I’ve mentioned it a couple of times, but on the Victoria day long weekend, my boyfriend and I decided to take some time away and escape to the lovely Oregon coast for a few days.
I’d be lying if I said it was a frugal trip, but I think we did alright. The first night, we stayed in Seaside, OR. It was adorable, and we ended up staying there sort of by default. We’d originally wanted to stay in Cannon Beach, but no hotels in that area would take one night reservations and we didn’t want to stay in one spot both nights.
Seaside had different rules, so we thought we’d just do the 15 minute drive to Cannon Beach when we got to Seaside. But no. Seaside was so much fun and we stuck around all night. We went to Cannon Beach before going to Astoria in the morning.
The beaches are freaking amazing on the coast. They are loud; here in Vancouver, we are sheltered by Vancouver Island, so we don’t have open ocean in front of us. In Oregon, you can hardly hear yourself think if it’s windy and you’re near the waves.
The first day was beautiful and sunny, but of course we didn’t take any pictures because we were too busy seeing everything. The second day rained cats and dogs. Murphy’s law.
The drive is about 7 hours, but was 8 on the way back because of the border line up. I can say with certainty that I will never drive for that long again for just a couple of days.
The cost breakdown:
Night 1 – Shilo Inn $117.73
Night 2 – Cannery Pier Hotel $207
Gas (2 tanks) – $105
Liquor – $50
Dinner Night 1 – $80
Food, snacks, lunch – $60
Breakfast – $35
Shopping – $12
Total: $667
I’m actually pretty impressed; we didn’t shop much, we took my little, fuel efficient Honda so it didn’t cost much in gas, and while we did buy a lot of booze, we got to bring a bottle of wine back because we didn’t drink it.
We splurged a little on the hotel for the second night and it was really nice, but the town was nothing special – I know lots of people would probably disagree, as Astoria is very historic and right on the Columbia river. We did get to see big boats from China, Korea, and other places come in because our hotel was right on the river.
Columbia River – big boat from god knows where.
I much preferred Seaside and Cannon Beach to Astoria, and had we stayed in Seaside another night, we would have saved almost $100 but I’m glad we stayed in Astoria just so that we could see it. The boyfriend loved the historic aspect of Astoria and he loved seeing the big boats come in and out of the river. Plus, the bridge in that photo above is the longest continuous truss in North America, and the bridge is 23 KM long – that’s 14 miles for Americans.
I was scared just looking at it.
Overall, it was a good trip, and really not super expensive.
Have you ever been to the Oregon coast?
23KM? Holy cow.
We’ve done the driving 8 hours thing as well for a brief long weekend trip. It was fun and I got to see a few places along the way I hadn’t seen before (including my favourite landscape, the Desert Rd) but once is enough.
I agree with the long distance driving. I am not a big fan! My brother once drove to Vegas. It took him 36 hours. That’s just crazy!
I’ve never been to Oregon.
I grew up in Portland and we used to go to Seaside every Thanksgiving! It’s so beautiful there but I’m happy to see from your photo it’s as grey as ever.
Looks so pretty!
Yup long drives are kinda brutal for just a weekend. When I go visit my dad it is about a 14 hour drive
Last time I saw him was in Calgary that was an even longer drive. My long legs just aren’t meant to be folded up that long.
Oregon sounds like it was a pretty fun trip. One of these days when I get a reliable cat sitter I’m gonna have to head down there. Ideally though I’d turn it into a week long trip and go all the way down the coast to Cali, but spread the driving out of course.
Looks like you had a great time! I also hate long distance driving due to my 2 hour daily commute
The Oregon coast is beautiful. Astoria is cute. Always reminds me of The Goonies and Kindergarten Cop.
That’s not too bad. NYC is about an 8 hr drive from here, and we do it every few months.
Ps.. 14 miles for Americans…ahhah
We did a house swap to Long Beach last year – loved the area. Have you been to the sand dunes yet?
Cannon Beach is awesome – one of my favorite fish restaurants in the world is there. Glad you had a good time!
I LOVE the Oregon Coast! Although I like Astoria more than Seaside — in fact, I like anything more than Seaside, but maybe I’m just too old to appreciate the silly hat stores and nightlife.
No, it doesn’t really sound like a completely frugal trip…but sounds like you had a great time! I’d rather spend a little bit more making beautiful memories than on something like food etc, kwim? Beautiful pic! I’ve never been west of Montana!! I need to head out West…
I haven’t been since I’m so spoiled with the beaches here in California. I don’t even like the northern Cali beaches!
I’d love to visit Oregon though, it sounds lovely. BF and I drive 8 hours each way to my hometown…it’s a pretty rough drive but I think I’ve become immune to it. You did great for gas!
Never been, but that sounds lovely. You did right; the best way to save on vacay is to take a fuel-efficient car. Glad you had fun!
Good on your for not spending that much money, though I wasn’t as good when I went to Portland. I definitely want to check out the Oregon coast though. I’ve always wanted to drive some dune buggies!
Looks like an awesome trip. I haven’t been there. It looks like I need to check it out.
Never been to the us but it’s on my wish list. Also would love to visit Vancouver…I hear Route 99 is an awesome drive.
Sounds like you guys had a blast. You should come check out the beaches of the Florida Panhandle though. They’re really nice and there are some cheaper and more expensive towns to stay in depending on what you want.
I just drove 4 hours one way on a trip a couple weeks ago and I thought that was torture, I’d never be able to last 7. Your spending looks pretty good though.
That is an unbelievably long bridge! I remember when I was a kid we’d play a game and we’d lift our feett off of the car floorboard all the way across the bridge. For some reason we believed this would help make the bridge lighter. lol.
A 14 mile bridge? THat’s crazy!I’ve never been to OR but it’d be worth a trip just to see that marvel!
Interesting to learn about how loud the ocean can be. Looks like it was a good time overall. 23km, wow that’s a long bridge
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Love the pix and water!! I will take a beach anywhere
Great pictures. I really, really want to go to Oregon coast, stay in small coastal towns, in B&Bs, enjoy a walk on a beach. I feel a little jealous.
In a good way.
Shopping $12? You did great! Mine would be much more.
I’ve been to Oregon coast. I love Oregon for its natural beauty. I remember that Eugene,OR is so close to beaches and mountains.
Here in Florida we have 7 mile bridge over the Atlantic. That does scare me off though bat times. I ahve never been to oregon
So cool. I’ve always wanted to visit that region. We make trips like that all the time…I’m a pretty seasoned road warrior, so driving 8 hours by myself is no biggie for me as long as I have someone to talk to in the passenger’s seat.
Yes! I’ve been to the Oregon coast, and went to Canon Beach and Astoria. I liked both towns, very different but fun to visit in their own way.
The natural beauty and seclusion of the Oregon coast, along with the powerful rocky coastline and nice little towns in which one could stay, make it a really fun trip. Very different than the environment than here in Chicago, and I do want to return there.
Having been to 47 of the 50 states, I’ve seen a fair amount. The Oregon Coast is one of those places that just resonated with me, and is among my favorites. Not saying it’s for everyone by any means, but I liked it.
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The Goonies beach!
Looks like it was a lot of fun, and you didn’t do so badly at all. To save on costs one trip, me and the GF camped out at a camp ground for one night, stayed in a motel for the second.