Mariner Inn & Suites

My family and my parents stayed in the 2 bedroom "Sir Walter Raleigh" suite at the Days Inn Kill Devil Hills Mariner for 2 nights after Labor Day. It was a fantastic location and had everything we were looking for on our Outer Banks vacation!

The hotel is right on the beach and also has an outdoor pool (unheated). There is a very small attached section of the pool that is very shallow, for very little kids, and the rest of the pool starts at 3 feet and goes to 6 feet. It was easy to go back and forth between and beach and the pool, with a water spigot and shower outside the pool to wash off the sand. It was gorgeous, and the waves were big (and strong--hold onto kids and don't go out too far!)

The Sir Walter Raleigh Suite is right above the lobby (there are no big suites on the main level). There is no elevator, so be prepared for a flight of stairs each time. We found it to be doable. We only shared the flight of stairs with one other suite--the Virginia Dare Suite. Our landing also went out onto a balcony over the parking lot that overlooked the beach, equipped with chairs to sit and enjoy the breeze.

The suite has two separate bedrooms with 2 double beds in each, and there is a couch in the living room. The couch does NOT pull out, but you could easily sleep someone on the couch with some extra bedding to accommodate a total of 9. We technically had 10 because we also had an infant in a pack and play. Both bedrooms are very big, with plenty of room for pack and plays or cots, and both have TVs (though we didn't use them--too busy at the beach!). One bedroom has an attached bathroom, and there is another full bathroom off the main living space.

In the living space, there is a couch, two chairs, a TV, a fully equipped kitchen, and a counter height table with 8 bar stool height chairs. The windows in the living room have a view of the beach, and all the windows give a nice breeze (no screens, but we didn't see any bugs), and there is air conditioning as well. The strong breeze was helpful in drying swimsuits! The kitchen has a full fridge/freezer, dishwasher, stove, oven, coffee maker, and microwave. We had all the utensils we needed to make a few meals, and there was even a large pitcher to make juice or lemonade (I didn't see any hot pads for removing things from the oven, so I used a washcloth). There is a vacuum cleaner and broom in a small closet in the hallway.

Other perks include a free breakfast buffet every morning (coffee, tea, juice, milk, cereal, eggs, sausage patties, waffles, bagels, donuts, english muffins, pastries, fruit, and yogurt). There is also free lemonade, popcorn, and cookies every evening. The tables in the breakfast room seat 4, but both mornings we were there we were able to push some together to accommodate our large group. During peak summer season, this might be difficult (due to crowding), so you may want to consider taking your breakfast back up to your room. There is also free wi-fi.

As for service, my parents asked for a small table to put their suitcase on and the staff brought one right up. We hadn't thought ahead to bring dish soap, but the desk staff gave us a small bottle of dish washing liquid.

There is a grocery store (Food Lion) across the small highway from the hotel, so we were able to pick up some food supplies and dishwasher detergent very easily. The hotel is about 5 minutes from the Wright Brothers Memorial, and about an hour drive from Cape Hatteras. There are many restaurants to choose from if you'd like a meal out--we only ate at La Fogata, a Mexican restaurant where we had lunch. We'd recommend it with great food at a good price, and great service.

All in all we'd definitely recommend this hotel, and would definitely stay here again! In my searching, I didn't find any other hotel suites this big that had a full kitchen as well as a free breakfast, that also had a pool and was right on the beach with ocean views. Everyone in our party was very happy with this choice!