Shakti Cove Cottages - A great place at the beach!

Well, vacation is drawing to an end. We had a wonderful time at the ocean and wanted to share our experience staying in a super dog-friendly place.

We stayed at Shakti Cove Cottages in Ocean Park, WA. Ocean Park is on the Long Beach Peninsula about 10 miles north of the city of Long Beach. It is approximately 3 to 3.5 hours from Seattle. I spent many summer days at Ocean Park as a child and the LBP has a special place in my heart. I do love the dramatic Oregon coast for its gorgeous cliffs and many tidepools and niches to explore, but the wide open spaces of the Peninsula have their own special kind of fun as well.



Shakti Cove is a hippie hangout like you might expect from the name. The cottages are small and cozy. They are rustic and are NOT fancy. This was very much like staying at the used family beach cabin and not like staying at a hotel or resort. If you are looking for something upscale and fancy close to the beach, this is not the place. If you want to go to the beach and have somewhere nearby to stay that is cozy, clean, friendly but basically utilitarian, Shakti Cove will meet your needs.

The cottage had a kitchen with stove, oven, fridge, coffee maker, tea kettle, toaster and all the necessary cooking utensils/dishes etc to make home cooked meals. A bedroom was off the main living area (no door) and bathroom was neat and clean. There are shared laundry facilities and areas to hose off dogs if they get icky at the beach. We stayed in the "doggie cottage" - dog themed decor. There were many fun pictures on the walls of dogs at the beach or hanging out in the cottages.

Dogs are welcome in all the cottages except the Annex which is their newest cottage, larger and has a knotty pine interior. Dogs cost $10 per pet per night -- still cheaper than a dog sitter! The dogs were welcome guests -- they even provide tons of extra "dog towels" if you want them, covers for the sofa, etc. They are very good about telling everyone dogs must be leashed and to pick up after dogs. While we were there, I did not see a single dog stool that had not been picked up. I was very impressed with how dog friendly the place was.

I also enjoyed that it was private. They do not come in and do daily housekeeping so I did not have to worry someone would be going through my stuff, or try to be gone for the housekeeping staff to come. If you request housekeeping they will come and do it, but otherwise your cottage is just like your own private home for the duration of the stay.

The beach looking North toward Ocean Park and Leadbetter Point.

Looking South toward Long Beach. Cape Disappointment in the distance.

The beach was private as well. There are not a bunch of hotels in this area and only a few homes so the only passers-by were a few people driving from one beach access to the next. Dogs are welcome to be off-leash on the beach. In 4 days, I never saw another person walking on the beach. It is very important to remember that this stretch of beach is open for driving year-round and dogs should be under good voice control to keep them safe from traffic. It is difficult for cars to stop quickly on the beach: they will get buried in the sand. It is also difficult to hear the cars coming because of the noise of the surf. This is true along most of the peninsula.

The location was very quiet. No noise at night except the surf and frogs. The stars are brilliant and the walk to the beach is a few minutes along this private trail.

Halfway between the beach and the cabins, looking East toward the cabins
(they are in the trees behind those 2 homes)

Looking West from the same point toward the ocean

In short, Shakti Cove was perfect for what we were looking for. We are the type of people who like to go camping year-round and this was a nice treat -- soft beds, warm rooms, a full kitchen and nice HOT showers after getting home from the ocean. It might not be right for everyone, but I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great very dog friendly place at the beach that is rustic, cozy and very peaceful.



Shakti Cove Cottages

Pros:
Quiet and Peaceful
Private
Close to the beach, private beach access
Extremely dog friendly
Cozy and rustic
Kitchens
Pay for 2 nights get 1 free through March (this was a pleasant surprise to us!)

Cons:
More rustic than some guests might be looking for
Older rooms, cabins are small
Some noisy pipes in the kitchen
Muddy walkway in front of cabins meant lots of paw-wiping

Overall rating:
The dogs definitely gave it 16 paws up.