Roanoke Island Inn

My family & I have been staying here at the inn since I was a child & I’m pretty sure we’ve stayed in every room. The owner John has always been incredibly nice & the innkeepers he employs must enjoy working for him as there have only been two in the twenty years we’ve been coming here (Ada & Dee). Not only is the inn well kept with beautiful rooms & grounds, but it is a perfect walking distance to the «downtown» area where the shops & restaurants are located. John also owns a «fish camp» for rent which is on its own private island that you can see from the causeway bridge; it requires a boat to access & an adventurer’s spirit as it is a truly isolated cabin with a salt well for showers & toilets, bottled water must be brought for drinking. The other property he owns is the one we now rent once a summer rather than staying at the inn since our family has grown. It is a 1920s Sears & Roebuck arts & crafts «kit house» that has been fully restored & furnished to reflect the period it was built. It is an incredibly beautiful restoration & in a great location; right beside the festival island bridge. It has three bedrooms (1 with (2) twin beds & 2 with king beds), three full baths, living room, dining room, card/​game room, a full kitchen with plates/​utensils, a fenced back yard, a deck & is pet friendly. I look forward to our trip there all year. I can never say enough wonderful things about John, Dee & all their properties to adequately express how awesome they truly are! Stay with them & you will never be disappointed!

Awesome! Love the rocking chairs, chess board, books & magazines. Bed was huge, air conditioning was powerful. They were super accommodating about our arrival time and departure time. Walking distance to cute coffee shop and restaurants. They have free bikes you can use to get around the island! They have free snacks! Definitely would go back. The *only* thing that could have been better was the wifi — it was slow. But if you are staying here you shouldn’t be fiddling around on the internet anyway ;)

Why I have never made it to the OBX before now is a mystery. The area is beautiful and full of southern charm, and the Roanoke Island Inn did not fall short of this description. The grounds themselves are just lovely. The inn overlooks the marshes and water. It has a cute white picket fence surrounding the yards that flank the house. Pear and fig trees beckon you to smell the fruit and pick them, ready to be eaten. The driveway goes through the middle of the inn into the back garden. What a charming little piece of heaven. There are areas where you can take a seat on a lounge chair and relax while listening to the garden fountain trickle away. Or, for the more active types, cruise bikes stand ready for the taking for you to enjoy a ride through town.
Aside from the gorgeous property, the inside of the inn is just as lovely. There is a nautical theme throughout, with fish paintings and ocean maps lining the walls. The lobby area has comfortable couches and tables where you can mill around and read a book or play chess. They also have a kitchenette area where a complimentary continental breakfast is laid out daily. It’s the perfect place to grab a quick bite before heading out on your OBX adventure. D the innkeeper is, in every sense of the phrase, nice as pie. She is always around to answer your questions and simply to make chit chat. She has a great sense of humor and is the kind of person you want around when you’re on vacation. She and I had a nice time talking up on the breezeway (more on this in a bit) while watching a wedding on the docks across the way.
The rooms themselves are very nice indeed. We had a suite with 2 rooms that share a bathroom for 3 people. It worked out nicely and we didn’t feel cramped at all. The bed itself was a bit hard, but I must say, my back felt great after sleeping in it for 3 nights. Maybe I should nix the pillow top on my bed! The bathroom is pretty standard, with lots of towels and a hair dryer supplied (always appreciated).
It’s hard to pick my favorite thing about RII given that there is so much to like about it, but if I had to choose, it would be the breezeway. Luckily our room was right next to it, so I spent much of my time in a rocking chair reading, loving every minute. There was a constant breeze so I never got hot, and the view is to die. I will most definitely be coming back for a prolonged stay.