Newport Oregon Lodging

August 23, 2006 6:53 PM

Newport Oregon lodging possibilities?

My wife and I are travelling to Oregon for vacation for one week. While we will spend most of the time in the Portland area and a side trip to Columbia River Gorge area, we do plan to spend a couple of nights along the North/Central Oregon coast area. Can someone please suggest a good hotel/lodging/b&b stop in Newport, OR area, please? Also - feel free to chime in with any no miss spots/natural beauty/hiking, etc. in the Central/North Oregon area. Thanks a lot!

posted by mctsonic to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

Yachats is a town a little south of Newport. The Overleaf Lodge is a beautiful hotel that I have stayed at several times. The rooms are very nice. It's a little pricey, but the view is completely worth it. I highly recommend staying on the 2nd floor, because then the views of the ocean are particularly dramatic. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable of the area. There is a nightly bonfire/marshmallow roast (I have skipped this every time, but other guests I spoke with said it was very fun!).

Another beautiful spot is Heceta Head beach. You'll get beautiful views of the Heceta Head Lighthouse.

Have a fabulous trip, I love the Oregon Coast!
posted by jengineer at 7:33 PM on August 23, 2006

No hotel recommendations because we've never stayed out there, but if you like crab cakes, the best ones we've ever had were at Saffron Salmon. I like TripAdvisor for recommendations of things to do and places to stay.
We have stayed at other places on the Oregon coast, and if you plan to go in the summer months, get your reservations ASAP. Places book up over a year in advance.
Also, bring good warm, windproof clothes. The coast is cool and windy.
posted by j at 8:09 PM on August 23, 2006

I also recommend Yachats. If you'd rather have beach access than luxury, we enjoyed the Shamrock Lodgettes the last time we passed through. The beach was about 30 seconds from our back door. (It's also worth noting that we were able to walk in without reservations on a weekday in June.)

If you're in Yachats around dawn or dusk, the Landmark Inn has mediocre food and a great view. We got to watch a heron decimate the local fish population from our breakfast table. The restaurant had a communal pair of binoculars for just such events.

Other things to see on your way down the coast:
The Cape Lookout trail is great hiking.
Yaquina Head is beautiful. (The link is about the lighthouse, but I found the view much more engaging.)
The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport proper is small, but nice. The otters alone are worth the price of admission.
posted by liet at 9:56 PM on August 23, 2006

Oh, I used to spend a lot of time in Newport, OR.

You have to hit up the Rogue Alehouse in Newport. Great beer, and excellent food. You can also go on a nice brewery tour. Last time I went on one, it was basically the beer serving guy walking a friend and I around the place showing us everything we could think of about beer.

And be careful on that coastal highway..

Yahacts is nice. Waldport is a cute little town too.
posted by drstein at 10:34 PM on August 23, 2006

Yachats is pronounced ya-hots, with the accent on the ya, btw.
posted by nonmyopicdave at 10:51 PM on August 23, 2006

If you do go to the aquarium, be sure to do the behind the scenes tour if you can. Well worth the extra cost.
posted by karmaville at 12:27 AM on August 24, 2006

Second the being careful on the highways. There are a several bad accidents a year on the roads to/from the coast and the winding coastal highway is full of speed changes, which local cops love to enforce.

Aside from that, Rogue alehouse is quite nice, and be sure to bring cooler weather clothes, it's typically in the 60's-70's in the summer, though occasionally hot.

Enjoy Oregon, just don't move here, to paraphrase a former Oregon governor :)
posted by efalk at 2:16 AM on August 24, 2006

I second Saffron Salmon. . .I was trying to remember the name of that place! It is excellent. . .
posted by jengineer at 8:53 AM on August 24, 2006

Maybe it’s so obvious as to not warrant mention, but don’t pass up Cape Perpetua, 2 miles south of Yachats. There’s a visitor center and scenic area which I haven’t explored, but just driving to the top and walking around with your jaw at your feet is totally worth it.
posted by dpcoffin at 10:09 AM on August 24, 2006

I went to high school in Newport, and spent a while brewing at Rogue. Definitely check them out. There's a pub on the bayfront, and the main brewery is on the other side of the bridge.

As far as lodging: There are gobs of touristy hotels, but if you want something you can't do elsewhere, go to the Sylvia Beach Hotel. Each room is decorated in the theme of a different author -- eg, the Agatha Christie room, the Mark Twain room, the Edgar Allan Poe room (the pendulum is a bit creepy). They have a phenomenal restaurant -- I used to wash dishes there, and got to eat the extras. Best job ever. Only catch is that it's fixed-menu, single-seating, and you'll be sharing your table with strangers.

I really liked going up to Yaquina Head; there's a cool little beach if you take the stairs down from the lighthouse -- tidepools, and it's all black basalt pebbles, not sand. There used to be a lot of cool coffee shops and an art gallery near the Sylvia Beach Hotel (they're also near the performing arts center) -- I haven't been back in a number of years, so I'm not totally up on things anymore. Feel free to send email if you want an ex-local's take on things (in the profile).
posted by nickmark at 10:35 AM on August 24, 2006