Steve and I fell in love with this boutique hotel.  This hotel is a perfect example of where the little things all add up for a magical stay.  First, our arrival – the Stephanie Inn is located in the quaint town of Cannon Beach and is a beachfront property with an incredible view of the ocean and Haystack Rock.  They have ample parking in the back of the hotel, which is free for guests.  I have to say, I despise price gouging on parking.  While I enjoyed my stay in Colorado, the Ritz Carlton there charged me $60 a day for parking.  $60 a day.  Highway robbery so I appreciated the free parking.

The hotel also had gorgeous flowers all over the building, the balconies and at the front entrance.  Look at those hydrangeas!

Check-in was fast and easy and the valet took our bags to our room and gave us a quick tour.  One of my favorite things about our second floor king beachfront room was our balcony and view.  We faced directly onto the ocean and it was completely unobstructed.  I also loved our comfy chairs and the flower box filled with begonias.  The perfect spot for morning coffee or afternoon glass of wine.  We also had a great view of Haystack Rock from our balcony.

Next, our room was perfect!  I would call it craftsman chic with natural wood and neutral colors throughout.  We had a gas fireplace and a small chaise lounge in the corner.  The best part was our bed.  It was one of those super expensive memory foam mattresses that weighs a ton and it was like sleeping on air.  Seriously, Steve was lobbying for us to buy one of these mattresses by the time we left.

Getting back to the small things again, this hotel offers so many great perks.  First, in the mornings you can call the front desk and they will deliver a large, fresh brewed pot of coffee to your room at no charge.  Steve and I sat on our balcony every morning and enjoyed our coffee.

Second, they offered wine and hors d’oeuvres every afternoon from 4 to 5:30pm at no cost in their downstairs lounge.  We never made it to that as we were always enjoying wine on our balcony at that time.  In the lobby they also had a 24 hour coffee bar that  had house made daily scones and a big cookie jar with fresh made cookies every day.  I loved that the flavors of the cookies and scones also changed every day.  I think I gained 5 pounds eating cookies and scones every day because I kept saying “Well, I haven’t tried THAT one yet….”

Last, they offered an incredible breakfast spread every morning, which changed each day.  Every day there were eggs prepared different ways (scrambled, poached, as eggs benedict), sausage or bacon, steel cut oats, fruit, yogurt, pancakes or french toast made to order and fresh made baked goods made in-house, including coffee cake, scones and a berry crumble every morning.  They only use local and organic ingredients and Steve and I kept commenting how good the breakfast was and we are not big breakfast people. I had a strawberry rhubarb crumble coffee cake one morning that will live in my dreams for a long time.

Probably our favorite thing about The Stephanie Inn was the Fire Butler.  Cannon Beach is perfect for beach bonfires and for only $15, the hotel will set you up with two chairs, a table and a bundle of firewood and when you’re ready, the fire butler will actually start the fire for you so you don’t have to kneel down in the sand or mess with starter sticks, etc…  For only $60 they will do the same thing but also give you a bottle of wine and everything you need to make s’mores!  We ended up doing this two nights in a row because it was so enjoyable to watch the sunset with our personal bonfire.

Overall, we gave the Stephanie Inn 5 stars.  It’s not a super fancy or opulent hotel.  There are no marble lobbies or blingy chandeliers and it’s not white glove service.  In some ways, the furnishings may even look a little dated with the wood and neutral fabrics but I prefer to think of them as understated.  Obviously, the beach location and views can’t be beat but there are plenty of other hotels on Cannon Beach with similar views and location. However, the service and attention to detail is what sets the The Stephanie Inn apart.  Every time we headed out the door, the receptionist stopped us to offer us a bag of cold bottled waters with some chocolate biscuits in the bottom.  We were greeted by name every time we came and went – the staff was so friendly! The scones, cookies, room service coffee and happy hour (oh – and I forgot they did a free cordial nightcap at 9pm every night as well with house made limoncello!), put this hotel into our favorite category.  It was like staying at the super nice home of a kind aunt and uncle that just want you to be really, really comfortable and dote on you (but without being overbearing or clingy).

If you ever come to Cannon Beach, put this hotel on your list.  I’ll also note this was voted one of the best hotels on the entire west coast of the U.S. by Travel & Leisure magazine this year.  Rooms can be pricey but not insane – we were there for their biggest and most popular holiday weekend (Labor Day) so a beachfront king room ran us about $650 per night.  It drops significantly in price if you don’t come on a holiday weekend.