Channel House — Hotel in Depoe Bay

My husband and I first visited The Channel House in 2007 for our honeymoon and just returned to celebrate our 15th anniversary. When I called to make our reservation I was taken aback by how unfriendly the man was who I spoke with on the phone… and after considering going elsewhere decided to give the place a chance, since our first visit was so amazing- and just made our reservation online. The building is getting a “face lift” so it was a bit loud as we checked in, but as we were escorted to our room, the noise was quickly forgotten as we were reminded just how breathtaking the views are from the rooms- and literally saw whales within seconds! The music playing in our room was an excellent touch and there was chilled wine in the fridge (although an extra charge- and we brought our own.) This time we stayed in the Cuckoo’s Nest which is quite a large room with two fireplaces, separate living room, large shower and a full length deck. The location is excellent and we did not start our vehicle again until we checked out as there are multiple restaurants within walking distance. Our lady host that weekend provided excellent customer service, happily giving us dining recommendations, and was generous in making sure that as heavy coffee drinkers, we had extra coffee during our stay. Also included were robes and bath salts for the tub. We spent both evenings soaking in the tub on the deck, sipping wine and watching whales feed just off the rocks below…. Truly epic! I do wish I could have rated our stay with 5*, but…..

With all the things we loved about our stay…. The bad. Which was the bed. For the reviewers who have talked about a comfortable bed, either they are much nicer in other rooms (I do remember a comfortable bed in the whale watching room- 15 years ago), or these folks would be comfortable sleeping on the floor. I have stayed in cheaper hotels with much nicer beds and this one was HARD. We both tossed and turned all night, only to be literally sore once we got out of bed. The second night was so bad that we eventually gave up on the bed and migrated to the couch and recliner. It was BAD! What was supposed to be a romantic getaway to fully recharge… had us looking forward to getting a good nights’ sleep at home. Upon checking out, the nice lady asked how our stay was and I was honest; wonderful, but the bed was atrocious. She agreed, and said how they had an extra foam pad available…. Oh, how I wish we knew that before we...

My wife and I stayed at Channel House in the Whale Watching Suite for my birthday and our honeymoon. First of all, this was our first time visiting Depoe Bay, and I was slack-jawed at how beautiful it was there. The drive over was a bit rough due to inclement weather, so we arrived pretty tense and stressed out. We called and requested early check-in and they allowed us to check in 2 hours early! The staff at Channel House was super nice and welcoming. I believe Dan was the name of the person who checked us in, he was very informative going over every detail of our room, and made us feel at ease. The room was spotless and the in-room fireplace was soo cozy. The views were incomparable both on the deck and in the bedroom. I had some apprehensions about the room after reading some harsh reviews about the accessibility, outdatedness, cleanliness, view, and amenities. Quite frankly, it would be hard to find anything to complain about - we were absolutely delighted with our stay. The most critical detail I would point out is that the hot tub on the patio took a long time to fill, and the faucet leaked a bit most of the time, but it didn’t ruin our experience whatsoever and we LOVED the tub. It was huge, way bigger than it looked in the photos, and fit both of us comfortably - and we are both larger bodied people. We wanted to take a covid safe, quiet, romantic vacation where we could enjoy spending most of our time in the room. Channel House was perfect for this. We spent most of our time relaxing in the tub and enjoying the breathtaking reviews. We slept well in the comfy bed. The ice machine was right by our room which was super convenient. The tub was well insulated and stayed hot for a really really long time. We were able to soak for over an hour late at night and stay warm and listen to the waves. It was a really magical experience. I have always wanted to go whale watching and although it was the off season for it, I did get to spot 2 whale spouts in the distance from the room, which made me so happy. There was a telephone pole outside of the room and we loved it because a seagull perched on it for hours. It was very cute. We got some real tasty meals at the brewery across the street. Overall we had a fantastic stay and fully intend to be back. We are already planning for our next stay there, and hope to become regulars and visit a few times a year, especially during whale...

Room #8, Channel Watch:

My boyfriend and I are obsessed. He’s very tall, so finding bathtubs or hot tubs that meet our needs is difficult, but this was the perfect fit. Being able to hear and see the ocean while sipping champagne on a very private covered deck was an incredible experience. While you’re laying in bed, you can see the ocean perfectly — it was so nice to wake up to.

Cons: No microwave, oven, or any way to heat up food. When (not if, but when) we come back, we’ll be bringing our own microwave (😂) as well as some cold food options, as they do have a small fridge. Not having a microwave was very confusing to us though and doesn’t make any sense.

The ‘breakfast’ was not supplied because of staffing shortages, so they refunded us $30 or so. Yet, they did not give us options to make breakfast in the space. I wish we could have utilized a “kitchen” space to at least heat up our own breakfast. Super disappointed in the realm of being able to heat our own food. If you have dietary restrictions and need to bring your own food, I would not recommend this place.

Y’all’s website is awful. It would be nice if there were more photos of the rooms or even a virtual or 360 tour. The website is confusing and almost deterred us from staying here. BE CAREFUL on what room you choose because some list as private, but you could see the “private” rooms from our room and balcony. Including inside the room, and the bathtub on their deck. I’d recommend calling to confirm your required privacy. The website is also terrible on mobile devices. Your guys’ space is not reflected in your website and that’s a giant bummer.

We reserved a totally different room than we were given but didn’t realize that until we were unpacking and the inn keeper told us she hadn’t realized, the room we booked was under construction.. so a little anxiety around that, especially because we were never contacted about this change. We weren’t mad about it, the room we got was much more private than the initially booked room and will be the room we book from here on out. So, we called it a happy accident.

I’d highly recommend this space, we’ll be coming back as often as we can afford. Just some small things that stuck out, but all in all, we’re obsessed with the Channel House and would recommend it to couples needing an...