We have vacationed in Pirates Cove for over 10 years. This community is awesome for family…read morevacations. Centrally located, water views from everywhere in the house we rent, activities for all ages and the neighborhoods are beautifully maintained. Pirates Cove Realty has always been very accommodating if something needs fixed or corrected. We will be back next year.

In August 2018 we planned our 3rd stay with Pirate's Cove in Manteo, NC. We arrived in Manteo to…read morebeautiful weather and upon check- in we were asked to hold in the office while an inspector confirmed our unit was clean and ready. Once we got to our 3rd floor room we found the sand that we expected to find at the beach, all over the floor (keep in mind this is not an ocean front facility). Our crawling 15 month old was on the floor less than 5 minutes and his hands and knees were covered in sand and dirt. This prompted us to sweep, which made it apparent the floors had not been cleaned even on a low standard. There were various crumbs on the tables and counters, indicating that they had not been thoroughly cleaned. At this point we contacted the front office to request a vacuum and mop, and they got us in contact with Ken Herman the Rental Coordinator. He promptly delivered the requested items as well as a bag of cleaning products that we were grateful to have. We spent several hours on our first day of vacation cleaning to mitigate the problem. They did offer to send cleaning staff out, however we feel that they failed the first time even with an inspector's approval, and felt more comfortable cleaning the unit ourselves. Less important than the filthy floors, but worthy of noting- there were ants on the counter, dishes were dirty, the rooms would not cool, the ceiling fan in the master was unusable due to an awful squeak, and there were countless other cleanliness issues. This made for a very uncomfortable stay of which we decided to check out of 4 days early. My family and I do not expect the newest and nicest of things, however we do expect a clean and sanitary environment. Furthermore this building is one of the older buildings in the complex, which is not equipped with fire sprinklers. Typically this is not a bother, however it concerns me when you have a multi story residential building that allows vehicles to park under the rooms, and only has one means of egress. The unit is only equipped with one smoke/ carbon monoxide detector which is on the ceiling just inside the front door. (NFPA 72 for many years states detectors should be placed in every sleep room as well as outside each sleep room.) With fire places in the units, the need for adequate smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are paramount especially when combined with the single means of egress, parking under the building and lack of sprinkler system. With Carbon monoxide being heavier than air, the entire room would have to fill with carbon monoxide to properly activate the detector which could be fatal if occupants are sleeping. (That is if the alarm is even heard in the master when the door is closed with tv or the squeaky ceiling fan on). This is just a side note that should be addressed by the property management to ensure the safety of their guests in the event of an emergency during their stay. Overall it seems they were more concerned about the fishing tournament that was taking place over the satisfaction of their guests. We had hoped to make the OBX and Pirate's Cove an annual vacation spot, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Catherine was our buying agent and was wonderful. Responsive and prepared. Knew the area and helped…read moreus find a great home.

We highly recommend Catherine Strachan-Brown if you are looking for your "forever" home in the…read moreNorthern Outer Banks in North Carolina. We had first met Catherine over two years ago. She worked with us throughout that time to find is exactly the right home to meet our current and future needs. Catherine actively listened to our wants, needs and concerns and then came up with a realistic plan to make our dream a reality.! Kind regards, Craig & Pamela Elliott Carolla, NC

I hate having to write reviews like this but I don't want anyone else to have the experience that I…read moredid. When I arrived at OBX LIFE IV there was an active leak causing water damage. The floors were sopping wet and there was water dripping from the ceiling. It turned out to be from a toilet!Although I told the owner right away and he said that he understood that we would be staying elsewhere, he contacted us three days later and said that he dried the carpets out and the house was available for us to come back. Are you kidding?! We had already been staying in a hotel for 3 nights. Now he is refusing to give us all of our money back even though he failed to uphold our contract. There are so many other nice houses in OBX, I wish we had chosen a different one.

Mike Olson is a criminal. My family rented one of his homes, OBX LIFE IV, in May 2021 as we needed…read morelodging for a family wedding in OBX. When we arrived to the house, a massive leak was found on the second floor that had apparently been leaking for the better part of a week. The house was completely uninhabitable due to water damage (pictures below), so we had to quickly scramble for other accommodations. Mike, to his own admission, was unable to offer us other lodging, but fortunately we were able to book rooms at Shutters (thankfully it was the off-season, so they had availability for ~14 of us). Though he breached our contract by not having the house ready for us on the Wednesday we arrived, Mike Olson is not offering us a full refund and is holding our money hostage. We have tried taking him to small claims court for a full refund, but he is using legal tactics to continue to kick the can down the road. He tricked my poor mother into signing the contract away from VRBO so that he could save himself the fee, and now my mother has no protection from Mike via VRBO since it wasn't their booking. Mike is a conniving criminal and nobody should trust him with their business!

Working with Stephen as our Buyer's agent was a pleasure. His knowledge or real estate that would…read morefit our needs was very helpful, and he was very accommodating with schedule and questions. Would recommend!

We wanted to give a huge shout-out to Stephen Smith, our Buyer's Agent while looking for a 2nd home…read morein the Outer Banks, NC area. This guy did a fantastic job of working with us, helping us articulate what we wanted, as well as what we didn't. His vast knowledge of the OBX area overall, as well as his extensive knowledge of the diverse neighborhoods in both the north and south ends of OBX was invaluable to us. He was always willing to check a property out, prepare a video, and provide detailed information on something we had an interest in pursuing. He provided objective observations about quality details, as well as things that needed work or might have hidden defects. Our house-hunting journey was lengthy (over a year!) and Steve stuck with us the entire time - we were happy to have gotten to know him and would recommend him to anyone looking for a new home.

Love that this property welcomes pets! Everything is better when your pets can come too!read more

Found 2 large pods of dolphins to watch, along with much new information along the way.read more

Excellent family-friendly boat tour. Captain Beau and Firstmate Kevin were courteous,…read moreknowledgeable, and made the tour relaxing, while taking us to see several dolphin pods. We had the opportunity to see many, including baby dolphins, up close. Highly recommend for a great wildlife experience.

I would like to start off with this statement; this was the BEST Bed and Breakfast I have EVER been…read moreto and I intent to come back as often as I can! House: the house was beautifully decorated and it felt like a museum ! 10/10 Bedroom: it was absolutely stunning! Love the antique feeling of the room. It was very clean. I'm one of those ppl who have to change the sheets once I get to any hotel or new place but I didn't even have to this time. Upon arriving, I felt safe and things felt nice and clean. The bed was made beautifully. There was not one spot or pillow out of place! Highly anticipated: The Breakfast Our amazing host cooked a fabulous breakfast. Everything was was and fresh! She made pancakes with blueberries and cut up fresh fruits for us to enjoy. The level of care we received at this bed & breakfast was above and beyond! Our amazing host (she felt like a nana) had sweet treats for us to enjoy! The first night we were there she prepared this exquisite turtle brownies! They were very soft and fluffy. The second night she prepared this beautiful coconut cake that was to die for! We had an issue with our toilet and they immediately went to go fix the issue! The service is out of this world! I felt safe as an LGBTQ+ member there if anybody was wondering about that issue. Please come here and book with them if you're looking for a safe and comfortable stay. We paid about ~150ish per night. It's quiet reasonable. You get your own bathroom and she does have a room available if you want to bring a pet to stay!

This review from long ago. Back when my kid was in elementary school. During Spring Break of the…read moreschool year, I would take my kid on what I called educational trips. That particular year in school, the kids were learning about the lost colony. So I decided to take her to see the play in Manteo. During that time, weddings were taking place, so we ended up staying in Wanchese. Were we ended up also getting a dog that weekend. I really did like like the place, the owner-operator was very nice and although it was a bit remote. It was very clean and nice. Would I stay there again. Sure!

Had a wonderful time on the Outer Banks!! Everything was PERFECT considering all the Mask wearing…read more Joe lamb did a really good job at making sure everything was as clean and sanitized! Really enjoyed the northern beaches and the wild horses ...

Rented Our Happy Place (617). There were several things that needed attention. The refrigerator has…read morea torn seal on the bottom. The washing machine knob is broke, so you have to guess which cycle is the wash cycle. The dishwasher leaks. There is mold in the air vents. There is toothpaste on the shower curtains and wall trim in the bathroom. The showers are not clean. There are visible dirt lines going down the shower walls. I did not report any of this due to the response I got when I called about the weeds being trimmed and blown into our pool area and pool. I was told "it is not their fault if a neighboring house's trimmings get blown into the pool, to use the net". It was in fact, not the neighbor's trimmings, it was the overgrowth that was growing on the fence around this property's pool. My 70-year-old dad had to clean it all out because I was told there would be an additional charge to send someone out. They claimed they cleaned the pool on Tuesday, but nobody did. Every night, huge roaches were in the kitchen. We put all of our food in totes. Never again will I rent from here. It is also "dune front" - not oceanfront.

Booking for 2025 and now 2026 - Corolla, NC. Their team was excellent, professional, house was…read morespectacular! Clean, linen package. Great house value. #grandfather 11 of us for our May 2025 trip for 3 nights. Booked 2026 for an entire week of Bike Week.

Rented in June and all house great!!! Would rent this awesome home!…read moreCheck in, check out, no problem