Salishan Coastal Lodge — Attraction in Lincoln City

Date of Stay: October 2022 Please note, this review was written at the time of our stay. I have not returned since and cannot say for sure whether any of these issues have since been addressed. Based on other more recent reviews, it appears to still be a problem.

The resort is in a gorgeous location, heavily wooded, great view of the bay, well-located on Highway 101, and with great access to a pleasant beach. Overall, it reminds me of a summer camp or the Outdoor School week that I attended in elementary school. It's dog-friendly and has lots of nice walking trails, though many of them are uneven or lightly-kept, so mind your footing, especially when it gets wet.

The lobby of the main building has obviously been renovated recently and it appears nicely kept. The place felt like it was trying to keep to its roots and maintain its history. Unfortunately, maintaining its history went a little far in the rooms themselves, which I will get to shortly.

The parking lots were recently paved, but many of the roads are rather steep. The parking spots were narrow and if you parked in a stall with one of the inexplicable wooden walls installed beside it, good luck getting your doors open.

We stayed in a King Deluxe room. On immediate arrival, it appears mostly clean, if a bit dated style-wise. The only really deluxe thing about it, though, is the size of the room. Overall, it is spacious. Plenty of room to maneuver around the bed and a wide space in front of the fireplace. The fireplace is either gas or electric and puts out a good amount of heat when switched on. I wasn't able to find a way to turn it off completely, however, which kept the room lit even without lights.

In the bathroom, the right sink had an impact point with spidering cracks. The tile looked clean, but the grout was grimy. The shower head was not anchored to the wall at all and could be wiggled forward and backward out of the wall. The shower curtain appeared to be clean, but it did a poor job of keeping water in the shower and water would get all over the very slick tile floor. The non-slip mat in the tub was filthy and stained. The toilet flush is very weak and the water took about ten minutes to get warm.

The mirror on the back of the bathroom door had obviously been re-hung, likely from a replacement. But when it was hung, it was done improperly or differently. There were two extra hangers that were not lined up with the current mirror and a paint line on the door that made it very obvious. The hinges of the door were rusty and shoddily painted over. The painting issues were visible in multiple spots around the room, particularly around the doors, baseboards, and the light switches.

There were two thermostats, but no obvious air conditioning, just two baseboard heaters, the fireplace, and a box fan in one of the closets. As warm as it got during our stay in the fall, this place seems like it would be miserable in the summer.

The door to the balcony stuck when you tried to open it and the paint on the exterior was badly cracked and peeling. The window, door, balcony railing, and the exterior walls were absolutely coated in spiderwebs.

The linens and towels were clean and fresh. The free soaps are good quality. The bed was very firm and there was hardly any cushion between the inner springs and the topper. Side sleepers wake up with numb limbs as a result. Between the uncomfortable bed, the bright lights pointed at our window (which often filtered through the crack in the curtains that couldn't be properly closed), and the constant low light of the always-on flame in the fireplace, we hardly slept at all.

I went into this level of detail about the issues we experienced with the room because I believe it is plainly illustrative of the level of care that Salishan has for maintenance and presentation. It presents a veneer of niceness that breaks down the instant you dig any deeper.

Overall, the resort was disappointing for the price. I don't think I'll be going back, except...

I stayed Saturday evening through Monday morning, of Memorial weekend. My intentions were for a peaceful getaway, and that is exactly what I got. From check in to check out the service was friendly and accommodating. I had breakfast and lunch/dinner at the downstairs restaurant. Breakfast was bacon, eggs and hashbrowns. Lunch/dinner was a chicken wrap and potato salad, which I took back to my room. Both meals were perfection. The room did have a slightly rustic aura-in that the toilet squeaked when you flushed, and the balcony view was up close and personal with old growth trees. The view, however, I appreciated. As it made me feel more one with nature. And honestly, the toilet didn't bother me, but I did find it noteworthy. The rest of the room was exactly as I hoped. Spacious and comfortable! The walk to the beach was pleasant, and just enough exercise to make me feel accomplished. I enjoyed stopping along the way to watch a few impressive golf swings. Upon checkout, I did note that there was a $20 charge from the Attic Lounge, which I had never been to. However, because I still had $20 worth of my free voucher, that wiped it off my bill. I can't honestly say how they would have handled that, had that not been the case. But given how sweet the staff was, I assume it wouldn't have been an issue. All in all, I truly enjoyed my stay, and if the need ever arises again, I would certainly stay there.

UPDATE: I had to lower my rating to 4 stars after seeing the bill to my credit card. When I booked my room the reservation stated that the lodge fee and hotel tax were not included. I figured my receipt when I checked out would note those, and I didn't expect them to be that much, considering all the other fees they did note. The room rate for 2 nights came to a total of $595. (It was a very busy holiday weekend, hence the higher rates. I expected that, and do feel comfortable with those rates.) However, after all the taxes and fee's, the total amount they billed my credit card for the weekend was $791.49. My checkout receipt stated $741.49. I never received anything noting the hotel tax and lodge fee. Leading me to believe that the additional $50 charge to my card was that. That was a bit more than I expected. You do need to expect a fairly high taxes/fee's amount. I did not charge anything to my room during my stay, and my taxes/fee's came out to just shy of $200. Or roughly 25% on top of the room rates. I live in Washington, where we pay out the nose for taxes. This still seems impressively high. If costs are not a concern to you, I really DO recommend this resort. I really did have such a lovely time there. But I am genuinely taken aback by all the fee's. I think I would feel differently if ALL the fee's had been noted in my reservation. I was comfortable with the others because I knew they were coming. It was the shock of the additional $50 charged that altered my recommendation. I highly encourage Salishan to FULLY disclose all taxes and fee's upon booking. I still think my stay was worth the price. I just feel that hidden fee is a bit shady. UPDATE #2: I just checked my card statement again, and they did remove the additional $50 charge. Only charging me the amount on my receipts. I have not...

Needs better management. Mostly empty during pandemic, across the dozens of separate buildings, and yet they stacked the building we are in to capacity. Above us,.the couple traveled with grandparent and five kids who ran back and forth all day and night, so much for a quiet get away. These are large rooms, and maybe they had two, but still 8 people either way.

This was our first visit and we booked their best premium room, which was clean and nice. Three big windows and a nice balcony with 2 rocking chairs. Clearly they've recently done an extensive renovation and it shows. The view was okay, but the bay is mud about 16 hours a day across it's entirety. Still pretty mud or water at sunset.

Lots of amenities were closed during the pandemic. But one we had looked forward to was putt putt. My daughter loves putt putt and we picked the resort in part because of this. However, front desk says they haven't had putt putt for many many years. And yet it's listed as one of the perks you get in their current brochures and in the mini guide handed out at the front desk of supposed $90 free daily values for staying.

Pay for use features are the mountain bike course and the aerial park. $39 for a mountain bike for a day (regular bikes are free) and $69 per person for the aerial park. Golf prices are reasonable, $39-89 depending on time of day and season, as are cart rentals at $10. It's a very good course, well kept.

The resort sits on several hundred acres and there are some nature trails but mostly it's condos, private houses and golf course. One nice perk is access to the private beach area across the highway. You can drive over or walk over. Only guests and residents have access otherwise. FYI the nature trail to the beach should be walked by staff at least once a week to keep it cleaned up. Otherwise it was a hazard to walk in with dog poop everywhere. Another maintenance problem with the drains for tub and sinks. Took minutes to drain and had to keep rinsing. Frustrating, these should be checked regularly.

Check-in at front desk was quick. Staff polite. We stayed a long time, but had some difficulty getting towels and such. Toilet paper and tissues ran out. No refills, due to no room service during pandemic. Almost wish they would have suggested a room change midway as a workaround. Hated sleeping in same sheets for a week.

For us, first and last visit. Summer visitors should be notified there is no air conditioning. I know the coast doesn't need it often, however this should be a notification in all listings, especially as we see increasing heat waves. The floor fan in the room was appreciated. It would have been stifling and unbearable without it.

Regarding pets, the resort should set aside specific rooms for those traveling with pets. You then have pet and no pet rooms. Many resorts that accept pets do this now so those of us with allergies don't have to suffer when on vacation due to a room being previously occupied by a pet. Yes, we can take allergy medicine everyday as we had to but the consequences are extreme drowsiness for us and others. Might have well as just...