Features: The upper level with its connected great room and dining room, cathedral ceilings and abundance of glass feels much like a luxurious penthouse overlooking the area and both bodies of water—the Atlantic Ocean and Currituck Sound. A small rotation of the home on the large lot during construction directs the view toward the waters and horizons, while blocking out neighboring homes. The feeling is true “Wow! This is different. We’re on Vacation”. Professionally decorated to set you free, no claustrophobic cabin fever from dark paneled wood walls and small windows.

On the same level is a well-designed fully equipped kitchen, a full bath, and an entertainment center with stereo, CD, DVD, cable TV, fastest Internet available, VCR and a video library, books and puzzles. This room adjoins the Great Room through French doors, and can be a fully enclosed bedroom with a closet, drawers, and direct access to a bathroom, like all bedrooms. The sleep sofa was selected especially for its sleeping comfort.

The lower level has 2 full baths and 4 bedrooms (each with direct access to a bathroom). A Master bedroom has a King-sized bed, a private deck and TV with DVD player; the Queen-sized bedroom also has deck access; 2 twin bedrooms each have 2 single beds. All have ceiling fans in addition to central heating and cooling.

Extras: Expansive decks with Currituck Sound and Atlantic Ocean views and cushioned patio furniture; a ship's watch with seating, and a portion of the upper deck is screened. Luxurious wall-to-wall carpeting, heat & air conditioning, and ceiling fans throughout the home. Outside, a rope chair, hammock, outdoor shower, and covered parking. Bed, bath and kitchen linens as well as the cleaning service are provided.

You will want to make the Byrd Sanctuary, in the highly desirable community of Carolina Dunes, your home at the beach. Enjoy the fresh breezes and water views while relaxing on one of the many comfortable decks, or from every room in this spacious, airy, and beautifully decorated vacation home. Cathedral ceilings and large Palladian windows allow as much nature inside as good housekeeping and the weather permits. From this strategic location on top of the dunes, you can see the sun rise over the ocean and set over the Currituck Sound.
Golf, Tennis, Biking, Summer Theatre/park are nearby: Duck's new park and amphitheater is now open. Check the Town of Duck website for scheduled performances and group activities - music, stage plays, morning yoga, etc. Many golf courses are located near your new beach home, as well as indoor and outdoor tennis courts with professional lessons, clinics, and exercise facilities. There are massage and health spas nearby. Safe bike trails have been created from Corolla through Duck, down through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Community streets are also safe for biking, walking, skating and ambling - an ideal beach neighborhood.

Your fully equipped vacation home, owned and maintained by a property management professional of 40+ years, awaits you, in immaculate condition. (Average Customer Review - Five Stars )

Check-in and Checkout: Normally occurs on Sundays after May, to take advantage of reduced traffic (as opposed to Saturdays) in prime season. Your 'door key' will be a 4-digit code unique to your reservation, so no more being locked out when you 'rush back' from the beach, plus check-in is done by e-mail, another customer convenience.

I received a recent guest e-mail with this endorsement, and a suggestion I add a comment to the website:

"Hi, Bryan,

Just a note to let you know I received the return of the security deposit, thank you. We had a wonderful stay and thoroughly enjoyed your place. It was great for our multi-generational gathering and the location was perfect. Close enough to the beach so the walk was no trouble, even loaded down with umbrellas, chairs, and sand toys! But far enough away that we didn't have to worry about the children sneaking out to the beach alone and unnoticed while we were busy. We appreciated having table space for the whole family to dine together, the multiple decks (especially the top one for sunsets and star gazing), and having bedrooms remote from the living space so the adults could enjoy the evenings after the little ones were abed. Except for one trek to Cape Hatteras and one walk on the boardwalk, we just enjoyed going from the house to the beach umbrellas to the water. It was wonderful to have a well outfitted kitchen with lots of space and cookware, ample plates, etc, and the 10 year old even commented on the "really nice silverware!" "

The e-mailer suggested I add these comments for your convenience:
" It would be good to let guests know that, although towels are provided, they need to bring their own beach towels. . . trash bags, hand soap, dish soap, coffee, sugar, salt and pepper."
I hope this helps you plan your grocery store visit, and will also mention a beach cart has been added so the beach gear is easy peazy to move about.

A few recent messages left in the Guest Book include:
From March:
We’ve so enjoyed our stay—great location, beach, sound.
Celebrated our grandaughter’s birthday. She said it was the “best gift”;
You know we are having a good time when we don’t even know the correct date - today is 4-1.
We chose no TV, radio; lovely.
Take care- good travels to all !

A partial-week guest in April:
“First time to the Outer Banks. We were able to get our family together to spend a memorable and fun Easter. We all loved Duck with its quaint stores, popcorn shop, and friendly people. Saw the Wright Brothers Museum, The Dunes, Lost Colony, Elizabethan Gardens and Aquarium. All were great and fun things to do. It was generally cloudy and very windy, with temps in the 50’s, but everyone had a great time. The accommodations were wonderful and we would stay here again. The home was clean and the furnishings were bright, cheery, and comfortable for nine of us, which included ourselves and our daughters, son-in-law and grandchildren. We left on Monday for our trip home to PA. (J&M)


From May guests:
Hey Bryan, We really enjoyed a beautiful week @ Byrd Sanctuary. What a lovely and beautifully maintained home. Great time catching up with your sister. What a special person. Second time here, and we hope to be back soon. (R&S)
Dear Bryan: We had a beautiful week with our friends here. Best weather we have experienced here over the years. Love Colington Café and Red Sky restaurants. Excellent food! Art’s Place has gone downhill. Byrd Sanctuary, however, is still standing TALL! Thanks for sharing. (W&G)
Bryan, Thanks for keeping the house so nice; we love our home away from home. The weather was perfect all week. Relaxing fun in the sun. Thanks for sharing your home. (The K’s)
Bryan – Thanks again – Our home away from home was perfect again. Few thunderstroms over night but weather was great every day. Tried some new restaurants – favorite was The Tail of The Whale – great food, great service.
Thanks again,

Bryan: Very very nice home. Thanks for letting us visit. Must say the house was spotless – passed this Marine’s inspection. Great view. Very nice area – quiet and close to water. (The T’s)

From June guests:
(Long list of people and towns.) Our third year. We love this place !! Great open kitchen, living space! Great decks and outdoor shower and a fantastic beach !!
See you next year !

Bryan – Thanks again for an awesome stay in Byrd Sanctuary ! The widow’s walk, deck & hammock continue to be my favorite places in the house. The views and the beach rock ! Thanks so much!
Jennifer & Crew

The Sxxxx family visited from West Bloomfield, MI – We had a wonderful, much needed, week of beach and sun and fun. The house was perfect for us – all the beds were comfortable and the kitchen was equipped with everything we needed! We cooked every night and loved the kitchen! We spent hours on the porch, and hours on the beach! Thank you so much for a fabulous vacation home – I hope to be back again next summer. “Perfect Weather” “Perfect Vacation Home.”

Bryan – We have yet again had a fabulous vacation at Byrd Sanctuary. This year we particularly needed a long rest after moving from the rectory, our 42–year home to a new place – truly exhausting. Thank you also for all the arduous detailing you did this year at the Sanctuary. I continue to treasure the fabulous amount of natural light that pours into the main upstairs room. The hammock I think is my forever favorite.
Blessing always, M.

Thank you for an unforgettable stay in you beautiful home. This was our first visit to OBX. We had many wonderful adventures and terrific beach days.
This has been a true blessing!
Nathaniel, Angela, Joshua, Gabriel & Elizabeth (Clinton Corners, N.Y.)

As mentioned, complete guest comments are available at the link below in Owner Info.(discontinued by VRBO), but here are the October and November comments surrounding what I considered an unfair review by a 2014 October guest:

October
'What a wonderful week we have had!!The first three nights we had 3 college friends and 3 husbands. On Wednesday we sent the guys home and 3 more “girls” arrived!! (Everyone over fifty.) This was the perfect house for all of us! Many thanks for sharing your beautiful home with the “Radford Ladies”!!!

Bryan – As always, thanks for a great stay at the Byrd Sanctuary. This time we had Jeff’s mom here from Dunedin, New Zealand – it’s the first time she’s ever seen the NC coast and she loved it – from Corolla to Hatteras and of course much time in Duck!! Thanks again - (J & crew)

November
Beach girls!!! We returned to this lovely abode. What a fab house to celebrate 28 years of cherished friendshi