Lodging suggestions for a solitary west coast vacation

July 14, 2021 7:37 PM

I need to go somewhere comfortable and chill the hell out for a few days. My wish list:

• Within ~a day's travel from Oakland CA or Portland OR
• Close proximity to nature
• Comfortable areas to sit and read/write/think
• Has character; not a generic luxury hotel
• Not currently experiencing 100° weather or wildfire smoke
• Limited internet connectivity is a bonus
• Not booked solid for months and months is a bonus

I usually plan intense complicated vacations that leave me physically and/or mentally exhausted. I'm trying not to do that this time.

I spent all year in a cramped windowless apartment, so I'm looking for a place that feels spacious/unconfined. I don't necessarily need a huge private room, tho - could be happy with a small room plus comfortable common areas, or places to walk around, etc.

My budget is flexible. I don't require opulence, but I'm up for splurging on a place that's really great.

posted by introcosm to Travel & Transportation (14 answers total)

Mendocino for sure, or any of the adjacent coast, like Sea Ranch.
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:43 PM on July 14, 2021 [3 favorites]

McMenamins hotels are re-purposed buidlings of all sorts --theaters, lodges, schools, elks temples. They smattered all over Oregon. Can't speak to how far out they are booked, but I have friends who have stayed in almost all of them and they love the experience.
posted by OHenryPacey at 7:43 PM on July 14, 2021 [5 favorites]

I always enjoy renting a cabin along the Russian River - Guerneville or Forestville or thereabouts. Vrbo, airbnb, and russianrivergetaways.com all have options at a variety of price points.

The redwoods around Santa Cruz are also lovely, plenty of cabins there as well :)
posted by ananci at 7:59 PM on July 14, 2021 [6 favorites]

Requa Inn is a beautiful collection of rooms and maybe cabins, on the coast, just south of the California border. Very low key, quiet, gorgeous nature, excellent food, fascinating area to explore. I don't know how booked they are but it's a pretty desolate area. It's surrounded by redwood parks and preserves and sits on the confluence of the Requa River and the ocean. Highly recommend.
posted by j810c at 8:35 PM on July 14, 2021

Seconding a McMenamin's Hotel. Specifically the Gearhart - it's on the Oregon Coast, so less likely than the others to end up in a heatwave. Edgefield and Grand Lodge both have amazing grounds that are wonderful for wandering about.
posted by hydra77 at 8:40 PM on July 14, 2021

Some moderately fancy options:

• The Jennings Hotel
• The Suttle Lodge
• Ashland Springs Hotel
• The Vintages Trailer Resort
• Crane Hot Springs

posted by sportbucket at 9:12 PM on July 14, 2021

I absolutely adore Sylvia's Beach Hotel in Newport, OR. Right on the beach, easy walking to a few little shops, eating places, and such. No Wifi, each room decorated for a specific author, with a selection of their books. Also has a communal sitting room/library. And their own restaurant downstairs. I used to live in Newport, and looked forward to moving away so I could go back and stay at Sylvia's! It was only a few blocks from my apartment, couldn't justify booking a room when I still lived there. Last time I visited, I stayed in the Tolkien room and my parents had the Melville room. Highly recommend!

Oh, also my favorite bakery is just a block or two away, Panini Bakery. Tiny place that does all sorts of muffins, scones, cinnamon rolls, etc, as well as pizza by the slice, and whole loaves.
posted by dorey_oh at 9:15 PM on July 14, 2021 [5 favorites]

Somewhere on the northern Oregon coast? Many small places and b&bs there. Don't bother with the Gorge right now, fires are starting multiple times a week. (Sigh.) Pretty much Lincoln City on north, avoiding Newport and Seaside, imo. (I'm seriously wanting to escape to the coast myself for a few days, except I want to go for the peace and quiet and rest and writing, and I have this 19yo daughter that would 1) refuse to let me go alone, and 2) refuse to leave me the heck alone!)
posted by stormyteal at 9:31 PM on July 14, 2021

OREGON COAST!! (Do not avoid Seaside! The beach is miraculous!)
posted by tristeza at 10:11 PM on July 14, 2021

I'll second the Russian River, and as ananci says there's a wide range of choices. The Boon Hotel is a TV- and child-free little community of cabin-like rooms around a pool and hot tub, so you could choose whether to socialize or to retreat in your own space. They have bicycles and many places nearby to ride them, but when we were there we mostly stayed in bed and read.
posted by drdanger at 11:53 PM on July 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

Russian River and Mendocino are both incredible. They're pretty crowded for the next couple of weeks (we've also been planning a similar trip); a few other options to consider would be Point Reyes, the coastal areas south of SF (Half Moon Bay, Pescadero, or inland to La Honda and Big Basin), or Monterey.
posted by chbrooks at 10:15 AM on July 15, 2021

It's on the edge of a few of your criteria (currently experiencing weather in the 90s and relatively mild smoke, and pretty limited availability over the next couple months) but I stayed at this Hollyhock Guest House in the Painted Hills a few years ago and it was absolutely delightful. The folks who run it own a few guest cottages clustered together in Mitchell (population ~400) and they were absolutely delightful to stay with. The cottage is surrounded by a beautiful garden with fresh produce you can pick, and they left me a big bowl of fresh eggs on check-in. The garden was shady and nice, and really helped with the making the heat less oppressive. There was a hammock and a few different tucked away seating areas. You can easily drive to a few of the different fossil beds and to Kam Wah Chung, a fascinating time-capsule of a Chinese pharmacy and general store. I also had to drive about 45 minutes to get even crummy cell phone service, although they do have (very slow) wifi.

I also second the recommendation for McMennamins, especially Edgefield. Most rooms are European-style with shared bathrooms, but it's charming and the grounds are beautiful.
posted by duien at 11:08 AM on July 15, 2021

Last year my partner and I did a long weekend at Nick's Cove in Marshall, CA, about an hour and a half drive from Oakland. They have a series of cottages that range in size from tiny house to multi-family vacation cottage, about half of them are right on the water and the other half have a water view, and the restaurant on the property is quite good. Cell signal is spotty and they have wifi, but it was... insufficient for trying to do much of anything. Some of the cottages have nice soaking tubs, and I think they all have fireplaces. You can easily get to Point Reyes National Seashore, or the quaint little town of Point Reyes Station to get food and tasty cheeses, and there are lots of places for oysters if that's your thing. It is not currently on fire or a zillion degrees--in fact the coastal fog keeps it pretty chilly.

I really enjoyed it as a romantic getaway, and have considered going back for a solo retreat sometime.

In the opposite direction, Big Sur is another gorgeous, coastal place with spotty mobile/internet connectivity and easy access to nature. There are at least a couple places to stay in that area that are quiet little individual cabins or cottages, though you can also drop $$$$ to stay at one of the luxury resorts.
posted by rhiannonstone at 8:24 PM on July 15, 2021

I was coming to recommend Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, too. I am in Newport all the time, and spent two days staying a few blocks away this week and it’s just a lovely neighborhood. Great beach access. And their restaurant is amazing.
posted by purenitrous at 9:33 AM on July 17, 2021