The Outer Banks is out of this world!
Written: Aug 14 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great beaches, great restaurants, very relaxing
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: The Outer Banks is now my favorite local beach area because it is not as commercial and crowded as the other beaches and still has lots to offer.
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| tracer1's Full Review: North Carolina |
When I was a kid growing up, our next door neighbor who was my age always talked about how his family was going to Nags Head (again) and I never really even knew where Nags Head was or where the Outer Banks was located. Years later my wife and I had a vacation week coming up and didn't know what we were going to do, so I went where I always go in times of need...the internet. We had been to Ocean City, MD and wanted to be close to the beach, but possibly somewhere neither of us had been. Several people I work with said they vacationed in Duck, NC. Thus, I started searching for bed and breakfasts and info on the area. Sooo this is the outer banks my next door neighbor talked about....I was intrigued. After searching the net, I came upon a website advertising a quaint bed and breakfast in Wanchese which is on Roanoke Island just a few minutes from Nags Head.
Lodging
This began our journey into a very relaxing, entertaining, and terrific vacation in the Outer Banks. The Island House of Wanchese is owned by Roy and Jeanne Green. Their website at www.islandhouse-bb.com shows pictures of the Inn and tells lots of valuable information. It is located about 5 minutes from the southern end of Nags Head and is easy to find. Upon arriving, we were informed that we were being upgraded to a bigger room because the previous "guests" who had our room had spilled some wine on the carpet and they were working to clean it. Jeanne told us that the upgrade would be at no cost. What really impressed me about the Island House was how inexpensive the room rates were. From May 16-September 14 which is peak season, the rooms are $89-$145 per night. We stayed in Lexi's room which normally would be $125, but we were charged the $99 per night rate for the room we were to stay in which was Zena's room.
As soon as you walk into the Inn you can't help but notice the antiques and seashells all around. Roy is a collector or Coca-Cola memorablia and Jeanne has lots of nice displays of seashells all around the house. The Inn has four bedrooms and one suite. All the rooms have central air conditioning, cable television, and radios for the guests. The rooms do not have phones, but Jeanne is good to explain that the phone in the kitchen is for public use for local or credit card calls. Also for the guests the innkeepers have provided a hot tub, beach chairs, and beach towels. This was nice as we did not think to bring beach chairs and did not really want to go through the hassle of renting them.
We stayed at the Island House of Wanchese for 3 days and each morning was greeted with a yummy breakfast and good conversation with one or both of the innkeepers. Breakfast varies daily, but there is always plenty for all...not like a continental breakfast you sometimes find. We had scrambled eggs and bacon one day, French Toast another and yummy blueberry pancakes a 3rd day. Coffee and fruit and other small treats are also served with each breakfast. Jeanne and Roy were extremely nice to talk to and gave us tips on where to eat, what to do, etc. It was at one of these breakfasts that we learned that the innkeepers breed white, west highland terriers. Also all their rooms are named after their terriers which we found quite amusing.
Good Eats!
The innkeepers recommended a local restaurant to eat called The Fisherman's Wharf located about 5 miles away on the south end of Roanoake Island. We were told not to judge the outside because it didn't look like much at first. Sure enough, when we got there we learned it is a true fishing wharf of the Wanchese Harbor. The smell on the outside was not that great but when we went in we could tell it was a favorite as it was crowded. We did not have to wait long however, and were seated with a nice view overlooking the harbor. The prices at this restaurant are really reasonable. Appetizers range from $4.95 for simple onion rings to $7.95 for crab and shrimp dip We did not get appetizers as we wanted to order yummy seafood entree. After all you have to order seafood at a fisherman's wharf (though steaks, pasta, and chicken are also offered). We both ordered the Fisherman's Wharf Seafood Platter. This was a fried assortment of the catch of the day, which was flounder, shrimp, scallops, oysters, soft shell crab, and clam strips for $17.25. This was the most expensive entree but well worth it!! Other entrees were all in the $14.95-$15.95 price range. Steaks are also offered for around $15.00 and they even have a childrens menu where all items are $5.95 or less. The only thing some people might think is a negative is the Fisherman's Wharf does not sell alcoholic drinks. We learned from the innkeepers that the reason why is it is family owned and as per tradition the owners do not with to serve alcoholic drinks. Luckily we aren't big drinkers any, so the ice tea for only $1.00 was satisfying for us!
Other restaurants we went to in the Nags Head area included Tale of the Whale and The Fisherman's Oasis.
Tale of the Whale is also very good. I got the Mediterranean Seafood which is a combination of shrimp, scallops, and jumbo crab meat sauteed with Mediterranean sauce and topped with feta cheese, all seasoned and served over pasta. This cost less than $20.00 and I had plenty left over for lunch the next day. Also, the Inn has a small refrigerator for guests who like me, have some leftovers or snacks. The Fisherman's Oasis is just a little ways from Tale of the Whale, and here I ordered a delicious 14 oz prime rib dinner for $14.95. We did not like the service at The fisherman's Oasis however. We arrived around 4:30pm which is when you receive an early bird discount, so there was only one other couple there besides us. It took forever for the waitress to come, then she messed up our order, and finally brought our check to us while my wife was still eating. We had to flag her down to ask if we could have dessert. I don't know if this was a one time incident, but the other restaurants would welcome our return visits next year.
The Beach and Entertainment
Overall Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills have very nice beaches we thought. We went in mid July and it was not overly crowded. We always were able to find parking places no matter what time of day we went. I do wish they had more changing stations located on the beach however. While we were there we visited Kitty Hawk where the Wright Brothers made the first successful attempts at flight. The entrance fee is only $2.00 per vehicle, and is very interesting to visit. Also one night we went to Peppercorns Restaurant at the Ramada Inn where they have a Comedy Club nightly. The night we went they had a hillarious hypnotist to entertain the audience. I had also brought my fishing gear to try a little surf fishing while I was in Nags Head, however I learned that the locals weren't catching much, so I decided to just do the siteseeing/tourist bit this time.
I wish I had discovered the Outer Banks years ago. We are already making plans for a return visit soon next year and possibly for a week. This is a great area for an inexpensive, non crowded and relaxing vacation for the entire family!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
tracer1
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Member: trace
Location: baltimore, maryland
Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 12 members
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