We originally booked one of the walk-on-the-beach rooms at the John Yancy Inn, but after getting engaged, we decided to add their celebration package. The package was wonderful, featuring roses, a beautiful bouquet, champagne, strawberries, and charcuterie. Because of a cancellation, the amazing staff went above and beyond and upgraded us to the 4th-floor Penthouse Suite for the week at no additional charge!
The weather was rainy for most of our trip, but this upgrade completely made our vacation. Having so much space and stunning views from inside made a rainy week feel like a luxury retreat. We especially loved having two balcony views, including one right off the bedroom.
On the days it cleared up and was sunny, we thoroughly enjoyed lounging by the pool and the super convenient walk right out to the beach.
The complimentary breakfast is good too! The only minor pain is having to walk across the street to get to the cafe. If it’s raining, I definitely recommend bringing a cooler backpack to easily carry your food and drinks back over. (We didn’t ask, so we're not sure if the staff would bring food up to the penthouse, but you could always try asking!)
If you are looking for great food and drinks nearby, we highly recommend checking out Kill Devil Grill right across the street (there's usually a wait, but it is 100% worth it) and making the short walk over to Swells Brewery each night to grab a drink on their rooftop.
The staff was incredibly friendly and accommodating throughout our entire stay. We couldn't have asked for a better place to celebrate our engagement. Highly recommend this place!
We had one of the the beachfront ocean view rooms and the view is amazing. Initially I hated that the ac heat blew out onto the balcony, but on nights when it was a bit chilly the heat was welcomed and also it helped dry our clothes that we draped over the chairs. The rooms look to have have been updated recently. It would have been nice to have a larger table out there. In the room, we had a sofa bed, so there wasn't a table with chairs to sit at, so that was missed. There's just a narrow table and single office chair. The bathroom was nice and in good condition. The sink height was a bit high for our kiddos to use. The shower was huge and has sliding glass doors which is so much nicer than the cheap curtains a lot of places have now. The doors to the rooms stick horribly and you hear everyone closing their doors hard, even though you know that they are trying to do so quietly. The breakfast is pretty good, lots of variety. 3 kinds of bagels, 3 kinds of muffins, different yogurts, bread for toast, egg and cheese or sausage biscuit sandwiches (frozen, and can be microwaved there), waffle makers, cerals (corn pops, raisin bran, a few others), apple and orange juice, coffees, hard boiled eggs, and probably a few other things that I'm forgetting. It is busy in there throughout the 3 hours, but there is an employee working hard to keep things replenished. The gazebo is nice and large and has ac outlets. There's 3 places to shower off near the beach and 1 additional one at the pool. The pool is decent size and well maintained. It's open from 10a to 10p,which is nice and long. No lifeguard at the pool or the beach. The beach lifeguards are probably a couple of hundred feet away in each direction. They do monitor the area and will come over to help swimmers. If you have any concerns, it would be best to swim closer to their direct area closer to the public beach access. The hotel has it's own private beach access which is so nice. When fully booked, parking can be an issue, but the staff will work with you on finding space. Everyone with the staff was great from the front desk, to housekeeping, to maintenance and breakfast. This was our first time here and we will absolutely be returning again!
We had a great stay and really appreciated the welcome sign for my birthday and my daughter's first beach trip. The room and pool were both very clean, and the pool & private beach were one of the highlights of our trip. The only issue we had was a strong weed smell that would drift into our room in the evenings. Since we were traveling with our 4-year-old, we called the front desk. Roderick (I believe that was his name) was incredibly helpful. The hotel was almost fully booked, so moving rooms wasn't an option, but he looked into the issue, brought us an air freshener, and made sure we felt taken care of. He also gave us a late checkout, which let us visit Jockey's Ridge before heading home. A couple of small suggestions: a phone in the room for service requests and a ramp for easier access to the oceanfront rooms would be helpful. Overall, we had a wonderful stay and would happily come back.
Room was clean and spacious, however looked like it needed repainting. Staff were lovely, when the car park ran out of spaces they offered us to park in front of reception. Location was great! When they said beachfront they mean it, the 1st floor has direct beach access.
This was our second year staying here for a week, and we absolutely love it! Our most recent stay was for my daughter’s 5th birthday, and they made her feel extra special by putting her birthday on the sign out front.
The rooms are always clean, and the front desk is always eager to help. We stayed in Room 218 and had to get our key card batteries replaced twice during our visit, but it wasn’t an issue at all. Carly and a tall gentleman (I forgot his name) came by within three minutes to fix it.
Things happen, right? We will definitely be booking another stay next year!
