Weekend Getaway: Bandon, OR

My aunt and uncle own a rental house in Bandon, OR, so this week a couple of my friends and I decided to make the trek to the Oregon Coast and enjoy a few days on the beach.  I hadn't been to the house before because I thought the trip was too far away for a quick getaway from Seattle.  It takes about 7 hours to drive to Bandon from Seattle.  It turned out that a 7 hour drive is not as bad as it seems, and it is well worth the effort to get to Bandon.

For one, the beach house is RIGHT on the beach.  At night during high tide, we felt like the waves were crashing right next to the front deck.  If you are interested in renting, you can do so on Bandon Beach Sand Castle.  The beach itself is spectacular with miles and miles of sandy beaches.  The weather was surprisingly warm for this time of year (65 degrees), but Bandon is pretty close to the California border so I'm guessing the weather is warmer in sourthern Oregon than the Puget Sound.  I wouldn't recommend swimming in the ocean in Bandon, but maybe it's a little easier to get into the cold ocean water in the summertime. 

Bandon is a tiny town, but it is home to the biggest golf course I have ever been to, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.  Bandon also offers horseback riding on the beach, ATV rentals, and it is near the Sea Lion Caves.  We went to the Sea Lion Caves on our drive back to Seattle, which is what I recommend doing if you decide to visit the caves, because they are about 1.5 hours north of Bandon on Highway 101 and you don't need to spend a lot of time there, because it's pretty smelly, but definitely worth checking out.