Nags Head

"We brought our dogs for a post-Labor-Day weekend at the beach. One dog can't do stairs anymore, so we chose this house because it had a ramp in the back, which worked out really nicely. The walk to the beach was short - either cross through the backyard and go past one house to the entrance, or (with the doggie stroller) walk two houses down, one block over, and one house back to the entrance. The beach entrance has a small dune that we were able to pull the stroller over but it would be tough for a wheelchair. The house is very nicely set up: four bedrooms in the corners with two bathrooms in between, so there would be decent privacy between bedrooms. The living room and kitchen with dining area are in the center. Fully appointed kitchen including some pantry condiments and sandwich bags (BYO ketchup / mustard / anything refrigerated). We enjoyed a nice night in the chairs on the back deck. The house is pretty new or updated inside, nice light and airy vibe. Very convenient location for us, right near the bridge to the mainland (shorter drive from Virginia) so we were able to get the dogs settled in before going back out for groceries (lots of stores clustered on the beach side of the bridge). We got delicious black bean and quinoa burgers on Saturday night from Bad Bean (could have walked there but didn't want to cross 158 in the dark). Great sitting area under the house with hammock and chairs, but the dogs' favorite was the sandy area under the deck. We spent a whole morning hanging out under there, and when we were bringing them to the car to head home, they tried to steer us back around the house to go back to the sand. Also, the owners have installed sod on the front yard to create a dog-walking area with no sand spurs, which was a really great amenity because pulling sand spurs out of paws is no fun for human or dog. We got to meet Johnny at check-in and it's clear he and Lynn take great care of the house. The overall effect is of a friend letting you use their beach house while they're not there, rather than some high-traffic rental. We had an excellent time with our dogs and even if we didn't need the ramp, we'd definitely be interested in staying in this house again. Thanks Pinner family for a great weekend and the opportunity to make beach memories with our old dogs!"