The Sanderling

In a word: Yikes. In as many as Trip Advisor will allow: First off, I’ll give credit where credit is due and say the staff was friendly enough and the bed was comfortable. Now that I’m finished with the positives…My wife and I got married on a Friday, and we were so excited to spend a mini honeymoon on the OBX. When we booked the room we were asked if we were celebrating anything and obviously we wrote we would be coming down right after our wedding! When we arrived, two of our bank cards (from completely unrelated accounts) were declined and we were told we had to contact our bank. Welcome! After speaking to our bank, we went back insisting it was not our issue and sure enough one of their payment terminals doesn’t work properly and it was a known issue on their end. Then, after a rushed rundown of the very few “amenities” we were given our room. Not once in the entire process were we given so much as a “Congratulations!” We weren’t looking for free hand outs, but why even ask if there’s a special occasion if you aren’t going to do a single thing? I’ve worked in restaurants for 15 years and I’ve given away more to $100 birthday dinners. The entire place gives off a general sense of disrepair. The men’s room at the outside bar was insane. Cracked and empty paper towel holder, no soap, and the bar at the top of the door was literally ripped off the wall with 2+ years of rust damage and preventing the door from being opened properly. The bathroom was locked up before I could get a picture. What I have attached a picture of is the door latch to our back balcony, which room service LEFT OPEN on our second day. Don’t expect to feel safe here. Again, it’s only a $40/night resort fee what do you expect? Don’t worry though, through all this stress you can find comfort in an outdoor solo cup cocktail for the low price of $18-22. One of the weirdest parts was that multiple times that we would head out for a meal, there would be two staff members just standing at the door waiting to open it for us. Really feels like putting the cart before the horse, acting like they’re giving us white glove service meanwhile our thermostat is reading low battery and our back door can’t lock properly. A final word of warning. I spent 5 years of my restaurant career on the OBX, as well as personally dining all over the beach. I can honestly say that the health inspection score of the Lifesaving Station Restaurant on the property is the lowest I have ever seen, two whole points lower than the Kitty Hawk McDonald’s used to be before it was shut down. Dine at your own risk. I look forward to an AI generated response from the new GM, and I hope the time I’ve taken to write this will prevent anyone from making the same mistake we did.

The Sanderling has undergone a long overdue thorough renovation where the rooms and common areas have been completely transformed. The vibe is what I woould call "coastal elegant." The location is superb, right on the beach in Duck , on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We did a lot of walking around on the sound side nature trails and reading ion the second floor of the Beach House. There are also nce restaurants and bars on the property and pools and bikes available. Finally, the staff is very knowledgable and friendly.

I've heard about this resort for a long time so wanted to go. We went in mid October. Room rate was over $600 a night (but lower with one free night) for a king with a sofa and sitting area but facing the parking lot! Be sure to ask about your view. Rooms on the ocean side can't see the ocean on the first and second floors. Lovely room and hotel but significantly overpriced. On site restaurant, the Lighthouse, is a disappointment. Food is unique but quality is fair.

The location is beautiful and the property has plenty of charm. There is quite a bit of work to be done to give a recommendation. The room and windows were filthy, the shower pressure was inferior, and the screen doors and balconies were in disrepair. Also, the temperature is 10 degrees warmer on the third floor compared to the first. For the price, you expect more. The Lifesaving Station is an extremely poor restaurant. The food was decent, but waiting for your first coffee to arrive 20 minutes after you are seated is ridiculous. There are positives, such as a friendly staff, beautiful scenery, amazing location; however, they just couldn't outweigh the negatives. They really need to invest the crazy amount of money they are getting for the rooms back into the building.

Our stay at The Sanderling was a joint birthday celebration, and we enjoyed every minute! The facility was beautiful! The service was excellent! Our dinner at Theodosia was fabulous, and we had a wonderful view of the water!!! Thank you for making our birthdays so special!!!