Oregon Travel Diary :: Cannon Beach

[trip style = beach + weekend getaway + food + wine]

Long ago, Cannon Beach surpassed drive-by beach town. Punctuated by the 235-foot Haystack Rock, a sandbar long enough to run a 100-meter dash and wispy grasses separating sand from land, it's become Oregon's most iconic—and photographed—coastline.

It's also conquerable, reaching 6.4 km {4 miles} from end-to-end. Pan the waterfront and you'll see dogs romping around like they're on a highway to heaven, surfers trying their hand at wave-riding, runners burning off last night's calories, walkers getting a beach-wind blow-out, horseback riders galloping on the sandbar and reclined beach trikes zipping past. Somehow, this chaos works {and feels far from congested because the beach is so big, there's an imaginary "track" for every sand-lover}. 

When I visited with Mr. Trip Styler and Mr. Nacho King in late-August, we traded our regular repertoire of surfing and running for picnics and bonfires. Here are the on- and off-the-shore treasures I suggest you add to your beach-combing basket. 

Trip Styler Tip: Cannon Beach is warmest in summer, but moonlights as a four-season destination {if you can handle bundling up}! Visit in the off-season to find fewer crowds and cheaper rates.

Cannon Beach from above. 

Mr. Nacho King posing for his Instagram. 

Never-ending sandbar.

Our top-pick coffee and breakfast stop: Sea Level Bakery + Coffee {serving Stumptown Coffee!}. 

Sea Level from the roadside. Walk 50 meters West toward the ocean and you can sip your coffee on the beach. 

Our beach set-up, complete with a windbreaker, arranged by the cabana team at the Surfsand Resort {where we stayed}.  

A "Goonies" crepe from Crêpe Neptune. Basically s'mores ingredients wrapped in a crepe. 

Stopping for a tipple at the Cannon Beach Distillery {Yelp link}. 

Dinner MUST: Attending an interactive cooking show at EVOO Cannon Beach Cooking School. {More on this soon!}

Joining the Cannon Beach bonfire tradition thanks to the beach cabana team at the Surfsand Resort. Not shown here: roasting marshmallows {obviously}!

Stay: The Surfsand Resort, a prime perch with crazy-comfortable Tempur-Pedic beds and service that extends beyond welcome and departure niceties offering daily fresh-baked cookies and chocolate milk at 3 p.m., seasonal cabana service {ie - beach chair and bonfire set-up}, WiFi, in-town shuttle service, Saturday ice cream socials and Sunday weenie roasts, in addition to a pool, hot tub, sauna and fitness area. Recommendation: Request an ocean-facing room. Pet-friendly, bark-woof!

Picnic from EVOO Cannon Beach's take-away shop featuring local cheese and meats, plus bread from Sea Level Bakery.

I did not construct this masterpiece, but I thought you should see its craftsmanship up close! 

More Oregon
Oregon Travel Diary :: Feasting on Portland
That Travel Meal :: Best-in-Class Burrata at Ava Gene's

[photos by @tripstyler (except Surfsand) taken while exploring OR as a guest of Tourism Oregon]

10 Ways to Stretch Summer

[trip style = glamping + sun + food + wine]

First things first. Summer does not officially end until September 21st. The back-to-school/work hustle—or its mentality—may be in full swing, but that's not to say that we can't continue to wear shades or shorts, go to the beach, or bite into watermelon like it's going out of style. 

If you're summer-obsessed like we are, here are 10 ways to avoid falling into fall too quickly.

1/ Book a trip 
Since summer never really ends in my trip styling books {I prefer to extend it into the winter}, know this: One of the BEST times to book travel is in early September. Planes bound for tropical locals are running at quarter capacity, resorts are more quiet than libraries, and best of all, prices reflect this low season bliss.  

2/ Resist "fall mode"
With 19 days of vitamin D-painted skies still on the seasonal horizon, keep your back-to-school clothes in the closet in favor of a warmer color palette and easy-breezy styles.

3/ Find a water source
Don't spend your free evenings or weekends doing errands {that's what October is for!}. Instead, take advantage of the weather and go to the beach, the lakeside or a pool and savor every last bit of heat September is graciously giving.

4/ Say no to the Pumpkin Spice Latte {PSL}
Synonymous with sweaters and cords and leaf peeping {a trip style favored by fall foliage enthusiasts}, the PSL has made an early arrival at Starbucks this year. Here at Trip Styler HQ, we're not fans of the florescent orange beverage {remember when it was tasty and sported a non-offensive color circa 10 years ago?}. We'd much rather hold on to memories of picnics and polka dot bikinis with bevvie trends like iced tea lemonades, fresh-pressed juices and blackberry cocktails. 

5/ Have gas will grill
Have as many barbecues as your grill can handle. Come Novembruary, you'll be longing for warm nights and the summery scent of just-flamed veggies or meat wafting your way. 

6/ Keep s'moresing
Obviously. 

7/ Go Glamping
Once a summer-only trip style, glamping is going through a coming-of-age with many outfitters introducing heated tents and accommodations built for wilderness Ritz'ing year-round; meaning even if it cools down at night, you can still live the summer dream. 

8/ Drink rose
Like white jeans, we refuse to give up our rose after labor day. If rose tickles you pink, too, some of our favorites include: Le Vieux Pin Vaila Rose, Gray Monk Rotberger, Joie Farm Rose, Road 13 Honest John's Rose, or for something cheap and cheerful, La Vieille Ferme Rose. And since we're on the topic, September is a great time to go trip style = wine tasting.

9/ Channel Saint-Tropez
Just because the sun is setting earlier doesn't mean you have to throw your summer tan out to sea. Keep your glow going with these tips from St. Tropez's self-tanning expert.

10/ Wear white  
As we alluded to in number eight, we don't buy into the age-old rule of packing away our whites until springtime. In fact, we challenge you to wear them after labor day and into winter, because nothing says winter chic like white. Duh. 

Pssst: when in doubt, visit a tiki bar. They do "the {tropical} trick" every time. 

[photos my own, except lead, 4, 5, 9, 10 via various online sources]

My Brush with Bachelor in Paradise

[trip style = beach + sun + glamping]

I'm not head over heels for ABC's The Bachelor franchise—full disclosure, I did watch one season circa 10 years ago—but when I was glamping in Tulum in June, half my resort was shut down for what turned out to be the sultry and saucy six-episode Bachelor in Paradise, which debuted on ABC, this past Monday, August 3rd, 2014.

When I tried to book the Papaya Playa Resort {a hotel I just featured in my Roam+Board hotel series and where Bachelor in Paradise was filmed} in the Spring, I noticed zero rooms were available for a five-week period in May/June. I thought this was really strange for low season in Mexico, so I emailed the hotel asking if this was correct, or a glitch in the reservation system. They confirmed they had a tentative property buy-out. I thought it might be major corporation planning tropical team-building, or an intense yoga retreat, though the duration did seem long. 

Absolutely JETSET on staying at Papaya Playa, a hotel I've longed to visit since it opened in 2011, I kept checking if they'd released any rooms, or if the room buy-out would miraculously disappear. Suddenly, a few bungalows came available and I snapped one up immediately. 

When I arrived, check-in was as usual {ie - no mention of resort closures, high profile guests, etc..). We got to our thatched-roof beach perch, slipped on our bathing suits and hit the beach like any sun-deprived souls. The property sits on 900 meters of coastline, so, naturally, we started strolling the near kilometer-length swath of sand.

Suddenly, a gentleman dressed in all black started chasing us, and asked us to stop in our tracks. He told us that half the resort was shut down, and that included the beach. I told him this was ludicrous, and we were not advised of this significant closure at check-in. He said he was under orders not to let anybody cross an imaginary line his superiors had created "in the sand." Jokingly, I quipped, "we can't just go on a normal beach walk? It's not like there's a 24-hour camera rolling" to which he replied, "actually, there is."

This tiny tidbit of info sent me into an internet research tizzy, and after some digging Trip Styler Sis connected the dots: I was there while Bachelor in Paradise was filming. Hence the secrecy. Hence the oh-so-slow internet. Hence the apparent Instagram ban. Hence limited access to the hotel and the beach. 

While the filming was not too visible, I did notice castaways of a rose ceremony at the opposite end of the beach making out in the waves, and dates in town, one of which took place at Casa Jaguar, a romance-steeped secret garden-style restaurant I recommend in my Tour de Tulum. 

Aside from the Bachelor in Paradise production staff who took up most of the other rooms, hung out at the bar every night and traded in beach accessories with walkie-talkies, the resort was pretty quiet—on my side of the beach—and tranquil due to 90% of the guests working.... or canoodling. 

A glimpse of Bachelor in Paradise filming on the beach at Papaya Playa Resort. Note the camera on the shore filming the couple in the water.

Did I recognize any of the love-struck Bach alumni in town? No. Did I walk by any of them at the resort? No. The imaginary lines between hotel customer and contestant were surprisingly strong, and causing a scene isn't my style. 

While I'm not sure I can handle two hours a week of drama-tempered storms courtesy of Bachelor babes, bodies and boozing, I will update this post weekly given my brush with the filming and my knowledge of Mexico's hippie-chic beachfront stretch. You're welcome.

August 3rd Episode Insights
Clare and Robert head to the Tulum Ruins, located about 2 kms from the resort. Access to the historical site, where it's so hot you sweat just standing still, costs 59 pesos per person and is only payable in cash. If you thought it was a strange TV coincidence the two potential love birds were swimming at the foot of the temples at a national historial site, think again, this is one tourist attraction you are encouraged to BYO bathing suit and hit the sea. But don't get too many ideas, contrary to their pow-wow at the top of the seaside temple, you can't climb the Mayan relics, that was a special Bach-fandangled circumstance, so was the lack of crowds.

[top photo via Bachelor in Paradise, other photos my own]

5 Fabulous Food Splurges on Maui

[trip style = beach + sun + luxury + food + wine]

I know; you've got Europe, Brazil and local getaways on your mind right now, yet come September, an escape-the-cold panic will kick in and your tropical tendencies will shine through. 

Since you'll either be a} dreaming of a jetting to Maui, or b} on a plane to the island come October, we want to appeal to your sun-spiration and your stomach with our list of Maui's hottest, get-a-reservation-in-advance restaurants to put on your must-eat list.   

Trip Styler Tip: Fall is one of the most economical and easy times to visit Maui. Think: Low flight prices, no crowds and good weather. 

But first, how to make an occasion out of dinner every night...
When visiting Maui, Mr. Trip Styler and I abide by two strict food rules: Eat simply by day and dine decadently by night {and always ensure meals are accompanied by sunset vistas}. We came to this cuisine conclusion after years of Hawaiian palate-testing, restaurant-hopping, and finding the sweet spot between taste and ambiance.

Ever fans of the high/low approach to travel, we’re the ones who pick up pineapple chunks and a banana from the ABC Store for breakfast, and share a salad for lunch. All said, our 9 a.m.-5 p.m. food bill usually comes out to US$17, leaving us with a range of financial wiggle room in the evening---multiple mai tais, anyone?

Mama’s Fish House
Rated one of the top Maui restaurants by food critics and aspiring foodies alike—in 2013 it won best restaurant in a Zagat reader survey—Mama’s Fish House is where tropical and taste come together. Mingling rustling palms, a secluded cove, flickering tiki torches, kitschy ocean finds, vintage Polynesian-print tablecloths and a fresh catch {as in, caught that morning} this famous restaurant-come-dining-institution is located just past Paia on Maui’s North Shore. Splurge-worthy entrees calling the fisherman by name such as “deep-water ahi caught ten miles offshore from Hana by Matt Smith with Hamakua mushroom sauce and Molokai sweet potato mash” only add to the ocean-to-table, candlelit atmosphere.

Humuhumunukunukuapua’a
Named after Hawaii’s state fish, Humuhumunukunukuapua’a, in the Grand Wailea, embodies all that is exotic, with its thatched-roof bungalows, seafood-forward menu and sundowner exposure. Set on wooden stilts and slats above a million-gallon saltwater lagoon teeming with tropical fish, dining at Humuhumu will make you want to freeze-frame your life and linger in the moment.

Alan Wong’s Amasia
Alan Wong’s Amasia, also in the Grand Wailea, is the only exception to my dining-with-a-sunset-view rule because the dishes are a perfect example of delicate dance between art and sustenance, and it is helmed by Chef Alan Wong, recognized by Bon Appetit Magazine as the “master of Hawaiian regional cuisine." Located in a Japanese Tea House brought over piece-by-piece from Japan, the East-meets-West dining concept doesn’t spare any expense—even the surrounding rocks are quarried from Mt. Fuji. Make sure to arrive early to snap a few exterior photos in the Japanese garden as the golden, end-of-day light reflects off the koi pond and illuminates teahouse with a mystic glow.

Trip Styler Tip: If you’re unable to make reservations for these hot-ticket restaurants in advance, saddle up to the bar, talk to the host about last-minute cancellations, or dine at off-peak hours.

Ferraro's Bar e Ristorante
When I’m dining in a destination I always try to eat local dishes. Though, in this case, I make an exception for Ferraro’s alfresco, seaside perch and Italian fare since I can’t eat tuna poke or macadamia-encrusted mahi mahi every night of my Maui-cation. As the only completely open-air, beachside restaurant in Wailea, Ferraro’s wind-in-your-hair setting and tiered seating {so everyone gets a ocean view} speaks to my sun-deprived soul, while the kiawe wood-burning oven speaks to my stomach. Intimate and approachable, leave this Italian eatery in the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea for a date night, and make sure to get there just before sundown to toast your beau with a bottle of Prosecco and hand-cut pasta.

Morimoto Maui
Ever since the Renaissance Resort closed shop and a 15-acre piece of northern Wailea Beach real estate sat empty for half a decade, I’ve been obsessed with what hotel will take over the coveted space, and what nouveau restaurants it will feature. As a fan of all things sleek and stylish, I was elated to find out the Andaz Maui at Wailea (Hyatt’s hip brand) would undertake a mega renovation and open in mid-2013, and the modern masterpiece would house the Maui outpost of one of my favorite Iron Chefs, Masaharu Morimoto. Serving locally-sourced ingredients from the land and sea, Morimoto Maui’s multi-page menu offers everything from Chef’s famous tuna pizza {which I’ve gushed about before in "Honolulu’s chic eats"} to hand-rolled sushi, noodles and raw bar fish. Request a seat on the grey- and cream-colored terrace to pair Chef's custom-brewed Junmai sake and sushi with the ocean view.

{Parts of this post originally appeared in a piece I wrote for the Expedia Viewfinder Travel Blog, check it out in its entirety.}

Related 
Exploring Paia
Roam+Board :: Napili Kai
Roam+Board :: Makena Resort

[All photos via restaurants mentioned except Mama's Fish House, which is my own]

Beach Reads

[trip style = beach + sun + weekend getaway]

When I wasn't busy biking to the corner store for 5-cent candies, running under sprinklers, or choreographing dances to Ace of Base's "The Sign" and Boyz II Men's "Motown Philly", I spent my childhood summers checking out books to earn as many stickers as possible from the public library's annual summer reading club. Fast forward 20 years and I'm still spending my summers wading through stacks of unread books.

Since nothing complements a beach trip like a page-turner, here are three hilarious memoirs you'll want to pack in your beach bag this summer. They're funny, not too serious, entertaining, self deprecating and witty. Everything I want in a summer relationship—with reading. Just don't forget to pack some extra SPF because these books will have you sobbing through your sunscreen with tears of laughter.

Uganda Be Kidding Me
Chelsea Handler's comical collection of travel stories is by far and wide the most irreverent and belly-busting memoir I've ever read. While reading it, I may have peed my pants from the pressure of heaving laughter, skipped the gym because my abs got such a workout, and drawn way too much attention to myself when I burst out crying from sustained giggling because of scenes like Chelsea's sudden urge to deal with a bout of post-Africa constipation in a kayak in the Bahamas. To give you an idea of how much I loved this book, I ordered every single one of her books from Amazon before I'd even finished this one.  –Recommended by Trish

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
Mindy Kaling kicks off her book with a list of alternate titles that include: So You've Just Finished Chelsea Handler's Book, Now What? and Harry Potter Secret Book #8. I was either the best or worst beach buddy while reading this book, depending on whether you liked to be interrupted and read to whenever I came across something hilarious I had to share, which was basically all the time. Whether it was her stories about growing up as a "timid chubster" in Massachusetts or her thoughts on best friend rights and responsibilities, she had me laughing the whole time and wishing she was my best friend, even if that means getting punched in the nose. Read the book to find out how that happens—and how it involves Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. –Recommended by Heather

Everything Is Perfect When You're a Liar
If you've never heard of Kelly Oxford, you're probably not on Twitter, where she reigns as queen with her irreverent, observational tweets. Once a Calgary stay-at-home mother of three, she's now moved her family to Los Angeles, where she hangs out with her celebrity best friends and works as a screenwriter. No topics are off limits in her first memoir, where she shares her most embarrassing stories about mall modeling, teenage drinking, flying to LA to make Leonardo DiCaprio her boyfriend, and cancelling on brunch with David Copperfield in Vegas after a crazy night at the Hustler Club. I think Lena Dunham describes Kelly best on the book jacket: "Kelly Oxford is like your cool babysitter who teaches you about sex and sarcasm in an un-creepy way." –Recommended by Heather

I'm next in line for Uganda Be Kidding Me after Mr. Trip Styler finishes it, and after lending it to at least three people, I finally plan on reading Tina Fey's Bossy Pants next month or whenever I make it to the beach.

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

[collage by @heatherlovesit, beach basket by jadetribe]