Portland -> Canon Beach -> down the coast to NoCal Redwoods -> Grants Pass -> Eugene -> Portland!!
My husband and I just returned from an epically exhausting 5-Day Coastal Oregon Road Trip and I would not have changed a thing!! We covered 16 hours of driving in that time, so it was definitely a "see as much as possible" kind of trip. While you could easily spend an entire weekend at every spot we stayed, we enjoy this type of travel in order to cross off as many travel bucket list goals as we can manage around our 9-5s
By the time dinner came around we were so exhausted from the day's travels that all we could think of was hitting the pillow, meaning some of my foodie finds went un tested but I will include the places I had vetted and didn't make it to as well. One thing is for sure: locals on Reddit have never let me down on their food recs :D
PORTLAND: Minutes from airport, free shuttle, no fluff, great price & a great bed! We stayed here both the first and the last night. Ended up saving on the car rental due to the free shuttle so we were able to get the car the morning after our late arrival and return it the night before our early flight without having to pay for uber or waste time (6 minute drive to the airport). We stayed for $164/nt after taxes which was pretty average for the area.Â
Holiday Inn Portland-Airport (I-205), an IHG Hotel
We stayed here on night 1 and 5. No frills, no fuss, clean, comfy beds and minutes from the airport. Comes with a FREE shuttle 24/7. Super convenient getting to and from the airport. FYI the continental breakfast is NOT included and is a cool $16 :/ we opted out
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CANON BEACH: We had so many bucket list worthy stay options for Canon Beach but just could not justify the price tag on any of them. We opted for this stay just a few blocks south of Haystack rock formation. Admittedly, I swear it said beach front and for around $240 I thought it was a steal. Turns out it did face the beach but was across the street, not on the beach. That was probably my bad for not reading well. Anywho, it was comfy and cozy and the hot tub probably saved our life for as stiff as we were from hiking all day. This would be perfect for kids and is also pet friendly. They have DELICIOUS baked cookies at the desk too as well as a heated indoor pool for the kids. If you want a luxury stay option, I will list some at the end!
This was our anniversary dinner splurge of the trip and it met every expectation. We even captured sunset (though you had to jog down the stairs to view it from the other side of the inn). The meal was phenomenal and was a seasonal four-course prix fixe menu designed by the famous Chef Aaron Bedard. Many of the ingredients are farm to table. We enjoyed morel mushroom risotto and the lab chops were 10/10. By the end we were so full we had to take our chocolate suffle to go!
FLORENCE: Ocean front redemption gained! This was the perfect beachfront stay. No frills on the outside but the interior was beautiful kept and updated, comfy beds, and 10/10 views with a picture perfect sunset! Very cost friendly, at a fraction of what the beach front options were in Canon Beach. We stayed here for $241 after taxes and the view was worth every penny.Â
Redemption gained! This was the perfect beachfront stay. No frills on the outside but the interior was beautiful kept and updated, comfy beds, and 10/10 views with a picture perfect sunset! Very cost friendly, at a fraction of what the beach front options were in Canon Beach.
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GRANTS PASS: if you are passing by or just thinking of staying in this area you MUST stay here! Best stay of the entire trip and was also somehow the cheapest!! This place has lots of history and the employees are eager to share. Everyone is so friendly. You can stay in a room Walt Disney or Clark Gable stayed in. We stayed in a King cabin overlooking a family of deer in the beds for the night and it was the most peaceful spot. We had our own balcony and fireplace, super romantic. There is an option for a family cabin that has a queen + sleeper loft. The food is legit home cooked - best breakfast. They also have an evening appetizer hour, smores and a fire pit in the evening. Couldn't believe the breakfast was free for how yummy it was!! We could easily return for a romantic weekend here!! They also do weddings and other events so if you are looking for a sweet destination wedding this would be absolutely perfect.Â
You guys, this was the BEST stay of the trip and I wish we would have had longer to spend here. The cutest little cabin and so much history of the property. The staff were so kind and loved answering all of my questions about the celebrity visits and historic encounters. From Walt Disney to Clark Gable, many have visited this historic stay. The price is unbeatable and for all the extras we just couldn't believe this was the cheapest place we stayed when it felt like so much more! Appetizer hour, smores and cookies in the evening, and omg the homemade breakfast was to die for. We watched three deer settle in for bed right outside of our balcony too :) We stayed in the King balcony cabin. 10/10 recommend
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other options in Grants Pass (though why would you)Â
FUN FACT: other than the first and last night (Portland), I booked the remaining hotels ON THE WAY to the location!! Yolo :/ I find that on our road trips I just never know for sure how long we will spend at each stop so it's better for us to have a list of options at each potential place and then pick one last minute. This has always worked out for us but I understand this may cause a lot of anxiety for the full Type A-ers.Â
If you want to check out my full detailed itinerary of this trip and determine for yourself exactly how much time to spend or where to stay so you can book in advance - you can grab it as soon as I get it posted on my guides! I also include alternate stays, hikes, routes, etc on the full itinerary OR if you prefer a slower paced travel, then I have insider tips throughout as well as plenty of commentary on spending time in certain activities.Â
Be sure to SUBSCRIBE for free to my page so you know when the full itinerary becomes available :D
When I visit a city, I make it my goal to eat where the locals eat! I don't want chains and I don't want things we have back home. I spend a lot of time on Reddit and other blogs when I plan any of my trips to start a foodie list. One tell-tale sign of a local gem is when you find a thread on reddit where multiple users are dropping the same rec of a restaurant over and over. Once I have a list going, I then cross check their instagram posts and look for food porn on their tagged posts to see if it looks as good as the reddit hype. Then read through recent comments on yelp to see what the worst could be said about them (majority of review leavers are there to gripe so chances are if yelp has mostly positive reviews to back up reddit and insta then that's the golden spot and it makes the list!). I love bloggers recs because they always go into detail everything they tried, usually with photos and why they loved it! So I usually already know what I will order even before I get there!
Quick, grab a slice and go or order and sit down. Hit the spot and saved us time on our way out of Portland. I had a whole list of spots to choose from but we were legit spent from the mornings hikes and just wanted to get to the coast so we opted for convenience on this one
This was our anniversary dinner splurge of the trip and it met every expectation. We even captured sunset (though you had to jog down the stairs to view it from the other side of the inn). The meal was phenomenal and was a seasonal four-course prix fixe menu designed by the famous Chef Aaron Bedard. Many of the ingredients are farm to table. We enjoyed morel mushroom risotto and the lab chops were 10/10. By the end we were so full we had to take our chocolate suffle to go!
There's a reason this place starts forming a line 15 minutes prior to opening at 8! We jumped in behind about 5 people at 7:45 and by 8:15 am the line was wrapped around the side walk! We tried multiple items and everything was so good. A local recommended to me the bacon & blue cheese scone + add salmon cream cheese and I still think about it to this day... Jordan loved the rosemary bagel + salmon cream cheese and the chocolate cake donut. I grabbed a chocolate GF vegan brownie for later and ended up being a really tasty treat! Coffees hit the spot too :D
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DEPOE BAY
The Horn Public House and Depoe Bay Brewing Company
Stopped in for a quick beer flight and to hydrate before heading to Newport for lunch. We enjoyed watching a mama seal playing with her pup just outside the window here. There are many fishing charters coming and going from this bay so we enjoyed watching the fish cleaners hard at work too
We split the salmon burger and the tuna rice cakes. Hear me out because while I love salmon, a salmon burger rates about as low as a hotdog for me but the locals praise it so I gave it a shot and let me tell you it was the best salmon burger I have ever had. The tuna rice cakes were 10/10 too. We opted to sit outside on the deck so we could be entertained by the (stinky) male sea lions and the great views of the bay. Definitely one of my top meals of the trip
We arrived here absolutely wiped out from the day's activities and opted to order warm sandwhiches from the hotels deli instead of going into Florence to explore
I ordered the surfers BLT and Jordan ordered the Sand Surfer and they were honestly pretty darn good.Â
Here is a list a places I had vetted prior for dinner options:Â
VEGAN only food truck inside this brewery! Now, we are not vegan, however I LOVED the tempeh tacos! Actually quite possibly the best tacos I have ever had. We shared a flight, filled our bellies, and hit the road.
This place was prime location for river views and had a good vibe. We were tanked by the time we sat down so we ordered our food to go and enjoyed it back at the Inn. Everything was amazing. Jordan go the beef dip sandwhich and I ordered a massive chicken salad that could have easily fed us both. Both were 10/10
I hope you enjoyed my free hotel & travel guide for the ultimate Oregon coastal road trip loop connecting Portland to the coast and back to Portland again :D
I have no doubt your trip here will be as unforgettable as ours!!Â
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Hey guys! Jess here, and I am eager to share my travel finds with you! I specialize in planning epic itineraries for jam packed weekend getaways & longer adventurous road trips. What started as a love for travel and travel planning has developed into the idea of sharing my trips with others, because there is too much beauty in the world to gatekeep! A few late nights and a kick ass website later and my idea began to grow roots. I may be a beginner in the world of travel blogging but I can promise you my itineraries will serve you well. Just ask my husband: he has learned to just show up with his bags packed and I will take it from there.
My specialties include:
- Epic Road Trips
- Detailed Itineraries
- Weekend Getaways
- Foodie Finds
- Local hot spots
- Hidden Gems
- Adventures & Excursions
About me:
- Nurse Practitioner by day
- Travel junkie late into the night
- Married with two kids (11 & 4yo)
- Prioritizing memories over material things
- Never says no to a trip
- Forever reading 2 books at a time
Find me on instagram @jesstakethetrip or read my blog over at www.jesstakethetrip.com
