Visiting Bandon, Oregon

Visiting Bandon, Oregon:

What to bring: we were there in April and it was quite fresh and VERY WINDY. The trails along the Bandon Dunes Golf course are stunning but quite sandy so bring the right shoes for it. If you’re a golf player, you’ll have to bring your clubs!
Where to stay: We stayed at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and it was lovely. See detailed review in the section below.
Main attraction: Bandon Dunes Golf . The courses are apparently stunning (I don’t play golf) but I can tell you that the walking and hiking trails along it were incredibly pretty. The whole resort is gorgeous! There were a lot of restaurants on site but we didn’t eat there, except for some drinks and late night snacks at MCKEE’S PUB. We ate outside by the huge fire and it was great.
Where to eat:
- Tony’s Crab shack is a must for seafood.
- Alloro Wine Bar for a more upscale type of dining.
- Bandon Coffee for delicious cappuccinos and other coffee drinks. Their pastries looked amazing too!
- Costal Mist fine chocolates for delicious pastries and chocolates.
- Bandon Brewing company : we did not make it here but it looked like the place to hang out, grab a craft beer and yummy pizza.
Old Town Marketplace Farmers/Artisan Market was a cute little shop with high-end food and they also had live seafood.
What to see:
- Walk around the little old town of Bandon.
- Drive or walk to Bandon South Jetty Park for a stunning view of the wild beach. I didn’t make it to Coquille Point but the view from there must have been gorgeous.
- Walk or run along Bullards Beach State Park. It’s stunning!
- Seven Devils State Recreation Site : another cute beach access.
Gorse wildflowers bloom in the spring along the coastline and it adds a magical and colorful touch to the already stunning views. They smell divine too!

Impressions of Bandon :

You know those little towns that you visit and instantly feel relaxed and just at home? That’s how Bandon felt to me. We flew into Coos Bay and drove down to Bandon Dunes Golf resort for 2 nights for work. I can’t really say that the check-in staff was friendly or accommodating, but that’s the only bad thing I have to say about the resort. I don’t play golf, but I did run around it and it was lovely. The beach trails were lovely and the blooming Gorse wildflowers added to the beauty of the place. The air was so crisp and fresh… so good for the soul.

My room was in Cedar Loop, and it was huge. I had a fireplace, 2 king beds, a coffee machine, mini fridge and 2 desks. The rooms are quite dark, but I also knew that I’d sleep like a baby in them since they are surrounded by trees and woods. It was so peaceful and quiet: I felt like I was sleeping in a tree cabin. The rooms could do with some updating but it was clean and quaint.

We drove into town the first night to explore Bandon, and we were CHARMED by the little old town. We drove around it, parked and checked out the 2 main streets filled with little shops and restaurants. We then discovered Bandon Jetty, which I will get back to later. We stopped at Tony’s crab shack, as it came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. The staff was super friendly, the decor was cute and local and the food was…DIVINE. We had oysters, crab meat, chowder and crab cakes. We were blown away. No fuss and frills, just extremely fresh seafood.

We continued exploring the downtown area and stopped at ALLORO restaurant, as it too had great reviews. It was tasty, but compared to Tony’s it just didn’t compare. Our waitress was very friendly.

As expected, I slept like a baby, and much longer than expected and spent my morning working at my desk, facing the woods.

Eventually, I decided to head into town to grab a cappuccino at Bandon Coffee (so tasty) and walk around the town some more. I found a lovely local market, the Old Town Marketplace Farmers/Artisan Market, and picked up some handcrafted chocolate Costal mist fine Chocolates for my passengers for the flight back.

With still some cappuccino left in my cup, I drove over to Bandon Jetty to admire the BEAUTIFUL wild beach. There is something magical about that beach that kept me mesmerized for minutes, just taking it all in. The light house was also very cute.

As I was in an exploration mood, I drove back and headed north towards Devil Beach State Park, another lovely wild and windy beach. On my way back to the resort, I stopped at Sheep Ranch and admired the windy golf course. I went for a run, had early dinner with my colleagues… at Tony’s crab shack again and grabbed dessert back at McKee’s pub on the resort. I slept like a baby that night and woke up refreshed and not wanting to leave.

I’d go back there in a heart beat.