THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 25, 1994 TAG: 9409240045
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHRIS KIDDER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 117 lines
IF YOU COME to the Outer Banks in autumn, you'll never want to leave. September, October and even days in November and December can be everything summer should be.
Autumn air on the barrier islands is warm, not muggy. Daytime skies are sunny, not blinding; night skies dazzle. The ocean can be warm enough for a refreshing dip. The beaches beg to be walked.
Imagine falling asleep to the soothing song of waves and waking in sweet salt air to a southern sun rising golden from a blue, blue sea. You can do it. Really. In autumn, the beach is yours and the price is right.
Consider this: A seaside house. Private. So gorgeous, so perfectly furnished, that it surpasses your most exacting dream of comfort and convenience. There's a hot tub on the deck and, if you choose, a swimming pool in the yard. It rents for more than $4,000 a week during the summer, just $1,500 after today.
To make the proposition even more affordable, split the rent with family or friends. The house has two master bedroom suites, four other bedrooms and four full bathrooms. There's plenty of room for everyone.
At the other end of the rental scene, fall rental rates on basic three-bedroom, two-bath beach cottages a block or two from the ocean can be $350 or less.
The possibilities for renting a vacation home are almost endless: Soundfront, dockside, between the highways, on a golf course, ocean view, in the woods.
Most real estate companies are accommodating. Many offer optional linen services. Rental representatives can hook you up with people who will shop, cook, serve or clean. And they'll book shorter stays.
If you want the spacious freedom of a home away from home, renting a vacation cottage is the way to go.
But there are other options. You'll find accommodations at the area's hotels, motels, inns, cottage courts and bed-and-breakfast houses discounted 25 to 40 percent after September.
The choices are no less tempting. Available amenities include indoor and outdoor pools, health clubs and racquetball courts, marinas, golf privileges and fishing piers.
You can choose the secluded upscale oceanfront at Sanderling, the bustling strip at Kill Devil Hills, Hatteras Island's village ambience or the quiet history of Roanoke and Ocracoke islands.
You'll find hotels with room service, inns with four-star dining and places with kitchenettes. You'll find national chain dependability and mom 'n' pop hospitality.
Whether you choose a vacation cottage or motel room, one with every possible amenity or one with just the basics; whether it's old, new, waterfront, AAA-rated or just like home, autumn on the Outer Banks is a beautiful bargain. ILLUSTRATION: Map
STAFF
THE OUTER BANKS
Graphic
WHERE TO STAY
For a complete listing of Outer Banks accommodations, call the
Dare County Tourist Bureau, (800) 446-6262, and request its free
Vacation Guide. The guide lists vacation cottage rental companies,
hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfast inns - and much more - on the Dare
and Currituck county beaches and Ocracoke Island.
Another good resource is the ``1994 Insiders' Guide to the Outer
Banks'' (Insiders' Guides Inc., paperback, $12.95) available at
bookstores.
Best bets for luxury vacation cottage rentals with private
swimming pools:
B&B on the Beach, (800) 962-0201 (Corolla and other Currituck
beach resorts)
R&R Resort Rentals, (800) 433-8805 (Southern Shores to Corolla)
Kitty Hawk Rentals, (800) 635-1559 (from Corolla to Nags Head)
Village Realty, (800) 548-9688, (Village at Nags Head)
Best bets for special fall packages at motels and inns (rates
quoted are for two people, per night, unless otherwise noted):
Sanderling Inn Resort, oceanfront north of Duck, (800) 701-4111.
Off-season rates: $110 to $275, includes continental breakfast,
afternoon tea, swimming pools, health club. On-site restaurant; room
service. Fall Fling Package (through Nov. 15): 3 days/2 nights/1
dinner plus a 2-hour catamaran cruise on the Currituck Sound, $300
and up (Sunday-Thursday nights only).
Ramada Inn, oceanfront at Kill Devil Hills, (800) 635-1824. Fall
rates: $59 to $109, includes indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi. On-site
restaurant; room service. Off-season rates (after Oct. 22): $49 to
$89. Call for Bed & Breakfast Package details.
Carolinian Hotel, oceanfront at Nags Head, (800) 852-0756.
Off-season rates: $40-$45. Restaurant on site. Fall Package: 3
days/2 nights/2 continental breakfasts and 1 dinner, $99.95 (extra
for ocean view room).
First Colony Inn, at Nags Head with ocean and sound views, (800)
368-9390. Fall rates: $100 to $150, includes continental breakfast
and afternoon tea, swimming pool. Off-season rates (after Oct. 29):
$60 to $125. Holiday Herbs Weekend, Nov. 18-20: Holiday decoration
workshop by Kathy Chain, owner of Herbs of Happy Hill in Virginia.
$40-per-person registration includes Saturday lunch.
Elizabethan Inn, Roanoke Island, (800) 346-2466. Fall rates:
$39.95 to $59.95, includes use of indoor swimming pool and health
club. Racquetball court. On-site restaurant. Fall Getaway: 3 days/2
nights/1 breakfast and dinner, $119.00. Thanksgiving Getaway: Call
for details.
Castaways Inn, oceanfront at Avon, (800) 845-6070. October rates:
$58, includes full breakfast, indoor pool and Jacuzzi. On-site
restaurant; room service. November rates: $48. Thanksgiving Package:
Continental breakfast, full Thanksgiving dinner buffet, call for
price.
Island Inn, Ocracoke Village, (919) 928-4351. Fall rates (through
November): $52, includes free coffee at breakfast and 10 percent off
dinners at the on-site restaurant. Heated outdoor pool open as
weather permits. Bed & Breakfast Package (available December through
March): $54 includes full breakfast, 10 percent off dinners.
by CNB