Oregon Guide and Deals

Named for the year that the Beaver State achieved its statehood, 1859 Oregon’s Magazine highlights the best in local travel, cuisine, recreation, design, and art. Features might guide cyclists on craft-beer tour rides, bring fishing enthusiasts face to face with the nitty-gritty of crab catching, or help history buffs uncover hidden points of interest along supposedly dreary Highway 20. The publishers commit to sustainable practices while producing the quarterly: they recycle as much of their office waste as possible, highlight only local travel destinations to reduce readers’ fuel use, and print with inks harvested only from squids that enjoy being tickled.

Situated on 250 acres between Siletz Bay to the north and the great expanse of the Pacific Ocean to the west, Salishan Spa & Golf Resort welcomes visitors into a serene coastal environment surrounded by virgin forest and picturesque highlands. The resort has granted guests a wealth of diversions since opening in 1965, including a par-71 golf course redesigned by PGA professional and native Oregonian Peter Jacobsen. The course’s bent-grass fairways hug the hills that dot the coastline, yielding panoramic vistas of the Pacific on the front nine and the bay along the links-style back nine. Though challenging, three sets of tees per hole make the course enjoyable for every golfer and greatly increase an individual’s chances of making an ocean-in-one.

After a round, players can rest tuckered-out tendons in the spa, where saunas, rain showers, and whirlpools ease the physical self and a rustic-chic aesthetic works on spiritual clarity. Natural stone walls and tree-branch arrangements blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, and antler chandeliers present numerous options for hanging golf bags.

Course at a Glance:

18-hole, par-71 course

Total length of 6,470 yards from the back tees

Course rating of 72.3 from the back tees

Course slope of 132 from the back tees

* Three sets of tees per hole

The Enhancement Center Medical Spa leads with an experienced staff of massage therapists, aestheticians, and naturopathic doctors in bringing out clients’ natural beauty. Using advanced lasers, they not only tighten the skin and boost collagen production but also remove unwanted hair, veins, and tattoos. The staff cleanses the skin with a variety of facials and adds emphasis to lash lines with tinting and semipermanent extensions.

Natural light floods the lobby of Neuro Float Studio, casting the shadows of tree branches over clients sunk deep into a plush couch and their silent companion, a tranquilly smiling bust of Buddha. Visitors can boost their holistic well-being with the studio's mix of alternative mental and yoga services, helping bodies to strengthen and purge excess energy while minds achieve clarity.

Yogis meet in a temperature-controlled room, where a patient instructor guides them through a transformative experience punctuated by physical challenge, deep relaxation, moving music, and friendly spirit animals. Flotation therapy literally sets clients afloat in a warm saltwater pool as music-based brainwave therapies work to clarify minds, boost production of theta waves, and empower clients to enact positive changes in their lives.

Lara House Lodge celebrated its centennial birthday in 2010, but this Northwest-style bed and breakfast is anything but old. Featured in Seattle magazine’s Great Escapes 2010: Bend, the historic six-bedroom home earns points for location and gets its fresh feel from all-natural décor, exemplified by the rock wall that surrounds the property, the cherry-colored wood underfoot and overhead, and a wealth of natural sunlight that pours through its many windows. Warm-hued down comforters and private bathrooms bolster the homey feel in each of the guest rooms, including three king rooms and three queen rooms that gift visitors the feeling of royalty without having to hire a court jester. Beyond plasma and LCD TVs equipped with extended cable, windows overlook Drake Park's lush swath of land that hugs the banks of the Deschutes River.

Lara House Lodge's sun room, filled with plush sofas and chairs, is a popular spot for guests to enjoy their morning breakfast, which is made from local and organic produce whenever possible. In-house chefs brew local organic coffee and set out homemade granola, organic yogurt, and pastries. As evening falls, guests gather to enjoy wine and appetizers on the candlelit porch before trekking five minutes into downtown for dinner, drinks, or live theater and music at the historic Tower Theatre. Bend is home to seven microbreweries⎯many within walking distance of the lodge⎯so guests can leave the car keys at home and avoid designated-driver disputes settled via cage wrestling.