How Sandbar works
Sandbar is a search engine for Outer Banks vacation rentals — not a booking site. You search once, compare homes and weekly prices from local rental companies side by side, and book on the rental company's own website at their price.
Pick your beach weeks
OBX houses rent by the week, with check-in on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday depending on the house. Choose the week — or several candidate weeks — you could travel, and Sandbar shows what's actually open for those dates. No re-entering your dates on site after site.
Compare homes side by side
Filter by town, distance to the ocean (oceanfront to soundfront), bedrooms, how many it sleeps, bathrooms, pool, pet-friendly, and linens — then compare real weekly prices for your actual weeks, clearly labeled so you know what each price includes.
Book direct with the rental company
Every result links straight to the listing on the rental company's own website. You book with them, at their price, with their local team behind your stay. Sandbar never handles your booking, your payment, or your guest information.
What the prices mean
Rental companies advertise prices differently, and pretending otherwise is how surprise fees happen. Sandbar shows each price the way the company displays it — labeled, never estimated:
The company advertises base rent; taxes and fees are added at checkout on their site. The final total will be higher than the number shown.
The company advertises the full price including taxes and standard fees. The number shown is close to what you'll actually pay.
Always confirm the final total on the rental company's site before booking — their checkout is the source of truth.
How availability works
Most OBX houses rent by the whole week, so that's what Sandbar searches. A few labels tell you when there's more to the story:
The full week is available, and the company also offers shorter stays that week. If you only need 3–4 nights, this is your flag.
The full week is gone, but some nights are still open. Sandbar can't price a partial split, so check the company's calendar for what's left.
The company takes bookings for that week by phone rather than online — their office can quote the rate directly.
Where the data comes from
Sandbar is built around a simple rule: the rental company's website is the source of truth. Listings, availability, and rates come from the companies themselves, every result links to the company's own listing page, and any company that prefers not to appear on Sandbar is removed. Availability is shown with the date it was last updated — always double-check the company's own calendar before you plan around it.
Common questions
- Is Sandbar free to use?
- Yes. Searching and comparing is free for renters, and always will be.
- Does Sandbar add fees or mark up prices?
- No. You book on the rental company's website at the rental company's price. Sandbar plans to earn referral fees from partner companies — never by adding anything to your price.
- Which part of the Outer Banks does Sandbar cover?
- We're starting with the towns north of Oregon Inlet — Carova (4x4), Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, and Nags Head — and expanding from there.
- Why book direct instead of through a big booking platform?
- The same house is often cheaper booked directly with the local company — no platform service fee — and you get a local office to call if anything comes up during your stay.
Be first in line
We'll email you when Sandbar opens for your beach-week planning.