The Sanderling Resort

Reviews

• AS

  allison simpson

  1 day ago
  2.0
  Pet friendly The website boasts a dog bed, food & water bowls and a bandanna for your pet upon arrival. None of these were offered or provided, despite us having paid the $300 pet fee. 250th Fourth of July celebration All of The Sanderling’s social media touted a big BBQ from 11-2, as well as many other festivities for the holiday weekend. There wqs not any signage in the lobby outlining events for the holiday/ weekend as one would expect. The ONLY indication that it was a holiday was the flags hanging on the buildings. I happened to walk through the bar and heard there was ice cream for the kids… $250 advertised food credit was not applied. Staff The staff was VERY friendly and did an amazing job. BUT, the communication between staff and management seemed to be poor. Any questions we had throughout our stay were met with ‘I don’t know’. The staff should be knowledgeable of all events happening for a big holiday weekend. #1 Resort in the South 2025 - Condé Nast I had high expectations because of this claim. A lot must have changed since Condé Nast reviewed the resort. Beach Staff My family spent two days on the beach, not times we carried out our own chairs and umbrellas from a pile of resort supply at the beach access point. Two staff members were present the second day, but they were more concerned with taking selfies and playing on their phone, than being attentive to the guests.
• SP

  Shannon Parker

  3 days ago
  5.0
  My spouse and I spent the Fourth of July weekend at the Sanderling, and the experience was nothing short of exceptional. The property offered a beautiful, refined, and relaxing setting that made our holiday getaway feel truly special. From the atmosphere to the overall attention to detail, the Sanderling delivered the sense of comfort and understated luxury we had hoped for. The most memorable part of our stay, however, was the extraordinary service provided by Sherika McFarlane. Sherika embodies the very best of luxury hospitality. She was gracious, polished, attentive, and genuinely warm, with an effortless ability to make us feel welcomed and exceptionally well cared for. Her professionalism was matched by a personal touch that made every interaction feel sincere rather than routine. Sherika anticipated our needs, treated us with remarkable kindness, and elevated our stay in a way that cannot be overstated. She did not simply provide excellent service; she created a lasting impression and helped transform a beautiful holiday weekend into a truly memorable experience. The Sanderling is fortunate to have Sherika representing its standard of hospitality. She is an exceptional ambassador for the property and one of the primary reasons we will remember our stay so fondly. We look forward to returning and hope to have the pleasure of seeing her again.
• IK

  Isaac Keiran

  6 days ago
  3.0
  total price for 2 nights: $1,778.98 We were on the second floor and had 0 views of the ocean. There is a hill of sand between the resort and the beach. There were no ocean views. However, you could sit on the balcony outside your room and stare at.... the "family pool." Uh, no thanks. The room was nice but nothing special compared to any cheap hotel I've ever been in. It's the exact same size and layout. There is genuinely nothing different between that and a budget hotel. I opened the closet and the lightbulb was dangling out of the ceiling from a wire, lol. Actually, the Sanderling probably had the single thinnest walls and worst sound isolation of any hotel I've ever been in. I could hear my neighbors talking sometimes, and I could hear their TV. Thankfully, we brought a fan with us for during the night, and yet both of us woke up to the loud sound of someone coughing at one point. That whole thin-walls issue is so inexcusably bad that it's funny. Read that back and then think about $850/night. There was also a fairly large piece of food or something on the mirror. The restaurant on the property had great breakfast and extremely kind workers. The workers there are very nice and pleasant to interact with. They are honestly the highlight of the Sanderling. However, the dinner was very disappointing. I got the flounder sandwich, and the actual piece of fish was tiny while the batter was unbelievably thick. Probably the worst deep fry I've ever seen, which I hate to say, but it's true. I just took all of that off and ate the small piece of fish. My wife got the fried chicken sandwich, and it tasted BAD. She ate maybe half of it. We are not picky eaters. The calamari before that was really good though! Actually... our waiter on the second morning just completely left halfway through our meal. We sat there for a long time after we finished, wondering where he went, and eventually a different worker came over and gave us the bill. When we got back to our room, we passed that (male) waiter walking with and talking to (a female) worker in the hallway. He sort of sheepishly smiled and said sorry, and we just laughed and went to our room upstairs. I have no regrets going here. But, I'd rather stay at somewhere else for half the price. More importantly though, stay at a place where I can actually see the ocean and not just the family pool.... like seriously, is the ocean view in the room with us? Is it the sky? There is a HILL before the ocean. The private beach access is part of the appeal as well. However, my wife and I thought it was funny that anyone could go there. It's not like the Sanderling workers who graciously carried an umbrella and chairs over for us were verifying whether or not we were staying at the Sanderling. They were great as well. Swimming in the ocean was awesome, and we even got to see a ton of dolphins both while in the water and while sitting on the beach. Having less people there was cool. The access to the beach on the left side has a spigot where you can wash the sand off of you before going back to your room. However, if you take a look at the hose that goes to it, you'll notice that it stops after about 2 feet. That one isn't hooked up, so you need to go to the main building's beach access point. Not a big deal, but just kind of funny at a place where the price sets certain expectations. Like, come on, this place is $850 a night, lol. The water to the sand-washing-off station should be working, not just a hose that dangles into the air from the other side of the spout. The Sanderling is a cool place to stay, but it should be half the price. Getting a deal or saving money was not our intention or concern, but I'd rather spend far less and actually be able to see the ocean from the room. So, the problem with the Sanderling just comes down to value. You can get everything the Sanderling offers and more while spending far less. Sorry, I hate leaving a review like that, but the place costs too much for what it is. The thin walls are particularly inexcusable. Giving 3 stars for being mid.
• RR

  Raymond

  Jun 17, 2026
  5.0
  Hi there, I wanted to share a quick note from Grandpa Ellis about my granddaughter’s wedding at the Sanderling Resort. He was blown away by how beautiful the venue was and how smoothly everything ran. “I couldn’t have asked for a nicer place to watch my granddaughter celebrate the biggest day of her life. The Sanderling Resort was absolutely beautiful — peaceful, well‑kept, and the perfect backdrop for such a special moment. What really impressed me was how smoothly everything ran. OBX Celebrations brought their full bundled team, and they made the entire day feel effortless. The food was absolutely off the charts — Chef Sam put real heart into every dish, and you could taste the pride in his cooking. Michael, the coordinator, ran the whole day like a conductor leading an orchestra, every moment flowing right into the next without a hitch. And Steve, our keyboard player, entertained everyone all night with those classic Bob Marley tunes that had the whole crowd smiling. It all came together beautifully. Nothing I’ve been to has ever come close, and I’m grateful my granddaughter had a day this perfect.”
• AR

  Ashley R

  Jun 15, 2026
  1.0
  As an outer banks local, I’ve been going to sanderling spa for close to 20 years. The last few times I’ve been I had a little heart burn paying for 80 minutes when I wasn’t pulled back until after my appointment time and the massage was complete prior to the scheduled time that it should have been - however, I chalked it up to them being busy and decided to show them a little bit of grace. I really enjoyed today when I went in and requested the locals discount be applied as I was checking out and I was informed that they are no longer offering a locals discount in the summer and that I should have checked their website. At the very least it would have been nice to have been offered a one time courtesy. They have no problem calling me to reschedule appointments when there is an issue on their end, they just apparently couldn’t call to message this substantial change to their established business practice. What a slap in the face to the locals who do support their business throughout the year and not just in the off season, also very considerate of them to their therapists who I’m sure will feel the impact of the customers who will now be too turned off to go in February. Looking forward to my next massage that I intend to schedule at Aqua and will be sure to recommend the same to all of my friends!

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