The best time to visit the hotel itself is in the off season unless you don't mind parking in the street. The restaurant was the worst part of the hotel experience. I recommend eating elsewhere for the price. I ordered the Shrimp Newburg for $19.95. In an area where you can drive down the street and buy a pound of the largest shrimp you have ever seen I am sad to say that I was served the little tiny shrimp you get in the frozen food section of the grocery store. The sauce didn't have the right balance of spices, too much pepper not enough dry mustard and tasted a bit like it had curry in it. The Newberg had the consistancy of mac and cheese. It tasted to be made of pre-packaged powder and was served at room temperature in what looked like a tv dinner dish. I took about three bites and was thoroughly disgusted. The restaurant itself was not very clean and pretty dark, but not pleasantly so. More cave-like.

After scouring the internet for reviews on Atlantic Beach hotels, we decided on the Clam Digger Inn. Located in a quiet part of Pine Knoll Shores, it had the largest amount of positive reviews among the hotels we looked at. I'm pleased to write that the reviews were very accurate and we were extremely pleased with our stay at the Clam Digger.
Every room is oceanfront with a private balcony. The staff were all friendly, helpful and courteous. The room was very clean and contained all of the amenities as described on their website.
The pool and hot tub were open until pretty late at night for those bathers that just can't get enough. The beach was also lit up until late at night making it possible for people to take walks or do some night surf fishing. The hotel has a nice lounge and restaurant and there's plenty of parking. The check-in and check-out process was very smooth.
We had only one issue during our visit - our bathroom sink was clogged up. After making a call to the front desk they sent someone up to fix it within fifteen minutes.
They provide you with a card that allows you to charge stuff right to your room so you don't have to be bothered carrying cash while you're out at the pool or on the beach. They also provide rental beach chairs and umbrellas and have them set up for you.
Overall it was a very pleasant experience and we would definitely go back to the Clam Digger Inn!

We absolutely loved our stay. Everyone was very friendly, the rooms were clean, the bar and lounge is a plus at night and Jimmy the bartender makes the best drinks. The restaurant was just ok but The Channel Marker Restaurant by the bridge was our favorite and second was DJ Shooters about 5 miles down the road. The pool was great and at lunchtime they open the bar outside and serve good hotdogs. The beach was nice and quiet and very clean. A must to see is Ft. Macon, the Aquarium, and a trip to Beaufort to shop and take a boat ride is a nice day out. Plenty of different destinations. We loved Cape Lookout Lighthouse and Shackelford Banks with the wild horses. My husband and I are planning on returning again for another relaxing stay. Another plus is that the rooms are very quiet.

The good things I can say about the Clamdigger Inn is that the staff were very friendly, the parking was plentiful and the location was great! While we were there, the parking lot was being resurfaced and it looked great. The negatives about the Clamdigger Inn were the cleanliness of the bathroom and the bed. The bathroom was not as clean as I would have liked it to be. The worst thing about our entire stay was the bed. After two miserable nights, I talked to the front desk staff about the bed. The lady at the front desk said that all their beds are "very firm". Okay, I know firm but hard as a rock is a little too much. That night before going to bed, I peeked under the mattress. To my surprise, I found a piece of plywood. No wonder the mattress was "very firm". We promptly removed the plywood and stuck it in the stairwell. The mattress was a little better but we still did not sleep well the rest of our stay . The other complaint I have is about the restaurant. We ate breakfast two mornings at the restaurant. The first morning, we have eggs and hashbrowns which were good. The next day, we had pancakes and sausage. By noon that day, we began suffering heartburn and diarrhea. Thank goodness for Pepto. I don't think you can screw up pancakes so we guess it was the sausage. I have stayed at the Clamdigger Inn many times when it was the Ramada Inn. In the past, I always had a wonderful stay with no complaints. Since the Inn is now privately owned, it has definitely gone downhill. Unfortunately, I will not be staying there again and cannot recommend it to others!