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By the Boss, Sunday, July 1, 2007 6:15 pm

• Sylvia Beach Hotel. On the beach — no, it’s not in “Sylvia Beach” — but in a part of Newport called Nye Beach, this place has been written up so many times in the national media you’ll feel like you’re staying in a national landmark. The rooms all have literary themes, from the black and gloomy Edgar Allan Poe room to the lacy Emily Dickinson room. Fun.

• The River House. On the Siuslaw River in Florence’s Old Town, this is a straight-up motel that’s got it exactly right: clean, comfortable and unpretentious rooms, with a nice view if you book on the river side, for a very reasonable price. Rubber duckies come with the room.

• Captain John’s Motel. In Charleston, this place is a little more downscale than the River House but still one of our favorites, perhaps because it’s right in the thick of things in this little waterfront town.

• Malheur Field Station. A little hard to explain if you haven’t been there, but the best place to stay in all of the Oregon desert. This is an academic field station that rents surplus rooms (They just about always have them) for next to nothing; in return you get very basic accommodations and the most amazing location you can imagine.

• Timberline Lodge. On the slopes of big old Mount Hood, the exterior of this old Arts & Crafts/WPA lodge was used in the Stanley Kubrick version of “The Shining.” On the inside, you’ll find lots of great art and plenty of atmosphere, and there’s little chance of being attacked by Jack Nicholson with his axe, even if the movie did frighten you out of your wits.

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By the Boss, Sunday, June 3, 2007 9:08 am

OK, this is one of our favorite places to stay. Quiet, unpretentious, clean and comfortable, the River House is on the Siuslaw River in Old Town Florence, within walking distance of Mo’s and all the tourist junk. And right next to the beautiful McCullough bridge.

Like a lot of places on the coast it offers a written card with instructions for what do do in case of a tsunami (run like hell).

Best of all it has a rubber duckie guarding the bath tub in every room. Rooms have high-speed internet but you need an ethernet cable; bring your own or borrow one at the office.

Get an upstairs room on the river side for the nicest view; cost is a little over $100 for a one-queen room, depending. No smoking, no pets; call 888-824-2750.