Greetings, from the Atlantic Inn!
The past month has disappeared in a flurry of activity, leaving me almost breathless at the speed of things. After opening to a limited number of guests, we released more rooms and were soon full to capacity. We remain super fortunate in the guests that choose to stay with us, so many interesting people that we have become friends with over the duration of their stay. Visitors have ventured from many states in the few weeks that we have been open, including Florida, California, Alabama, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Rhode Island, Kentucky, Idaho, Kansas, Delaware, Colorado, New Jersey, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, South Carolina, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, New York, Tennessee, Louisiana, Missouri, and Iowa….and apologies, I may have missed a couple.
We've continued to renovate the last two planned rooms/suites for this season, we had an Open Day at the Inn, with some awesome food - catered by Dee Callahan and her wonderful team, and some drinks, to say thanks to the locals, for being so supportive of the Inn. It also gave us an opportunity to let people see the inside renovations, after having watching the external renovations, that had taken place over the past year. I've done a trip to Tampa to move my 20yr old out his apartment and back to NC, and JB finally managed to get back to Nebraska to see his parents (after being vaccinated against Covid19)....what happened to the month of May????
We set out to create a place where people could feel relaxed, comfortable and at ease - we didn't want to be a “dump your stuff and run” kind of place. Now, don't get me wrong, there is so much to do and see around this incredibly beautiful island of Hatteras, and of course, who wouldn't want to spend the day on our awesome beaches.
The incredible Hatteras beaches, that are a mere 5 mins stroll from The Atlantic Inn
But, we wanted to provide a place where you could return to after your day's activities, that feels like your “home away from home”. We intentionally designed spaces where you can sit comfortably on your own or gather with friends and family - you can read, perhaps sip a glass of wine, a nice cold beer or soft drink, places where you can relax without feeling the pressure of everyday life, or that hectic mass tourism vibe that you can experience in some other busy hotels and condos. The Atlantic is more in tune with the rather laid back, slower pace of life, that is Hatteras…Island time. Time you can spend happily on your own, or with company – you choose…. I like to call it “Atlantic Time”, like “Island Time”, where life is at a slower pace, people are chilled out and relaxed... but at "The Atlantic" it's just that little bit better...💗
For those like me, that sometimes crave a little bit of “alone time”, there are comfy chairs on the huge front porch, and on the multiple decks around the inn. We even have a couple of rooms that have small private decks, for you to enjoy. Inside the inn, on the second floor, there's the library lounge, a great place to sequester yourself, a cool tranquil area, where you can have a coffee or afternoon tea, and read your favorite book, or perhaps write a letter to a loved one our friend…
I’m going to digress a little, if I may…. Yes, I did say write, like with a pen and paper. As anyone who knows me will tell you, I absolutely love my computer, and the vast amount of information and communication that is available through it - just like this blog you're reading right now. But putting an actual real pen to paper and writing someone a letter or note, is becoming a dying art. Whilst emailing and texting is incredible, and can correct your spelling and grammatical errors, include cute emojis, can be sent in lightning speed to the other side of the world, and will even predict the rest of your sentence for you (not my favorite attribute of technology, I like to think for myself, and often change my mind halfway through a sentence, which is my prerogative).
I have found that e-mail just doesn’t give you the same excitement, or pleasure, as receiving postal mail - opening the envelope, and finding a card or letter within, telling you how much you’re loved or missed, with that news about what's going on in someone else’s life, or just a quick “Hi” from a friend you haven’t seen in a while…remember receiving postcards from friends on vacation? love letters from your other half? I’m inclined to think, that handwritten letters and notes, are generally more thought-out, with messages not only from your head, but also your heart.
With this in mind, there is a small desk in the library lounge where you can sit and write, and, in each guest room, I like to leave blank note cards and stamped envelopes, in the hope that people feel the urge to write to someone, a message that may just make their day.
Digression over, now, back to the Inn…
For those that seek the company of others, there are some awesome gathering spaces, both inside and out. The front porch is the place many gather to eat breakfast alfresco, and enjoy the beautiful Hatteras mornings, and also love to hang out on, with a glass of wine or beer in the early evening, after a day at the beach or out on the water.
The main guest lounge is quickly becoming a place at night, for guests to relax and chill out, after returning from their dinner at one of her absolutely fantastic local restaurants. As people that have traveled all over the world and have eaten in many fine restaurants, we are continually delighted by the incredible level of fine food dining that we have here, on this sandbar that sits 30 miles out to sea, in the Atlantic Ocean. Not only is the local seafood unrivalled, but for those that are not partial to seafood, other menu options are delicious. In my opinion, we have some of the best food in the world, cooked right here in Hatteras… and yes, I am biased.
We love to spend time with our guests, have a cooling drink, and enjoy the wonderful conversations that are sparked in this convivial atmosphere. Often the conversations will move out to the fire pit, where tales of the day's adventures are told, suggestions for sightseeing and fun activities are shared, and our guests become friends.
Our hope is that we've created not just a boutique hotel, but a destination for travelers that is relaxed, comfortable, and fits the needs of single adventurers, as well as groups of friends and families. An island escape where you can step back from the hustle and bustle of larger resorts, you have the comforts of home, a place where you don't need a watch or an alarm clock, the time of day is guessed, by where the sun is in the sky, or how high the tide is on the beach… you are on island time, and even better - You're on “Atlantic Time”.
On our next blog I'll reveal our latest renovation…
This is a change from our original plan for the design of this room. JB and I have always felt that you must live in a home, or in this instance a 7500 square foot home/inn, for some time, to absorb the vibe of a place and its surroundings before you work out the best design for the space - what “fits” in with the existing structure, and its environment.
Originally, we had thought about traditional decor and furniture for this space, and naming it, the “Ayr Suite”, after our joint birth places of Ayr, Scotland, and Ayr, Nebraska. But the “Arran Suite”, situated opposite this one was already in that traditional style and as Ayr, Scotland and Arran are not only geographically similar and only 20 miles apart, but JB felt their names were also too similar and may cause confusion for our guests. So, we decided to combine the Ayr and Isle of Arran elements into one design within the existing Arran suite and renaming it the “Ayr Suite”.
This left us with yet another blank canvas...😁
Recognizing the importance of Hatteras Island to kiteboarders, wind surfers, and surfers due to the awesome prevailing winds, (I'm still trying to squeeze in some time to learn to Kiteboard!!!), the universe stepped in…. and we were super fortunate to have “Wild Bill” appear at our inn. We didn't have the Atlantic inn sign lit up that night, and he wandered in whilst waiting on a pizza from Rocco’s Pizza next door, to see if we were actually open.
So… Bill booked for one night, (an avid and extremely enthusiastic windsurfer😎), and ended up staying for 10 days!! Bill is truly someone who follows the winds, windsurfing on the ocean often all day before returning to his home base in Hatteras, which luckily for us during his stay, was to be the Atlantic Inn. Some days we would drive bill to his starting point so he could ride downwind the entire time, before returning to the Inn. We spent many nights (over some amazing, local “to go” food, and chilled beer), getting to know Bill, who incidentally, apart from being a successful environmental lawyer, is a horseman (definitely additional points from me!), an incredibly talented poet, as well as an accomplished windsurfer. Having Bill stay over with us at the Atlantic was so much fun!
I always knew that many kiteboarders and windsurfers chase the wind, following air patterns and weather, stopping off when they find that perfect spot - Hatteras is often that perfect spot…. but spending time with Bill and some of his kiteboarder friends was awesome, and on listening to their adventures, it inspired us to design a suite with that vibe.
The suite was ideal, as it had a door with direct access to the back deck, close to the outside shower and water hose, for cleaning off equipment, and having a cool shower after a day and in the sun. It has a Queen bed and en-suite bathroom in the sleeping area, and a living area, with futon sofa, small table and chairs, a kitchen area with a sink, microwave, toaster, and fridge… and is decorated with a wind sport and beach theme.
What else would we have called this suite but “Windchaser” 😊
I’ll formally introduce you to “Windchaser” in the next blog with some pics, so you can see how it has turned out. The suite will be available from the 20th of June onwards, and reservations are now being taken online at our website.
Another piece of news is, our gift shop “Atlantic Innspirations”, will be opening very soon at the Atlantic Inn, and also online, at the website. With T-shirts (Huge thanks to Jen and Brian, at Third Stone Graphics in Frisco!!!), mugs, photo prints, candles, local artist's creations....and much more!
Time to go…. work to be done…. and more importantly fun and adventures to be had on "Atlantic Time"!
Until next time,
Take care,
Pam
PS. if you have some time… and the inclination, please check out my other blog at www.myatlanticlife.com