Let's head east to the Outer Banks village of Buxton, where I spent a wonderful weekend of leisure and fine dining at The Inn on Pamlico Sound.

[pleasant music] - Buxton is a little tiny town on Cape Hatteras Island, which is off the east coast of North Carolina in an area that most people know as the Outer Banks.

My name is Natasha Quidley.

My position is the general manager of The Inn on Pamlico Sound and Cafe Pamlico.

Buxton is very popular.

We are in fact a very popular tourist destination.

We get travelers from all over the world.

Summertime is very busy, but the off season is a wonderful time to visit and it's much quieter.

- Hi.

- Hi, Deb.

I'm Natasha.

Nice to meet you.

- It's nice to meet you.

- Welcome to the inn.

- This is beautiful.

It's like paradise.

- I think so.

Come on, let's get you checked in.

So The Inn on Pamlico Sound is a European-style boutique hotel.

So we have 13 rooms here at the inn.

They're all named after Coastal North Carolina flowers.

We have queen rooms that overlook the sound, up to premium king rooms with double jacuzzi bathtubs and beautiful decks that overlook the sound.

Our Jasmine Room is the room that most of our brides and grooms stay in.

We serve fresh coffee in the morning right outside of your door, fresh baked goods every afternoon at check-in time.

Water sports is a large thing here, whether it's kite surfing, whether it is fishing, charter fishing.

Cape Point is right here in Buxton.

It is known as the red drum capital of the world.

We have standup paddleboards and kayaks and bicycles on site that are free for our guests.

This is somewhere that you're going to be able to relax and enjoy your time.

- [Deborah] The Inn on Pamlico Sound has the feel of a private home on an island resort, especially relaxing poolside under the shade of its crystal pavilion.

This feature became their most recent addition from a rebuild after Hurricane Matthew.

Owners Steve Nelson and Sherry Elder shared a bit of The Inn's journey with me.

- You're inside of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which is another wonderful thing about here.

I spent a large portion of my career in corporate America.

The first time I came here, I came here for vacation, not really thinking too much about it.

I came here and it was the first place I had ever been home.

But I used to travel a lot and I had traveled to to large portions of the world, but I fell in love with Southern Europe.

It was just beautiful.

So this place is basically modeled after places I had stayed across Europe, primarily Southern Europe.

- He wants everyone to come.

He is very open about that.

We've had weddings, you know, so just everyone.

- [Deborah] Sounds like a very welcoming place no matter who you are.

- Mm-hmm.

- Included with your stay is a hot made-to-order breakfast.

On the breakfast menu, there's an absolutely delicious Belgian waffle with fresh berries and cream.

You'll find a gorgeous avocado toast on rustic whole-grain bread with a perfectly-poached egg, and a shrimp and grits with Andouille sausage and smoked Gouda cheese that's a guest favorite.

The Inn is located right here on the waters of the Pamlico Sound.

Nice and easy waters so it's perfect for me to take a kayak out.

I just grabbed a kayak, which is right here on property, and invited my buddy Aaron Tuell to join me out on the water.

- Awesome.

- You ready to do this?

- Yeah, let's go do it.

- All right.

- Number one, it's the fall and it's probably, yes, most locals, the most common answer for the best time of year would be the fall season when things are, the air temperature's really nice.

It's warm, but it's milder than the summertime.

What's interesting about the Pamlico Sound and Hatteras Island is it's like what I tell my kids, like I can try to remind 'em how special of a place that we're in 'cause if you look behind me, you know, you can see the horizon.

- [Deborah] For me, calm waters like these are just right for an easy paddle.

More adventurous visitors will appreciate the surf side of Cape Hatteras, where the wind and water provide an exciting playground for flying kites, riding the waves, or both.

A year-round attraction for guests of The Inn and visitors is the Cafe Pamlico, offering probably the best fine dining on Hatteras Island.

- We have fresh fish from right off the docks here in Hatteras Village.

It's about 10 minutes down the road, and that's delivered just about every day.

Scallops, crab cakes, lobster, tuna's probably our most famous fresh catch that we get.

We have an amazing filet.

You can get that regular or you can get that Neptune so that comes with crab meat and lobster.

So we kind of specialize in local seafood and then we use a lot of herbs and vegetables that we actually grow here on our property.

- If you're ready to step outside of The Inn for just a little bit, there's a really cool bookstore, Buxton Village Books, that's just two miles from here and it's really easy to just pedal on over, maybe about 15-minute ride.

Let's go.

An energizing bike ride lets you see a little more of the island while taking in the salty air.

And this bookstore is just the excuse you need to indulge in some leisurely reading.

At Buxton Village Books, you'll find the charm of an independent bookstore, an interesting selection of local and national titles.

And take a moment to read these little notes on the walls.

They tell the story of this building, which dates back to the 1860s and was constructed entirely from shipwreck timber.

You might not expect to find hospitality, fine dining, and upscale accommodations in the middle of one of North Carolina's barrier islands, but you will at The Inn on Pamlico Sound and Pamlico Cafe.

[upbeat music] The Inn on Pamlico Sound is at 49684 North Carolina Highway 12 in Buxton.

Cafe Pamlico is open for breakfast Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., brunch on Friday and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and dinner nightly from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. To find out more, visit them online at innonpamlicosound.com or give them a call at [866] 995-7030.