Outer Banks Inn

Outer Banks Inn is a budget hotel housed in a three-floor building. The lobby has a subdued sea and beach theme, with a ceiling fan, aqua blue walls, rattan chairs, and pictures of beaches. Guests are encouraged to take a few souvenir shells from a box on the front desk, and the inn serves free coffee and chocolate chip cookies every afternoon, adding to the warm and inviting atmosphere. This motel-style property has few places for guests to hang out, except for the seasonal outdoor pool, bordered by a deck with blue lounge chairs and umbrellas and featuring colorful lighting at night. There's also a picnic area and wood deck with Adirondack chairs. During the summer guests can head over to the beach for sunbathing, swimming, volleyball, and other activities, and the majority of guests here are families and couples looking for a beachy getaway without breaking the bank.

Outer Banks Inn is on South Croatan Highway/Highway 158 in the touristy heart of Kill Devil Hills with its surf shops, shops, ice cream stands, fast-food outlets, seafood restaurants, and laser tag and 3D games center. The beach is two blocks away -- it takes less than five minutes to walk, but the hotel also runs a shuttle. Honoring the fathers of the first airplane flight, Wright Brothers National Memorial is a three-minute drive from the hotel. It's a seven-minute drive up the highway to Avalon Fishing Pier, and eight minutes by car to the Nags Head Woods Preserve. The area with Roanoke Island Festival Park and the North Carolina Aquarium is a 20-minute jaunt by car, and Bodie Island Lighthouse can be reached in the same amount of time. Corolla and its famous wild horses is a one-hour drive from the hotel. The closest airport, Norfolk International, is 90 minutes from the Outer Banks Inn by road. 

The 40 all non-smoking rooms at Outer Banks Inn are housed in a three-floor building with interior corridors and no elevator. Guests with mobility issues should ask for a ground-floor room. Rooms come in King and Double categories. Simple decor includes mid-tone wood veneer furniture and an aqua, green, and yellow color palette plus tropical print bedspreads -- the look is homey and dated, with beach-appropriate accents in the sepia-tone prints on the walls. Rooms are spacious and bright, but they don't have much of a view and could use freshening to address musty smells (partly caused by sea air) and minor wear and tear. Rooms come with air-conditioning, safes, mini-fridges, microwaves, coffeemakers, free Wi-Fi and 32-inch flat-screen TVs with basic cable. Some rooms have sofa beds and seating areas. Bathrooms are spacious, clean, and well lighted, with fairly good counter space, but some have the toilet squeezed between the sink and bathtub. 

Outer Banks Inn hosts a decent free breakfast buffet each morning, featuring French toast, waffles, hot and cold cereals, bagels, muffins, hot and cold cereals, coffee, tea, milk, and juice. There's good quantity and variety, but it's a little carb-heavy, with no fruit or yogurt. Several restaurants are within a short walk for lunch and dinner. Free chocolate chip cookies and coffee are served every afternoon. The inn has a small outdoor saltwater pool, open seasonally, and guests also receive free passes to a YMCA, located a three-minute drive away and featuring an indoor pool, outdoor pool, and fitness center. The beach is a two-block walk and guests can also hop the hotel's free golf cart shuttle. During the summer, the beach features activities like volleyball, boogie boarding, and skim boarding. The inn also has vending machines, a public computer, laundry room, and free parking. The front desk is closed overnight but staff are available 24 hours a day. Wi-Fi and parking are both free.