Sunnybank, or Moneybank?

This is my family’s documented/videotaped opinion and experience concerning a vacation we had when we rented a house known as Sunnybank, NC in the four-wheel drive section of Corolla, NC.

If you put Sunnybank, NC into your search engine because you are thinking about renting this Outer Banks beach house, you might want to think again.

We had a nightmarish experience staying in this supposed “luxury” house. We have been coming to the Corolla, NC area for years and this was our worst experience ever. Here are some things you might want to consider before handing over your hard earned money:

-The description and pictures in the advertising are deceptive and make the house sound like it sits all alone on a bluff overlooking the Currtuck sound and Atlantic ocean with wild horses grazing in the yard. In truth, there are HOUSES, not horses, just feet away on both sides-something you don’t see in the pictures. It looks like the pictures on the web site were taken before the other homes were built-The house next door has a huge wall facing the pool that looks like a “spite fence”-the portrayal of the house on the web site is just flat out dishonest!

- Also, the sound and the ocean are a significant walk away. The house sits on the lower side of a sand dune which can blow fine sand that feels like pins and needles on the skin. The low section in front of the house collects water like a little swamp-no wonder the mosquitoes are so bad!

-The beach access for this house is unimproved, unlike the neighbor’s home. You have to meander on a path with rocks, metal wires, broken snow fences, burrs and horseflies to get to the beach. The houses nearby, which rent for less, have much better access.

-On the way to the beach there is a tacky children’s castle and pirate ship that are filled with broken, faded old toys and biting flies. The castle literally sat in the water of the mini-swamp and looked like a potential snake-pit. I wouldn’t let my child go in there for safety reasons. You also have to look out on these when you try and view the ocean over the dunes.

-Despite the fancy advertising, like “seating for 100”, many of the amenities at Sunnybank were broken or could not be used. The list of non-working items included: a broken ice machine (who needs ice on a beach vacation anyway?), malfunctioning grill (dangerous), no pool light for night swimming (dangerous), uneven walkways (dangerous), no working CD player, satellite TV was not available on most of the TV’s, the internet was down most of the time. These were all advertised items that did not work-you would think a "contract is a contract"-but not with these operators.

-The nice homes we have rented in the past usually had everything up and running or management would fix them immediately. We called but no one came out to fix anything or help-there was no sense of service-only bad attitude from the owner on down. There was also trash in the pool area, all along the walk to the beach and out in the Gazebo. Unfortunately, you couldn't really use the Gazebo anyway because it is filling in with sand.

-If you rent this house, be prepared for some weird decorating. Personal pictures, apparently of family members, are mixed in with animal heads and nude pictures. My wife was not happy to find pictures of nude women in the master bathroom and my daughter wanted to cry when she saw the poor animal heads sticking out from the wall. One bedroom has a crib filled with dolls, all with their eyes wide open, staring out. Creepy!

-Watch out if you sit in the hot tub at night. We counted over eight, huge, half-dollar sized spiders in the rafters above our heads. They would slide down on their webs, sometimes right on top of your head, sometimes in front of your face! I tried spraying them out with the hose, but who wants to do that on vacation? Also, there had to be a wasp nest somewhere on the house, because every day, wasps were buzzing by and there were dead ones on the porch floor. Obviously, no insect control at this house!

-If you use this home don’t create much trash or you will be "fined". There are signs everywhere in the house announcing rules about all kinds of things (on the fridge, freezer thermostat etc.) , one of the notes says that if you create more than five bags of trash in your week, you have to pay them more! Imagine that, paying top dollar for a rental house but having to count your trash bags!

-You won’t find it in the advertising, but the beach out front is more like the interstate highway than a peaceful retreat. This house is not secluded the way it is described in the advertising. It sits at the relative beginning of miles of beach development, so hundreds of cars go screaming by everyday trying to get to their houses further down the beach. Don’t even bother going out on Saturday during changeover-it's not worth it.

-The SUV's and trucks drive very fast on the beach out of fear of getting stuck in the sand. It was like being in the demolition derby, with no lanes, no speed control and cars flying by wherever they wanted to. Some cars drove up by the dunes and some cars drove right at the surf’s edge- they could drive wherever they wanted. My nephew was building a castle by the surf and a NJ Lexus came by and actually beeped his horn at him!

-Despite all that stuff about nature and seclusion in the advertising, the beach experience at Sunnybank is like putting your lawn chair on the highway and trying to relax. You have to watch your children constantly to make sure they don't get run over.

-Unless you are experienced in sand driving, you will not be prepared or able to get to this house. We watched as car after car got stuck trying to get up the hill to Sunnybank. One man from New York stayed there for awhile with a tow strap to help pull cars up. There is even an old dropped transmission sitting in the sand in front of the house like a warning! Two of our cars were damaged and required towing for repair. The tow truck drivers are obviously very familiar with all of this-they make a living out of it.

-The dune into Sunnybank is one of the highest and most difficult to negotiate. If you want to go into town to get ice because the ice machine is broken?-you might think again because if you go out you could easily get stuck or damage your vehicle-even the fancy four wheel drive SUV's. We watched from our beach chairs as a Range Rover got taken out on a flat bed-weird.

Summary: The bottom line in our opinion, fellow beach lovers, is that Sunnybank charges a premium price for a deeply inferior product. The advertising is deceptive. There are much better houses in much better locations with much better owners than this rental. If you go to the OBX, I would suggest Pine Island, Whalehead or Buck Island for your money-the owners there try to serve their customers, the homes are impeccable and your kids won't be threatened by speeding vehicles!