Rooftop Deck & Hot Tub: Outer Banks Family Getaway

This Rodanthe rental is built around two features worth planning a trip for: a rooftop deck for watching the light change over the sound in the evening, and a hot tub for unwinding after a day spent on the sand. Set on Dory Rd, it's meant for a family or group who'd rather have their own kitchen and living space than a string of motel rooms.

Getting Your Bearings in Rodanthe

Rodanthe sits at the north end of Hatteras Island, just south of the Marc Basnight Bridge over Oregon Inlet. The island here is narrower and more exposed than the beaches to the north, and it's entirely within Cape Hatteras National Seashore, so the shoreline itself stays undeveloped even where the rental corridor is built up. NC-12 is the only road connecting the villages, and it does close during bad weather from time to time — not a constant problem, but a real one, so anyone booking during hurricane season (June through November, with August through October carrying the most risk) should keep a flexible mindset about the forecast.

From this stretch of road it's a straight shot south to Avon, Buxton, and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, or further on to Hatteras village for the free ferry connection to Ocracoke.