If you’re planning a trip to Long Beach, Washington, one thing you’ll discover early on in your itinerary making is the lack of commercial and chain hotels, motels, and lodges anywhere on the peninsula. I know many people love earning reward points and many of the “perks” that come with brand loyalty, but here is one little corner of the country where the little guy is king.
From vintage trailers, to rental homes, camping, and a trendy new metro hotel and spa, the Long Beach Peninsula caters to couples, pet owners, families, surfers, golfers, you name it. I recently visited Long Beach for a three-day girls-only getaway with my ten-year-old daughter—we stayed at The Breakers, a small condominium community on the north end of Long Beach.
The Breakers features 144 rooms, all with a balcony or patio. When condo owners are not staying at their property, the rooms are available to rent. Each unit is furnished by the owner, meaning no two rooms are exactly alike (see the room rates and configurations here). Rooms range from a single bedroom unit to a two bedroom condo that sleeps up to eight people; we enjoyed a one bedroom condo with a sizable, fully-furnished kitchen.
Rooms offer free WiFi, cable TV, and DVD players. Movies are available to rent (for a fee) from the front desk. Pet friendly rooms are also available; owners pay a pet fee of $15/pet/night. A maximum of two pets are allowed per room and a portion of the pet fee is donated to the local Humane Society.
The Breakers is one of a few properties on the Long Beach Penninsula with an indoor pool. The pool isn’t much too write home about, but it serves its purpose and is a gentle reminder to spend your beach vacation at the beach. (Note the “adults only” hours in the outdoor spa after 9:30 PM.) Other family-friendly amenities include an outdoor play area, basketball court, sand volleyball court, and horseshoes.
In the center of the four buildings is a gazebo/picnic area. During our visit a large group (family reunion, perhaps) was enjoying a clam bake. If you catch your own seafood, look for the designated fish and clam cleaning stations in buildings B and D. A laundry room is available for guest use on the second floor of each building.
While, the sand dunes block any potential ocean views, we could hear and feel its presence. A constant breeze dries beach towels and offers a wonderful excuse to fly a kite in the center of the property’s five acre lawn.
The highlight of our stay was easy access to the northern terminus of the Discovery Trail, a paved 8-mile-long multi-use path that runs from The Breakers to the Port of Ilwaco. We borrowed two of the cruiser bicycles available to overnight guests (helmets are available and stored behind the front desk). Runners, bikers, and walkers share the path and enjoy unobstructed views of the grassy dunes, the beach, and the Pacific Ocean in the immediate distance. If the weather is favorable, do not skip this experience.
You’ll find no shortage of places to dine up and down the Long Beach Peninsula; we appreciated storing our leftovers in the room refrigerator and re-heating the food the following day. Families interested in making meals can shop from a number of local grocery stories, or purchase fresh fruit, vegetables, breads, and seafood from the downtown Long Beach farmer’s market on Friday or the Ilwaco Saturday Market located along the harbor front.
For more information, including periodic rate specials, visit The Breakers website: http://breakerslongbeach.com/