Washington Coast Getaway: Exploring Iron Springs Resort

When I think of going to the coast for a few nights to stay in a cabin, I usually think of cheap, uncomfortable rooms with paper thin walls, a musty smell, and mysterious stains on the bed linen.  So, as my husband was telling me he wanted to go to the coast for his birthday, I knew I needed to do some research and find something that would take dogs, have a nice kitchen for me to cook in, and comfortable furnishings or I wasn't going.  Looking online, I was completely stumped.  The whole coast of Washington to chose from: where to go? 

Luckily, some friends were over for dinner when I was complaining about my inability to find a nice vacation rental and stepped in with some advice: Iron Springs Resort.  We looked it up.  Recent updates in a rustic mid century modern style with lots of amenities and they allowed, even encouraged, dogs.  We were sold.

 

Iron Springs Resort is located on the Washington Coast, just north of Ocean Shores, in Copalis Beach.

The cabin we chose was very roomy with a nice sitting area, big dining table, and well equipped kitchen. I didn't have to bring a single knife, corkscrew, peeler, or other kitchen gadget.  They also have a few mixers, food processors and blenders for checkout as well.  Through the doorway to the right was the bed and bathroom.  The bed was a lovely, king bed.  (Both of us are very tall and usually very cramped in hotel/cabin beds.  Not here!)  Each cabin came with dog bowls, towels, and blankets for your beloved Fido.   There was basic soap and shampoo in the bath; I recommend you bring your favorites from home.

Looking out from the living space you can see we had a nice deck situated perfectly towards the beach.  There were cabins on either side of us but we never felt cramped. 

We had two ways to get to the beach.  The small creek running below our cabin could be easily crossed if you had rubber boots.  We left our boots as home and so took the short walk to the outside of the resort, down the street about 50 yards and through a gate to a path that led directly to the beach. 

Our cabin (cabin#4) is third from the right with the big deck.  With 28 cabins of varying sizes, you could have a romantic getaway for two or a rowdy family reunion of 15.  Everyone we saw at the resort had a dog or three with them.   You can look at the floor plans of each cabin online when reserving.

You could also walk through the resort up to an amazing viewpoint high up on a bluff.  

Once out on the beach, you may be a little surprised to discover it doubles as an airport as well!  It's blocked half of the time due to tides.  We never saw a plane land and thought maybe it is more of a summer thing.  Definitely a rich thing when there is another airport just a few miles away near Ocean Shores.

 I don't get to the ocean much, but I always love looking at the sand. 

It was a great opportunity to do some off leash training with Oskar.   We remembered to bring plenty of treats to use as rewards. 

He did a great job unless other friendly (or not) dogs were off leash near him that wanted to run up and meet.  Then he tried to take off after them.  That ended the off leash session.  

We stayed three nights and it only rained on one day.  It's hard to see how hard it is raining in this photo that I took from the comfort of inside while I was cooking lunch.  Oskar didn't seem to mind a bit.  We walked morning and night and spent a lot of time watching movies, reading, playing games (on the computer a bit, I admit), cooking. 

 

It was sad to leave, but we already are making plans to head back at the end of summer.  We didn't go out to eat for one meal.  I brought a lot of food with us but the little general store at the resort had a great selection of basic foods items plus wine, dog food and toys, and an abundance of specialty items like gluten free products, dairy, frozen meat and seafood, chai, coffee, salami, fancy chocolates, and more.  They had over 200 DVDs available for free checkout plus lots of board games and a good sized book collection to borrow from as well.    You really don't need to leave if you don't want to! 

Their prices seem to be a little more than other resorts or motels in the area, but I really don't think many of those places have the amenities and pleasant touches that Iron Springs has.  Also, they are running a mid-season special right now: buy 2 nights, get 1 free!  (Which, of course, we took advantage of.)   If you are thinking of a coastal getaway and want to bring the dog, I highly recommend Iron Springs.