Ocean Pines Resort

We felt safe here, and the family-friendly atmosphere was lovely. The rooms were clean, comfortable, and well built, and the staff were phenomenal. They went out of their way to help us and were especially sweet with our little girl. The setting is beautiful, with the beach at one end and the Sound visible at the other. Duck’s adorable shops are close by, and we liked the beach access, activities area, pool, and the swings among the trees. We didn’t swim this time, though the pool looked very clean. This is going to be our family’s go-to for Outer Banks vacations.

The view was everything I’d hoped for and more, looking over the dunes to the ocean. Our December trip was for our anniversary, and I’d love to make it an annual tradition. The updated room was spacious, with two bedrooms, one with two twin beds and one with a king, plus two bathrooms. There was also a dining room with a fireplace, a fully equipped kitchen, a living room, and balcony access from both the living room and bedroom. Important, there are LOTS OF STEPS!!!

There was a strong mold smell as soon as we checked in. My chest started hurting, and within 20 minutes my significant other was congested and coughing. The office offered to move us, but the available place was booked for the following day, so we’d have to move again. We accepted and switched from a house to a condo, hoping the smell would be better. It was just as bad. Looking around, I found what looked like black mold throughout the HVAC, covering every vent. We had no choice but to stay the night. It was late, and we were all tired from the drive, so I opened everything up and turned off the AC, hoping we wouldn’t get sick. The next day the new place still reeked. I wasn’t willing to risk my family’s health, so we cancelled the rest of the trip. If you have asthma or allergies, steer clear. Even without those conditions, black mold is nothing to mess with.

These apartments have a lot of potential, but they’re badly maintained, very outdated, and the management was terrible. They’re up for sale, so I guess the owners don’t care. We’d driven 16 hours and planned to split the trip over two days, but called ahead to ask about checking in a day early so we could drive straight through. They told us to come ahead and comped the first night, which sounded great. We arrived at 10:30 p.m. to a place that wasn’t oceanfront as it was supposed to be, and hadn’t been cleaned after the previous guest. We called the after-hours number several times without getting a call back. We had no choice but to spend the night on concrete couches, trying not to touch anything. Early the next morning, a man came by and apologized. He handed my husband keys to what he called “our best unit and view of the ocean.” We started loading up to move, trying to make the best of it, but he came back and swapped the keys for another set. The oceanfront unit we ended up in faced the back of the dunes. It was dirty and smelled bad, so we had to buy Febreze and plug-in air fresheners. The indoor pool and hot tub were out of order and inaccessible the whole trip, and the grounds were dirty and unkempt. There’s potential here, and I hope new owners take it on and see that.