Salt Hotel & Event Space — Hotel in Ilwaco

Great place to stay! Good price point! Perfect size room. Bed was extremely comfortable, nice towels, good shower. Lots of thoughtful planning in room design and amenities. Reading lights by each side of bed, interestingly designed overhead light with fan, responsive thermostat. A wooden ledge to put things ran along the length of one side of the room and a small one next to the bed, also a conveniently placed small table on the other side of the bed. Comfortable. Microwave, refrig, hotpot, coffeepot, tv all well-functioning.. Wipe up cloths provided, blackout curtains, good directions on all sorts of things. Chairs to sit on, in room and out in community areas. Didn’t try sauna. I never saw a hotel person but was texted for check-in and check-out directions and staff was available and very responsive by text throughout my stay. Parking is free and across street. I believe they will take pets (?) Local bus from Astoria and points north stops in front of hotel. Hotel backs up to Marina, lots of boats to see and fishing opportunities, with walking areas and well placed benches. Small Waterfront area has a few galleries, a bookstore, yarn shop, and some coffee. Modest, but friendly, though not always open during some parts of week. 2 restaurants for lunch & dinner, one pub onsite and another a few storefronts away, open Thurs-Mon and Thurs-Sun. Ilwaco has a vibrant Saturday Mkt, interesting local history museum , large antique store, a few cafes and other misc…. Additional restaurants, shops, and beach all are 15 minutes away by car north, as well as more further up the peninsula in small seacoast towns. Cape Disappointment State Park, with views, hiking trails and 2 lighthouses, is up the hill from Ilwaco and a much-recommended stop. South, Astoria is 15 miles away, and a trip across the Astoria-Megler Bridge is stunning. Astoria also has a busy Sunday market and lots to see, do and eat...

Not to sound like a Dos Equis beer ad, but I don't usually (in fact, hardly ever) give 5 stars all around for any business but when I do, it's because that business exceeded my expectations and then some.

From the convenient online registration and check-in process to the welcoming pre-arrival communication and Q&A with the staff, I already experienced a level of service rarely provided by 5 star, $$$$ hotels.

Upon arrival, I was immediately pleased by the unique decor, thoughtful touches and cleanliness both in and outside the property. Suffice to say, I had one of the most comfortable and relaxing stays in all of the places I've visited in the PNW.

The accommodations (including an awesome dry sauna, FREE with advance reservation) alone earn the SALT 4.9 stars in my book, but what really makes this hotel a 5-star gem is the incredible hospitality and hotelier mentality of the staff. All of my communication was via DM texts, but the prompt, informative and personalized responses I received each and every time felt like I had my own dedicated concierge, which is why I stated SALT exceeded my expectations and then some.

I'm so glad to have discovered this diamond in the rough (I say "rough" only because the charming town of Ilwaco is overshadowed by its more famous neighbors Long Beach, WA and Astoria, OR) and I'm proud to say the SALT will be my go-to spot whenever I feel the need to get out to coastal WA or OR.

Can't wait to book my next...

Booked this hotel for a night voa their website. It was super easy and hotel was very response setting things up via text. They even sent check in directions this manner, so zero face to face interaction with anyone. Guess thats probably the norm anymore. We had a room on the 2nd floor. I realky liked the custom wood and metal fixtures. Aside from whacking my shin on sharp corner of the bed frame. Space was adequate. Appreciated the extras for allowing my dogs to stay in the room. Thoughtful! The bathroom is large, but shower is tiny. There was mold in several spots over the shower probably due to poor ventilation. One side of our king bed was sunken in. The memory foam has been overused on that side so my partner slept horribly. We couldn't eat i n the pub though we tried. First tried getting a patio table but they said no as they were understaffed. We attempted to pop in a few minutes later to see if we could get fish & chips to go. But staffed ignored me. Really no place to grab a quick bite on a Sunday night in the area. Probably a great place to stay if you're charter fishing. It definitely wasn't a horrible experience. Just disappointing when you're spending over $200...