The Sanderling Resort

Reviews

• MH

  Morgan Holloway

  3 days ago
  2.0
  I stayed at the Sanderling for a couple of nights over the summer. The room itself is gorgeous, even if it smelled very strongly of Pine-Sol. The restauraunts nearby are great if you have food allergies. I originally planned to stay just one night, but a huge thunderstorm came through and I wanted to get some time on the beach. i arrived a quarter till check in, not feeling great, so I was hoping there might be a room available. There wasn't, so I did the pre check-in process, and waited until nearly 5pm (with several other ppl waiting to check in their rooms), for a room to be available. From the night of my initial check-in, a dog next door barked for several hours. I called after hour 2, trying to wfh and write, and was told they'd try to contact the owner. I woke up at 6 AM to more barking through earplugs, and the dog would claw at the door as people walked by. I called the front desk again-who could hear the dog barking in the background, as well as my friends when I called them- and got the same answer that they would tell the owner. Calling the front desk was about a 50-50 chance anyone would even answer. There were no other rooms available for me to move to when I asked, after a few more hours of barking again. I called 6 times over my 2 nights about the dog after hours of waiting it out, and a couple of times I coincidentally spoke to the manager, who gave the same answer that they would try to contact the owner. The barking gave me a migraine. I called and asked if there could be a microwave brought up, and when I got back to my room it was randomly sitting in the middle of the floor, used, but with a plastic zip tie on the cord to cut off lol. At least they have them. A big thunderstorm hit on my first day, so on the day of my original checkout (one night booked) I called and asked if they had rooms available for me to extend, and whether the dog would be gone, because if not, I'd just check out. I was assured the dog would be checking out the same day and gone that night, so I extended. The amount I was told by the shift manager(several hundred) for my 2nd night was not accurate, and I was charged more when I read my invoice after checkout. I was told they were fully booked the following night,which would have been my 3rd, so I couldn't have the 4pm checkout my credit card guarantees. I found out later they were at 80% capacity that next night. That second night, the dog stayed, and I listened to barking for another four hours while trying to sleep, and again in the morning. I called the front desk that night asking if they could move me to another room, and was told the only one available was on the other side of the property. It was nearly midnight and raining, so I stayed put. I was assured the owner would be charged a substantial fee for the noise ...so I guess they made several hundred dollars off of my bad stay. No compensation was offered to me. The staff were nice, but it seemed like things were poorly managed/trained. There was a beautiful balcony on my room, but guys doing maintenance out there kept staring at me out there trying to read, so I didn't even use it. Not a great feeling when you're a woman traveling alone and men are trying to stare in your windows. Esp when you're paying $600/ni. I didn't even feel comfortable using the pool since that was the area they were working in. I flagged most of this in the property's post-stay survey, and the manager reached out by email saying he'd like more details. I responded the same day asking what details he needed. I followed up again a few days later, and once more a few days after that. He never responded.
• SH

  Souleyma Haddaoui

  4 days ago
  2.0
  Trust the negative reviews. We should have read them more carefully before booking our stay here. We stayed a week ago, right in the middle of peak season, yet the hotel was clearly understaffed. The resort is very well located, but unfortunately, that’s about all it has going for it — and location alone is certainly not enough to justify a $650-a-night price tag. Very loud dehumidifiers were running throughout the night, disrupting our 7-year-old’s sleep. At the beach, there was no staff available to help set up the heavy chairs and umbrellas, so guests were left to carry and set them up themselves. And, of course, there was no lifeguard. When we complained about the lack of assistance, we were told that the hotel was going through a change of ownership. Let’s hope that change is for the better, because as things stand, we certainly won’t be going back.
• PI

  Peter Ingellis

  Aug 15, 2026
  3.0
  Edited: I spoke to Robert, the General Manager, at the Sanderling today and was glad we connected. He filled me in on the severity of a micro burst that hit the property and how they are working to overcome those challenges. He is looking into the staffing on the beach and some of the other issues that brought up in this review and I believe that these will be handled and addressed which is the exact reason I wrote this review. We will be giving the Sanderling another try later this year or early next. Robert didn’t need to reach out, but he did, and that is appreciated and counts in my book. *** I don’t post many reviews and I don’t like to post a bad one about someplace that I thought was iconic. The best thing is the location with Soundside and Oceanside vantage points. The second best thing is that the staff try, are polite and you can talk with them about where they are from and their experiences. Third is the resort is dog friendly meaning for $300 Fido gets a bowl, pillow, bandana and cookie (that you have to ask for even though you disclose at reservation that you have a dog-figure it’d be in the room already). The spa is adequate though everything feels a little “operational” for lack of a better word. The people are friendly though and know their craft. The Grits at the Lifesaving Station are great. The rest- way below expectations: North Building Rooms are dirty. The carpets need cleaning. Musty odor in rooms. I asked as to why there were portable dehumidifiers in the hallway and apparently there was a storm that damaged some AC equipment at some point. Those units run day/night and aren’t silent. Also don’t help in the room whatsoever. Screen door to balcony is so warped that it can’t be closed. Screens, torn and ineffective. I stayed at a Hilton on the way home for $115 that was bigger, nicer, cleaner and more quiet. While on the subject of quiet….I get it…family resort….pet friendly…things get loud. This is different loud and some of it maintenance staff. Banging lids onto paint cans on a Monday, Tuesday. Wednesday before 7:30 AM on a guest floor? Adult (really can’t say adult as it has plenty of 10-15 year olds swimming in the hot tub) pool- broken equipment. Hot tub kinda works- the jets have the same force as the pool. I was in it for 10 minutes when there weren’t any snorkelers in there. Resort only drinks at pool/beach/firepit? Not my observation at all. I paid $9- for an Ultra from a can poured into a plastic cup. Beach attendant? Not in the 3 days I was there. Towels, umbrellas and chairs were there. There’s water at stations throughout the resort however. Went to Theodosia to grab a drink before a reservation elsewhere. The bar was full- with three seats being occupied by 3-7 year olds, two more by their parents, holding a baby as well. I don’t even know how that’s allowed though the host told us we could wait for seats to open up. We went early to our other choice and were seated promptly. I don’t know exactly what the final cost was for 3 days at the Sanderling, but with 2 massages, some lunch, some $9 beers, a few cocktails, Dinner at Lifesaving Station, fees maybe a little north of $3K. It’s my hope that reviews like this are taken seriously by management and also understand that not everyone has the same level of expectation but having stayed in resorts in Miami Beach, Palm Springs, Montana and the Caribbean, to say that my experience was underwhelming is an understatement.
• BA

  Brad ALBERT

  Aug 10, 2026
  1.0
  We went there for our 40th anniversary and were extremely disappointed. We arrived early and we knew our rooms would no be ready, no problem, we will sit on the beach and have a drink (two crappy drinks 38$) room to be ready at 4:00…..4:15 still no text and when we ask at the front desk and they seem all confused and talk to each other in another language. Kept saying “did you get your text yet?” no its after 4:00! We requested wine glasses waited hours for those. No service at the pool. The outside was rotting wood everywhere and weeds and in shambles. I would give it a higher score if it was 250/300 a night but for almost 800 a night, this is NOT a resort, its just a hotel. With just hotel level service. That is all you get there. That is all you should expect. SO many barking dogs, and we love dogs but they were barking at all hours. Many of the guests had them in the rooms so nothing peaceful. They claim to have someone to set up umbrellas and chairs on the beach but they are never available so you just need to drag your own out there and there are signs saying to put them away, lol.
• MB

  muaythaidad bronco

  Jul 26, 2026
  3.0
  The Sanderling Resort – A Longtime Guest’s Perspective My wife and I have celebrated four or five anniversaries at The Sanderling over the years. It has always been one of our favorite places on the Outer Banks, which makes this review especially difficult to write. Unfortunately, this stay felt like we were visiting an entirely different resort. The first thing we noticed was the redesign. The iconic orange accents and Sanderling bird branding that gave the resort its personality are gone. They’ve been replaced with muted blue and green colors that, in our opinion, make the resort feel generic rather than unique. The rooms no longer have the upscale Outer Banks character we remembered. Instead, they reminded us of a standard beach hotel. The bigger disappointment, however, was the condition of the property. During our stay we experienced: * A loose bathroom faucet that didn’t appear to be properly secured. * The adult pool hot tub was not working. * Debris in the hot tub. * Roofing material lying near the pool area. * Several lights around the pool were not working. * The ice machine was out of service. * Beach towels felt inexpensive compared to previous years. * The beds and room furnishings didn’t feel like the luxury accommodations we remembered. * The outdoor recreation center (surfing, biking, parasailing, etc.) was closed in the middle of July, which was surprising during peak season. * The outdoor bar was closed on a Saturday. * The indoor bar, once a lively gathering place, was nearly empty. * weeds we’re growing all around the pool * Glasses left for days without anyone attending to them. * Sunday morning we had to get our own chairs and umbrella. We also spoke with another couple during our stay, and they expressed many of the same disappointments. The staff members we encountered were polite, but the overall experience felt disconnected. Service lacked the attention to detail that made us return year after year. What saddens me most is that this used to feel like a special destination. It had an unmistakable identity and atmosphere that made us choose it repeatedly for our anniversary. This visit felt as though much of that character had disappeared. I truly hope ownership invests not only in the appearance of the property but also in maintenance, staffing, and restoring the guest experience that made The Sanderling so memorable. I don’t enjoy writing negative reviews, especially about a place that has meant something to my family. My hope is that management listens to longtime guests before more of them decide not to return.

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