We have vacationed in Pirates Cove for over 10 years. This community is awesome for family…read morevacations. Centrally located, water views from everywhere in the house we rent, activities for all ages and the neighborhoods are beautifully maintained. Pirates Cove Realty has always been very accommodating if something needs fixed or corrected. We will be back next year.

In August 2018 we planned our 3rd stay with Pirate's Cove in Manteo, NC. We arrived in Manteo to…read morebeautiful weather and upon check- in we were asked to hold in the office while an inspector confirmed our unit was clean and ready. Once we got to our 3rd floor room we found the sand that we expected to find at the beach, all over the floor (keep in mind this is not an ocean front facility). Our crawling 15 month old was on the floor less than 5 minutes and his hands and knees were covered in sand and dirt. This prompted us to sweep, which made it apparent the floors had not been cleaned even on a low standard. There were various crumbs on the tables and counters, indicating that they had not been thoroughly cleaned. At this point we contacted the front office to request a vacuum and mop, and they got us in contact with Ken Herman the Rental Coordinator. He promptly delivered the requested items as well as a bag of cleaning products that we were grateful to have. We spent several hours on our first day of vacation cleaning to mitigate the problem. They did offer to send cleaning staff out, however we feel that they failed the first time even with an inspector's approval, and felt more comfortable cleaning the unit ourselves. Less important than the filthy floors, but worthy of noting- there were ants on the counter, dishes were dirty, the rooms would not cool, the ceiling fan in the master was unusable due to an awful squeak, and there were countless other cleanliness issues. This made for a very uncomfortable stay of which we decided to check out of 4 days early. My family and I do not expect the newest and nicest of things, however we do expect a clean and sanitary environment. Furthermore this building is one of the older buildings in the complex, which is not equipped with fire sprinklers. Typically this is not a bother, however it concerns me when you have a multi story residential building that allows vehicles to park under the rooms, and only has one means of egress. The unit is only equipped with one smoke/ carbon monoxide detector which is on the ceiling just inside the front door. (NFPA 72 for many years states detectors should be placed in every sleep room as well as outside each sleep room.) With fire places in the units, the need for adequate smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are paramount especially when combined with the single means of egress, parking under the building and lack of sprinkler system. With Carbon monoxide being heavier than air, the entire room would have to fill with carbon monoxide to properly activate the detector which could be fatal if occupants are sleeping. (That is if the alarm is even heard in the master when the door is closed with tv or the squeaky ceiling fan on). This is just a side note that should be addressed by the property management to ensure the safety of their guests in the event of an emergency during their stay. Overall it seems they were more concerned about the fishing tournament that was taking place over the satisfaction of their guests. We had hoped to make the OBX and Pirate's Cove an annual vacation spot, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Catherine was our buying agent and was wonderful. Responsive and prepared. Knew the area and helped…read moreus find a great home.

We highly recommend Catherine Strachan-Brown if you are looking for your "forever" home in the…read moreNorthern Outer Banks in North Carolina. We had first met Catherine over two years ago. She worked with us throughout that time to find is exactly the right home to meet our current and future needs. Catherine actively listened to our wants, needs and concerns and then came up with a realistic plan to make our dream a reality.! Kind regards, Craig & Pamela Elliott Carolla, NC

I hate having to write reviews like this but I don't want anyone else to have the experience that I…read moredid. When I arrived at OBX LIFE IV there was an active leak causing water damage. The floors were sopping wet and there was water dripping from the ceiling. It turned out to be from a toilet!Although I told the owner right away and he said that he understood that we would be staying elsewhere, he contacted us three days later and said that he dried the carpets out and the house was available for us to come back. Are you kidding?! We had already been staying in a hotel for 3 nights. Now he is refusing to give us all of our money back even though he failed to uphold our contract. There are so many other nice houses in OBX, I wish we had chosen a different one.

Mike Olson is a criminal. My family rented one of his homes, OBX LIFE IV, in May 2021 as we needed…read morelodging for a family wedding in OBX. When we arrived to the house, a massive leak was found on the second floor that had apparently been leaking for the better part of a week. The house was completely uninhabitable due to water damage (pictures below), so we had to quickly scramble for other accommodations. Mike, to his own admission, was unable to offer us other lodging, but fortunately we were able to book rooms at Shutters (thankfully it was the off-season, so they had availability for ~14 of us). Though he breached our contract by not having the house ready for us on the Wednesday we arrived, Mike Olson is not offering us a full refund and is holding our money hostage. We have tried taking him to small claims court for a full refund, but he is using legal tactics to continue to kick the can down the road. He tricked my poor mother into signing the contract away from VRBO so that he could save himself the fee, and now my mother has no protection from Mike via VRBO since it wasn't their booking. Mike is a conniving criminal and nobody should trust him with their business!

we were very satisfied with Stephen as our agent in the home buying process…read more friendly,knowledgeable, easy to work with. very quick response to questions and always had great advice during the search process and also the negotiations.

Working with Stephen as our Buyer's agent was a pleasure. His knowledge or real estate that would…read morefit our needs was very helpful, and he was very accommodating with schedule and questions. Would recommend!

Love that this property welcomes pets! Everything is better when your pets can come too!read more

Meh, I have been coming to Dunes South since I was 15, back when they sold my parents a timeshare…read moreand then it was awesome. Back in the day, we had a gazebo, pool, tennis court and the condos were new. Over the years, the dune erosion has taken the gazebo and pool and there are no courts of any kind, not even a playground for the kids. At least there is still a beach. The condos are now run down. Basically they seem to fix things as needed, not a situation of keeping them beautiful. For years we had a family joke that they had the same, ratty furniture since I was a teenager (trust me, that was some old furniture loI). They have put in newer pieces so that's good. There is clear water damage on the ceiling in the living room and a piece of the ceiling has warped from the water damage. One of the bathrooms is leaking water from the bathtub and it literally runs out the bottom of the condo. The dishwasher is leaking too. And if you tell them, good luck getting it fixed, they never seem to in year's past. There is some good. I do like that they are down away from the crowds on mp 18, so that's a plus. I am not sure I would recommend this place for kids as there isn't much to do other than the beach, but since we've had it so long, it's a cheap vacation. A plus is that they do accept pets with a pet fee of $100/wk. for up to 2 pets! I wouldn't say don't stay here, but do know what you are getting into.

Found 2 large pods of dolphins to watch, along with much new information along the way.read more

Excellent family-friendly boat tour. Captain Beau and Firstmate Kevin were courteous,…read moreknowledgeable, and made the tour relaxing, while taking us to see several dolphin pods. We had the opportunity to see many, including baby dolphins, up close. Highly recommend for a great wildlife experience.

I would like to start off with this statement; this was the BEST Bed and Breakfast I have EVER been…read moreto and I intent to come back as often as I can! House: the house was beautifully decorated and it felt like a museum ! 10/10 Bedroom: it was absolutely stunning! Love the antique feeling of the room. It was very clean. I'm one of those ppl who have to change the sheets once I get to any hotel or new place but I didn't even have to this time. Upon arriving, I felt safe and things felt nice and clean. The bed was made beautifully. There was not one spot or pillow out of place! Highly anticipated: The Breakfast Our amazing host cooked a fabulous breakfast. Everything was was and fresh! She made pancakes with blueberries and cut up fresh fruits for us to enjoy. The level of care we received at this bed & breakfast was above and beyond! Our amazing host (she felt like a nana) had sweet treats for us to enjoy! The first night we were there she prepared this exquisite turtle brownies! They were very soft and fluffy. The second night she prepared this beautiful coconut cake that was to die for! We had an issue with our toilet and they immediately went to go fix the issue! The service is out of this world! I felt safe as an LGBTQ+ member there if anybody was wondering about that issue. Please come here and book with them if you're looking for a safe and comfortable stay. We paid about ~150ish per night. It's quiet reasonable. You get your own bathroom and she does have a room available if you want to bring a pet to stay!

This review from long ago. Back when my kid was in elementary school. During Spring Break of the…read moreschool year, I would take my kid on what I called educational trips. That particular year in school, the kids were learning about the lost colony. So I decided to take her to see the play in Manteo. During that time, weddings were taking place, so we ended up staying in Wanchese. Were we ended up also getting a dog that weekend. I really did like like the place, the owner-operator was very nice and although it was a bit remote. It was very clean and nice. Would I stay there again. Sure!

Everything went well so much towels you could last a long time with and always clean as a returning…read morecustomer this company is worth the stay! WILL COME AGAIN

Called these folks three days in a row to simply ask them to bring in the smelly garbage cans from…read morein front of their property across the street! They are still there! Maintenance was useless. Spoke to Tiffany twice who was completely ineffective and indifferent. I would not use this company. They just don't care.

The ease of booking on their site was wonderful. We finally decided on 421 Pago Pago. The employees…read morewere nice as they could be, even bring us an additional fan. Here is the review of the home. This well loved home was a nice place to have our yearly family vacation. The house is a typical old beach house, 2 bedrooms on one side of the house with a jack and Jill bathroom and 2 identical bedrooms on the other side of the house, again with a jack and Jill bathroom. We did have a late afternoon rain storm with some winds and it blew in the front window. As we tried to put it back in we then noticed a sign saying not to open as it was broken. We had never touched it until it blew in. I managed to get it back on track and lock it shut. The out door shower was new and was spacious, having the best water pressure in the house. The exterior could use a good paint job. The interior could use some freshening up in some of the bedrooms, new comforters would go a long way. Washing the blankets between guests would be a great thing too. Also dusting for cobwebs once in a while would be a nice sign that this house is truly taken care of. A dehumidifier would work wonders in the laundry room and under the kitchen sink.

Cove Realty is the 3rd property management company that I have had in OBX. I signed up with them as…read moretheir fees were low and I was putting my home up for sale. Promises were made before signing the contract that weren't kept. For example, I have a Guest Book in my home. I was told that Guest reviews could be posted on my Cove home website. This never happened in the 6 months that I was with the company even though I pointed out to them twice that they had reneged on an agreement. My home is a luxury home much larger than any that Cove Realty manages. Cove set rental rates too high - I had Iower income than with the previous 2 property management companies. This resulted in receiving a much lower offer price for my home (according to my RE Agent). I had to adjust prices by running a "sale" and reducing the price back to prices 2 years ago. (Cove will tell you that they only "suggest" prices - that the owner has the final say. I agree with this; however, home owners rely on the experience of the property management company to set fees. Cove obviously did not have this experience). In addition, cosmetic work needed to be done on my home at the request of my RE Agent (fence and rusted "nail pops" needed to be painted). Cove took my home (without my permission) off the rental market for January and February so this could be done. I did not notice this until February (?) when the damage was done (lost rent plus Cove did not take into consideration that this outdoor work could not be done during the winter). (Cove will tell you that sections of my home did not have electricity - due most likely to a lighting strike - which happened later in the year, but not in January and February. Cove Realty removed my homes from their rental site for 2 months for cosmetic repair that could not be done during the winter months without my permission or knowledge.) I could go on about the disrespectful behavior of one of the employees (my "property manager"), but I think that I have written enough. My experience is for your consideration if you are currently with Cove or are considering them as your property management company for your OBX home, especially if you have a luxury home. Not only are they not familiar with this market, they will make unilateral decisions that make no sense. They are a property management company that will only give you frustration and headaches plus much lower rental income and an offer price.