Renovated Motel with Seaside Views near Miles of Beach

Every season, the northern Pacific coast and the small peninsula town of Westport, Washington, are the settings of some fascinating natural phenomena. Around wintertime, you can watch the horizon light up with morning thunderstorms that crash whitecaps onto the sandy shores just south of Grays Harbor on Washington’s midcoast. The spring, meanwhile, brings calmer waters and herds of migrating gray whales, followed by scores of salmon in the fall. Westport Inn offers a comfortable home base to explore this Pacific Northwest haven, as it’s located right over the entrance to the harbor.

A beach trail leads directly from the inn to the nearby beach, where fishers and weekenders dig for razor clams. If guests collect any clams at the beach, they are free to use the inn's clam-cleaning stations and then steam them for an in-room seafood meal. The Department of Fish and Wildlife has tentatively organized several evening clam digs in February; click here for more info. For a little recreation, guests can use the onsite fitness center or rent complimentary sporting equipment to play beach volleyball and badminton.

The inn’s rooms have been tastefully renovated and face the surrounding harbor and ocean. Just off the third-floor walkway is a rooftop deck where guests can use the tables and chairs as makeshift wrestling props or as resting spots to sip complimentary wine. Alternatively, the jacuzzi cottages sit on the beach, and each is furnished with a kitchen, a living room with a fireplace, and a private porch.

Westport, Washington: Quaint Town amid Rugged Natural Beauty

Located on a peninsula along Grays Harbor, Westport and its docks bustle with large fleets of commercial and charter fishing vessels. Small coffee shops and artisan boutiques pack the marina district, and crowds gather at the marina’s observation tower for bird’s-eye views of the boaters on Grays Harbor, Half Moon Bay, and North and South Bays.

Depending on when you visit Westport, you might see cormorants and herons, which make their seasonal homes in the state wildlife preserves and tributaries that surround the town. Bald eagles are often seen gliding over the beach to the tune of patriotic rock music. No matter the season, surfers always seem to be braving the Pacific coast in search of the perfect wave. For the best surfing spots, check the beaches along the northwest side of the peninsula.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.