Beachfront Outer Banks question

[anne1125]

Are there any beachfront timeshares at the Outer Banks that you wouldn't go to? If so, why?

Thanks.

Anne

[Big Matt]

If you are going any time except from mid-June through Labor day you can do better by renting a house or condo. For example, you can get ocean front for about $600 per week off season for a 3B condo.

[anne1125]

Thanks Matt, but we need summer. I checked rentals and beachfront is around $1300 to $1500 for 2 bedrooms.

Anne

[Big Matt]

The only one I would stay in is the BIS in Duck.

[ctreelmom]

Sadly none of them look very nice from the outside, anyway. We stayed at OBBC II in April one year and were disappointed in the overall condition of the place, compared to other GCs we'd exchanged into. Yes, the beachfront location is what makes them GC but if you're looking for a resort that offers more than just the beach, you might be disappointed. I agree with Big Matt that BIS in Duck would probably be the best bet; although that looks a little rustic from the outside as well it at least looks like the resort overall has more going for it. The other BIS in, is it, Kill Devil Hills, looked, IMO to be the nicest, but it is NOT beachfront. You'd have to drive a short distance.

[Sandy]

I have stayed at the GS last summer and I have two units confirmed for summer 2008 (June). This is directly on the ocean, although there are a few units that sit back a bit.

Still, for us it was perfect. Most of the timeshares in the OB are weathered and worn, showing some signs of age. The GS was very well kept up, at least the unit we stayed in.

My dream exchange a few years back was the Barrier Island Station in Duck. While I never got it when my kids were young, I did get one off season for my mom and a few of her girlfriends in the fall of 2001. Boy, were they disappointed. Dirty, dusty, overall just not up to snuff. My mom was comparing BIS to Seascape, one of her favorites. Although Seascape is not on the beach, it is spread out with basketball courts, pools, golf, shuffleboards, etc. Great for a group and kids.

[timeos2]

Originally Posted by Sandy

My dream exchange a few years back was the Barrier Island Station in Duck. While I never got it when my kids were young, I did get one off season for my mom and a few of her girlfriends in the fall of 2001. Boy, were they disappointed. Dirty, dusty, overall just not up to snuff. My mom was comparing BIS to Seascape, one of her favorites. Although Seascape is not on the beach, it is spread out with basketball courts, pools, golf, shuffleboards, etc. Great for a group and kids.

And there is supposed to be no interest in anything but water front locations....

[lawren2]

Originally Posted by timeos2

And there is supposed to be no interest in anything but water front locations....

Well, this part of the general population WANTS Oceanfront.

I will be at Golden Strand end of June this year and will report back.

[pcgirl54]

I stayed at Golden Strand unit N3 early June,last year and the view was just fabulous. Dolphin and more dolphins. So close to the ocean and the bedroom and living room are oceanfront. The dark exteriors scared me at first as it was very dark and I thought oh boy are we in for it as it is right out
of the 70's.

Interior units are clean and comfortable not fancy but nice. You can see the Wright Brothers monument from the upper floors. There are 2 areas on the first level with washers and dryers and there are several grocers on the island. Large kitchen had everything needed. There is a new outdoor pool but we never used it. No activities but we don't go to them anyway.

Mgmt said there were only 2 oceanfront timeshares in the area. Same road as newer OB-1 and OB-2. OB 2 are across the street from the ocean. Golden Strand has a better view the way the resort sits.


Eat at Joe's Crab Shack on rt 12,full service on the main drag. I would trade back in a heartbeat for that same unit.

We drove to Duck & Corolla and did the 4 X 4 Wild Pony tour. Also drove to Ocracoke Island. Kitty Hawk handgliding off the dunes was a blast.

Posted a review last year.

[anne1125]

You guys are scaring me. We have never been to the outer banks area and didn't realize it was "tired".

Maybe we should try Woodstone at Massanutten instead. It's also drivable for us.

What do you think?

Anne

[geekette]

Originally Posted by anne1125

You guys are scaring me. We have never been to the outer banks area and didn't realize it was "tired".

Maybe we should try Woodstone at Massanutten instead. It's also drivable for us.

What do you think?

Anne

The answer lies in what you want your vacation to be.

Any resort on the ocean is going to suffer wind and ocean air effects. If you are looking for super plush accomodations with a pristine exterior on the beach with a huge array of activities, that's going to be very difficult. If the units themselves are in better than avg condition, I personally don't think that's a problem, but I don't tend to need 5* to be happy. I'd take beach front over 5* most any time.

If you'd rather change your location for more luxury, then you might do quite well.

What are your priorities for this trip? How much time will you spend in the unit? At the resort? Is it 2 adults or a family or taking your parents or friends...?

[ctreelmom]

Anne, I don't think the area is tired at all, in fact it's hopping in the summer. It's just that these particular resorts are showing their age, and in the case of OBBC II anyway (the only one I've actually stayed in) the units haven't been maintained that well. It was very clean and all that, but in need of a facelift.

It's just that to me (and it's very true that we all have different desires/expectations of a given vacation) a "resort" by definition should have a little more to offer in terms of dining, recreation, etc. especially if it's rated Gold Crown. OBBC II is really just a condo complex, but there's plenty to do in the area, just not at the resort. I've also been to Massanutten, which is very "resorty" with lots of restaurants, activities, etc, (and the extra costs to match) but the VA mountains are very different from Outer Banks beaches--it's all about what YOU want.

[pcgirl54]

Anne,
I am a beach person and we love coastal vacations. If you are expecting Four Seasons you will be disappointed. If you love the ocean and can make due with an average unit in a great place then go for it! We really liked Outer Banks and all that it offers.

[anne1125]

Well we love the beach as well as the mountains. I try for both and see what happens.

Thanks for the help.

Anne

[Big Matt]

OBX isn't tired by any means. In fact it's the opposite.

I guess the easiest way to describe what has been going on in OBX over the last 25 years is this...

About 25 years ago it was dominated by old traditional style beach houses, many without air conditioning. There were lots of houses, but most were owned by people who would spend time there and rent out the house when or if they needed to supplement their income. You could buy an ocean front house for under $300k. There were many small local restaurants that had atmosphere, good food, but were very casual. During the off season, fishermen would come to the area to fish and relax. The area was empty during the winter. There was one or two grocery stores, some local fish markets, a hardware store, but little else. Seascape and most other timeshares began development about that time period. That's why they are basic, rustic, and don't have a true resort feel.

Today, the area is dominated by mega beach houses with 4 up to 10 bedrooms, large private pools, hot tubs, hard wood flooring, elevators, etc. Many have media rooms, pool tables, big screen TVs, and saunas. There are now upscale golf communities like the Village at Nags Head, and the Currituck Club. Most of the older restaurants have closed (except for Sam and Omies, Owens, and Awful Arthurs to name a few). There are hundreds of restaurants, a Walmart, a Home Depot, a KMart, a large movie theater, thousands or small gift shops, upscale grocery stores, a large and modern hospital, among many other advancements that I've missed.

I guess in my original post, I was trying to say that staying in a house is the way to go. It's not inexpensive, but you will get the best accommodations. You can get a house on the ocean in high season for about $3000 per week if you look hard enough, but most are $5000-10000 per week. I usually go for a week and stay in a house in either the Village at Nags Head or at Whalehead beach, but I don't stay on the ocean. Getting a house about four back from the ocean can be had for about $3000, but you get a lot for your money. We usually share it with family or friends and pay about $1500.

One of the other posters said that if you are just there for the beach, then a timeshare would suffice. I guess that's true, but I would never go there and stay in a timeshare. What you get for a couple thousand more for the week makes the comparison silly.

[anne1125]

Matt, my reason for going to the Outer Banks was to save money. We originally were scheduled for Europe but my son's college will be costing more than anticipated so we be trimming back on vacation expenses. The Outer Banks is somewhere we can drive to and haven't seen as yet.

Thank you for all the helpful advise and information. I guess we'll hold off on the Outer banks this time and use our trade for Massanutten, where we can also drive to and haven't been as yet.

Anne

[e.bram]

As far as I'm concerned it's on the beach or it's not. I might as well stay home if I can't see the water from my accomodation. That is why you can only depend on a fixed week to guarentee a ocean view, Points or float will not do it.

[Sandy]

Hi Anne,

I have been to both the Outer Banks and Massanutten about equal times, maybe 4-5x each.

They are very different and I love both areas. The OB area is a beach area which suffers a bit from weather related maladies, such as hurricanes, wind, sand damage, salt water, etc. There are only a few beach front timeshares, and surprisingly one of our favorites is not on the beach - it is Seascape!

The mountains do not have the same weather-related maladies, but then they do not have the beach.

Massanutten is one of my favorite places. Large, too many activities to count, many sections to stay in, multiple pools and now an indoor water park (!), multiple exchange possibilities, and an easy exchange. It was one of the first places that made me realize that we were having as much fun as a beach vacation without the beach!

You should try both, especially since they are both driveable from your area.

Big Matt has some great points describing the transition in the OB. We first exchanged there in 1982, it was our second exchange after buying timeshare in 1980 in the Bahamas. We ended up buying a blue January week at the Outer Banks Beach Club (the original one on the beach side, the other did not exist at that time), and traded that for many fabulous gold crown vacations across the US.

[Carolinian]

As far as resorts on the OBX being tired or run down, you will find some units that meet that description at some resorts, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

Several resorts suffered major damage from Hurricane Isabel in 2003. With insurance money, the units were gutted and essentially redone. Resorts in this category would include Sea Ranch II, Ocean Villas, and the oceanfront building (which is 12 of the 15 units) at Ocean Villas II. Units there are in great shape.

Others have been more hit and miss. Dunes South is rather dated EXCEPT for the units that have been severely damaged in natural disasters including both hurricanes and lightning strikes. If you get one of those units (all of the ocean front units fit that bill as well as some others), you will have a nicely updated unit. They do have a newly energized HOA board that is tightening the screws on their haphazzard management company and looking around for other options if they don't shape up. For years, the management company had stacked the HOA board with its flunkies, but no longer.

The management at Barrier Island Station is frequently accused by owners of their Duck and Ocean Pines properties of giving all of their attention to the Kitty Hawk property which is still in sales, and ignoring the other two resorts. There is a rather slow process of rehabbing units at BIS-Duck, and if you get one of the redone units, they are quite nice, and light years better than the ones not yet rehabbed. A friend of mine who used to work there says that when an RCI rep comes to the property they are carefully steered to only the rehabbed units. And Ocean Pines seems to be ignored more than Duck by BIS management. Getting independent management could work wonders for both of these resorts if they can ever pry BIS' hands from control of the HOA boards.

Outer Banks Beach Club I and II have improved across the board since they dumped Fairfield management and hired SPM Resorts out of Myrtle Beach as their management company.

The Windjammer, well run for many years as a self-managed resort, hired a management company a few years ago that DID let the place run down. Some owners there contend that did so to try to bring about a sale of the property as owners got disgusted. The HOA board intervened and changed to a new management company, which is getting things shipshape. The report card numbers they have been getting from both RCI and II exchangers lately have been quite impressive.

[Jeni]

We go to OBX at least 2-4 weeks out of the year. For our spring week (this week to be exact), we use our timeshare at SeaScape which is not ocean front. This is an older resort, on the golf course, that appears dated. It is, however, immaculately clean. We've also stayed at Sea Ranch (pre-Isabel), BIS Duck, BIS Kitty Hawk, and Outer Banks Beach Club. None are impressive if you are used to staying at nicer resorts, such as Marriott. For that reason, we no longer use a timeshare for a summer stay, but rent a house. The house usually costs us about $5k, but split between the three families that go, it's a reasonable vacation price for us for oceanfront at the beach and all the kids are toddler/preschoolers, so we don't need a HUGE house.

And for the first time in 21 years, we are not spending a summer week on the OBX We're headed up to Cape Cod.

Jeni

[mschatz]

We stayed at the Windjammer last summer. Other folks' assesment of OBX is right on. There are tons of gorgeous large houses, both on and off the ocean.

I wouldn't describe OBX as tired, but you need to understand that the attraction is the beach. There isn't much else.

The Windjammer is defintely not plush by any stretch, but was certainly clean and servicable.

[Sandy]

Originally Posted by Carolinian

As far as resorts on the OBX being tired or run down, you will find some units that meet that description at some resorts, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

Several resorts suffered major damage from Hurricane Isabel in 2003. With insurance money, the units were gutted and essentially redone. Resorts in this category would include Sea Ranch II, Ocean Villas, and the oceanfront building (which is 12 of the 15 units) at Ocean Villas II. Units there are in great shape.

Others have been more hit and miss.

HI Carolinian,

Just wondering what your opinion is of the Golden Strand, not mentioned above.

Thanks!

[Carolinian]

Originally Posted by Sandy

HI Carolinian,

Just wondering what your opinion is of the Golden Strand, not mentioned above.

Thanks!

Golden Strand has had some replacements from Hurricane Isabel, such as HVAC, but not the thorough renovation of some other resorts. They also got a new pool after the hurricane (not paid for by insurance which will not cover pools) but in a less desirable though more protected location. They have a solid HOA and good management. Unit updating could probably be improved some, but it is a resort I would enjoy staying at.

[CLM]

How would you find one of these $600 rentals for late April? I am somewhat discouraged by reading the reviews of the ocenfront timeshares on OBX. How can you be assured of getting the better condos at the places that have been rehabbed? It seems very hit or miss. The condo doesn't have to be topnotch but some of the reviews involving majorly outdated units, grungy bathrooms and roaches are discouraging!

[Carolinian]

All of the units at Sea Ranch II, Ocean Villas I, and Bodie Island Beach CLub (not currently open) were rehabbed. All except #105 were at Ocean Villas II.
All of the oceanfront units and some of the back units were rehabbed at Dunes South. BIS-Duck seems to be random.

Originally Posted by CLM

How would you find one of these $600 rentals for late April? I am somewhat discouraged by reading the reviews of the ocenfront timeshares on OBX. How can you be assured of getting the better condos at the places that have been rehabbed? It seems very hit or miss. The condo doesn't have to be topnotch but some of the reviews involving majorly outdated units, grungy bathrooms and roaches are discouraging!