new to carova

We have been traveling to the OBX for about 12 years. Have greatly enjoyed oceanfront homes from south Nags Head to Ocean Sands and inbetween but never ventured up onto the 4x4 to stay. We have driven out there many times. We travel with a large family group...usually 26+. Our rental is for August...';Life Is Golden'; is the house. I would appreciate if anyone would be able to provide some info:

We will be staying approx 7.5 miles up the beach...should we expect a lot of beach traffic. No little little ones but several 8-10 yr olds and several 70-80 y/o that dont move so quickly anymore...should we anticipate any problems with vehicles.

I have seen several posts that complained about flies/nats/squitoes...never ran into much of a problem with them in the other parts of the beach...are they more of a problem in carova?

Is there wifi available...our rental home (through Twiddy)does not offer it...wondering if we can pay to attach somehow.

Not familier with satelite TV...not a big priority but if the weather gets bad it will be nice to have. Are there lots of stations any concerns?

Any special concerns with the ocean itself...more or less rip tides...debris...etc..

I greatly appreciate any input. We are not trying to find problems but I am in charge of putting this together for our large group and like to be prepared as much as possible ahead of time. Thanks

new to carova

I own a house a little further up beach from where you are staying and have so for the past 7 years. You are in for a treat.

The earlier in August the busier the traffic. You shouldn%26#39;t have to be too concerned unless you have to make a trip into Corolla midday on a weekend. It is fairly busy down beach and requires some chill.

Gnats, mosquitoes and such are not a concern. There is typically a breeze on the water which keeps thew under control. Once on the other side of the dunes and toward the evening, it can get buggy.

Some houses have wireless and they are not always secured so you could get lucky. WiFi is a non-starter. The satellite, likely DirectTV is fine through most conditions. You will get fade with severe storms, but I assume there will be DVD players available to help hold you over.

The beach is pretty much the same along most of the northern banks. Be aware that rips can occur at any time and make sure you have provided the training to all those swimming.

You should try and keep the fridge well stocked since trips to/from town are time consuming. Ice and large jugs of water are a key necessity. Although the water is potable, I personally prefer to avoid it.

Although I am obviously a little biased, but Carova continues to be the nicest spot on the entire obx.

have fun

new to carova

We are also staying in Carova the last week in August 2009. We rented a house from Karichele Realty, it%26#39;s called Swans-a-Swimming. Do you know anything about this place? Also, what is the lease law in Carova? We have a Toyota Tundra, I%26#39;m assuming we don%26#39;t need to be concerned about driving this on the beaches? Lastly, I was under the impression that Carova is pretty remote, but the more I read, the more it sounds not much different from other beaches. Can you please tell me if the beach gets crowded in late August? Thank you!

I am not familiar with the house you have rented. If you are wondering about a leash law, yes there is one in Carova. I am often there with a number of dogs and do wish it were enforced more often. There have been many confrontations that could have been avoided had the pet owners abided by it.

It is more remote than the rest of the northern obx, but there is still activity, especially on the weekends. Late August tends to be a quieter time aince most of the schools/colleges have started back and the rental season is on the wind down.

If the Tundra is a 4x4, you should have no issues. Please air down to 18-20psi and avoid following anyone too closely since stopping in the sugary areas is often what causes folks to bury their tires.

Thank you for all the answers, it really helps:)

Thanks again for the input - we%26#39;re heading from Michigan the last week of August also and all this info really helps!

I came to the site actually looking for info on ';Life is Golden'; myself. We will be staying there in a few weeks and are very curious about cell phone and internet cabailities. If you think of any more specific questions that you haven%26#39;t already posted, I%26#39;d be glad to report back!

Hi grlwgtr,

We hope you guys have a great vacation in the OBX!!! Our family looks forward to it every year. We would greatly appreciate hearing about your experience at ';Life is Golden';. We also would love to know more about internet and cell availability...as well as the general condition of things! Enjoy!