TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We stayed in the Arms building of the El Dorado hotel for 2 nights. We were drawn to the hotel because of the location and amenities. However, from the moment we walked in to the Arms building, we were disappointed. The whole building seemed worn and dirty, including the smell. I understand this is a historic building, but care could be taken to clean or replace worn out upholstery on chairs and couches. Even a simple vacuuming of the rug (including at the entrance) would have helped. The room we stayed in faced the harbor so it was noisy at night and the room walls were too thin (we could hear guests in another room through the night!). The bed itself was comfortable, which we appreciated, and all the staff we interacted with were super helpful and friendly and the boardwalk is really nice to walk along. To be clear, there are 2 different hotels at this resort - the El Dorado and the Manteo Hotel. The El Dorado did not meet our expectations, but perhaps the Manteo (which is newer) would be better.

There is so much to love about this old hotel. Rooms are a decent size. All the restaurants in the resort are good. The bathroom and high backed claw tub overlooking the water deserves 5 stars on its own. But this hotel is so LOUD! Loved my balcony overlooking the marina but the music from the dockside restaurant was loud from lunch until about 11 pm every night. I was here for a week so heard the same playlist over and over again. My last night there was a wedding in the board room across from my room - didn’t expect a party so close by on a Thursday night. I really wanted to stay in the old hotel while here at the resort but I’d advise people to choose one of the newer ones. If you have kids with you you’ll never get them to sleep in these rooms.

We arrived on a Saturday evening to find nobody at the check-in desk and had to go to next door hotel to sort this. Then tried to book breakfast for the following day but was told this couldn’t be guaranteed as it was Mother’s Day, i.e even though we were staying there this would be on a first come first serve basis and not just to fellow guests but to the general public also. Overall we had a lovely time, our room was clean and we had fantastic views across the lake. We also used the gym, swimming pool and hired a kayak. However we got the impression that a lot of the staff were new and although very polite, they couldn’t actually answer any specific questions and when they went off to find the answer they never came back. It was also a bit disappointing that the reception desk only appeared to be manned on a sporadic basis. It is not cheap to stay here and in that respect the service could definitely be improved. The exception to this were the staff in the Whisky Bar who were brilliant. We went there a few times when there was nobody at the front desk and they all went out of their way to help. Particular thanks to Gareth and Brett.

Arrived for check in after time given on email and room was not ready. Television kept freezing in the evening and no one after 8:30 pm at the Eldorado text so had to contact the desk at the Manteo Resort. Sent someone up but unfortunately they didn't know how to fix it so had to wait until the next day. The next day when we arrived back at our room around 15:45 our room still had not been touched up so had to go down to the front desk. Upon check out the next day after 9am,again no one at the Elderado front desk so had to drive over to the Manteo Resort to check out. Very disappointed in this Resort. Gave it a 2 because the room was at least very quiet.

We landed at night and had a late check-in. However, the staff was super helpful to accommodate us. I was lucky because I got a very nice view, facing the ocean...the view...was superb just like in the movie...the breakfast food was delicious. Will definitely come back!