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A simple motel right in Ocracoke village, an easy walk to Silver Lake Harbor
Bluff Shoal Motel sits on Irvin Garrish Highway in Ocracoke village, the short stretch of road that carries most of the island's foot and golf-cart traffic past Silver Lake Harbor. It's a straightforward, no-frills place to sleep for a visit that's really about the village itself — the working harbor, the shops and restaurants clustered around it, and the ferry docks that are the only way on or off this stretch of the Outer Banks.
There's no bridge to Ocracoke. Most visitors arrive on the free NC ferry from Hatteras village, about an hour across the sound, or on one of the longer toll ferries from Cedar Island or Swan Quarter on the mainland, each roughly two and a quarter hours. A few fly in on the island's small airstrip. Either way, plan around the ferry schedule rather than a drive time.
Because Ocracoke has no road evacuation route, keep an eye on the forecast if you're booking during hurricane season, roughly June through November with the higher-risk stretch in August through October — ferries and the island itself can be shut down on short notice.
77 reviews
in the last week
Our first trip to Ocracoke and settled on this motel. When booking our reservation the hostess prompted us to take room 7. On the end, quite room, very comfortable king bed and very clean. The bonus is the the room has a rear door to a shared deck and then across the lawn to a private dock/deck. Perfect setting looking across Silver Lake at the light house with a book, cocktail, or coffee.
3 months ago
Awesome place to stay at Sissy is amazing !
3 months ago
This is a great motel reminiscent of the past. The rooms are clean and the service is excellent if you need anything. This is a terrific place to stay when visiting Ocracoke.
3 months ago
AVOID! I have traveled from the Outer Banks to the Golden Gate Bridge and New Orleans to Glacier National Park and everywhere in between in my 4Runner and have never had a worse experience with a motel that at Bluff Shoals. I booked a room directly through their website. After booking, their website REQUIRED me to complete an ID check which included taking photos of the front and back of my drivers license AND a face photo. In my travels I have NEVER been asked to do that so I started taking screenshots. The DAY BEFORE my stay at 2 PM I get an email saying my reservation was cancelled. I called the motel to find out why and they told me that I had not signed the online reservation form. I emailed the screenshot which showed that I had completed the form. THEN they tell me I didn’t pay! so I sent them a screenshot of my credit card showing that in fact I had paid to which they replied “we can’t see payment on our end”. I told them I would pay them by credit card when I got there and dispute the FIRST payment with my credit card company. They said they couldn’t do that. I told them I would pay them CASH then and was told they couldn’t do that either! The day I was SUPPOSED to stay I get an email from their payment processor saying I DIDN’T MAKE PAYMENT, SO THEY WERE REFUNDING MY PAYMENT! How insane is that? I spent roughly 3 hours of my weekend getaway dealing with this and they were unable to resolve their issues. Save yourself a LOT of time and problems and just stay somewhere else. I honestly am now concerned about how my personal information is being stored and if it is being sold to other companies. Scary stuff in this AI age.
5 months ago
This was my first time out to the island just exploring for future reference. I found this place through Airbnb and the rates were reasonable for preseason. It's a cute older place with 7 rooms, and 7 parking spots in front of each room. I arrived after sunset and there was a little light on their sign out front so I knew I was in the correct place, but there were no porch lights working at all and brick steps up to the rooms. Thankfully I didn't have to fumble with keys since the room door was unlocked and the light switch just inside the door. The room and bathroom were clean and simple, but no amenities other than a coffee maker & cups, mini fridge and TV. Take all your own supplies. The bathroom was stocked with towels, TP and tissues. Do not expect luxury accommodations. The hosts did communicate quickly and offered suggestions in response to questions. For one night solo, this accommodation was perfectly adequate. Tip: read extra info below.