This one-night stay at the Best Western Ocean View Resort in Seaside Oregon may possibly go down as one of the most irrational hotel decisions I’ve ever made. Don’t get me wrong – this is a nice property with very friendly staff in a very (very) nice location. The issue was the cost.
This was a $500 hotel room. Once you stop laughing at how much of an idiot I am, please continue reading so I can explain myself…
A full review of my 1 night stay at the Best Western Seaside Hotel (Ocean View Resort)
Basically, I wanted to spend the night in Seaside. Pretty much everything was booked solid for that weekend because of a beach volleyball tournament going on, and a $500 room at the Best Western was my only option.
Thanks to my Hotels.com reward points, I didn’t actually pay the $500 out of my own pocket. I did have to spend a heck of a lot of points to book this reservation of course, but I was desperate. And desperate times call for desperate measures.
First impressions
I set my expectations rather low even though I had booked a room with an ocean view. This was a Best Western after all, and I don’t know of anyone who associates this brand with luxury 5-star accommodations. I sure don’t, and that’s what I kept in mind as I pulled up to this hotel in my rental car.
To be honest, the exterior of the Best Western Seaside / Ocean View Resort doesn’t look that flattering. $500 hotel room my ***!
The gloomy gray skies didn’t help to make this place look very enticing. And I think they need to work on their copyrighting skills.
This property is right on the beach, however, and it looks much more like a decent hotel from the back. As a matter of fact, I think this ranks right up there with the Ocean Towers at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego.
It’s location right on the boardwalk was nice. Too bad it was so cloudy and cold during my stay!
My first impressions of this place were mixed. On one hand, it looked a bit dumpy on the outside. Not unsafe or decrepit or anything, but…well…pretty much like a low-end budget hotel that hadn’t been updated in 20 years. On the other hand, the location was phenomenal! It’s located right on the beach, just a few minutes walk to the downtown area of Seaside.
Main entrance to the Best Western Ocean View Resort in Seaside, Oregon
The lobby (and getting to my room)
The main lobby looks really nice compared to the bland exterior of this hotel.
Guest room hallways – some were exposed to the outdoors, and others were completely enclosed like this one.
The lobby and guest room hallways were pretty much standard Best Western (complete with the loud buzzing from vending and ice machines), but I opened the door to my room and…wow!! The first thing I noticed was the huge jacuzzi with an amazing view of the ocean, and the other thing was…that view of the ocean! It was at that instant that I didn’t feel so bad for spending $500 in rewards points to stay in this room. This was nice!
The door to my room (204) was located in a tight corridor adjacent to 3 others.
The room (which featured a jacuzzi)
My first view of the room just after opening the door.
Are you kidding me?? This jacuzzi was a nice (and very unexpected) surprise. Oh yeah – this bad boy is gonna get some use later!
There was also a private patio with an awesome view of the ocean and boardwalk. Too bad the weather was so dull!
Yes, people out on the boardwalk can see what you’re doing in the jacuzzi. Behave!
Actually, there is a shade you can pull down to keep out prying eyes.
The room itself wasn’t anything special. Clean and comfortable, as it should have been for $500+.
I found the decor to be somewhat dated, but then again this is just a Best Western. I guess I can’t complain too much.
Here’s a wide angle view of the entire room. Nothing fancy!
The bed (was fine).
Another wide angle view, looking the other way.
Decent sized desk.
This room also had a microwave and decently sized refrigerator. I definitely would have used these if I was staying for more than one night.
Another nice touch that I really liked was the faux fireplace right next to the jacuzzi. I found it to be a really nice small detail that really made me feel at home and relaxed during my stay.
The faux fireplace next to the jacuzzi was a nice touch.
The only real negative thing I could say about this room was that every now and then I discovered something really nasty like this rusted and burned ceiling light shroud. It was a clear reminder that this was still a budget hotel.
The bathroom
The toilet and shower were separated from the vanity.
The bathroom sink / vanity is actually one of the first things you see when you enter the room (and it’s completely separated from the toilet and shower).
Beach access
Having access to this just a few steps outside the hotel door was very nice!
It only took 3 minutes to walk to the heart of Seaside.
No wonder all hotels in Seaside were sold out tonight – look at all these people on the beach!
Room service
The attached restaurant (Salvatore’s Café) offered room service, which was really nice to see. I’m a sucker for hotel room service, so that was a nice score. And you know what? The food was pretty good! I had both dinner and breakfast delivered to my room and I found both meals more than acceptable.
Room service dinner: fish tacos, a cup of clam chowder, and a glass of orange juice.
Room service breakfast: ham and cheese omelet, sausage, potatoes, and a side of fruit (plus orange juice, of course). Very tasty!
Final thoughts
In conclusion, the Best Western in Seaside is a very basic hotel (and even less fancy than the Comfort Suites Hotel in Salem, VA that I recently stayed at – which is saying a lot). It offers nothing more than the basics such as semi-comfortable beds and cheap continental breakfasts. It’s budget accommodations to say the least. That’s why it hurt so bad to make the rational decision to pay nearly $500 to stay here for one night
The in-room jacuzzi and amazing ocean views helped to convince me that yes, I would stay here again. Would I pay $500 out of my own pocket for it though? Not a chance. It’s a good property in a very nice area but it’s not “$500/night good.” Especially if I couldn’t get a room with a view.
