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Houston Bumpie needs recs for a quiet beach getaway
Hi from a Houston Nestie! My DH & I are planning our first getaway since our little girl was born, and we've decided to visit the Oregon coast the first week of October.
I'm hoping you can help me a bit. We're looking for a quiet beach location that's no more than 2 hours' drive from an airport. In addition to flying into Portland, we're OK with one connecting flight, so are Eugene or North Bend (?) options for airports?
We like quiet & privacy. Our plans are to sleep, read, and sleep some more. We may do one or two activities/sightseeing, but that's optional. We'd rather do a hotel or rental than a B&B.
So given that criteria, can you give me some suggestions? From what I read, I've gathered:
Seaside is a no...sounds like the Prom is more touristy & busy.
Cannon Beach looks lovely, but could it be a bit too busy?
The sand dunes at Florence sound fun, but are more activity-oriented.
Lincoln City - yea or nay? We'd skip the casino, but maybe its scenery is nice...or will it be busy?
Could we drive to Newport or Depoe Bay within 2 hours from Eugene airport?
I've read Bandon is nice, but it looks like a long drive from Eugene. Is the North Bend airport an option, or is it too tiny?
Other suggestions or pointers?? Please don't hesitate to correct my assumptions (driving time, etc.)
Thank you so much for your help!
Re: Houston Bumpie needs recs for a quiet beach getaway
In October nothing will be terribly busy. Based on what you've said, I would look at Lincoln City, Pacific City, Manzanita or Cannon Beach. All of them are quieter towns and will be so especially in October. Of those, Cannon Beach is the most touristy, but when I think of Oregon Coast tourist towns it's not high on my list.
We generally stay in Lincoln City because we find it to be less expensive for lodging, and we usually rent a place through www.horizonrentals.com so we can cook our own meals and save some money that way. We usually stay in the Roads End area of Lincoln City as we've found it to be the most economical choice. Our favorite is "Key West" through Horizon Rentals - private hot tub out back and the living room has a great ocean view. It's a very quiet area as well.
Hope that helps!
For me, it seems kind of odd that someone from Houston would pick the Oregon coast to vacation
. I would think there are nicer beaches on the east coast that would be closer by. The beach here is beautiful but the weather can be very cool and a lot of rain. But if your objective is to read and sleep I guess that is perfect.
We usually camp when we stay over but when DH and I were dating we went to the Inn at Manzanita once. The room was really cool with a hot tub in the room and the bed was more of an alcove. It's really close to the beach. And we ha a great breakfast in Manzanita at the Big Wave Cafe and a lovely dinner at a small restaurant on the main street across from the hotel (I forgot the name). We recently had a great stay in Seaside. You are right it is a bit cheesy but the hotel was really nice and we had a great meal at Lil' Bayou in Seaside.
If you do want to do some sightseeing, check out Nehalem Bay Winery for some free and tasty wine tastings. Their bottles are pretty reasonably priced, around $20. For lunch, check out the Rising Star Cafe in Wheeler. It is super tiny but so cute. The owner is so passionate and the food so good! Mo's in Cannon Beach is a staple. There aren't a lot of great places to eat in Tillamook, but the Tillamook Cheese Factory is a nice visit. Also, the Blue Heron French cheese company offers tastes of wine and cheese and other products.
Yeah, it probably does sound odd!! But cool & rainy sound so good to us right now. We've been frying in the worst drought & the hottest summer in Houston's history. Ugh.
I lived in DC for a couple of years & saw some of the east coast, so that's why our sights are on Oregon. Oh, and that October is hurricane season!
What's your budget per night for hotel?
I love Cannon Beach and Lincoln City. Cannon Beach is very expensive though. My favorite hotel is the SurfSand, but we haven't stayed there in years because they've priced us out!
Recently we always go to Lincoln City. It's great. There is so much more than just the casino (barf), there's great restaurants, an awesome aquarium, etc. Plus it's a gorgeous area to drive around and explore, and a decent outlet mall. My favorite places in Lincoln City are The Coho Oceanfront, and Pacific Winds condo development. We've rented from Keystone Rentals before, and they were awesome. Private hot tub on the oceanfront balcony, I don't think it gets much better than that!
http://www.keystonevacationsoregon.com/site/ExploreArea/17648/Vacation-Property-Overviews.aspx
Florence is only a a hour and 15 minutes from Eugene but not the best beach spot. My favorate place is Coos Bay/ North Bend, they have the best beaches and few tourists. There is a airport, but it very small so I don't know much about it.
You could fly into Eugene drive to florence then down 101 to Coos Bay. It takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to get to Coos Bay. I would stop on the way to see the sights. I'm sure about places to say, because we stay with family, but know there is a lot.
I absolutely love Pacific City. The Inn at Cape Kiwanda is a great little hotel, right across from the beach (1 minute walk). There are other great spots within a short driving distance (Cannon Beach, Tillamook, etc).
I've heard the Southern Coast (Gold Beach) is really the best, but haven't been.
FET - transferred two embryos (boy and girl) - Nov 2014 - BFP!
https://www.happycamphideaway.com/
This area is not touristy, but within a quick drive of busier areas if you want to visit. There is a small grocery store, a bar, and a few small restaurants.
Very very scenic. A wide range of rental types, too. It's about 90 minutes from Portland.
My H and I just visited Cannon Beach and I loved it! It was pretty quiet, considering it was in August (it was a bit chilly/overcast, so maybe that's why). We also stopped by Seaside, but you're right - it was very touristy.
ETA: Hah, I had forgotten that I changed my sig to a pic from there.
Thank you so much for the recommendations! Our budget's probably about $225 per night. And yep, Surfsand is above that. I also read some blog where a person noticed that even grocery prices in Cannon Beach are higher. Interesting.
Jen, I'm especially glad to see you liked Pacific Winds condos. They had caught my eye. Where exactly are they located in Lincoln City? I'd like to scout them out on Google Earth.
One more question and this one's geeky...Is it feasible to do a day trip to Mount St. Helens from Cannon Beach or Lincoln City? Being a native Oklahoman, I just get so giddy to see mountatins, let alone *gasp* volcanoes!
Off to check out Happy Camp Hideaway...looks cute!
Thanks again to all!
Pacific Winds is on the Northern end of Lincoln City, on 17th Ave I think? It's literally right on the ocean, the condos are amazing. I made dinner both nights we were there in June, the kitchen was fully stocked, and the hot tub on the deck was AWESOME. Lincoln City is a pretty small town, you can drive the entire length of the city in about 20 minutes, so it doesn't matter what area you stay in. I have a ton of restaurant recs there if you decide to stay there, we go 3-4 times a year and have found some great places!
The Coho is literally right next door to Pacific Winds, and it's also really nice, and it's a little cheaper to stay there. However, it's definetly a hotel, so you get a mini fridge and a microwave. For a week, I would prefer a full kitchen.
Re: Mt St Helens... I wouldn't do a day trip back and forth to the beach. I would just fly in, see the volcano, and then drive down to the beach the next day. Or do the volcano on your last day and then fly out of Portland.
When we go to the beach as a family we always rent a house, it comes out cheaper, and we enjoy to cook, so that is a great plus. For quite towns Arch Cape, or Manzanita are on the top of my list. They are supper small, and generally have nice houses with short walks to the beach. Arch Cape has a very rocky beach, so for beach combing, it is not an ideal location. Manzanita on the other hand has very wide flat beaches.
Having lived in the Coos Bay/North Bend area, I would say there are pretier and more easily accessable beaches in Norther/central coast then Souther Oregon coast. Bandon is a nice town, and you could fly in to North Bend, then you woulod be maybe a 45 minute drive. Bandon has world class golf, if you are into it, and a nice area. About 3 years ago the only flight in/out of NB was from San Francisco every day (I think), but that may have changed.
Cannon Beach is lovely, but is also ***very*** touristy. In October it is not likely to be crowded, but expect to pay more for dinning out and such, then you might in a smaller town.
From the Eugene airport I think Lincoln City or Newport are about an hour, and would be okay, but I would chose that only if the price was better than in to PDX.
I have used VRBO.com to find houses to rent, but there are others sites for rentals.
Straight from the Portland airport the coast is a little over an hour.
Whatever you decide, be prepared for wind and rain, as you are likely to experience both.