OnceUponATide - 5BR 6BA OBX 4x4 Wild Horses - Ocean View Private Pool and HotTub - Corolla

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Overview
Amenities
Policies
Location
Host

5 bedrooms5+ bathroomsSleeps 12

Popular amenities

Pool

Pet-friendly

Hot tub

Kitchen

Barbecue grill

Washer

Check out the area

Corolla, NC

Swan Beach7 min walk
Corolla Beach1 min drive
Currituck Beach Lighthouse22 min drive

Rooms & beds

5 bedrooms (sleeps 12)

Bedroom 1

1 King Bed

Bedroom 2

1 Single Bunk Bed

Bedroom 3

1 King Bed

Bedroom 4

2 Single Beds

Bedroom 5

1 Queen Bed

5 bathrooms, 1 half bathroom

1st Floor full with Large Shower

Toilet · Shower only

2nd Floor King On Suite

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

2nd Floor Queen On Suite

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

2nd Floor Shared Bath

Toilet · Shower only

Outdoor Shower

Shower only

top floor half bath

Toilet

Top Floor Master On Suite

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Spaces

Deck or patio

Porch or lanai

Kitchen

Kitchenette

Balcony

Outdoor play area

Garden

Dining Area

About this property

OnceUponATide - 5BR 6BA OBX 4x4 Wild Horses - Ocean View Private Pool and HotTub

Looking for a great family vacation in the OBX 4x4 area? This house is in the sand and you MUST have a 4x4 vehicle to access this property. It is mandatory that you air down your tires to 18PSI or less. Highly recommended that you carry a shovel in your vehicle. There is a FREE rapid air fill station 1.5 miles south of the beach entrance in the historic Corolla park.

This home boasts panoramic views and amenities that will make you never want to leave. "Once Upon A Tide" is the perfect place to call home for your stay. Beautiful views of the ocean to the East, awesome views of Penny Hill to the South (NC's 2nd largest sand dune), views of the community in the distance to the North, and great sunsets over the Sound from the top deck to the West.

Linens (bed sheets and towels) are NOT PROVIDED. Each bed has pillows, a quilt, and a light blanket. If you would like linens or towels we suggest renting from Moneysworth Beach Equipment and Linen Rentals in Corolla (they deliver).

We have made major renovations since we purchased this property in 2018. This home has five bedrooms and 5 1/2 baths with plenty of room for a large family and guests.

Some of the property highlights include a private pool (12x25), 6 person hot tub, new 3 zone AC, newer Water Treatment System, stainless steel kitchen appliances, renovated kitchenette in the game room on 1st floor, extra-large washer and dryer on 2nd floor, gas grill, parkside grill next to the pool area, clothesline, flat-panel Smart TV's in every bedroom, outdoor shower, ceiling fans, outdoor furniture, outdoor screened in sitting area 2nd floor, round dining set 1st floor next to the pool, all exterior lighting, exterior doors, this list keeps going on....

For your entertainment, there is a pool table, two official cornhole sets, large DVD movie collection, books/puzzles for your family to enjoy. This property is a hot spot for the local wild horses. They like the vegetation in the yard and walk under the deck on the 1st floor.

This four-wheel-drive home is under 4 miles North of the 4x4 beach access. The house is a short easy walk across to our pristine northern beaches (approximately 500 feet). Carova is renowned for its wide, clean beaches - some of the most beautiful on the OBX.

Experience the Outer Banks the way people did years ago! No roads, no distractions, no complications - just miles of gorgeous coastline. Relax, unwind and reconnect with loved ones. Keep an eye out for wild horses grazing or dolphins playing in the surf from the colorful dolphin-watching chairs on the top floor deck!

This home is only accessible with a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Most All-wheel drive vehicles are not capable of navigating the soft sand and off-road beach driving conditions. A friendly reminder to "air down" your tires to 15lbs or less. To find out more about 4x4 access and driving on the beach visit www.visitcurrituck.com/visitor-info/beach-driving-tips.

The house is dog friendly. We allow up to 2 housebroken, pre-approved breed dogs (insurance restrictions) for a $250 fee per dog. NO CATS are allowed. The house has a keyless entry front door and a RING doorbell camera.

Property manager

Tom & Dianne O'Donnell

Premier Host

Amenities

Pool

Hot tub

Kitchen

Washer

Dryer

Pet-friendly

Outdoor space

Barbecue grill

Living/dining area

House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM

Minimum age to rent: 30

Check out before 11:00 AM

Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17

Child gates, sleep-n-go, tamper resistant outlets

Events

No events allowed

Pets

Pets allowed: dogs (limit 2 total)

2 Housebroken dogs - req approval - NO CATS

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Damage and incidentals

You will be responsible for any damage to the rental property caused by you or your party during your stay.

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy

Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges

Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed

On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited

Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property

Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property

Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a deadlock

About the area

Corolla

Located in Corolla, this holiday home is in a rural area and near the beach. The area's natural beauty can be seen at Outer Banks Beaches and Corolla Beach. Travelling with kids? Consider Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education and Corolla Adventure Golf and Bumper Cars. Snorkelling, surfing/body boarding and fishing offer great chances to get out on the surrounding water, or you can seek out an adventure with ecotours nearby.

View more Holiday homes in Corolla

Corolla, NC

What's nearby

Swan Beach - 7 min walk
Corolla Beach - 1 min drive
Currituck Beach - 3 min drive
Wild Horse Museum - 22 min drive
Currituck Beach Lighthouse - 22 min drive

Getting around

Norfolk, VA (ORF-Norfolk Intl.) - 125 min drive

Restaurants

Uncle Ike's Sandbar & Grill - 23 min drive
The Corolla Beer Garden - 22 min drive
Corolla Cantina - 23 min drive
The Oceanfront Grille - 23 min drive
Cosmo's Pizzeria - 23 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Does OnceUponATide - 5BR 6BA OBX 4x4 Wild Horses - Ocean View Private Pool and HotTub have a pool?

Yes, this property has an outdoor pool.

Is OnceUponATide - 5BR 6BA OBX 4x4 Wild Horses - Ocean View Private Pool and HotTub pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows dogs (limit 2 total).

What time is check-in at OnceUponATide - 5BR 6BA OBX 4x4 Wild Horses - Ocean View Private Pool and HotTub?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at OnceUponATide - 5BR 6BA OBX 4x4 Wild Horses - Ocean View Private Pool and HotTub?

Checkout is at 11:00 AM.

Where is OnceUponATide - 5BR 6BA OBX 4x4 Wild Horses - Ocean View Private Pool and HotTub located?

This family-friendly Corolla holiday home is located near the beach, within a 10-minute walk of Swan Beach and Outer Banks Beaches. Estuarine Nature Walk and Corolla Beach are also within 3 miles (5 km).

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.

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9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Check-in

9.6/10

Communication

9.4/10

Location

9.6/10

Listing accuracy

10/10 Excellent

Courtney W.

11 Sept 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Such a great location

We loved this house. It was so clean and organized when we arrived. Had some trouble with the lock but the owner was really easy to get ahold of and we worked it out quickly. We enjoyed the closeness to the beach and the pool was perfect to hang out in. We had three kids with us under 8 and they had plenty of space to play. Outdoor shower was key after the beach so the sand stayed out of the house. Owners had games and books there and the layout of the home gave everyone privacy if they wanted to go lay down. WiFi worked with no issues! We saw the horses each morning along with the beautiful sunrise off the top deck. We will be returning next year and can’t wait to make more memories!

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Bobby B.

23 Aug 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great First time in 4x4 Area!

We usually stay in the south beaches (Rodanthe/Waves/Salvo) and we've been wanting to stay in the 4x4 area for years. This was a great family reunion and first 4x4 trip! The house was easy to find, clean, description was accurate, and everything was great! We had family from three states converge to stay the week, with kids from 1-13 and everyone was happy and had plenty to do/play! Owner communication was excellent, especially considering we had an issue (our end) receiving the digital entry codes for check-in, but the owner responded quickly and reissued the codes. The only other problem was the water system needed to be flushed and the owners had the service tech out immediately and we were good to go! The location to the beach was fantastic for it not being ocean front. You could see the ocean and it was just a quick jaunt to get to the water. The only wish is that the trees in front of the house (actually in between the two houses in the oceanfront row) were trimmed a couple of feet to make the ocean view that much more spectacular! Of all the houses we've rented in OBX, we loved this one just as much (or more) and will definitely keep it in mind for our next trip!

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

17 Aug 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Visited for a wedding at the Chesapeake but needed to bring pets.

The house was well appointed, the pool was nice and the hot tub was huge. The one child (a 4 year old) enjoyed her time tremendously as we did too. It was nice to be able to work from the top floor kitchen table and see the ocean since we were there for a wedding and the only day I took off the as the actual wedding day. There is some really nice furniture on the front porch, we loved the extra fridge in the basement! Some tips if you rent this house, bring your own coffee pot we ended up going out to get a reusable k-cup and just shared that in the Keurig coffee pot for the week since the pots built in grinder pot doesn’t grind enough coffee for a whole pot. Show up with at least 1 Primo water jug since the water in the house is very salty and the house has an amazing primo dispenser. With salty water in mind, if you don’t want salty ice, at least bring some ice trays - luckily we had our friends bring an ice maker with distilled water. Also check out on YouTube how to program the door because the directions in the package were challenging and once we set the code to 1234 by mistake we just stuck with that for the week. Every house has its quirks and the owners were very responsive with other issues we had. I wish them the best with this rental!

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

November S.

24 July 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great location/dog friendly

Our stay was great. The house is in a great location...the view to the ocean is good. The top deck is perfect to sit and chill...very quiet and relaxing. The horses came by the house a couple mornings. We saw them everyday of our stay either on the beach or in the area. The house was clean. The kitchen has everything you need to make meals. The house is very dog friendly. Carpet in the living area and on the stairs was a huge plus for our dog. He does not like coming down bare indoor stairs... So having the carpet was SO nice! The beach was great... plenty of parking room. A little busier with traffic compared to farther up the beach but nothing to deter a stay in that area. It is a huge plus being only a few miles from access road. You definitely need a 4x4 vehicle! And don't forget to deflate to 20 psi. Tom was very nice to talk with and quick to resolve an issue we had with entry (our bad). Overall it was a nice time spent at OnceUponATime and I would recommend staying there.

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Amy H.

17 Sept 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful Location

Experience was great from the moment I booked this property. We had a truly enjoyable week and I felt reassured that if I had any issues the property owners would be there for me and my family.

Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2022

About the host

Hosted by Tom & Dianne O'Donnell

We are a family of 5 from NJ and love the beach. We bought this home in need of a lot of TLC. We really love this home and want to share it with our guests. Every improvement is made with one simple question in mind - "if we rented this house, what would we like".

Ideally, our guests love their stay and come back to visit our home year after year. We would love to see the same family coming back every year as part of our extended rental family.

Why they chose this property

The views from the top floor are great. The flow of the house works really well. The house is perfect for entertaining and has dedicated space for the kids on the 1st floor and everything adults need on the top floor. The wild horses hang around our property and we've learned that they like to snack on the vegetation in the front yard and on the side. The property is close to the "pavement" and it's a short walk to the beach.

We knew we had to have a nice size pool and a hot tub. As a bonus, there is a swing set in the backyard for the little ones. Our goal is to improve the property every year in the off-season, so our returning guests have something new to look forward to.

We take pride in making our home a great vacation house for our guests!

What makes this property unique

The house is very spacious and has a great flow. The wild horses like to visit this property. The outdoor living spaces are very nice and the house has all the amenities you would expect.