We look forward to providing you with an amazing vacation experience, despite the current COVID-19 situation.  With this said, we need you to read and understand the following protocol that now apply to our check-in/out procedures for all upcoming stays:

• Our office will be open from 9am-5pm every day, however, our doors will remain locked to the public.

• IF POSSIBLE, we recommend guests to bring their own pillows and blankets. When you arrive to your rental home, the beds will be stripped of pillows and blanket, with only a mattress pad on the bedding.  If you are unable to bring your own bedding, pillows and a blanket will be in the bedroom’s closet.  There will also be a plastic bag in the closet with additional bedding items, DO NOT OPEN THIS BAG (more on this later).
• On check-in day, due to heavier cleaning measures, please know that your rental home will most likely not be ready until 4pm.

• Do not park your car or wait at the rental home.  Our cleaners are instructed to not enter a home while other cars are present.  This applies to both keyed entry homes and keyless entry.  For keyless entry, only arrive on the premises after you have been contacted with your door code.
• If your rental home is a keyed entry and we have notified you that it’s ready, please call us a few minutes prior to your arrival at the office so that we may ready a packet outside for you.
• On check-out, please check out promptly at 10am and, if your home is a keyed entry, leave your key package on the kitchen counter.  Also, expect a call from us around 9am-10am asking about your stay and reminding you to leave your keys at the rental home.

We understand your concern for cleanliness, and we have increased our guidelines for cleaning rental homes to match recommended COVID-19 disinfecting measures, which now entail the following additions to our standard cleans:

• EPA registered disinfectants will be used to disinfect against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

• Point-of-contact items will be disinfected, including but not limited to light switches, remote controls, cabinet knobs/handles, doorknobs, railings, chairs, and so forth.
• Cleaners will be disinfecting and cycling pillowcases and blankets.  After a guest stay, cleaners will disinfect the bedding with an EPA registered disinfectant.  The cleaners will then bag pillows and blankets and put them in the matching closet of each bedroom.  During your stay, DO NOT open or tamper with these bags that are in the closets, as they will be used for the next guest stay.
• IF RENTING LINENS – Linens are offered through a third-party provider, Moneysworth, who have their own safeguards in place for providing sterile linens to guests.  If renting linens, your linen box(es) will be placed in a black bin outside of the rental home.

Due to these additional cleaning measures, we again want to remind you that the rental home will most likely not be ready until around 4pm, so please do not arrive early or purchase groceries beforehand and expect to get in earlier, use certain rooms, stay in pool area, and so forth.

Other Considerations:

• We strongly suggest bringing toiletry items, household paper items, and hand sanitizer from your hometown, or somewhere during your travels to the Outer Banks. Our rental homes do not come supplied with toiletry items and such materials are still hard to come by in our area.
• Many owners have removed small items like kids’ toys, puzzles, board games, knick-knacks, and so forth. If you are a returning guest, please do not assume and rely on these items being at the rental home for this year.
• Please respect the “6 feet” rule when using the beaches and other public areas.
• Most of the grocery stores on the Outer Banks now allow online ordering with curbside pick-up.
• Our restaurants are operating by carry-out and half occupancy.  However, many restaurants have adopted their own unique rules and regulations, so it is recommended that you call prior to arrival.
• If any member of your group suspects they may have COVID-19, DO NOT allow that member to vacation with your group and advise them to stay home. If you, or anyone in your group, suspect to have contracted COVID-19 and are currently on the island, please let us know so that we may take extra precautions when cleaning and inspecting your rental home.
• Dare County requires the use of a mask when going to any inside, public area, including grocery stores. We also highly recommend using hand sanitizer after going inside any public place or after touching any public item like gas pumps, credit card terminals, etc.
• While your rental home will be cleaned up to new COVID-19 requirements, as an extended precautionary measure, we always recommend performing your own wipe-down of touch-points when entering a rental home, wash dishes prior to use, and always place linens on beds before sleeping in them.

 Maintenance Issues:

While on vacation, things can happen from time-to-time, such as internet going out, trouble working the TVs, a burnt-out lightbulb, and so forth.  To reduce contact between guests and our maintenance team, many of these troubleshooting items will need to be performed over the phone between guests and reservationists.  The rental homes will now supply a full stock of batteries, light bulbs, WD-40, ant traps, plungers, and so forth, where reservationists will walk guests through any small issues, including internet outages and input troubleshooting on TVs.  In situations requiring our maintenance team, our maintenance staff will be required to wear gloves and a mask at all times inside the rental home, while guests will be asked to reduce people in the problematic area to just one person.

With all this said, concern for the safety of our guests and staff is of primary importance to us.  We thank you for your understanding during these trying times, and we look forward to providing you a fantastic vacation experience here on the Outer Banks!

We look forward to accommodating you,

The Cove Realty Family

Cove’s Annual Photo Contest is coming up for the month of July. This month’s theme is Sand Castles! Remember that the photo needs to have something with Cove Realty’s logo in the picture and please remember to submit your reservation ID number when posting your photo. We’re looking forward to your submissions!

UPCOMING JUNE 2019 Outer Banks EVENTS:

Dare Day – June 1st from 9am to 6pm – At the Manteo Waterfront – Enjoy food, drinks, rides, music, shows, and so much more!

SoundSide FunFair – June 13th-16th – At the Nags Head SoundSide Event Site – Enjoy carnival rides, games, and food, at the annual SoundSide Fair.

Rogallo Kite Festival – June 14th-16th from 10am to 4pm – At Jockey’s Ridge – The Annual Rogallo Kite Festival invites you to gaze in wonder at the massive, 30-100 foot kites flown over the dunes and bring your own kite to fly at the festival!

Here’s the Latest from the Town of Nags Head on Beach Nourishment:

Nags Head’s beach nourishment project is progressing well with construction moving south towards the town line with the National Park Service at Mile Post 21. Once this area has been completed in 10 days or so, operations will turn north from near Pelican Street and begin progressing north towards Outer Banks Pier and then towards Jennette’s Pier.

The Dredge Liberty Island will begin working off of a second submerged line (through which sand is pumped from the dredge onto the beach) installed between Conch Street and Hollowell Street near Mile Post 11.5. Construction in this area is planned to begin around May 22, 2019 and will progress north to Mile Post 11 first, before moving south from the sub-line near Conch Street and then further south towards Jennette’s Pier. 

NOTE – Parking at the Juncos and Forrest Street beach accesses will be closed for the duration of the project, which is slated to last 90-120 days. However, pedestrian access will still be permitted. Lifeguard stands will still be in place, but may be moved a few feet to accommodate construction traffic. 

CLICK HERE for an up-to-date, interactive map of nourishment progress!

Cove Realty will continue to post notices and progress on FaceBook and our website throughout the beach nourishment project!

Beach nourishment is vital to the future of Nags Head, and we ask for your patience and understanding while this work is underway.

*More information can be found at https://www.darenc.com/departments/public-relations/beach-nourishment and https://www.nagsheadnc.gov/, where you can sign up to receive email updates.  Thank you for your understanding in keeping our beaches great!

Here’s the Latest from the Town of Nags Head on Beach Nourishment:

Equipment is being staged on the beach and at the Forest Street and Juncos Street public beach accesses in preparation for the start of Nags Head’s 2019 beach nourishment project.
Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, the Town’s dredging contractor for the project, has installed a sub-line (the submerged pipe through which sand is pumped from a dredge offshore up unto the beach) at station 975, which is just south of Limulus Street and just north of Pelican Street in south Nags Head, near Mile Post 20.5.
On May 1, they expect to begin construction in this area and will be progressing south towards the southern project terminus near Mile Post 21 (at the town/National Park Service line). Once they have completed this area, they will then turn north from the sub-line near Pelican Street and begin professing north towards Outer Banks Pier and then towards Jennette’s Pier.
They are working to install another sub-line at the north end of town, between Conch Street and Hollowell Street near Mile Post 11.5, so that they can begin construction on May 7 and progress north to Mile Post 11 first, before moving south from the sub-line near Conch Street.

Cove Realty will continue to post notices and progress on FaceBook throughout the beach nourishment project!

Summer May Be Over, But There’s Still Plenty to do on the Outer Banks!

Here’s a list of just a few September Events:

• Food Truck Showdown – September 9th – 11am to 5pm at the Nags Head Soundside Event Site. Enjoy tastes offered by different food trucks and local brewers, all while listening to a number of live bands during the event.
• Outer Banks Triathelon – September 14th-16th – Race the Outer Banks!
• ESA Surfing Competition – September 16th-22nd at Jennette’s Pier – The best amateur surfers on the East Coast competing to be Easterns champions!
• The Lost Colony Wine Festival – September 29th – Enjoy great local wines, savory foods, and amazing views.

Here are Just a Few Reasons Why September’s a Great Time to have an #OuterBanksVacation:

• Temperatures average in the 80’s, yet the water is still warm!
• Relatively less crowded beaches and restaurants!
• Flexible vacationing dates – Many homes begin to allow partial week reservations be made in advance!
• LOWER RATES!

Have you seen the Dinosaurs here on the Outer Banks? The Outer Banks Aquarium has brought back their summer dinosaur exhibit, but it’ll only be around for one more month, as the exhibit ends on September 4th. The aquarium is located on Roanoke Island in Manteo, right next to the airport.

http://www.ncaquariums.com/roanoke-island-whats-new/posts/dinosaurs-return-2018