Cavalier by the Sea — Hotel in Kill Devil Hills

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looking at the rooms through a different lens, as a result of these new price hikes:||||The rooms are VERY subpar and outdated, with a bare minimum of stocked items.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 Everything else is old and outdated to varying degrees.||||The parking spaces are too close together.||||They do allow pets in certain rooms (not the ocean front rooms!)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...

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...

Amazing and cost friendly place to stay! Our room was facing the pool, so we had to walk just a few feet from our door to the pool gate and jump in. It’s very large and easily able to accommodate multiple families. Half of the pool is 9 ft and the other half is 3 to 4 ft which is perfect if you need to corral your children. Right around the corner from our room was the entrance to the beach. Walk up a set of stairs and you’re in the sand! Rooms are sized well and very clean. Beds and pillows were comfortable and the fridge was a much nicer size than I was expecting! Shops and restaurants are very close by, some even within walking distance. Captain George’s is one of our favorite restaurants and they were a seven minute walk. Plenty of places for breakfast, coffee, bagels and donuts are within a couple of miles; can’t beat the convenience! We did have one issue where a group of visitors without a parking pass stole the parking spot in front of our room after hours. They huddled in front of our door and drank for quite a while. We didn’t necessarily classify that as an emergency but it was definitely irritating. I do think there should be more signs that visitors shouldn’t be able to block paying customers that way, let alone get into their allotted space and just loiter. The only problem as far as the motel goes isn’t something everyone will have to deal with, but the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash are bolted to the shower wall. My kiddo is 8 and wasn’t tall enough to reach the nozzles, so I had to awkwardly climb in there and assist with not a whole lot of room to work with. Definitely wasn’t worth docking a Star from an earned five Star...