Sandpiper Beach Resort in Pacific Beach, WA
 

My husband and I took a two-week vacation in the Pacific Northwest this year, and we had a BALL. I do want to warn people, however, about the only place we stayed at that we did NOT enjoy: the Sandpiper Beach Resort in Pacific Beach, Washington.

The only good reason to stay at the Sandpiper is the beach, which is beautiful, huge, and practically deserted. We stayed there for two nights just before Labor Day weekend, and the beach was incredibly uncrowded--probably because there are no other hotels or resorts in that immediate area.

Other than that one consideration--and I'll admit it's a big one--this place was truly awful. This is the kind of place that teaches you that, when a facility is advertised as being "rustic," it really means that it's just old, ugly, and beat up. It doesn't look all that bad from the outside, but inside it's another story.

We had a one-bedroom unit that also offered a living room with fireplace and a kitchenette. I know this all sounds great, but my heart sank when we walked in and looked around--tacky decor, not especially clean, kitchen cabinets that should have been replaced many years ago, and no comfortable place to sit in the living room. The main sitting area consists of an L-shaped daybed, and our choices were to sit on the longer section with our backs up against the wall or to sit on the shorter section with no back support at all. Neither my husband nor I could get comfortable on that stupid thing to save our lives, and that was very annoying to us both. There was one other chair in the room, but the lighting was so bad that it was impossible to read there.

The walls in this place are very thin, and as a result we spent a few hours one evening listening to a baby screaming and a dog barking (pets are permitted). The rooms have no televisions or phones, but their Web site warns about that. They're also very fond of touting their heated towel bars, probably because it misleads you into thinking this is a classy, comfortable place. Don't be fooled by that as I was dumb enough to be--our towel bar did heat up but for whatever reason, it did not get the towels even "luke" warm.

When we asked the (surly) desk clerk where we could go to buy groceries, he directed us to the only thing the tiny hamlet of Pacific Beach has to offer--a small, cramped, poorly lit, filthy grocery store that we bought from solely because it was the only game in town for groceries and the restaurants we saw didn't look much better than that store. There were canned goods on the shelves that were literally rusty--and of course the prices were sky high. We just bought enough to get us through and got out of there as fast as we could.

I realize that I sound like a difficult, impossible-to-please whiner, but truly, we had a bad experience in this area and were thrilled we'd booked there for only two nights. My goal is to warn others about it so that they won't have to endure a similar experience. Do yourself a favor and avoid this place!

Thanks for telling it like it is.

There are few good places to stay on the Washington Coast and even fewer good places to dine, which is why we drive to Oregon when we want to spend time by the ocean.

I agree with you, Happy Trails. My husband and I live on the east coast and had never been to the Pacific Northwest before, so we divided our two weeks between Washington and Oregon. Although we loved exploring the Olympic National Park in Washington, we liked Oregon far more, overall. Better accommodations, better restaurants, and, judging from our drive down Route 101, Oregon seemed cleaner and better kept than Washington. Next time we'll follow your example and stick with Oregon! I'm just hoping my post helps people avoid the bad experience we had at the Sandpiper. I've read other reviews from people who love the place, and for the life of me I can't understand it. It just shows how different each of our opinions can be!

The northern OR coast is gorgeous. We much prefer it to the WA coast,but we do enjoy several great places to eat in the Seaview, Chinook area.

The Sanctuary, 42nd Street Cafe, Shoalwater at the Shelburne Inn to name a few. Still have to make it to The Ark which has recently changed owners and dropped in the ratings a bit. ***kim*** ((f))

*kim* It's too bad those restaurants are so farm from Pacific Beach and Ocean Shores. And, it's too bad so many of the motel/hotel/condo rooms are so far from the water on the Washington coast.

I agree, happy. It would be great to have the Shelburne Inn on the water, it's located on the main street there in Seaview. The Stephanie Inn in CB and the Inn of the Four Winds in Seaside are very nice places with oceanviews for Oregon Coast lodging. Cheers! ***kim*** ((*))

Kim, do you realize how far Pacific Beach is from those places?

One gets for what ones pays for. While the comments of Catwoman have some merit, the Sandpiper is great place if you want to dig razor clams: easy beach access, good digging, clam cleaning station, decent room rates,and close to fine dinning at the Ocean Crest Resort. The individual cabins have lots of room for a large group.

Clamdigger, Thanks for clarifying the advantages of the Sandpiper--I've long wondered. Can the same be said for Ocean Crest Lodge? HTTY

Happytrails: we were at Ocean Crest in Moclips several years ago, so don't have a current report. However, we enjoyed our stay at that time -- I understand from others that some rooms may not be satisfactory (basic with no view), but we were on second level at end of a lodge-type bldg., corner room, with glorious views and beautiful old trees -- also a fireplace, with wood provided.

The food was quite good in the restaurant, again a lovely view. To get to the beach there is an interesting staircase that winds its way down the bluff. Of course, going down is a lot easier than the return trip, but it's doable. Walking the beach is worth the effort!

All in all, we found the visit a pleasant experience.

Thanks Suelh, We're on the lookout for a good place to stay on the Washington coast in the Ocean Shores area for when we don't have time to make the trip to Cannon Beach.

Happytrails -- check out the Blackwood Beach Cottages on Long Beach Peninsula, www.blackwoodbeachcottages.com.

We have not stayed there yet, but did take a "look/see" and the owner was most gracious and showed me each of the little cabins that face the ocean. The exteriors are rustic (on purpose), but interiors are newly renovated, beautifully decorated, very comfortable --Sue