Cavalier by the Sea
601 S Virginia Dare Trl PO Box 385, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948-7737
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About
#11 of 20 hotels in Kill Devil Hills
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Your "home away from home" awaits you at The Cavalier By The Sea. Friendly service is our hallmark. We believe at the end of your stay you will be satisfied and refreshed and not quite ready to leave.... and you will find yourself returning year after year as do hundreds of our previous and now regular guests.
Cavalier By The Sea offers a family atmosphere. For your enjoyment we have a large swimming pool for adults, a small one for the kiddies and a large play ground equipped with swings, slides, a giant ship for the kids, shuffleboard, volleyball and picnic tables.
We have comfortable rooms with queen and double beds, cable TV, microwaves and refrigerators. We also have efficiencies and two & three-bedroom cottages including living room, kitchen, and bath completely furnished for light housekeeping.
You will be right on the ocean and have only a few feet to walk to enjoy it to your heart's content whether it be swimming, wading, sun bathing or surfcasting. Or if you prefer not to walk at all, enjoy watching the ocean from your front porch in our very popular ocean front rooms which, unlike most "ocean front" rooms, sit right on the beach with no dunes to block your view.
We are located on the "Ocean Side" of Virginia Dare Trail (Hwy. 12) at the 8.5 mile post, diagonally across from Wright Memorial Monument and opposite the Port O'Call Restaurant. Located in the center of the Outer Banks beaches, we provide a convenient place to make your headquarters while taking short trips to other points of interest in the area, such as Roanoke Island, Hatteras and Ocracoke. Golf courses, fishing piers, deep sea, sound and inlet fishing centers, souvenir shopping, and recreational areas are readily accessible. We are open all year.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Beach
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
Non-smoking hotel
Picnic area
Wifi
Outdoor pool
Fence around pool
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Room features
Air conditioning
Kitchenette
Microwave
Refrigerator
Flatscreen TV
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Charming
Centrally Located
Location
78Somewhat walkable
Grade: 78 out of 100
13Restaurantswithin 0.5 km
4Attractionswithin 0.5 km
Contact
601 S Virginia Dare Trl PO Box 385, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948-7737
Getting there
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262Reviews8Q+A74Room tips
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We love Cav By The Sea. We’ve stayed here numerous times and each stay was fine. A hotel/motel at the beach is used mostly to get a shower and get some sleep. How much are you willing to pay for that? If you’re into luxury then you’re out of luck. This motel is always clean. The staff are very friendly. Amy is the best. Family owners take pride in their motel. Staff are working to keep things nice. Is it dated? Considering it’s one of the original motels, of course. But it’s clean and comfy without breaking your budget. A lot of times I read negative reviews then look at the writer’s other reviews. In most cases the author posts all negative reviews. They’re just terminally unhappy I guess. Right on the beach. Walking distance to restaurants, stores, etc. Quiet location. Clean pool. You won’t find a better hotel at this price on the OBX.…
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
+1
We rented a specific unit b/c it was at the end, covered parking, and close to the beach. We get here, pay, then they tell us that they changed the room. No call, no notice. They say “we have the right to” and “go complain on Facebook if you don’t like it.” Gave us the same type of room in a much worse location. No reason given, no apology, no consideration. They reserve the right to give you a different room than you paid for, and don’t care if you don’t like it. All of this after we paid, of course.
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip: Avoid at all costs. Horrible rooms, even worse people running the place. Cleaning team sat in...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from , General Manager at Cavalier by the Sea
Responded 17 Apr 2022
There are various reasons for substituting a room or cottage number for a different, but equal one. Maintenance, damage by a previous guest, or as in this case, the previous guests occupying it extending their stay. Room substitutions are a common industry standard, so long as the replacement is the same. In this case, the exact same accommodation type was provided within a few feet of the original cottage. Describing it as "a much worse location" makes absolutely no sense. Literally the only difference is a distance of a few feet and an uncovered parking space rather than a covered space. As to the seemingly harsh reply of the office receptionist, it is difficult to hold a normal conversation with someone when they are screaming at you so loudly that security heard it from the back of the office building and came to see what on earth was happening. Our reviews regularly rave about our very friendly helpful staff. They always go above and beyond for our guests needs, comfort, and happiness and know all of our many regulars by name. But if guests are unhappy about anything, screaming and insulting our staff is not going to achieve the desired results.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The Cavalier was a great, quaint place, literally right on the beach - almost unique in Kill Devil Hills, with its look, feel, and setting. No sand dunes are in between your room and the ocean. My wife and I had been vacationing there for the last 5 years, and we loved our little paradise nook at the OBX. We always went at the beginning of the quiet season - such a relaxing break from the over-commercialized and pricey hustle and bustle of the larger beaches. It was very much worth going there every year... ** UNTIL ** they jacked up their 2022 rates to unreasonable amounts -- more than DOUBLE the previous year! Since the Cavalier has insisted on increasing their prices to that of close to 4-star hotel, I feel that it is only appropriate to review them at that level of comparison now. The rooms are not in great shape, but that never mattered to us at all BEFORE the excessive price increase. Now, looking at the rooms through a different lens, as a result of these new price hikes: The rooms are VERY subpar and outdated, with a bare minimum of stocked items. The walls are quite thin. The hotel is still using metal, traditional keys for entry. The bathrooms are very small, with no fan. The shower is lacking both in design (too easy for water to escape), as well as in water pressure. Broken shelving on the bathroom walls. Overall cleanliness of the room when we arrive is just average. The cleaning devices in the “fully-furnished” rooms are outmoded and not very useful. The full kitchen in our room is operational, but leaves much to be desired for anyone who likes cooking their own meals while on vacation. The refrigerator is a good size, but other than that, it is also old, and it does not contain an ice maker. The curtains on the front window are old and dingy, and ours were held together with pins in places. The beds and furniture are acceptable but all need upgrading. The heating and A/C unit will suffice, but it is just that – a unit, and NOT an HVAC system fed by an air handler with vents in the unit to evenly distribute the air. In 2021, the following items were upgraded/replaced in our room: The door to the outside, the microwave, the refrigerator shelving. Everything else is old and outdated to varying degrees. The parking spaces are too close together. They do allow pets in certain rooms (not the ocean front rooms!) for an extra fee, which is a plus. They don’t offer the most broad selection of TV channels for the price. The staff are polite, and amenable. However, there is no overnight staff availability for assistance except in the case of emergencies. The front desk is completely closed all day on Saturdays, which can be inconvenient at times. If you need towels or linens, you generally have to set them out and wait until the next morning for the cleaning staff to exchange fresh items for the used ones. Again, none of this mattered to my wife and me at all during the previous 5 years. We WERE very happy. But now I have to say, thinking about the adage, "You get what you pay for,"… That is certainly and absolutely no longer the case at Cavalier by the Sea. We will be looking elsewhere going forward.…
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Date of stay: November 2021
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: If you insist on paying too much, choose an ocean front room. You open the door and you're...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from , General Manager at Cavalier by the Sea
Responded 11 Feb 2022
This review, which is full of inaccuracies and incredibly unfair comparisons to a 4-star hotel, which we have never claimed to be, sadly seems to go to great lengths to come up with every possible thing to complain about in a vengeful reaction to rate changes which he is unhappy about. The oceanfront room rates for the fall months have been far below their value for years. Meanwhile, due to a severe labor shortage on the Outer Banks, we have had a tremendous increase in labor costs to keep adequate staffing, coastal area increases in property and liability insurance rates have doubled, and inflation has greatly increased operating costs. This reviewer demands such things as central air & heat and luxury refrigerators, but imagines that these things can be obtained while they pay a mere pittance in comparison to comparable oceanfront accommodations. As for the complaints about the accomodations he was previously very happy with, the Cavalier has a vintage old Nags Head design, so although the oceanfront rooms are large, some of the bathrooms are not luxury sized and the vintage design of the rooms are not in the latest modern style, although that is the charm that our generations of annual returning guests treasure. A side note - key cards would be impossible to keep functional with the salt and sand of an oceanfront environment, thus the traditional keys. Tales of inadequate kitchen supplies, low water pressure, subpar cleanliness, old dingy curtains ( with pins?? ), and not enough TV channels are all simply untrue. If a shelf was broken it would have been immediately reported by housekeeping as our standards require. Beds, curtains, and appliances are regularly replaced, we've never had complaints about kitchen supplies ( they are always kept well-stocked with all the basics needed for non-gourmet cooking ) or water pressure, and our TV channel selection, including premium channels, is actually quite impressive for any hotel - 100 channels. We can't even guess what is meant by the complaint about "outmoded cleaning devices"?? Our oceanfront housekeepers have been with us for years and take great pride in keeping these rooms in excellent condition - treating our guests like returning family. Office staff are ALWAYS available. In the office from 8 am to 10 pm and on the premises by phone, including Saturdays, at all times. This has never changed. We are a family owned business who value our guests and treat them like family. We have always kept our prices family-friendly and have NEVER price-gouged. As a beloved family patriarch used to say, "You have to make a living, but you don't have to rob your customers to do it". This has always been one of our values. We are sorry and disappointed that this reviewer chose to attempt to hurt our reputation by an incredibly unfair and inaccurate review as revenge for unavoidable changes in some prices so as to be able to maintain the Cavalier to the standard that our guests enjoy and to pay our staff a fair wage.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Went down Tuesday after Christmas. Got a really good off season rate. Stayed three nights. The room was clean and the beds were comfortable. The only things I would change would be a taller toilet, a light on the ceiling fan and chairs and a table. If I go back to the OBX I would stay here again and plan ahead.
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Date of stay: December 2021
Value
Rooms
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
+1
This is at least my fifth stay at Cavalier by the Sea since 1992. My family members and friends began joining and over time it has become our favorite of the old-school, family-run places to stay. This is NOT a place for everyone and the fantastic, very budget-friendly rates reflect that fact. The very aspects some complain about here are why we - and many others choose CBTS over other options: It is OLD SCHOOL - 50’s tiled baths, knotty pine walls, acoustic ceiling tiles, business-grade indoor/outdoor carpeting. Tiny closet for two - from the days when people didn’t feel the need to change clothes four times a day. The bathroom is small - the plumbing can be persnickety (a 3-5 min wait for hot water) no exhaust or intake fans but the windows open and are screened. The gorgeous tile may show some signs of repair or cracking, which is to be expected in a facility over seven decades old. The beds (two Queen) are NOT deep plush, custom, temp-pedic, Swedish boutique mattresses - but they are good quality, plain mattresses. Ditto the pillows - plain, business grade, standard size. I’m not happy with anyone’s pillows, so I always take my own. The bedding is simple but colorful, a quilted comforter and set of sheets. Again - I always bring a travel blanket. If pristine, bespoke interior decorator touches are important to your comfort- you will not be happy here. Simple, plain, serviceable. We find the rooms comfortable and love the “dated” look. Two comfortable armchairs on either side of a table placed by the large window, a fair-sized six-drawer dresser with mirror and a two-drawer night table between the beds comprise the furnishings. Our room and bath have always been spotless. The coffee maker, Microwave, fridge, AC/Heating Unit and flat screen TV worked flawlessly. Heavy-duty paper cups, coffee packets, creamer and sugar are provided, as are bathroom cups, towels, soaps and towels. Absolutely ADEQUATE and NO FRILLS. We love being able to budget our funds for local attractions, hang gliding, sports fishing, private tours and treks, knowing we will have a clean, comfortable place to sleep and a one of the best views of the ocean from our Adirondack chairs, provided by the hotel, if we stay in for a “chill out” day. The staff are OUTSTANDING- personable and friendly. They will go out of their way to assist you but understand- the office is NOT staffed after set times of day and on WEEKENDS! There is emergency staff available but again- for true emergencies. There are soda and snack vending machines but you must have correct change. The pool is sparkling clean and is located next to the children’s play-area - open until 11pm (and at least a month after Labor Day!) Sincerely - a 30-year fan and family…
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Date of stay: November 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip: If you stay oceanfront- be prepared to haul your luggage up two short flights of stairs, a short...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
Where do I begin...... there were no hairdryers, no Kleenex, no shampoo or conditioner. Spent my first hours shopping for necessities. There was no room service, claimed they didn’t have the staff. I don’t think they should rent out more rooms than they can take care of. We certainly didn’t get a discount for making our own bed, and leaving our dirty laundry and garbage on the chair outside the room each morning. Cleaning my own toilet and shower. That was one reason I wanted to get away. The floor in the room was so dirty, when I got in the shower, it made mud. I could continue but you get the idea. Run, run,run......
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from , General Manager at Cavalier by the Sea
Responded 3 Oct 2021
All of the items mentioned - hairdryers, shampoo, and conditioner, although not a standard room amenity, are available upon request with a call to the front desk. Shampoos and conditioners are a major waste in the hotel industry and very often end up as environmental waste. To avoid this waste, we opt for this kind of distribution. As the welcome flyer received by every guest upon arrival states, we provide housekeeping services by request. This has been our policy during Covid times both to reduce contact, and because most businesses in the U.S. are hurting from the current well-known worker shortage. However EVERY guest who requests housekeeping services during their visit receives it promptly. This guest apparently chose NOT to request housekeeping services. I have a very hard time believing that the floor was so dirty that it created mud in the shower. We pride ourselves in our high standards of cleanliness and many reviews only confirm that. If somehow something is missed, it would greatly benefit both you the guest and us if you relate your complaint to the front desk staff immediately so that it can be addressed right away and we can make your stay as enjoyable as possible. This is a historic family-owned and operated business run by the same family from it's beginnings. If our establishment was run even close to the way this reviewer claims, we would certainly not have so many generations of families who excitedly return year after year for many decades.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rickie M wrote a review Jul 2021
Downtown Manhattan (Downtown), New York59 contributions31 helpful votes
Our original reason for staying here was that it was pet friendly. It’s a very old style beach motel which we love. I’m Guessing it’s the same now as it was back in the day. We all enjoyed it so much we’ve now been back several times. Great location, close to everything. Clean , comfortable, and great staff. Best of the OBX!
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Great location. On beach side with great access. Close to Publix, Kitty Hawk / Wright Brothers museum, etc. Friendly staff. Very clean. Small rooms. Parking is very convenient, right in front of your room! The place is a bit dated. No frills here but adequate. Good family spot for kids to include a playground & pool.
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Consider bringing your own pillows.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
This was our second stay here. Last time we stayed in a pool view room. This time we stayed in an ocean front efficiency room. The rooms are old, but they are very clean. With covid going on we brought our own cleaner with us and found no dirt when we cleaned. Staff is very friendly and always asking if you need anything. We will definitely be back.
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Date of stay: March 2021
Value
Cleanliness
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Great Stay As Always ! Oceanfront room with no dune obstruction. Best off season rates in town. Older motel but clean and friendly staff. always a great experience !! Can't wait until next trip !! Thanks !!
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Date of stay: February 2021
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
PRICE RANGE
US$64 - US$165 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
cavalier motel kill devil hills, cavalier hotel kill devil hills
LOCATION
United StatesNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina CoastOuter BanksKill Devil Hills
NUMBER OF ROOMS
53
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Claim Your ListingCAVALIER BY THE SEA: UPDATED 2022 Motel Reviews, Price Comparison and 291 Photos (Kill Devil Hills, NC) - Tripadvisor
Frequently Asked Questions about Cavalier by the Sea
Which popular attractions are close to Cavalier by the Sea?
Nearby attractions include The Bird Store (0.4 km), Stop-N-Shop Beach Shop (0.4 km), and KDH Cooperative Gallery and Studios (0.4 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Cavalier by the Sea?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, a pool, and free parking.
Which room amenities are available at Cavalier by the Sea?
Top room amenities include a kitchenette, air conditioning, and a flat screen TV.
What are some restaurants close to Cavalier by the Sea?
Conveniently located restaurants include Duck Donuts, Slice Pizzeria, and Captain George's Seafood Restaurant.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Cavalier by the Sea?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Are pets allowed at Cavalier by the Sea?
Yes, pets are typically allowed, but it's always best to call ahead to confirm.
Are there any historical sites close to Cavalier by the Sea?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Wright Brothers National Memorial (0.5 km) and Kitty Hawk Lifesaving Station #7 (6.5 km).
Does Cavalier by the Sea have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the ocean view available here.