Great OR beach house locations?
Nov 29th, 2016, 03:37 PM
#1
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Great OR beach house locations?
Our family (6 adults) plan to rent a beach house on the Oregon coast next summer. There are so many towns that sound nice, we can not decide. We are looking at Yachats, Newport, Cannon Beach, Florence, Manzanita. Here are a few factors:
We want to be in a house or townhouse right on the beach, without spending $500+ per night. So what towns would be more economical but still beautiful? Quiet area is preferred, not a place swamped with tourists, if there is such a thing in Oregon.
Would like a cute town to walk to, and some beach area to walk. No need for children activities. We do want dramatic ocean views.
We have one set of couples driving in from Bend, and the other from PDX. So we don't want to go north of Cannon Beach or south of Coos Bay.
Any assistance is appreciated.
We want to be in a house or townhouse right on the beach, without spending $500+ per night. So what towns would be more economical but still beautiful? Quiet area is preferred, not a place swamped with tourists, if there is such a thing in Oregon.
Would like a cute town to walk to, and some beach area to walk. No need for children activities. We do want dramatic ocean views.
We have one set of couples driving in from Bend, and the other from PDX. So we don't want to go north of Cannon Beach or south of Coos Bay.
Any assistance is appreciated.
Nov 29th, 2016, 04:01 PM
#2
I somehow doubt Cannon Beach will end up being recommended since it seems to be a very popular destination. Of course, there is one of several big "reasons" which sits out in the middle of everything.
When we were there in September lots of visitors around but when one ventures onto the streets that do not have much so-called "commercial activity" it was like night and day in terms of "crowds."
I would hasten to add that some might tell you there are just so many hours you can stare out at the ocean without wanting to do "something" besides that. But I live right on the beach and I'm biased.
Good luck with your search. The Oregon coastline is truly memorable.
When we were there in September lots of visitors around but when one ventures onto the streets that do not have much so-called "commercial activity" it was like night and day in terms of "crowds."
I would hasten to add that some might tell you there are just so many hours you can stare out at the ocean without wanting to do "something" besides that. But I live right on the beach and I'm biased.
Good luck with your search. The Oregon coastline is truly memorable.
Nov 29th, 2016, 04:25 PM
#3
I like Seaside a little more than Cannon Beach. There are several places along the "prom" that might interest you.
http://visittheoregoncoast.com/cities/seaside/
On the east side of Cannon Beach is a small forest that I saw some elk tracks in while I was looking for a geocache.
http://visittheoregoncoast.com/cities/seaside/
On the east side of Cannon Beach is a small forest that I saw some elk tracks in while I was looking for a geocache.
Nov 29th, 2016, 04:25 PM
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Yes, Cannon Beach is a great place for this. We head over there often and love it! If you want more quiet, opt for something south of the area around the Surfsand Resort. From there south, you are not into the main area of the town so away from the hubbub of shops/restaurants. It has a great beach, many wonderful shops/restaurants, Ecola State Park on the north edge which is a must, and Haystack Rock. It is also the priciest area of our coast.
Manzanita might be a good fit for you. It is a very quiet town just a few minutes south of CB. The beach is flat there, but not very exciting, and very small. But it is quiet. The town is nice for what it is, but you are very limited as far as shops/restaurants.
Seaside is very popular and very crowded. I do not think it is what you are looking for at all, but mention this in case you see the name and wonder. It is our version of Coney Island.
Gearhart is a small community next to Seaside and that might work well for you. It is a quiet residential area, with quite a few homes for rent right on the beach. We have done that with extended family and it worked well.
Yachats is fine, but the beach is rocky there, so not an area to take long walks on the beach, if that matters to you. The town is tiny, but has a couple good restaurants.
Newport is not far from Yachats, but has so much more to offer since it is much larger. Great beaches (Nye Beach is great, and not very crowded most of the time), a lot to do in the town, and many restaurants/shops. The aquarium, science center, several lighthouses, bay front, Nye Beach (which is the beach but also a nice shopping/restaurant area), and close proximity to other state parks on the beach.
You might take a look at Pacific City. It is a small area, but really nice. Extremely limited for shops/restaurants, but a great beach, and the dune at Cape Kiwanda is great. Another Haystack Rock is there as well.
Manzanita might be a good fit for you. It is a very quiet town just a few minutes south of CB. The beach is flat there, but not very exciting, and very small. But it is quiet. The town is nice for what it is, but you are very limited as far as shops/restaurants.
Seaside is very popular and very crowded. I do not think it is what you are looking for at all, but mention this in case you see the name and wonder. It is our version of Coney Island.
Gearhart is a small community next to Seaside and that might work well for you. It is a quiet residential area, with quite a few homes for rent right on the beach. We have done that with extended family and it worked well.
Yachats is fine, but the beach is rocky there, so not an area to take long walks on the beach, if that matters to you. The town is tiny, but has a couple good restaurants.
Newport is not far from Yachats, but has so much more to offer since it is much larger. Great beaches (Nye Beach is great, and not very crowded most of the time), a lot to do in the town, and many restaurants/shops. The aquarium, science center, several lighthouses, bay front, Nye Beach (which is the beach but also a nice shopping/restaurant area), and close proximity to other state parks on the beach.
You might take a look at Pacific City. It is a small area, but really nice. Extremely limited for shops/restaurants, but a great beach, and the dune at Cape Kiwanda is great. Another Haystack Rock is there as well.
Nov 29th, 2016, 06:21 PM
#5
Just in case you haven't had enough input by now, I'll throw out a couple of places that are only a little outside your target corridor.
Bandon, not far south of Coos Bay, has great beaches and rocks, by far the most charming "old town" on the coast, a championship golf course (if interested; bring money) and is in easy excursion range of the scenic southern coast, from Port Orford down to the California line; even the redwoods are in reach for a day's outing.
North of Cannon Beach but not a lot farther in drive time from Portland or Bend, Ilwaco WA is quite pleasant, and you've got the stunning Cape Disappointment State Park right on your doorstep, as well as the Willapa Bay wildlife refuge and Long Beach WA very close by. Visit Waikiki Beach - http://www.outdoorproject.com/sites/...?itok=eGA24-Ej - while you're in the area.
Bandon, not far south of Coos Bay, has great beaches and rocks, by far the most charming "old town" on the coast, a championship golf course (if interested; bring money) and is in easy excursion range of the scenic southern coast, from Port Orford down to the California line; even the redwoods are in reach for a day's outing.
North of Cannon Beach but not a lot farther in drive time from Portland or Bend, Ilwaco WA is quite pleasant, and you've got the stunning Cape Disappointment State Park right on your doorstep, as well as the Willapa Bay wildlife refuge and Long Beach WA very close by. Visit Waikiki Beach - http://www.outdoorproject.com/sites/...?itok=eGA24-Ej - while you're in the area.
Nov 30th, 2016, 02:31 AM
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It depends on your interests, really. If you want to dine out- Newport or CB. If you really want views and a beach, I think probably Manzanita or Gearheart. But if you want to dine in Cannon Beach, and stay in Manzanita, that means parking in CB in the summer. Ugh. I'd rather forfeit the beachfront for a nice location a block or two from beach access in downtown Cannon Beach. As someone said above- only so much time you can spend staring at the beach.
At this point, I'd actually be more worried about availibility than budget. I know you can find stuff in your budget even in CB- I just don't know if you can get any of those places if you have specific dates you're looking for. a lot of folks line up their rentals a year ahead of time. At least in CB- That's the only place I'm familiar with the rental market.
At this point, I'd actually be more worried about availibility than budget. I know you can find stuff in your budget even in CB- I just don't know if you can get any of those places if you have specific dates you're looking for. a lot of folks line up their rentals a year ahead of time. At least in CB- That's the only place I'm familiar with the rental market.
Nov 30th, 2016, 03:55 PM
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Thank you everyone for your input. We do think we will spend a couple of nights on our drive up from CA staying in the Bandon area. As for the house location, lots of thinking to do. I appreciate all the information.
Dec 5th, 2016, 08:15 PM
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Cannon Beach and Seaside are VERY touristy and expensive..
Bandon just few miles south of Coos Bay is a small town but has a great beach 2-3 restaurants, grocery store AND just across the Coquille river (north) is Bullards Beach State Park.--great trails, bathrooms, long, long beach..small lighthouse--.Day use is $5per car
Look it up online for complete info.
Bandon just few miles south of Coos Bay is a small town but has a great beach 2-3 restaurants, grocery store AND just across the Coquille river (north) is Bullards Beach State Park.--great trails, bathrooms, long, long beach..small lighthouse--.Day use is $5per car
Look it up online for complete info.
Dec 6th, 2016, 06:12 AM
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Our family rented a four bedroom house right on the beach (the promenade) in Seaside last August and loved it--would go back any time. Yes, Seaside is "touristy," but it also means that it has some life to it. Our grandchildren loved the arcade and carnival rides as well as flying kites on the beach. Cannon Beach is nearby for upscale restaurants.
Just remember that "cute town to walk to" means lots of tourists.
As for price, we paid $3k for the house for seven nights. We used AirBnB.
Just remember that "cute town to walk to" means lots of tourists.
As for price, we paid $3k for the house for seven nights. We used AirBnB.
Dec 6th, 2016, 07:09 AM
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We are currently looking at a house near Yachats. We don't have small children, and it is only for 4 nights, so I am not too worried about being bored. I heard Yachats was pretty nice.
Jul 11th, 2017, 05:47 AM
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Hi all, we are just finishing up our 4 night stay in Yachats. I want to thank you for the advice you provided to help us choose a place. We loved it here, but now I can understand there are so many options and why choosing is hard.
On the way, we stayed four nights in Brookings in our RV at Harris State Beach Park. Then three nights in Charleston at the Oceanside RV park, before joining our family in Yachats. Each of those places was great in its own way. We also enjoyed visiting Newport. One thing I did not expect was the variation in weather depending on where we were. brookings had fog til early afternoon, and Yachats was windy every day.
Some comments: we did not eat out a lot, but loved the Maple Sstreet Grill in Florence, followed by Rogue Brewery in Newport. We did not want to spend $700 per round to play golf at Bandon Dunes, but had two enjoyable rounds at nearby Bandon Crossings. The Sea Lion Cave norh of Florence was a rip-off, but the kids loved the aquarium in Newport.
We plan to repeat this trip and family reunion next year, maybe venturing up the coast to see what is there. Thanks again for your help in planning a wonderful vacation.
On the way, we stayed four nights in Brookings in our RV at Harris State Beach Park. Then three nights in Charleston at the Oceanside RV park, before joining our family in Yachats. Each of those places was great in its own way. We also enjoyed visiting Newport. One thing I did not expect was the variation in weather depending on where we were. brookings had fog til early afternoon, and Yachats was windy every day.
Some comments: we did not eat out a lot, but loved the Maple Sstreet Grill in Florence, followed by Rogue Brewery in Newport. We did not want to spend $700 per round to play golf at Bandon Dunes, but had two enjoyable rounds at nearby Bandon Crossings. The Sea Lion Cave norh of Florence was a rip-off, but the kids loved the aquarium in Newport.
We plan to repeat this trip and family reunion next year, maybe venturing up the coast to see what is there. Thanks again for your help in planning a wonderful vacation.
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