Cannon Beach, Our First Stop on the Oregon Coast
We arrived in Cannon Beach after a beautiful four hour drive from Portland. I had been Pinteresting this village so I knew it looked cute, but it’s even better in real life. New England style buildings painted white, lavender and that typical beach-y grey, cute cafes, ice-cream parlours, bookstores and lots of souvenir shops. Behind this strip you’ll find the beach. An amazingly beautiful, wide, sandy beach with the big Haystack Rock sticking out from the water. Does it look familiar? It’s from The Goonies, one of our favourite 80’s movies It is so huge! I went jogging one morning and every time I thought I was getting closer, it seemed to be further away. (Of course it’s big, one-eyed Willy hid his entire pirate ship in this thing. Can you imagine?)
Staying Right On The Beach
We were very lucky to be staying in the Surfsand resort, one of the few hotels with a picture perfect view of the rock. We loved this place. It’s very family friendly with big spacious rooms, a huge bathroom with family bath and a living room with a balcony with sea views. After a long day of hiking in the Ecola State Park (more about that next time) it was the best spot to enjoy a local wine and watch the sun set, colouring the sky pink and orange.
And our daughter Mimi loved the beach bonfire, which they make for the guests every night. It was our first time to enjoy an actual campfire s’mores with marshmallows, chocolate and crackers. Yum! Oh and one more thing: make sure to reserve the The Goonies movie from reception the minute you arrive. It’s a must see while you’re here and will probably bring back lots of memories.