What a wonderful surprise! We are so accustomed to staying at beach hotels that smell musty and are generally falling to pieces -- even the high end resorts tend to leave something to be desired. So although we read all the reviews of the Colonial Lodge, we weren't really expecting much. But it was just delightful! It turns out we had the smallest room on the property, but it was perfectly adequate for us. Maybe not extra spacious, but certainly roomy enough. Everything was beautifully decorated and spotless -- definitely not your normal hotel quality furnishings. And you couldn't ask for a better location.... 2 easy blocks off the beach, and about 3 blocks from the quaint little shopping district.

OK, If I had to pick something to complain about, there are 3 things: the shower head (miserable spray!!), the freebie soap (too small) and no iron anywhere on the property (fortunately, another guest brought an iron and allowed us to borrow it if we helped them unload -- wait a second, who got the better deal here??!!) but heck, for all the pluses of this property (especially in relation to its price), aren't these silly things to complain about?!!?. The lady at the front desk couldn't have been more helpful and friendly, as were all the other visitors we met as we enjoyed sitting out on the verandah.

It took us a while to get our schedule to match the off-season restaurant hours ... but the two restaurants that we did find we were wonderful. Donna's Restaurant offers an early bird lobster tail and filet special for $13.95, and it was worth every penny. Smallish servings, but quite tasty. And the Italian Garden has a pizza crust / stromboli that is out of this world.

It's hard to imagine that we'd ever again want to drive 10 hours to go to the Jersey shore when we can be at the North Carolina coast in 2 hours -- but that's how much we liked this place. Very highly recommend it!