This was our first VRBO trip and it was wonderful at the Bay Breeze vacation home. Our three kids range in age from 3.5-7 and the home was a perfect mix of safety and discovery for them. There are LOTS of stairs and corners, so for a new walker or younger child they'd have to be watched at all times, but for our crew it was great. We stayed in early June, and the temperature of the club house pool and splash pad was warm enough to swim around in for about an hour in the evening before lips began turning blue, but no trouble because the house has a hot tub! The hot tub was clean for our visit, unlike a previous reviewer noted, but the backyard is a tad overgrown and there are lots of different types of ants and spiders that have taken up residence near the hot tub and in the yard's patio space. For that reason we'd use the hot tub, quickly dry off, and then run back into the house. The patio table down there was also dirty and had cobwebs.
The house itself was soooo clean and had everything we needed in the way of dishes. The kids loved eating at the bar, but the dining room table could fit 5 too. We also dined on the second-floor deck. The patio table needed a bit of a scrub beforehand, but that was the only part of the house that did. Everything else was immaculate. There were plenty of trash bins in each room. Bar soaps were provided, but each sink and shower also had mounted soap dispensers. The neighborhood was very quiet at night and we absolutely felt safe. The house AC makes a loud noise when it switches on, but you get used to it after the first night. There are TVs in every room. The linens smell great.
The location is also a gigantic plus. You pass the Wright Brothers' Memorial each time you head toward the beach, and you can see the hilltop memorial and plane-replica clearly from the road. You're a very short drive to some great eateries: OBX Brew Station has a fenced, spacious backyard with a pirate's ship playground and live music, so you can dine while your children play with few worries of them getting hurt or lost and the food is great. We ate at Slice Pizzeria (next door to the brew station) twice: great pizza with fresh ingredients. The best about the location is the public beach access that was never full when we arrived at the beach before 11 AM: simply you follow the road the neighborhood feeds into -- Colington Rd -- and continue straight for a couple minutes and you're there!
