Michael and I spent our honeymoon in Cannon Beach, OR. Five gorgeous days at the Hallmark Resort and tons of good food made for an awesome way to unwind from our wedding and finally have a little getaway.
RESORT
The Hallmark Resort sits right on the beach with a full view of Haystack Rock. We had a prime view of the beach from our living room, and were greeted with a bottle of champagne and taffy upon our arrival. The resort is dog friendly with many options of potty stations for your furry friend. I took part in the luxury spa and treated myself to a deep tissue massage - I have so much tension in my back and shoulders, I never knew the cloud-like feeling of not being so tense after a massage! Guys, they also have fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies in the lobby at all times (and a doggy treat station with your companion's names listed during your stay). Michael tried to find as many ways as possible to take advantage of the free cookies.
The Hallmark Resort also offers free movie rentals, bike rentals, a fitness room, and a pool for it's guests.
COFFEE
We spent our early mornings on the beach around Haystack Rock during low tide. Tide pools surrounded Haystack and were teeming with life. Birds swarmed the top of Haystack, and we managed to spot a couple puffins during our bird watching. We found a couple places for our coffee fix, Sleepy Monk Roasters and Bald Eagle Coffee House, and took our cups back to the beach. Sleepy Monk had a cute beach shack look with a Namaste vibe intertwined. We found Bald Eagle Coffee House when Sleepy Monk was closed one morning, and we fell in love when our iced coffees had a ton of chocolate sauce drizzled around the inside of the cup.
FOOD
I was surprised at how dog-friendly Cannon beach is. Dogs were everywhere - on the beach, at restaurants, waiting outside gift shops. Atticus just isn't as friendly as other dogs, so we ordered a lot of takeout. Our top two places for food were Pelican Brewing and Seashore Bagels and Deli. Pelican had some awesome burgers, flatbreads, and sandwiches, and was conveniently at the bottom of the hill from our resort. Seashore Bagels and Deli had THE MOST loaded bagel sandwiches I have ever had the pleasure of eating. The Puffin, a cranberry, turkey, and cream cheese sandwich, had so much turkey that it couldn't be held within the bagel. So messy but so tasty. We also had a craving for fish and chips one night, so we found Cannon Beach Hardware and Public House, also known as the Screw and Brew. This little pub was located inside a hardware store - talk about one-stop shop. Pick up your paint and gardening supplies after you sit down for a burger and beer.
SHOPPING
Cannon Beach does offer a small shopping center on Hemlock Street about a mile away from the Hallmark Resort. I took a 15 minute walk so I didn't have to fight for a parking spot, and the neighborhood yards did not disappoint. After the neighborhoods, gift shops, art galleries, local clothing boutiques, and restaurants line the street for all of your tourist needs. I picked up post cards to use as thank you cards for our wedding guests along with some artsy park posters to go with some of our current wall decor at home.
Seaside has a giant strip mall down it's main drag if you're interested in more shopping and is only a 10 minute drive North from Cannon Beach.
OVERALL
The mid-August nights were warm enough to sit out on our porch curled up in a sweatshirt and blanket while you listened to the ocean waves. On our last night, the most gorgeous sunset filled the sky. I ran down with my camera as it began and captured some magical shots.
I loved how everything was within walking distance. Michael is a bit of a homebody, so he was fine staying at our room while I went for a long walk to the shops down the way. Our favorite coffee places and restaurants were only a five minute walk, which made grabbing a bite to eat so easy.
All of the beach-goers were so incredibly friendly. Many of them stopped and chatted with us as they asked to pet Atticus or laughed at him as he barked at the waves.
For a week away from the hustle and bustle of wedding planning and work, Cannon Beach was a perfect getaway for the two of us and our furry child.
