Sea
Ranch IISea
Ranch IILatest update 7/8/03
We had a second floor unit, and as indicated in the prior review all units have a great view of the ocean which is no more than 50-75 feet from the building. While the resort was aging and in need of sprucing up (outside carpet and railings were really getting ratty) we had no problems with our unit. A lot of the aging can probably be attributed to the salt mist and proximity to the ocean. Our unit was a 2 bedroom unit with a full kitchen and half size washer/dryer. The carpet was very worn both in the unit and especially out on the enclosed glass porch facing the ocean. The bathroom fixtures were fairly old. However the unit was very functional with everything in working order. The master bedroom has a king-size bed while the 2nd bedroom has two single beds in it. Both rooms have their own private bathroom.
The enclosed porch stretches the entire width of the unit and provides a great view of the ocean and beach. It has two sliding glass windows that you can open up to get a good breeze. It's also great for watching diving pelicans, seagulls, and wind surfers. There are sand bags stacked up along the length of the ocean side of the building at ground level which reach out about 10 feet from the building. This along with bringing in sand is apparently not uncommon on the Outer Banks for combating sand erosion. The first day we were there the crashing waves sometimes reached all the way to the building.
The resort is short on amenities but it doesn't really need them with all the attractions, restaurants, beaches, and activities on the Outer Banks. Amenity wise there is medium size indoor pool. On the first floor there are some shops and a small gym although I don't know if the gym is associated with the resort and the shops were not open at the time. There may be a regular gym associated with the resort but I didn't bother to look through the owners material to find out. In chatting further with the unit owner we bumped into the first day she indicated that funds for renovating the resort had been sparse due to legal problems with the adjoining Sea Ranch Hotel. Apparently the Sea Ranch Hotel had at one time also managed/maintained the resort but, in her words, had used maintenance fees for purposes other than the maintenance of the resort. The resort HOA took legal action against the hotel but lost that legal battle. Thus maintenance on the resort has been a slow process.
In summary the resort, while in need of renovation, has very functional units with a great ocean view and is in a centrally located area for easily getting to all the Outer Banks has to offer.
ATTRACTIONS: These are the attractions we went to out of the many the Outer Banks has to offer. While I've read that the traffic in the prime season can be very bad at times we had no problem in the off season Due to the resorts central location its within 15 miles of Corolla to the north, a few miles of Wright Brothers Memorial and Jockey Ridge State Park, within 20 miles of the Elizabethan gardens at the north end of Roanoke island, and 50 miles north of Cape Hatteras village. Locations of things along the Outer Banks from Kitty Hawk to just before Bodie Island lighthouse generally include the mile post they are at. Sea Ranch II resort is at mile post 7, with the north end of Kitty Hawk being at milepost 1 and Bodie Island lighthouse being around mile post 23 (actually 21 is the last mile post and the lighthouse is about 2 miles after that). Ocracoke island is some 80miles from Kill Devil Hills. Get one of the detailed Outer Banks maps and you'll never be lost.
Currituck lighthouse (in Corolla). -- This lighthouse is a redish brown in color and overlooks the sound, the Whalehead club estate, and of course the ocean. While it was to windy that day to let visitors go outside at the top of the lighthouse we got some pretty good pictures/videos of the great view of the Whalehead club and estate from the floor just below the top. There is a fee (I think $4/person?) to go up into this lighthouse and it has a very small museum area. There is also a separate gift shop. The grounds around the light house are nicely landscaped.
Whalehead Club (Corolla) -- This is a must see. It was originally built as a duck hunting lodge back in the 1920s for some $380K and after changing hands many times after that was finally purchased by Currituck county in 1992 for preservation. This restored house and surrounding grounds are very picturesque. I think the entrance fee is $6/person.
Bodie Island lighthouse -- This lighthouse is on the expansive Cape Hatteras national seashore around mile marker 23. It has distinctive black horizontal stripes. You cannot go up in this lighthouse. There is a nice museum on the lighthouse grounds. Also there is a nature trail that goes out to the sound side and had information at various points on local wildlife.
Coquina Beach (entrance across from Bodie Island lighthouse) – This is a pretty beach which is supposed to have the best shelling on the Outer Banks. We did find a few interesting shells but its better to go in the morning if you want to better pickings.
Cape Hatteras lighthouse -- This lighthouse is located close to the town of Buxton . It has a distinctive spiraling black stripe. You can go up into this lighthouse but be forewarned that you must purchase tickets there (and only for that day) and the tickets have a tour time on them (in increments of 30 minutes?). We had no trouble in the off season and it was no more than 4 minutes between purchasing our tickets and entering the lighthouse. I've heard in prime season that usually the tickets are marked an hour or more from the time you purchase them due to the crowds. This lighthouse is the most popular/well known lighthouse on the Outer Banks.
Ocracoke lighthouse -- This lighthouse is located on Ocracoke island in Ocracoke village. It is all white. You cannot go up into this lighthouse and there is limited parking (4 spots) although you can probably park on the side of the road.
Jockeys Ridge State Park (Nags Head)-- This is also a must see. This state park is a huge sand dune with various wildlife and nature trails. The continuous winds on the dunes are a perfect place for hang gliders and we saw several while we were there.
Wright Brothers National Memorial (Kill Devil Hills) -- This is where the Wright Brothers took their first flight. There is a monument and several museum buildings. 2003 was the 100th anniversary of the flight. Sad to say that since this was so close to the resort we always left this as the last thing to do but never got around to it (the weather was only good 2 out of the 7 days we were there on the Outer Banks)
Elizabethan Gardens (Roanoke Island) -- This is a beautiful 10 acre garden at the northern end of Roanoke island abutting the sound. The water fountains in the garden are very pretty. There is a fee ($5/adult) to view the garden. This garden is also close to the Lost Colony Theatre (which wasn't open that time of year when we were there) and Fort Raleigh.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge (Pea Island) -- We took a nice walk along the salt marshes of this wildlife refuge full of hundreds of water fowl.
Ocracoke Village (Ocracoke Island) -- While we did walk around the village just briefly we unfortunately didn't go see the civil war memorial or the British. The village has lots of interesting shops. To get to Ocracoke from Hatteras you can take a free state run ferry (a 40 minute ride)
SHOPPING:
These are just a few of many, many shops the Outer Banks has.
Duck - We found a lot of really interesting shops in Scarborough fare, Duck Soundside shops, Wee Winks Square, and the Waterfront shops.
Tangier Outlet Center (Nags Head) - This has all the name brands at discount prices.
Food Lion - For groceries we generally went here.
RESTAURANTS:
These are only a few of many, many restaurants the Outer Banks has.
Dirty Dicks Crab House (Kill Devil Hills) -- The spiced shrimp and hush puppies are great.
JK' (Kill Devil Hills) -- This is moderately expensive ($70 total bill for the two of us) but worth it. I had the surf and turf (lobster and a filet) and my wife had the shish kabob. Both were excellent.
Carolina Seafood (Kill Devil Hills) -- We went early for dinner here and got the buffet ($20/person). In my opinion the food was very average here.
The Weeping Radish (Manteo) -- This Bavarian restaurant/pub has great Ruben sandwiches but the're so messy you need to eat them with a fork. Didn't try any of the beer though.
Howard Pub (Ocracoke village) -- This is a great place. We ate out on the screened in porch with a nice breeze (might be a different matter in hot humid weather). The spiced shrimp here are also great (do you see a pattern here?) and the helping was ample.
INFORMATION LINKS:
http://www.insiders.com/outerbanks/ -- A great guide to the Outer Banks. This is where I got most of my ideas of what to go see.
http://www.vacationbuzz.com/outerbanks/
http://www.outer-banks.com/
http://www.outerbanks.org/
Summary: The Outer Banks has so much to offer that I can see us going
back there again. You can be as involved as you want with all the attractions
or as relaxed as you want with all the beaches and nature trails.
7/31/02 - Date of Visit: 6/22/02
Great views and gret location. Resort has nice units inside, falling
into the sea on the outside. Pool area non-existant, but close to beach
and fishing piers. Great for families or friends wanting to relax on the
beach.
11/11/98 - Date of Visit: 8/15/98 - This was our first usage of our
timeshare exchange. Having three children we picked an area familiar to
us. Although Sea Ranch was not extremely plush it was wonderfully convenient.
The indoor pool (could have been a little cleaner) was a favorite for the
children and access was just an elevator ride away. The beach was right
around the corner from the pool. The accommodations were more than adequate
in size and the full screened balcony was delightful. The washer/dryer
were a great convenience, although they were small. The kitchen could have
been a little more stocked with pots and pans, but we made do. Although
Sea Ranch was somewhat older and could be modernized a little, we thoroughly
enjoyed our stay and would go back. The location to all amenities made
it worth giving up some of the plush, particularly when kids are along.
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