Whether you are chasing the drama of coastal storms or the serenity of a surfside sunset, there’s one luxury hotel on the Oregon Coast that offers an immersive seaside retreat for every season. Set about 80 miles outside of Portland and tucked into a corner of Cannon Beach, the Stephanie Inn captures the wild spirit of the coast, and elevates a weekend away with an onsite spa, fine dining and a recently launched culinary-focused Sojourn program.
Each of the 41-oceanfront rooms frames cresting ocean waves and the marvel of Haystack Rock, the basalt sea stack that rises 235 feet above the shoreline, one of the wonders of the Oregon Coast. Walk out during low tide and you can explore a rainbow of sea creatures at its base. Come spring and summer, you can spy the saturated orange bills and feet of Tufted Puffins bobbing in ocean waves and nesting on the slopes of the towering rock.
While sublime sea-struck views more than satisfy the senses, other amenities include gas fireplaces, beach cruiser bicycles (available seasonally) and lanterns for starlit beach walks. Each evening begins with a cocktail hour in the oceanfront library where guests can sip from a selection of Northwest craft beer and wine. This is also when Chef Aaron Bedard mingles and shares stories about local producers and spotlights the dishes on the menu for the night.
His seasonal prix fixe, five-course dinner tastes of place, using ingredients grown at nearby farms, foraged from the coastal edge and, of course, a daily seafood catch. On a recent night, the amuse bouche — tempura-fried halibut cheek over bok choy kimchi — was a salty, tangy burst of flavors. Other dishes that night included a wild mushroom gratin with truffle herb salad and Oregon Dungeness crab cakes served with heirloom squash purée, braised fennel, roasted parsnips, roasted rutabaga and caperpicatta sauce.
After dinner, there’s a postprandial gathering in the oceanfront library with house-made cordials, a ruby Port-style dessert wine from Abacela and a short menu of Northwest spirits. In addition to swapping travel tales, guests can play scrabble, chess or checkers. Though most take a seat near the picture window to soak up the ever-changing ocean tides.
To truly get a sense of place, join one of the Stephanie Inn Sojourns — a recently launched guest program that ties in edible excursions and guided adventures with Chef Bedard, in collaboration with other taste-makers from the Oregon Coast. In 2017, adventures include trolling for salmon, Oregon Dungeness crab and clams with expert Guide David Johnson, followed by a beach front crab boil and clam bake; an in-depth tour of oyster farming with Nevør Shellfish Farm and harvesting sea salt with Ben Jacobsen of Jacobsen Salt; and a day of forest foraging with chef-brewer-forager Will Leroux in Oregon’s coast range.
