TL;DR

Hip, modern hotel vibes in downtown Astoria
Blends hostel coolness with boutique comfort
Historic 1923 building, stylishly renovated
Clean and hospitality-focused, not a backpacker hostel
Check prices here

Everyone loves a good, cozy cannery-turned-hotel in an old fishing town, but we love that downtown Astoria has at least one hotel with a hip, modern vibe.

We also love how the Norblad has managed to thread the needle of hip hostel and cozy hotel so successfully.

Everything is sparkling clean, and the staff is ever-helpful.

This is no hostel run by a bunch of stoned-gap-year-travelers lost in their copies of Shantaram. It’s a hospitality-focused, super-cool spot to stay the night.

Beyond the vibe, the space is well-designed and impeccably decorated. The building has housed guests since 1923, a lovely brick building with all the windows a hotel could want.

Both the interior and exterior have been renovated extensively in the past century, making for chic, minimalist, but still colorful accommodation for Astoria’s most stylish guests.

What are the rooms like?

33 rooms with Cabin, Cabin Light, and Suites (plus Astor Suites)
Private bathrooms in Suites; others share clean, single-use bathrooms
Apron sinks in rooms, cozy robes, plush bedding
Bright, cheerful minimalist décor and playful hallways
See each room in detail here

Rooms go by the perhaps unnecessary names of Cabin, Cabin Light, and Suites. The booking for the sister-building’s Astor Suites goes through the same site, if you’re looking for something seriously luxurious and equally stylish.

Bathrooms work like so: if you do not have an ensuite, you can find clean, single-occupancy bathrooms throughout the hotel for showers and toilet business.

They’re marked with bright orange doors and painted in super-cute murals.

It’s really less hostel than it is sharing a house, except that bathrooms are so plentiful you won’t have to yell at your sister through the door.

If you’re not one for sharing, or carrying toiletries down a hallway, book a Suite with a private bathroom.

You’ll also have apron sinks in the rooms, so your final tooth-brushing or morning face wash can happen in your own private space.

The rooms share a sort of minimalist cheeriness. What color you do see is bright and happy, and the hallways are bursts of cute stripes and bright orange bathroom doors.

Comfort-wise you’re looking good as well. The hotel provides cozy bathrobes, seating and tables in the rooms, and super-plush bedding.

What are prices like?

Check dates and prices here

And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?

Steps from Astoria’s best restaurants and breweries
Shared kitchen for cooking, storing leftovers, heating meals
Cozy lounge with record collection
Excellent coffee provided; minimal on-site facilities otherwise

Mostly, the hotel lets the location do the talking. The best of Astoria’s restaurants, breweries, and hangouts are in walking distance.

They do have a small area to lounge around and check out the hotel’s record collection, and a shared kitchen.

You can cook every night, store leftovers, heat up a cup-o-noodle, whatever you like.

They also provide excellent coffee, but that’s about it for facilities. Mostly, the hotel encourages you to explore the city.

How is the neighborhood? Anything interesting nearby?

Central location with everything walkable
Astoria Riverwalk, Maritime Museum, and Column nearby
Plenty of breweries, bars, spas, and Liberty Theater within blocks
Day trips to Ecola State Park, Lewis & Clark sites, Young’s River Falls

A riverside hotel is always nice, but if you want to be fully in the center of town, the Norblad is the winner.

What this means is that most everything will be in walking distance.

The Astoria Riverwalk is less than five minutes, even the out-of-town Coffee Girl is just 40 minutes along the riverside.

You’ll find the Columbia River Maritime Museum on the way.

There’s also a Safeway on the way back where you can stock up on kitchen ingredients.

A hike up to the Astoria Column will be about half an hour, or just spend an afternoon walking around reveling in all your Goonies nostalgia.

The Oregon Film Museum will help with this, and it’s just a 10-minute walk.

Breweries and bars are scattered throughout the city, the hotel staff will be more than happy to recommend you the best spots for your preferences.

If you’re looking for something that is not food-and-drink related, both the Blessed Spa and the Liberty Theater are within a block of the hotel.

Finally, if you do want to hop in a car, you’ve got great walking and hiking around Lewis and Clark and Young’s River Falls Parks.

Head west towards Ecola Park if you prefer saltwater to fresh, and enjoy great views of the Pacific.

And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?

Some things guests liked:

“This was our second stay in one of the Astor Suites of the Norblad Hotel. The staff was friendly and helpful at check-in. The bed was so comfortable and the linens and bath towels are super soft and luxurious. The suite and our private bathroom were roomy, well-appointed, and very, very clean. Access to the suites is easy and feels safe. There’s plenty of parking on the street but the hotel also offers paid parking in a garage for $20 per night. The view from our room was amazing and the location can’t be beat! A great value on the Oregon Coast….”

“Very cool hotel. We had an en-suite room. Great modern decor. Nice touches and everything thought of. Comfy beds, super friendly staff….”