I have had fairly good experiences with recommended hotels and motels. The positive reviews I got for the Heart of Manteo must have come from spring or summer visitors. I realize off-season is a time to renovate and recover, but not all of us are summer travelers. Just a little attention to details can make or break a stay.
My biggest complaint was noise. As noted in my check-in review, the door was poorly insulated, light very evident around the entirety. Conversations and engine sounds were very loud, especially after 11 o'clock p.m. Add to this the morning crews wheeling back and forth outside in extra-squeaky carts, talking either on their phones or to disembodied friends about various miseries.
The Heater/ AC was a bit loud as well, kept running by the imbalance of temperature control due to the insulation problem. This was a problem for the TV, and I had to keep turning the volume up and down as a result. I was hopeful it did not unduly disturb the folks on either side of me. I say this only because I could hear some of the folks in the next room talking and shouting, as well as their TV.
The room itself was adequate, clean and well-stocked. I was a little concerned about loose fixtures in the sink and the fridge did need a defrosting. Nothing catastrophic.
Like I said, off-season is a great time to deal with seasonal problems, but off-season guests should be considered as valuable. Especially if you want them back.
I won't be.