Where the Cushy and Beachy Collide at N. Oregon Coast's Manzanita: Ocean Inn

Published 08/16/22 at 5:28 AM PST
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Manzanita, Oregon) – A tad out of the way while you're zipping up Highway 101, Manzanita is a little north Oregon coast town that's rather big on pleasant surprises. The burgh is a bit of a nook 'n cranny all itself, but within it are other such pockets of beachy delights just a bit tucked away out of sight, including some culinary finds and even accesses. Much about this place seems hiding in plain sight. (Photo Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

Among those distinctive pleasures is Ocean Inn, sitting right on the edges of the sand at the bottom of Laneda Ave. That spot at the main drag makes the smallish charmer of a motel within walking distance of everything, including all the shopping or prime eats and spirits of places like MacGregor's A Whiskey Bar.

Most of all, Ocean Inn has that all-important big O: it's oceanfront. From here, amid truly classy and cush surroundings you have exceptional views of those raucous waves, rolling in and then back out in varying degrees of serenity to chaos. In fact, just about all the rooms has those views.

Ocean Inn is the quintessential beach cutie, built with wood features that pop out, decorated in all kinds of pleasing ways and sometimes with wowing lines. Deeper inside their approach, amenity details such as dark chocolates made for them locally, cookies by Nehalem legends Wanda’s Bakery & Café and coffee from Astoria Coffee Company help round out an already-stellar experience.

Altogether there's ten rooms, and the place often comes with little balconies, patios, and sometimes even carports beneath these lovely surroundings. A little different here is the fact it's a small cluster of buildings up against the surfline. One room comes with a Jacuzzi, another is ADA compliant. It's a comely Oregon coast spot that isn't talked about much, but it's got its fervent following.

Interiors often have magnificent wood walls, including one with a thick, knotted pine look that at once screams luxury and history. One oceanfront room sports a gleaming off-white color scheme with a vaulted ceiling and a mesmerizing half-circle skylight above the deck entrance.

Like Manzanita and its recent discovery of Spanish galleon wood, Ocean Inn has some interesting history as well. Owner Janice Zagata said the beachfront building was built all the way back in the '40s, originally apartments. Some locals, she said, have told her they lived there as kids.

She's not sure what it became after apartments. It was all purchased by her husband Larry in the 1990s along with his sister Penny Zagata-Erickson and her husband Steve Erickson. At that time they were utilizing them as vacation rentals. Zagata later married Larry and joined the biz.

“In 1993 I joined in as a partner as well,” she told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. “In 1997 we tore down her office and built a building that has six rentals, four full apartment/condo-like units with full kitchens and two kitchenette units. Penny sold her vacation rental business at that time and we operated the main office for the hotel on the first floor of the newly-built building.”

You’ll find free wi-fi at the Ocean Inn, along with big screen TVs and a host of other distinctive amenities. Their website also has the only webcam for Manzanita, which is handy if you want to check out Oregon coast conditions before launching west from the valley. 2 Laneda Ave. Manzanita, Oregon. 503-368-7701. 866-368-7701. www.oceaninnatmanzanita.com. MORE PHOTOS BELOW

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