We had a really wonderful stay with our two kids and two dogs at Paradise at Blue Fin. The house was exactly as described. The setting is beautiful, the pool was amazing, the hot tub was wonderful on the cool nights. We so appreciated the ability to heat the pool in April - this was a great bonus from other houses we looked at. I want to give a big thank you to Laura - her communication and help leading up to the stay made the planning so easy. She was always fast to respond and so friendly. Because of her, I would happily book with Carova Cottages again.

Paradise at Blue Fin was a great house for our family vacation. Easy walk to the beach and great amenities. We saw wild horses on the dunes almost every day. We vacationed in September and had the option of heating the pool. We did and it ended up being a great decision.

After renting over a dozen properties on the outer banks over the years, we found this house to be perfect for our needs as well as a beautiful location. The house was very well equipped. We travelled with two small children and found everything we needed for a comfortable stay. Would definitely rent this house again. The people at Carova Cottages were very helpful and responsive along the way. Thank you for a great vacation!

Beautiful views and well maintained. Would recommend to anyone.

Home was perfect. Loved the pool and hot tub and the location was perfect. All the windows gave you a clear view of the ocean and sunrises. On several occasions the wild horses appeared on the property.
Breath taking views and it was so quiet this time of year.

Manager's Response

Home was perfect. Loved the pool and hot tub and the location was perfect. All the windows gave you a clear view of the ocean and sunrises. On several occasions the wild horses appeared on the property.
Breath taking views and it was so quiet this time of year.

Manager's Response

Family of six had a wonderful time. The layout and location up the beach was exactly what we were looking for. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets, had horses in our yard almost every morning. You can't go wrong with Blue Fin. Laura was great to work with as well!

Manager's Response

Great place & great time with family! Fabulous view with all the windows & house was very well equipped with all that we needed. We would absolutely stay here again, thanks!!

Manager's Response

Very clean property, our family of 10 had plenty of room and privacy. During our stay we saw the horses right over the sand dunes to the beach and dolphins were spotted a few times as well. The porch offers both Sun and shade spots to sit and catch up with your family. If you've never ruined on a four-wheel drive Beach, it's an experience. Definitely would recommend making sure you have all your items so you don't have to go back and forth into town since it is such a long Beach drive. Owner was easy to get a hold of if I had questions. My whole family thoroughly enjoyed our stay!

Manager's Response

We had a great experience with this house. Everything was as expected except for the BBQ, not as shown or described in post. Would definitely look to come back again.

Manager's Response

Beautiful newly renovated oceanfront home! Has everything you need for an amazing vacation,they even have beach chairs and all of the kitchen utensils and pans you could ever need!!
Beds were very comfortable with an en-suite for all of the bedrooms.
It’s a once in a lifetime experience!! The wild ponies also visited our yard multiple times which was so cool!!

Manager's Response

House was great, bathrooms good, plenty of space for our family. Clean, updated, good location, comfortable beds! Downside was some cooking utensils to have would have been nice for number of people and cooking- electric griddle, larger skillet/lids. Otherwise great place.

Manager's Response

We decided to head to the beach one last time before winter hits and choose this lovely spot due to its location in the 4x4 section and heated pool. We brought our beach loving dog and enjoyed a wonderful time here! The pool and location of this home are great! We loved how close the beach was and that we saw wild horses several times during our stay! However, this wouldn’t be an honest review if I didn’t mention that many parts of the house and its furnishings are in need of TLC.

we absolutely loved the location and the house. it worked great for the 8 of us. very clean and was what we expected, no surprises. Laura helped us very quickly with a small issue. She's awesome, along with the pool/hot tub guy. sorry but forgot his name. he was very professional while there. would definitely stay again.

Manager's Response

Playing Hookey was a very nice place to stay on our vacation. We loved the pool was to the side of the house and in the sun the entire day.

Manager's Response

This was a great house in a good location to the beach .. lots of privacy.. has a nice pool and hot tub .. plenty of room inside to be together or go to different levels for alone time .. basement area great for kids and adults .. great ocean views for sunrise and sunsets .. we’ve rented this house for 3 years in a row ..

We had a great week. Laura the property manager got us in a couple hours early and was attentive to any questions we had. The secluded nature of this house really gave us time to reconnect as a family.

Manager's Response

We had a fantastic time. The home is beautiful.

Manager's Response

Cottage was exactly as advertised. This is the second time we visited this cottage. The other time was a week in 2021. Visit was excellent each time. Laura, the property manager is great and if there is an issue, she responds and corrects the issue quickly.

Manager's Response

Love this house .. very close to the beach.. amazing views from the deck to see the ocean.. lots of room .. the pool is a very good size plenty of room for everyone to play and float .. I will be renting this house for next years .. kids loved the game room

Manager's Response

All in all we had a good vacation. Great area and location. Loved the wild horses. The rental house was not up to par. The downstairs air-conditioner did not work the internet was off and on and the outdoor bathroom next to the pool looked like it had never been cleaned. For $7,200 a week I would expect more.

Manager's Response

We had an amazing time at OBX. Laura and their rental team was wonderful to deal with. We had a couple minor issues but they were on the scene with assistance within minutes of my call. We look forward to going back and using their rental services again next year. The home was very clean one of the cleanest I've stayed in.

Manager's Response

What a wonderful house and a wonderful week away! House had everything we could possibly want, was a great location and could hear the waves at all times and watching the sunrise and sunset from the nest up top was worth it! Already regretting coming home, wish we could have stayed longer! Next year! Always a wonderful trip and love renting from Carova Cottages, everything is taken care of!

It was as expected, a spacious home for our small gathering, close to beach, nice view from crow's nest.

Laura and David were easy people with which to work and kept us informed about the rental property and what to expect. The week was without incident and enjoyable for all.

Laura and David were easy people with which to work and kept us informed about the rental property and what to expect. The week was without incident and enjoyable for all.

Easy rental through Carova Cottages as always. All costs provided upfront, no secrets.

The house was very nice. Only complaint I would say is that we could never figure how to get the ice maker to work. I guess we could have called, but we brought 2 huge bags of ice for coolers anyway.

Manager's Response

We had a great vacation at Playing Hooky. It was everything we wanted from our vacation: a place to get away, sit around, watch the horses, and walk the beach. Even though there are houses up and down the “street” it still felt secluded enough for our needs. I would definitely book with any Carova Cottages property again based on the experience we had with Laura: quick responses, professional, and very informative. Awesome all around!

Manager's Response

Everything from initial contact was great. Super friendly management. The house is beautifully decorated and super clean. Kitchen is fully stocked with every kind of tool, cookware, etc. Fridge on bottom and top level which is very convenient. 3 minute walk to the beach. Highly recommended.

Playing Hooky was just the right place for our large family to enjoy a fun week at the beach. Only two roads back from the beach, it's an easy walk, but we loaded up the SUV and truck each day and set up camp on the beach. The horses joined us for half the week, adding a beautiful dimension to the natural beauty of the area. This house has a well-stocked kitchen with several coffee makers to make mornings easier for such a large crew. The bedrooms and living areas were exactly as photographed as well as clean and nicely appointed. The pool was such a great place to end the day at the beach, too! The view of the ocean from the top deck was nice, but the view from the crow's nest was spectacular! There we saw spectacular sunrises and sunsets. We also brought along our two dogs, who enjoyed the beach and swimming in the ocean. This house is perfect!

Manager's Response

Had a wonderful time...weather at the beginning was stormy but enjoyed family time then the last of the vaca was on to the beach. Plenty of horses, sun and sand. House was great with lots of activities and amenities.

Manager's Response

The total experience was great. The house had all the amenities we needed. Having a pool was a big plus for our grandchildren.

Manager's Response

What a wonderful experience. I will definitely be back. The house was perfect. Loved the horses. And the property management professional was so helpful. I didn't want to leave. Highly recommend. The locals that live there were helpful when I had questions about area.

Manager's Response

We had the best time at Playing Hooky. The house was perfect and we couldn’t have found a better house. Easy access to the beach and grocery store and other activities. The pool was a bonus. Thanks so much Carova Cottages.

Manager's Response

It was the best week ever! The horses came almost every day, the house was awesome, had everything! The management company went above and beyond our expectations, we will definitely be back!

Manager's Response

Nice house, not too far up the beach, so easy trip into Corolla. Sun room, pool table, and roof deck got lots of use. Comfortable furniture, beds, and nice big kitchen with a good RO filter at the sink for good water! Clean and tidy inside, but in need of a fair bit of maintenance, many screens missing or damaged, outdoor lights not working, problems with some doors, hot tub controls, nothing serious, but for a high-end property a bit surprising. Pool was not open, which we understood, when we were there (too early) but it was not covered and was ugly - algae-green with things floating in it. Right next to the grill also, so not a great place to cook out. Attention to maintenance and repairs would bring it up to 5-stars. A few other suggestions for the property owner - some sharp knives would be nice, along with a bench to sit to take off shoes at the door along with a few coat hooks for hats, coats, and dog leashes. Management contact was very responsive and helpful in getting a few issues quickly resolved - thanks Laura!

Manager's Response

Our stay was wonderful. The home is few miles up the 4wd beach and 2 lines back so make sure you have a good suv or truck. We were there with 3 kids and besides going for groceries we didn’t find the need to buy anything else. We had to bring a pack and play but there was already a high chair which was a nice surprise. The internet is fast and reliable. The TV has decent channels.. The pool gets sun all day. The ac can be controlled for each floor. There are quite a few board games, a pool table and few other things that can keep you entertained if the weather is bad. There is a small Weber grill that we used every day.
The service is great - the pool pump needed cleanup and after we called the service guy showed up within 2 hours
I highly recommend getting the sheets. It is totally worth it

Manager's Response

We really enjoyed our stay at Playing Hooky, wonderful vacation house with a ton of space and play areas, very easy walk to the beach as well.

Manager's Response

The house was beautiful, except the back yard had trash all around. A broken wooden chair, half buried yellow aluminum sliding in back of the fence, 2 old semi rusted propane tanks, old wood panels and glass
window on the side of the house and a glass door that was out side in the dunes.I notified the rental manger concerning this matter and was first told that it would be picked up after our stay. When I ask if the owners would give some money back,I received another email that stated the owner would not and that they didn't have any storage space. When you look at the picture you don't see any of the trash that is around the house. When you pay over $5000.00 for the week you don't except trash in your yard. Hopefully ,I won't be the only one that will complain about that.The pool man that came during the week and saw the trash, did take the glass door on the dune so the wild horses wouldn't step on it.which I totally appreciated.

Manager's Response

We had an excellent experience. Playing Hooky was awesome as usual. Everyone in the family had a great time this summer.

Manager's Response

We had a group of 8 and there was plenty of space for all of us. I really like the fact that it has 3 king sized beds. The crow's nest deck is also fantastic. I spent a lot of time up there enjoying the view and watching the wild horses. A couple mornings there were a bunch of horses hanging around the front door!
Overall it was a wonderful place to stay at a beautiful location.

Manager's Response

Our stay at playing hooky was wonderful traveling on the beach was fantastic going over the dunes to our house was quite the challenge glad we had a four-wheel drive without it you'd be stuck in the sand for sure don't leave home without it.
The sun rises and the sun sets were incredible from the top of the house in the widow's peak or the crows nest. Harvest Moon coming up over the ocean was a beautiful sight.
Laura and David James the management team took great care of us and would recommend playing hooky to anyone wanting to go to the Outer Banks for great memories. thanks Doug in Charlotte

Manager's Response

We had a nice visit to Playing Hooky. Overall we had a good impression. The house is designed well and is in a great location up the beach. It does need some attention to get it in top shape as most rentals do. The property management company was very responsive to our requests and we appreciated their efforts to rectify any issues that came up during our stay.

Manager's Response

Our vacation at Playing Hooky was amazing!! We will stay here again. Owners were very responsive when the wifi wasn't working. We saw the wild horses every day along with deer and a few foxes! Oh and lots of frogs that my 5 year old loved!!! House has everything you need. Beds were super comfy (which isn't usually the case). Amazing ocean views and sunset views at night!! Nothing but fabulous things to say!

Manager's Response

Management by far was the best, constant communication, friendly and helpful!

The house was clean. Amenities are nice. Hosts were friendly and communicated well. Loved remote location.

This was my first trip to the 4wd beaches and I couldn't be happier with the treatment I received from David and Laura. The house was clean and exactly where and how it was described. Even with a couple of days of hard rain and wind Playing Hooky had everything in the home to make this an enjoyable trip despite the weather. The kitchen was great for someone who loves to cook and the view from the top deck was amazing. Horses, deer, and foxes in the yard almost daily.

We had a great time in OBX. The house was nice but not as big as the pictures showed. Definitely would not have more than 10 people in the home. The pool and hot tub were perfect. The only minor negative was how far away we were from food store, shopping,restaurants etc. It took about 20 minutes to drive on beach to get to the paved road and then 10 mins from there so if you needed a quick trip to food store took a long time. But if you are looking for a house on the beach with beautiful views and seclusion this is your place. Overall we had a great time!!

The house was clean, except for the hot tub, which was full full of mildew.
Our stay was good. But the owner told us we could park our non 4x4 car in a public lot. When we arrived, we saw signs saying no overnight parking. I spoke to the police who told us cars get vandalized there. So, we paid (not very much) to park in a lot, and when I told the owner we would appreciate being reimbursed, rather than just saying "no", she responded with hostility.

We had another fantastic experience at Playing Hooky, the house was in perfect condition. We saw horses, dolphins, and foxes. We had a wonderful time on the beach and in the pool.