Oregon's Best

This resort is brand-new and absolutely gorgeous. Located right on Whale Pointe, the large picture windows in the rooms look right out over the beautiful rock formations that make the Oregon Coast so special. At the right time of year, you can see the whales migrating. Nearby is a lighthouse, fishing, boating, trinket shopping . . . Since the resort is a little bit out of the main town, you'll need a car to get around.

The rooms are large and very nice. There's plenty of space in the living room for the whole family and the rooms are one-, two-, or three-bedroom. Half of the resort is timeshares and some are rentals.

Not much is available at the resort as far as activities, but there's plenty to do nearby. One of our favorite things to do is watch the fishing boats come in with the catch.

Every room has a view and a balcony in this resort. It is located just around the corner from the shops and restaurants of the Newport Bay. The view is beautiful. You can see the Bay Bridge, ships coming and going and a view of the ocean spreading out from the Newport inlet.

The rooms themselves are very well-appointed. There is a large livingroom with a pull-out couch, dining room with table and six chairs, a full kitchen and large bedroom with TV. It's clean and up-to-date, with new furniture and clean carpets. The deck is large and private.

The resort has a lot to offer, including rentals of equipment like boats, paddleboats, and fishing poles. They offer crabbing off the docks depending on the season, and you can rent all the equipment you'll need and even cook up your catch right there at the built-in crab cooking station. They offer a heated indoor pool and a very impressive restaurant as well.

All of the conveniences along with the stellar location of this resort makes it one of the best we've stayed in in the area.

The Blue Whale isn't a spectacular looking restaurant, but it's definitely one of the best along the central coast. We've been there many times over the years and it always has exceptional service and good, fresh seafood. We've even had a clam chowder contest between the popular spots and deemed The Blue Whale's clam chowder as the best. Their pies are wonderful too.

Mo's has the best clam chowder and you can even take some with you. They have a chowder base that you can take back to your resort. Full meals and their best seafood dishes are served at this location, with lighter fare and sandwiches served next door.

The lines can be really long, so try to go at off-peak times.

The atmosphere is athentic Oregon and you can smell and hear the ocean through the garage-type door.

Their best dishes are the fresh fish and chips, shrimp basket and for appetisers choose the clam chowder and cheese bread. Across the street, the seafood sandwiches are to-die-for and you can even watch the fishermen bring in their catch on the boats just below the ocean-view tables.

Gino's is my favorite place to eat while on the Oregon Coast. It's located at the beginning of Bay Boulevard, just across from the port where the fish they serve is brought in. You can watch them wheel the fish across the street, fresh off the boat. It doesn't get any better than that. You can buy fish to take back with you, or sit down for a meal.

My favorite is the popcorn shrimp basket, but the fish and chips is amazing too. Everything is freshly battered, not packaged. The fries are "chips". They have crab and shrimp cocktails, sandwiches, smoked salmon. No clam chowder, but it's the best fish on the bay.

There are lots of exhibits that challenge your belief in oddities. Whether or not they are real, you must decide. There are cultural interests, magic, eye-deception and strange worldly occurances. The whole thing takes about 30 minutes to get through and there is a great gift store at the end.

This used to be the home of Keiko the Whale, so a lot of interest has been aimed at the aquarium.

They feature three exhibits at a time and new ones are being added. There's an underwater passage with sharks and all kinds of undersea creatures to look at. The inside exhibits are great too, with hundreds of types of fish, octopus, crabs and jelly fish. The penguins, otters, and tropical birds are a sight to see as well. There's a small gift shop and they do group tours to accommodate everyone.

Heceta Head is a beautiful sight. A great picture from near or afar, Heceta Head is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Oregon. Its location on the coast is very convenient as well. You can walk around the lighthouse, check out the grounds around, head down to the beachfront to look at tidepools when the tide is out, or check out the museum and gift shop. It can be pretty windy up there, so make sure you bring a jacket and possibly rain gear. You can sometimes spot whales from the lighthouse too, so bring binoculars and your camera for when the sun sets.