We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The TripAdvisor website may not display properly.
We support the following browsers:
Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.

Cavalier Motel – reviews, photos

601 S. Virginia Dare Trl., Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
Hotel amenities
Cavalier Motel
4.0 of 5 stars 97 Reviews
Which Kill Devil Hills hotels are on sale?
See hotels
Write a Review

97 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
    46
    31
    9
    2
    9
Date Rating
Seattle, WA
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
15 helpful votes 15 helpful votes
“Blast from the past and no nonsense”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 September 2011
1
person found this review helpful

Four of us shared a 3 bedroom "cottage" at this funky 60's style beachfront motel for three nights. The price was extremely reasonable, but one disappointment was that when booking at the motel's website you have to choose a room number but they don't honor your selection when you check in. So, we thought we had a cottage right next to the beach, but noooooo! we were right by the busy road and as far away from the beach as possible. The gal at the front desk was completely unfazed by our unhappy reaction to the news that we were by the road and laconically offered to cancel our reservation, so it was put up or shut up for us.

The vibe is older couples who smoke, accompanied by their dogs. Everyone has been really friendly, the place is clean but old and definitely no frills. There are window unit air conditioners in every room which are a bit noisy but definitely keep things chilly. The kitchen is stocked with aluminum cookware, Corelle dishes, etc. To make things more comfortable, bring your own paper towels and scrub sponge, some air freshener for the bathroom (no fan), and a throw blanket if you get cold with air conditioning.

The adult and kiddie pools are separate, with loungers and chairs to hand. There are adirondak chairs outside every room, but these cannot be taken to the beach, so bring your beach chairs. The beach is right there - a bit washed away looking after Hurricane Irene, but what can you say about golden sand and foaming waves but "ahhhh!"

Overall, if you are on a strict budget and/or traveling with your pets, this motel is a good choice since it is very clean, right on the beach, and near many amenities and shopping opportunities.

  • Stayed September 2011, travelled with family
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask Michas about Cavalier Motel
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Syracuse, NY
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
24 helpful votes 24 helpful votes
“It did the job.”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 September 2011
1
person found this review helpful

Our rental in Corolla was accessable due to hurrican Irene so we stayed at the Cavalier for 1 night. We rented 4 rooms here. Basically we would've slept in a shoe at this point because there were no vacancies anywhere in the southern part of OBX. The beachfront aspect was awesome, althought it was too cold and windy to swim that night. I'm not sure what that long pipeline into the ocean is for-- that sort of scared me. Was that a sewage line? yikes.

Anyway, like all the other reviews say- the cottages are old. There is paneling on the walls but the beds were really clean. We had a microwave and a fridge, which was convenient and unexpected. The walls seemed to be thick enough not to disturb your neighbors (or be disturbed).

The staff seemed extremely concerned with parking. They have numbered spaces for each room. Someone was in our spot after dinner so they told us to park in another spot. An hour later we get a knock on our door asking why we are parked in the wrong spot. It was sort of annoying but parking is very limited here, so I can see why they are strict on it. They should give people a piece of paper to put in their windshields or something.

The bathrooms were super small. The door wacked the sink if you open it too far. We didn't shower there-- we pressed on to our rental house the next day.

For the price, we'd stay here again if we were in the same predicament. I wouldn't stay here for a week though.

Room Tip: Only the cottages are dog friendly. Get a room w/an access door to the oceanside (those may be th...
See more room tips
  • Stayed August 2011, travelled with family
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask SyracuseGirl1981 about Cavalier Motel
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Richmond, VA
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
“Better in the off season for families....at least this family!”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 August 2011
5
people found this review helpful

This was our first time staying at the Cavalier "in season". And it will be our last. But we'll get to that. When we first called the Cavalier they didn't have a room available but they have a waiting list and we had stayed there before, so I was excited when they called and said they had a poolside room for us. We chose the Cavalier for several reasons - price, service, cleanliness in our previous stay, location. They were very friendly at check-in. No problems there, even though it was almost 7:00 pm and we were the last room to arrive.

We dropped our bags, quickly put on our suits and headed to the beach before the sun went down. The beach is pretty wide there at the hotel. But the beach was full of bandaids and cigarette butts. When we came off th beach EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE was sitting outside, drinking, getting loud, wet beach towels and toys everywhere...I am not a snob, but seriously...trailer park vibe. Someone was grilling beer can chicken on a little hibachi on the steps from the beach. There are no balconies or any sort of division to the rooms, everyone's space just kind of runs together. And even though they say that everyone is supposed to be quite by 10:00, people were still sitting outside talking loudly, going in and out of rooms, slamming car doors until at least midnite both nights.

The room was clean, the shower and tub looked like it has been recently remodeled. The AC worked well. Only 4 pillows for 2 beds, we didn't ask for more but probably could have gotten more. Lighting was fine. My one complaint about the room was the door. It was like a 70's track home hollow particle board closet door. Given the constant activity outside, I was not feeling 100% secure! But we didn't have any problems.

I would stay here again - but only during the off season. And only in one of the cottages or ocean front kitchenette. Its just a little unnerving to me personally to walk out the door to my room and there is a shirtless stranger sitting there drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. But its important to say that this is not the motel's fault. When we checked our this morning, they had fresh coffee in the office and some sort of a fresh baked pastry. How nice is that? It's not for us during the in season. I need a little more space from my neighbors.

Room Tip: Opt for a cottage or oceanfront.
See more room tips
  • Stayed August 2011, travelled with family
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask Nicksboo about Cavalier Motel
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Fayetteville, AR
Top Contributor
67 reviews 67 reviews
Reviews in 49 cities Reviews in 49 cities
39 helpful votes 39 helpful votes
“An Older Motel”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 31 July 2011

This is an older motel (probably built in the 50's or 60's) which has been fairly well maintained. The rooms are small and relatively clean. The motel is on the ocean with a private beach.
If this hotel were not on the beach it would be barely 1*. The rooms are small, the bathroom is very inconvenient, and the Wifi is non-existent. On the plus side the beach is nice and they do a pretty decent job of cleaning the place. But as you know sand is everywhere. The hotel is non-smoking, but smokers are all over the place outside littering the grounds. You come here for the beach and not the hotel.

  • Stayed July 2011, travelled with family
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask TOG11 about Cavalier Motel
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Richmond, Virginia
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Great family trip”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 July 2011

We stayed here for a couple of nights early June and it was a fun family trip. We rented the cottage while others in the group had oceanfront and pool side rooms. The cottage was roomy and clean. Their was no working exhaust in the kitchen so making burgers the first night was interesting! Pool was nice and clean! The motel is literally right on the beach which was very nice! Not fancy or updated. Older motel but serves it's purpose well. I found it to be a bit pricey for the condition but I guess you pay for location.

  • Stayed June 2011, travelled with family
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask krisschap about Cavalier Motel
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Travellers who viewed Cavalier Motel also viewed

Shutters on the Banks
4.5 of 5 stars 248 Reviews
Kill Devil Hills, Outer Banks
CHECK RATES! ABS:HotelCheckRates-d94534?&src=ShowUserReviewsHotels&fromServlet=ShowUserReviews&Action=QC_AlsoViewed
BEST WESTERN Ocean Reef Suites
4 of 5 stars 121 Reviews
Kill Devil Hills, Outer Banks
CHECK RATES! ABS:HotelCheckRates-d94533?&src=ShowUserReviewsHotels&fromServlet=ShowUserReviews&Action=QC_AlsoViewed
Days Inn Kill Devil Hills Oceanfront - Wilbur
4 of 5 stars 170 Reviews
Kill Devil Hills, Outer Banks
CHECK RATES! ABS:HotelCheckRates-d216940?&src=ShowUserReviewsHotels&fromServlet=ShowUserReviews&Action=QC_AlsoViewed
View all 18 hotels in Kill Devil Hills, ranked by popularity »

Been to Cavalier Motel? Share your experiences!

Write a Review Add Photos Add Videos

Additional Information about Cavalier Motel

  • Cavalier Motel Kill Devil Hills
  • Cavalier Hotel Kill Devil Hills
Address: 601 S. Virginia Dare Trl., Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
Price range (per night):* INR1,895 - 10,366

Owners: What's your side of the story?

If you own or manage Cavalier Motel, register now for free tools to enhance your listing, attract new reviews, and respond to reviewers.

  • Manage your listing