The Sanderling Resort & Spa, Duck

The only nice thing I can say about this place is that the beach is beautiful. From being locked out on our balcony in 45˚ weather by a broken lock to being lied to about spa renovations being complete when they weren't even close to spa staff loudly joking and laughing right outside the door during our massage to the complete unavailability of a bottle of water anywhere on the property the only luxurious thing about this place is the price. When we tried to complain we couldn't even find anyone in the spa. The hotel's attitude about complaints can be judged by the large stack of customer comment cards sitting ignored behind the front desk. We even asked the attendant at the front desk to make sure that a manager saw our card as we had a bad experience. Two days later they were still sitting untouched. I've never dealt with hotel that felt that negligent service and a lame half-hearted email form apology should cost it's guests every cent as much as good service should. It was late March/ early April when we were there and the place was almost empty; I can only imagine haw bad the service is when they're full. All in all we wouldn't return here if it was half the price it is.

I stayed at this resort off season, it was my first time staying in the outer banks and after many business trips I was looking for peace and quiet, and that is exactly what I found. The room was lovely, I stayed in the north wing with a view of the waterfall. The first morning I took a walk on the sound side on the nature trail and then back to resort on the beach. There was not one person on the beach and that was perfect. When I went for a cup of coffee the host at the life station had a cup of coffee waiting for me. I found the staff helpful without imposing on my time. When returned from dinner it took me a minute to realize that the room attendent had turned down my bed for the night, such a nice touch. The one item i missed was my room did not have a bathtub. I thought the resort was perfect and I plan on returning to peace and tranquilty the resort offered to me. Thank you to everyone at the Sanderling. P Heimann Arlington Heights IL

The Sanderling calls itself a resort, but its service is far from any resort I've ever been to. There was no one to greet us or help us with our luggage when we checked in. The "Sound View" is a nice view of the parking lot, so we insisted we be moved. The concierge was also completely incompetent and ruined an anniversary surprise. Was not impressed.

We arrived July 8th and departed July 15th. The first 24 hours we had 3 different rooms. The first room we checked in had a very old old shower and bathtub. My husband is over 6 feet tall and the shower head came to his belly button. The second room the birds started screaming at 10pm and didnt stop until 6am. Couldnt sleep one mintue. So they were kind enough to move as by when we go moved so did $700.00. We told the front desk and and the manger came over.. He didnt like that we told him the money was going..We did blame anyone, and he still wasnt very helpful. We were there 6 more days, and they didnt call us or ask us about it again. To me thats alot of money. And I think they should have at least called us or even tried to do anything, but we got nothing. The room were nice. But we will never return. Very Unhappy

This was our first trip to the Outer Banks and the Sanderling made it a wonderful experience for us. We plan on going back next summer. The service was very good, staff was friendly and helpful. The accommodations were comfortable and bathrooms were very clean. It was wonderful having a balcony view of the ocean. We had 2 flat screen TV's in the suite, which my daughter loved. Complimentary morning tea and coffee was convenient and there's also afternoon tea, if you're around the resort. The beach is outstanding and clean. A great family atmosphere.

The Sanderling is not only in a perfect location but it's feel is like a big open lodge. The staff is out to take care of you, The rooms are spacious with a spectacular view. I really love the atmosphere, the afternoon tea, the big reading room and the free Sunday papers!

This is a gorgeous resort with first-class service. Complimentary bottle of fine wine is a great welcome gift. This is a fantastic couples' vacation resort.