, yep, the 2 hr. 50 min. sounds about right, unless you are driving over the speedlimit (not reccommended) -- highway 12 is also 1 lane (well, 1 lane in each direction), so if you get behind something slow.......
not trying to discourage you, but it is a bit of a drive from KH. just making you aware
pretty lil villages along the way, if you need to stop & do something to keep the kids from going bonkers, but i have traveled with lil kids too & know that sometimes, after a lengthy trip you just wanna BE there!
LikeQuoteFlag
By: MargaritaJack
11/15/2008 3:38 PM
hatteras village is the southernmost tip of hatteras island & sorry, but, yep, the 2 hr. 50 min. sounds about right, unless you are driving over the speedlimit (not reccommended) -- highway 12 is also 1 lane (well, 1 lane in each direction), so if you get behind something slow.......not trying to discourage you, but it is a bit of a drive from KH. just making you awarepretty lil villages along the way, if you need to stop & do something to keep the kids from going bonkers, but i have traveled with lil kids too & know that sometimes, after a lengthy trip you just wanna BE there!
I don't think that time is correct. I think without stops and traffic its about an hour and a half from Kitty Hawk. I've only driven it 4 or 5 times, but I think its about 45 minutes to Rodanthe and another 45 minutes to Hatteras Village. Jack
LikeQuoteFlag
By: LeftField11
11/15/2008 3:43 PM
I don't think that time is correct.I think without stops and traffic its about an hour and a half from Kitty Hawk.
I've only driven it 4 or 5 times, but I think its about 45 minutes to Rodanthe and another 45 minutes to Hatteras Village.
Jack
Jack, that's more along the lines of what I was thinking. But I've never driven it so I have no idea. You asked me once where in PA I'm from and I don't think I ever answered you. I'm from Chambersburg. I see that you're from York so we're about an hour apart.
LikeQuoteFlag
By: judyk
11/15/2008 3:49 PM
I don't think that time is correct.I think without stops and traffic its about an hour and a half from Kitty Hawk.
I've only driven it 4 or 5 times, but I think its about 45 minutes to Rodanthe and another 45 minutes to Hatteras Village.
Jack
i stand corrected. maybe its because we do stop at several locations along the way.
never actually timed the drive from kitty hawk to hatteras, since we stay in avon.
when i shop in hatteras, the drive from avon to hatteras is about 30 minutes.
sorry to have mislead you LF11
LikeQuoteFlag
By: hoi toide
11/15/2008 3:56 PM
At one point in my life i was commuting from KDH to HV each Thursday around noon & back on Sunday, late in the PM. The trip never exceded 90 minutes one way & yes, it was high season...July- Sept. And no, i don't speed. If you relax & accept your fate behind some RV doing 40/45mph it really doesn't make a huge difference, IMO. I even took out my backseat & kept a single matteras in case i got tired one late night...only used it once & the skeeters moved in at some point in the wee hours after informing all their friends in the Waves vicinity that some idiot was trying to sleep w/out skeeter netting. HV is just a whole other world, highly recommend it!! :smiley16:
LikeQuoteFlag
By: MargaritaJack
11/15/2008 4:04 PM
i stand corrected. maybe its because we do stop at several locations along the way.never actually timed the drive from kitty hawk to hatteras, since we stay in avon.when i shop in hatteras, the drive from avon to hatteras is about 30 minutes. sorry to have mislead you LF11
I used to be concerned about the distance to Hatteras as compared to other areas on the Outer Banks. What I found is that once I get to Kitty Hawk, my internal clock changes. I love the OBX so much that the extra time is not important. Then, when I get to Rodanthe, it changes again. Hatteras Island feels so good to me that I enjoy every minute of that home stretch. By the time I get to the Hatteras Lighthouse all thats left is the anticipation. I like all of Hatteras Island, but Hatteras Village is the place for us. Jack
LikeQuoteFlag
