We spent the past weekend getting away to the Outerbanks, North Carolina with the Sanderling Resort in Duck. We’ve stayed with resort many times; it’s the perfect place for couples and families alike. Each time we return, we bring someone new and its even better than the last.
We tend to visit the Outerbanks, or OBX, during the off season. Fall is incredibly busy for us, right into the hubbub of the holidays. We use the off season trips as a restorative weekend to get back to ourselves. My recommendation would be to visit in fall after Labor Day through Christmas. The week after Christmas tends to be unseasonable warm in the Outerbanks. When we arrived this Friday, it was 75 degrees. Unseasonable, indeed.
When we visit, we always stay with the Sanderling Resort. We’ve told so many people about the Sanderling at this point that we reached out to partner with them for this stay. Consider this your guide for how to escape to the Outerbanks in the off season.
Friday
Arrive at the Sanderling Resort and take a load off. Check in with the front desk after your drive in to resort. Have a snack while you unpack and decompress.
Then head down to the beach. The entrance is right behind the resort. Thankfully, Sanderling supplies chairs, towels, umbrellas and towels galore. Great for just spreading out. Or skip lounging on the beach and go for a pre-dinner walk.
Head to the Lifesaving Station, the on resort restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner -even during the off season. Lifesaving Station serves upscale, comfort food. I never need to read the menu to know that I’m having the short ribs. I would go out on a limb and say they are my favorite dinner meal. In the world. I had them a few years back and they are as Marcus says “a revelation”. Each year, they tweak the recipe but I always order it the way I first had it, with the polenta. Out of this world good.
Skip out on dessert and run to your room to snag your s’mores kit and a blanket from the foot of the bed. Each night at sunset, weather permitting, the Sanderling lights the fire pit. The fire pit is an opportunity to meet other folks staying at the resort. We make a new set of friends each night.
Saturday
Wake bright and early. Bundle up to have coffee in the lobby. None of the rooms have coffee makers in an effort to continue to foster community between the guess. If you are not a morning person, don’t worry. We bumped into several others in their pajamas. Head out to the beach right behind the resort to watch the sunrise. It’s a wondrous sight.
Head to the Lifesaving Station to warm up and have breakfast. The Outerbanks meal and the Duck hash are both out of this world.
If It’s Sunny
If it’s early in the season, head to Corolla for a wild horse tour. The wild horses are great (obviously I am bias here since I LOVE animals). If horses are not your thing, grab a bike from the resort and ride into the town which is a few short miles away. You also have the option of explore other areas of the Outerbanks like Currituck where you can tour the Whalehead Club, Currituck Lighthouse and the historical Village.
If It’s Rainy
Hang out in the second floor of Sanderling’s main building. Bring a book and plop down in front of the fireplace or help yourself to one of the games available. You can also have rainy day explorations. We adventured to the Beach at Pea Island. The beach is hidden under and overpass and involves a bit of a walk but it’s a windfall. Because it was raining, we had the whole place to ourselves. Except for the dolphins that we met! We were in absolute awe at how close they were.
If by the end of the day, the building is still sunny, head to the second floor of the Sanderling for sunset. The sun sets on the front side of the building and you can watch it set over the sound.
Have dinner in a local spot or our favorite again and then head down to the jacuzzi to cap the night off.
Sunday
Grab coffee and pack to head home. The resort check out time is at 11am but all of the resorts amenities are still open to guest. Pack up your car and go for a walk on the beach or head into the local town for some quick souvenirs on your way out. Small businesses are a plenty even in the off season but if too many are closed, the Nagshead outlets are available and on the way to mainland.
Last but not least, head home feeling absolutely relaxed and refreshed.