Oregon Coast August/September BabyMoon: We need HELP
 

Hello.. My wife and I are planning a little babymoon and we would like to head to oregon and do the drive along the coast. We are interested in seeing the beautiful scenery and also just taking some adventures into small towns and eating great food. It's about doing all the touristy stuff for us. We want to relax, have fun and just spend time together.

We will be going for about a week or 10 days that at the end of August that will likely include Labor Day weekend (maybe)

We are thinking of maybe ending up in San Francisco... possible?

I am definitely directionally challenged, so we are looking for help on a few things:
1. What's the best route to take that will combine hitting up some cool towns, seeing the great visuals and eating yummy food? Also, ideally we don't want to spend huge amount of hours driving.

2. Places to stay: What are the best places to stay, whether it is cosy b&b's or nice small hotels or inns?

3. Where to eat: We are NYC food lovers, and just want to hit the great spots.

Anything else you can share with us would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I'm happy to answer but first, what the heck is a babymoon ;-)? I've seen that term used but I have no idea what it means. First vacation alone as a couple after having a baby, maybe???

Anyway, I would head down the coast on 101--there's really no choice of routes until you get to just south of Garberville CA where you can either take Hwy 1 along the coast to Mendocino (recommended) or stay inland on 101.

I did a trip down the coast and back from Seattle to SF a couple years ago and I'd recommend stopping in Yachats, Trinidad and Mendocino. That's about 4-5 hours of driving each day. Spend a couple days in Mendocino if you have time (not sure if your week to 10 days includes time in Portland and SF on either end or not).

I like the Overleaf Lodge, the Lost Whale Inn and the Albion River Inn in each of those 3 locations but there are some other great places as well. You might also check to see if the Tu Tu Tun Lodge on the Rogue River in Gold Beach has availability for your dates as it's one of the nicest places to stay anywhere IMO.

thanks for the reply. a babymoon is the last trip you take before having your baby. i never heard it until my wife got pregnant. it's a little silly but what can ya do. I have heard that the Tu Tu Tun Lodge is really nice.

Are there places to stop in between to break up the four to five hour long trips?

AH, ok. Yeah, that is a little silly ;-).

Tons of places to stop along the coast and in the redwoods for great vistas and at least short walks (longer hikes are available as well but I'm not sure how much of that your wife would be up for).

I would give yourselves at least 3 nights to do the drive, plus at least 3 nights in Portland and SF. Tons of great restaurants in both cities of course and some decent spots along the way...once you decide where you're stopping post back for suggestions.

Babymoon! That term sounds absolutely ridiculous!

Hi, I am in Seaside right now on the northern coast. We have a beach cottage here so don't require lodging, but I know that the Stephanie Inn in Cannon Beach is very nice and oceanfront. It would be the perfect spot for a Babymoon trip! ***kim*** ((#))

Consider the winding coastal roads and how that may feel to someone who is pregnant. If her nausea is passed...go for it.

have not stayed here but have heard its nice
its the Channel House Inn - Depoe Bay - some of the rooms have hot tubs on the deck overlooking the ocean

http://www.channelhouse.com/

Since there seems to be a trend on this thread for those who haven't actually stayed in the places they recommend let me just say I've always wanted to try out this place:

http://www.salishan.com/

I've stayed at the Hallmark Inn at Cannon Beach in their room type II. Great Views and a nice fireplace in the room.

Suzie--I have stayed at Salishan numerous times, but not recently. I wouldn't bother going back. Two reasons...it caters more towards an older crowd than myself and it isn't even on the ocean. You have to cross the highway, and even at that it isn't a good stretch of beach, IMO. But they are trying...they built a spa a couple years ago and the shops are nice.

Hopefully beachbum will see this thread as he has actually stayed at many places on the coast with his wife, so he can speak from experience.

We go with our teens, so not exactly the same dynamics as what the OP is looking for, lol!

You might have to decide on what's more important, "great visuals" or "yummy food". Because you'll find few, if any restaurants along the coast that compare to NYC. Portland and San Francisco.... sure.

That said, I think you'd enjoy Cannon Beach, staying at either Stephanie Inn or Ocean Lodge, next door. And, for an out-of-the-box meal there, the Dinner Show at EVOO: http://www.evoo.biz/.

Another thought is Whale Cove Inn, just south of Depoe Bay: http://www.whalecoveinn.net/. Wish I could say I'd stayed and dined there.... some day. But, just based on a walk-through visit, I think it might be the nicest lodging on the coast.

You can't miss at either Overleaf Lodge or Tu Tu Tun. Both are special, but for different reasons.

Whatever you decide, you should be making reservations now, especially for nights on the coast. If Cannon Beach is in the itinerary, plan on two nights there, as any of the better lodgings have minimum stay requirements.

:-D :-D mms!

LOL:)

Thanks so much mms for the info on the Salishan! It's great to have first hand information about a place. I really appreciate the input even though it wasn't my thread!!!!

Suzie--You should know by now, OR and WA threads get hijacked here and at TA all the time:D LOL!

this is all very helpful. thank you very much. just to get a better idea, what is the best way to break down the trip. we definitely want to not have to do super long driving portions if possible. ideally we start in portland and work our way down, but where would you suggest we stop and stay along the way?

thank you very much

It would help to know if San Francisco is a must, and if so, how much time you'd plan for that and Portland. My opinion is that, once you've seen the redwoods in northern CA, there isn't much of a reason to continue on to San Francisco except to see the city. Not to dis the coastal scenery in northern CA, but once you've seen the Oregon coast...... ;-)

It would also be good to know how you like to travel. Is viewing from the car okay, or do you prefer to get out and explore some. Without knowing answers to these questions, my shrink-wrapped itinerary suggestion would be a couple nights in Portland, two in Cannon Beach, two somewhere on the central coast (Yachats or Depoe Bay), two at Tu Tu Tun, one near Crater Lake, then back to Portland. With anything more quickly paced, I think you'd feel rushed.

Yes, exactly, that's why I've been trying to elicit more information about how much time you actually have for the drive--and whether you do in fact want to drive all the way down to SF. Hard to give you a good itinerary without knowing those things.

We stayed at the Channel House in in Depoe Bay - really nice! We had a hot tub on the balcony. We had yummy New York pizza at the pier in Newport, Oregon.

Also, stayed at the Ocean Lodge in Cannon Beach - right on the water - we really loved this place. Great walking beach and beautiful rooms.

In Mendocino we love Stanford Inn By the Sea - beautiful, romantic rooms with real fireplaces overlooking the water. They have a really terrific restaurant on site.

Congrats to you and your wife! Having just had my 3rd in late June, I can attest to recent exhaustion from pregnancy as well as nausea (although I still managed to play league tennis up till three days before delivery!).

We did travel overseas for three weeks overseas during my 7th month of pregnancy, and our two older kiddos along meant I had to be at the top of my game. The long flights to/from Italy meant that I had to get up every hour or two to stretch my legs since pregnancy increases the danger of clotting (and ugh -- varicose veins) if sitting too long.

Energy levels do change from day to day for pregnant women.

A few tips to consider are that your DW should take small breaks to walk and stretch along the drive and also stay hydrated. Even if nausea has passed if she has experienced it, bring along a care kit of unsalted Saltines, dried ginger, and Preggie Pop drops, because it could recur at any time. Each pregnancy is different, and my last one I had it through 26 weeks and it returned at 32 weeks. Ick!!

Have you considered possibly focusing on one single region, e.g., Western Oregon or NorCal? We've done the road trip along the coast and through central CA and OR a few times and we took nearly three weeks to do it and visit a few selected locations for a restful vacation. It can be done in a week to 10 days, for certain, but you might feel rushed.

A more relaxed agenda might be to focus in-depth on a region where you can roadtrip, sightsee, and enjoy a foodie destination in between. Just my opinion after a recent pregnancy and a -- I know I'm going to get some groans after this one -- family moon -- late in my pregnancy.