Only 25 miles from Eugene-Springfield, the Wayfarer is far enough from the beaten track for utmost privacy, yet close enough for visiting, shopping or a night on the town. For you, your family, your business or professional associates, the Wayfarer offers the right combination of all the things that make a vacation truly memorable. Thirteen lovely cabins on the edge of the McKenzie River and Martin Creek, reunions, retreats and special events.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
We stayed at the Wayfarer for 3 nights thanks to a friend's recommendation. The property is gorgeous, well maintained, and offers lots of recreational opportunities for families including tennis, volleyball, basketball, fishing pond for kids, horseshoes, etc. We stayed in a one bedroom cabin on the creek; in the future I'd spring for an accommodation on the river. Perfect for groups, family reunions, friends retreats, weddings, anniversary celebrations. Large beach area, fire pit, comfy chairs enabled us to enjoy the river day and night. Cabins are well equipped with kitchen necessities + charcoal bbq's on the deck. Very clean & pet friendly.
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Date of stay: August 2020
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Room Tip:Â Cabins on or near the river - #8, #9, #10, #12 & #13.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have stayed in one of the one bedroom cabins on the creek on 5 or 6 occasions for several days each visit. It is one of my favorite places in the world! Not fancy but extremely comfortable and homey in a gorgeous relaxing setting. It’s a wonderful place to bring your dog and unwind with friends and family. As soon as I get there, I feel peace. Surrounded on 2 sides by river and creek. Listening to the rapids/waterfall while sitting on your deck is wonderful. Fresh hazelnuts. Barbecue and kitchen. Fireplace. Comfortable beds. I can hardly wait to return.
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Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Four years ago I started obsessively searching the internet for a perfect vacation spot for a group of five families with young kids. Year One's destination was okay, Year Two was fun, and then we found... the Wayfarer.
The first thing that intrigued me was the hand-drawn map on their website that showed all of the attractions: tennis, a stocked trout pond, gardens, volleyball, horseshoe pits, croquet, ping-pong and even baby goats. We booked the place and it somehow managed to exceed my ridiculously high expectations.
The resort consists of about 8 cabins as well as two larger houses and a few studio-sized accommodations. The cabins all overlook a lovely, woodsy creek with small waterfalls, and they stay cool and shady all day long. (Our favorite is cabin 5.) The two houses face the McKenzie River, just up the bank from a pebbly beach with a firepit. The river is cold, and just deep and fast enough for you to jump in at the top of the beach, then float with the current down 30 yards or so to the other end of the beach.
The grounds are beautifully maintained with lots of grass for kids to maraud around on, plus nice perennials and landscaping. The cabins are old in a cute way, but remodeled and furnished with exactly what you would need on a trip away from home. Each cabin has a fully stocked kitchen and a grill on the back deck.
To top it all off, the owners are fantastic. You know those people who open up an Inn just so they can talk your ear off about their doll collection or their bizarre hobbies? These people are not like that. They are friendly and super-responsive, but they basically leave you alone. And we were never made to feel that our (occasionally screaming, Twister-playing, ball-throwing) pack of children was anything but welcome.
You might not think it's possible to have a relaxing vacation with nine kids under the age of 6, but we managed at the Wayfarer. Book early, because the cabins fill up fast, especially in Summer.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you like outdoor activities, the Wayfarer provides a wonderful base. At the resort itself, my husband fished in the McKenzie River, I did some bird watching and my daughter and her husband played tennis. We all enjoyed sitting along the river and on the deck of our cabin.
If you are a birder from an area outside the Pacific Northwest, you can add the Western Scrub Jay and some other local birds to your life list. My daughter and I watched some common mergansers fishing in the river right in front of the resort and an osprey soaring above for about ten minutes.
You'll find fabulous hikes in the area, particularly up in the lava fields near the Three Sisters Mountains on Highway 242. There are hikes to a number of waterfalls, and you could spend the day rowing a boat around Clear Lake up Highway 126 towards Sisters.
I agree with the previous reviewer that the Wayfarer is a wonderful place for families with young children. It is also a great place for people with no children along as well.
One suggestion: Buy food to take along before you go. The kitchen is fully equipped, but the local stores don't offer much and there are only a couple of places to eat out.
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Date of stay: August 2006
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just got back from a 6 night stay with a large group of people. We had 4 cabins total. Our stay costs over $3,000.00. After arriving home in Minnesota, we received an e-mail stating we were going to be charged an additional $120.00 for a broken bed and some missing towels. The bed was older and frame accidentally broke. A staff member collected dirty towels, not replacing with the correct amount of clean ones. Just a heads up that you will want to inventory your cabin upon arrival and make sure furniture, etc is in good condition or you will be as suprised as us with unexpected charges!! It's the last thing you should have to worry about while on vacation.
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Date of stay: July 2014Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Karen R, Manager at The Wayfarer Resort
Responded Jul 21, 2014
We love to work with our guest when accidents happen. They just need to come to the office and let us know. My housekeeper found the bed propped up with a stick of wood.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We booked at the Wayfarer in April 2011 as a favor to a friend. She'd asked that we help her adult children arrange a celebration of her life and the scattering of her ashes at this place where they'd shared so many vacations when the kids were young. We arrived thinking we were doing her a favor. We left knowing she'd done us one.
We stayed at the largest of the cottages, The Octagon, so that we could host the social events and gatherings... and so that we could have our two large (very well-behaved) dogs. We were impressed with how very well-equipped- with tableware, cookware, etc.- the kitchen was. Serving meals for a dozen or more people, inside or out, was a snap. The kids reported that their cottage kitchens were proportionally well supplied.
The grounds were absolutely beautiful. Lots of native plants, well-groomed but allowed to grow in their natural shapes and patterns so that it seemed more like a nature park than a private garden. Our photos give a sense of the place, but I feel badly that they represent only the wedge closest to the river and our house. The management was friendly and helpful and struck exactly the right note in dealing with our party, a number of whom drove in from other areas for the celebration.
We intend to return each April for as long as we can, not just in tribute to our friend but as an acknowledgement of the gift she gave us in guiding us to the Wayfarer. I'll close with a quote from Greycoast's review (which I think is right on the money): "I do rarely give an excellent review but for what this place is, it nearly gets one."
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Date of stay: April 2011
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Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â The descriptions on the website are pretty accurate. The closer you can get to the river and the...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I do rarely give an excellent review but for what this place is, it nearly gets one. The property is very well kept. Much better than the last time I was here 4+ years ago. The landscaping is mature western oregon which means that it could be overgrown but it isn't. Lots of green grass, beautiful trees and a nice balance between openness and seclusion. The cabins are particularly clean but they are older and dated. It my opinion, it adds to the charm of the place. The owners are very friendly, helpful and easy going. A nice stop to relax and take a break. They seem like they could accommodate large groups as well.
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Date of stay: February 2010
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were looking for a place to stay on the McKinzie River and liked the sound of it from the reviews here on Trip Advisor, so we took a chance and made reservations. We were not disappointed!! What a beautiful spot!!! We went mid-week, after school had started, so there were no children about - but what a wonderful place to take them!! The beautiful grounds encompass about ten acres, including a stocked trout pond for kids to fish in. The managers, Glenda and Phil are very friendly and accomodating - and love dogs! This is a very dog friendly place. We took our standard poodle with us and he had a great time. We stayed in cabin 8 - one of the one bedroom units. It had a lovely, private deck off of the living area with a bar-be-que and all the utensils. We hadn't brought any charcoal with us and after mentioning that to Glenda, she brought over a bag and lighter fluid. The deck looked out onto Marten's Creek. When sitting out there reading, we felt miles away from everything - but Eugene is only 45 minutes away. The river is just a few short steps away, and the bigger units have great river views. A beautiful grassy lawn sweeps down to the rocky beach, where there's a fire pit and picnic tables. Comfortable lawn chairs are found under shady trees and on a sunny deck by the pond. An old fashioned swing is surrounded by grape vines. We would have loved to stay longer than two nights, but a wedding was being held this weekend and the place was booked. If there is any drawback, it might be that the furniture in the cabin we stayed in is a little dated (but comfortable), and the cabin is paneled with dark wood - but it's a cabin, right?? As was noted in a previous review, bring all your food if you plan to cook. Salt, pepper, and coffee filters are provided, but that's all. However, if you have forgotten the garlic powder, I'm sure Glenda would bring some over! We are already figuring out when we can come back!!
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Date of stay: September 2009
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Recently I took a group of 51 to the Wayfarer resort and had a great time. It was for a weekend retreat and the location worked perfectly for us. It was right on the river with great views and had a larger house we rented out for our meals and meetings. The feel of the large room with a great view of the river was perfect for our time. The staff was very helpful and kind during our stay. The group all prefer this location over the other places we have stayed. I will look to book here again next year!
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Date of stay: February 2015
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The staff is wonderful and the cabins are the perfect experience for anyone wanting to be in nature, but still have working amenities. So very charming and my husband and I will definitely be back in the future!
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Date of stay: July 2014
Value
Rooms
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We do have a three day minimum from Memorial day to Labor Day.
We do allow two days if you bump up against another check out.
Give me a call and lets see what we can figure out. 541-896-3613 or 1800-627-3613 Look forward to hearing from you.
Makes sense that they have a minimum stay required at this busy time of the year. I recommend that you contact them directly to confirm what is/is not required.
There are more places to choose from in the Vida area.
LOCATION
United StatesOregonVida
NUMBER OF ROOMS
13
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