Bowline Hotel - Astoria, Oregon

Kristen H.

We liked the room and the decor. There was a lot of space and it was really comfortable. The check in process was a little awkward. Though the woman checking us in didn’t say it, the way she looked at our kids made it feel as though we weren’t welcome or that kids were an inconvenience for her. The wort part was the sea lions. If you value sleep, don’t stay here. The disclaimer about sea lions and the noise was listed at the bottom of the website, well past the links to book your room or explore amenities. The disclaimer does not give the sea lions justice. They are SO LOUD. And it never stops. We will definitely not be back. We travel as a family and don’t want to feel we are inconveniencing anyone by having kids. The sea lion disclaimer should be at the top of the website and more accurately describe how horrible the noise is; even ear plugs aren’t helpful.

Gemma L.

What a Gem! Such a beautiful place to stay. At last minute we booked for our 5th year anniversary! We had such a wonderful experience. Heidi and the rest of the staff were very kind! Sea Lions were a welcomed surprise and we thought the noise cancelling machines and ear plugs were a kind gesture.

Over all we had an amazing stay! We feel welcomed, safe, and extremely comfortable!

Perfect date weekend ❤️

Alex A.

Service was excellent and the bed was extremely comfortable. Toiletries provided were high quality. View is wonderful! Note: There’s no AC and even with 2 fans going, we found it warm on a 70 degree day and had difficulty sleeping. It was hard for my wife to wash her hair in the shower with how little water comes out. Otherwise, great!

Holly R.

We have very mixed reviews of hotel. Astoria is a great place and Bowline hotel is located in perfect location. We live in Oregon and did four night “staycation” for our anniversary. I read reviews carefully for hotel and thought guests were exaggerating Sea Lion noise. Here’s our honest PROs and CONs. Starting with PROs. A nicer hotel and right on riverfront. King room floor #1 spacious w/nice rustic decor, high ceilings, very clean. Small patio overlooking river nice. Right next to trolley and walk to everything, nice. Parking reasonable compared to Portland, but self park free and easy on street in March. Our checkin staff (Kat) was very friendly. CONs If you are a light sleeper this is definitely not the hotel for you. The sea lions live at this hotel. very fun to observe, but not an exaggeration that they are so loud you won’t get a lot of rest. complementary earplugs and soothing sound machine inroom to help cancel noise marginally help. THE SEA LIONS are very LOUD all night and all hours. I booked this awhile ago and reserved 2nd floor Trolley side after reading reviews about sea lion noise. My husband asked for river upgrade upon checkin. I’d forgotten reviews stated 1st floor Riverside rooms were noisy. We were charged extra for the “upgrade” and I wish the very nice lady at checkin would’ve explained we had the better room (2nd floor trolley) if we wanted more quiet. She didn’t. She accommodated our request. Wish she hadn’t, river view nice, sea lions noise not. The noise isn’t just constant barking, they reside directly under pier of 1st floor riverside rooms so our room bumped, shook, thumped all night as sea lions played, slept, adjusted positions under pier. It was like they were moving furniture around underneath us ALL NIGHT. We thought about moving rooms, but ended up using earplugs and sound cancellation machine, and just laughed it off. We figured out they quiet down about 2AM to 4:30AM and got a little silent sleep then. Observing sea lion’s cuteness during day made us forgive thier noisy behavior at night. They are definitely very cute and very cool to watch. Our room was clean at checkin, but our twice requested maid service over four day stay not great. Bed made, but restock of toilet paper, towels, bath mat, not good. Guess maybe they were short handed. Absolutely love Astoria, but probably won’t stay here again.

Lian P.

The perfect place for a relaxing weekend. Stayed on the 2nd floor and had views of the bridge, river, and Astoria column. It was so cute when the trolley rolled by! You're greeted with champagne when you check in, a cozy lobby area, and the charming barking of seals. The rooms come with a white noise machine and ear buds so I didn't mind our seal neighbors at all. Didn't get a chance to use the saunas because the marshmallow bed was too comfortable to leave. Highly recommend for a pampering getaway.

Joy K.

As a soft bed sleeper this is, hands down, the comfiest hotel/vacation rental bed I have ever slept in!! The high ceilings, exposed rafters, industrial minimalist vibe you’d think would lend itself to an austere feeling, but I’ve never felt so cozy! The in-room gas fireplaces and rugs and lush beds made it super inviting. The rain pattering on the roof mixed with the barking of the sea lions was comforting and amusing. (If you’re a light sleeper I recommend picking a room facing the water)
It’s such great spot for being walkably close to everything downtown and right on the trolley line (open March-Oct) and the views are perfect. The saunas are relaxing and easy to use.
I have fully decided to never stay anywhere else in Astoria and I plan to come visit way more often!

Jacob N.

We had an amazing visit here! The rooms were clean and the staff was very friendly. Ally checked us in and was very friendly and accommodating. The room was so toasty warm in January and bed was super comfortable. Breakfast was really yummy. The only reason we don't want to give five stars is because of the couple of drain worms that crawled out of the sink and the mold in the coffee pot. We just rinsed the worms back down the drain and the front desk made us hot water so not a huge deal. We will definitely come back and visit again!!! Also, EV charging is level 2 and comes free with $20 valet service. Two plugs available.

zhang M.

We recently stayed at Bowline hotel and really wanted to love it, as it was the final stop on our 101 road trip over Christmas. The location is great, and the interior design and view are stunning. However, our experience fell short of expectations.
Despite being advertised as pet-friendly, we were directed to use the side door instead of front door when taking our dog in and out to avoid “bothering” other guests. This felt unwelcoming, especially since we only stayed one night and rarely left our room and our dog is very friendly and well trained too. When we asked about a room upgrade, we were initially curtly told to “go call Expedia.” We also noticed other guests enjoying welcome champagne in the review but none was offered to us, which added to the sense that we weren’t welcome.
To make matters worse, we found trash left over from the previous guest in our room, which raised concerns about cleanliness. For the price and the occasion, we expected a much better experience. It’s disappointing because this hotel has so much potential.