OBX 1st timers need help

I%26#39;ve looked at so many websites, my eyes are crossed. We are planning a trip to OBX for the first time this summer. From what I%26#39;ve read, there are some nice ';sound'; beaches, but where should we stay to have easy access to those, PLUS things to do at night? We are a group of 15 ranging from age 2 - 65. We need at least 6 - 7 bedrooms and a private pool. Thanks for any help you can give me!

OBX 1st timers need help

The sound side would be less expensive than staying on the beach side with just as many beautiful homes to choose from so it depends on what you%26#39;re looking for. We stayed on the beach side in Corolla to be in walking distance to the beach. The Corolla and Duck areas are our favorites - beautiful homes and shopping/movies/spas were very close. We used Rentalo which worked for us because we could ';talk'; directly with the home owner. We were able to get answers to specific questions and he even sent us more pictures.

We%26#39;re using Twiddy.com this year simply because we%26#39;re a bigger group (17 of us). Last time we were a group of 13 and there were many choices for a 6 bedroom house. We booked early though because the ';good ones'; usually get taken a year ahead of time.

Things to do at night...you got me there! Going out to dinner or a movie I guess. Hanging out in the hot tub, or taking in the stars on the balcony while watching the fireworks on the beach and some good conversation with the adults in the group was enough for us - while the kids played hide and seek in the house. Have fun!

Sleep Inn near Casino in Cherokee, NC

Hi,

Planning a short trip to Cherokee, NC and was going

to stay at the Sleep Inn about a mile from Harrahs

Casino. Has anyone stayed there, and if so, how are

the rooms? Have enough points to stay there free for

3 days. Thanks.

Carol

Sleep Inn near Casino in Cherokee, NC

Haven%26#39;t stayed at that one...but I%26#39;ve never stayed in a bad Sleep Inn. They are all about the same ( I always think about those little round showers they have LOL). They are just plain, economical sleeping accommodations. I%26#39;ve stayed at the Comfort Inn in Cherokee- quite nice. With a free room, what would keep you away ( except maybe cockroaches carrying the bed around the room! LOL)? Have a great trip.

Travel weather/driving conditions Mid-March & tourist info

We%26#39;re looking to travel March 18-21 (limited by Bubba%26#39;s high school break). It%26#39;s been eons since I%26#39;ve been to Wilmington and thought this might be the perfect time to return. We%26#39;ll be driving down and I%26#39;m hoping there won%26#39;t be any freak snow storms then! Is black ice generally a problem at that time?

Is the USS N Carolina still open? Fort Fisher? It%26#39;s probably way too soon for camelliaa/azaleas, but are there public gardens / horticultural grounds / off beat museums / historic houses/work places? (the major art and science museums just won%26#39;t get enough time for a really good visit this time around) If Bubba wanted to see some basketball, how easy is it to get tickets (pro or college)?

We would probably be staying outside the city itself and venturing in to see the sights. Bubba and I eat just about anything but fish, Hubby is more a plain pork chop / ham / breakfast food guy (we%26#39;ll be hitting every Waffle House...)so any info on steak/chop houses or barbecue places with straight ham would be appreciated.

Travel weather/driving conditions Mid-March %26amp; tourist info

in march you are as likely to have black ice as 70 degree days so it%26#39;s impossoble to predict. the water will be cold though, rest assured of that. i hope you have plenty of sunshine and you enjoy your safe trip. wish i could help about b%26#39;ball in the area but only know it%26#39;s a long way to any pro temas areans.

Travel weather/driving conditions Mid-March %26amp; tourist info

You shouldn%26#39;t have any trouble with snow/ice then, but we%26#39;re supposed to be 80 today and back to 40 by Sunday, so who knows with the weather!! The Battleship is still open as is Fort Fisher. I would highly recommend the aquarium at Fort Fisher as well. Orton Plantation will probably have some blooms by then and depending on the weather, you may get to see lots of azaleas. Basketball may be harder to come by then as it will be during the NCAA tournament. There are first round games in Raleigh at the RBC Center, but depending on if some of the more local teams are playing, tickets will be hard to come by.

Cabin Rentals

Hi,

We%26#39;re planning a small family reunion in the Asheville area sometime in March. We%26#39;ve done this in the Blue Ridge Mountains previously. There will be 6 adults and two children, so we%26#39;re looking to rent a good sized cabin that is within 45 minutes to Asheville.

I%26#39;ve had a hard time finding anything that actually resembles a cabin (not a regular house) in the mountains. Does anyone know of anything or have any suggestions?

Thank you!

Cabin Rentals

I was just looking at this place today:

http://www.frenchbroadcabin.com/

about 25 minutes from A%26#39;Ville. Lots of cabins on Madison County%26#39;s tourism website.

Best wishes.

Cabin Rentals

Also - have you tried www.cabins.com?

black eyed bean salad

Pay a deposit or the damage fee?

Hi,

I am wondering if anyone has opinions on if it is better to pay the $50 or so damage fee upfront so if anything goes wrong it%26#39;s covered, or to do the $200 or so deposit that you get back.

Thanks!

Pay a deposit or the damage fee?

I prefer to pay no fee at all! I have been renting on Cape Cod for many many years and never had to pay a deposit or fee. It’s always on the honor system. All of these fees associated with OBX rentals were new to me. Warm water has its price but it’s worth it!

But since that is not an option and doesn’t answer your question, I will give you my two cents worth. I always choose to pay the waiver fee and some rental companies will even waive that as a promotional perk if you book far enough ahead. My reasoning is why tie up a big chunk of my money for a long time? While it can vary, you usually do not get your deposit back until well after your vacation is over. While accidents can happen, being waived will cover most normal type incidents. They got you coming or going, so in my opinion the $50 waiver is small price for less headaches and keeps the bigger money in my account gaining interest, not theirs.

Pay a deposit or the damage fee?

I don%26#39;t know of any other state that has what NC has...the North Carolina Vacation Rental Act. (Not that there aren%26#39;t any; I just haven%26#39;t heard of any)An actual Act instituted by the General Assembly in...I think it was 1999. Don%26#39;t know for sure, but it is said it was the immense number of rentals in the mountains, sandhills and up and down the coast that precipitated this. That may be one reason why there seem to be more and more pages to the leases every year. The Act deals with all kinds of landlord/tenant issues. And, like anything, when you actually live through it you find where some of the issues could have been more tightly addressed. Here%26#39;s one of many sites for the act, including the links provided by many rental companies:

http://www.propex.com/C_ncstat_42a.htm

The damage fee. That should be damage insurance. You%26#39;re actually buying a very short term insurance policy. Percentage-wise $50 is a lot to pay per week for other types of insurance. And percentage-wise we think whoever figured this out is making a lot and yet providing a great service. Very smart.

When we first dealt with this choice several years ago, we did not have a security deposit option. We were not told there%26#39;d even be a security deposit. Only a %26#39;deposit%26#39; which was actually partial payment for the week. Then more was due. The Vacation Insurance and Damage Insurance were other options we could choose. (Vacation Insurance from some rental agencies is only activated in the event of evacuation and we like to make it our choice to leave before an actual evacuation order so we do something else on that.) We%26#39;ve taken the damage insurance every time.

The damage insurance. We walked into our first beautiful house after we opted for that insurance, complete with lots of things hanging on the wall and the first day one of our young ladies walked down the stairs - not running or stomping - and a picture fell. We just called the company and they said they%26#39;d take care of it. I can%26#39;t even remember if it broke but I do know we weren%26#39;t able to put it back up...so maybe something chipped. Either way what I do remember is how glad we all were with eight kids and several adults that we didn%26#39;t have to worry. I know some cover up to $3000 of accidental damage but others have different quirks from what I hear. So check what is covered.

Take the waiver. If damage is discovered the week they clean after you, it doesn%26#39;t matter if you didn%26#39;t break, you%26#39;d be blamed (how could they tell?). The waiver protects you best in that situation.

Thanks for your replies, I think I will just do the waiver, it%26#39;s easier and I won%26#39;t have to worry.

chap balm

House Rental and Town Questions...

Never been there before, looking for some advice... Will be driving there from No. VA area with two small children.

What town is best for quiet family beach areas but still with some night life and daytime things to do with the kids, and preferably fine dining (or finer than your average shore town).

Also, is there a particular rental website you can recommend for house rentals where I can search with different criteria, area, price, # of bedrooms, and other amenities?

House Rental and Town Questions...

There may be others who are not quite the “newbie” that I am that can tell you more but I did extensive research last year and I found Corolla to satisfy much of what you’re looking for. It’s less developed and congested than other towns like Duck. The beaches are wide and not overcrowded, the homes seem to be a little more spread out and there are things for kids, (with dining too) like the Timbuck II plaza. A relatively short ride farther south can get you to more “fine dining” without having to stay in a crowded area.

I used beachrealtync.com (kittyhawk rentals) and found the most reasonable rentals there. I’m already booked for next year and can’t wait.

One other tip, concentrate on Whalehead Beach in Corolla if you can find something there. It’s an awesome beach and a good neighborhood.

House Rental and Town Questions...

Most of the Outer Banks would be considered family beach area with some areas more quiet and isolated than others. The real questions are how quiet do you want it, what type of things do the kids like to do and how far do you want to travel to do these things?

When our kids were very young todlers, we stayed in the northern section of the Outer Banks (Duck, Corolla) when they got a little older we started staying in the Nags Head area mainly because there is more things to do. Now that the kids are a little older and don%26#39;t need to be entertained (well, not every second of the day) we stay closer to Hatteras or even further down the coast.

I have used several realty/rental companies and find them to be pretty much all the same. If you do a google search on ';Outer Banks vacation rentals'; you will get a number of agencies. Feel free to call them with any local questions you have. They are usually very helpful.

I completely agree with jmass%26#39; suggestions. Corolla is the best beach and surf for kids (softer sand and gentler slope into the water), but it%26#39;s not much on the nightlife for adults. You%26#39;d have to drive down 30 minutes to Nagshead area for much in the way of evening entertainment for adults.

Keep in mind that during the summer the drive from Corolla to Nags Head can easily be 45 minutes to 1 hour each way, depending on traffic.

The Corolla area is beautiful, and not very built up compared to the beaches in Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. Also, there are not as many things for children to do in Corolla. Kill Dvil Hills/Nags Head area has movies, bowling, go garts and mini gilf, etc. Both Duck and Corolla have some great places to eat, and also he are some good restaurants in Southern Shores.

I would say try South Nags Head. The drive to the activities will be shorter, and you will still have nice beaches.

You%26#39;re right, it%26#39;s more like 45 minutes down into Nagheads. But I forgot how much Corolla now has for kids. The Whalehead Club has a nature tour, free crabbing, and even an evening Ghost Tour on Thursday nights. The Currituck Lighthouse is very cool. And Tim Buck II has mini-golf, bumper cars, mini race cars (very nice), jet ski%26#39;s, kayak tours of the sound, paddle boats, para sailing, and tons of shopping.

Kure Beach or Oak Island

We are looking for a condo or a house to rent at one of these beaches. Does anyone know of a site to go to, to see rentals?

Kure Beach or Oak Island

oak island accomadations will help you we stay with them every year when we go to oak island they can be reached at www.rentalsatthebeach.com or phone them at 1-800-243-8132