Interval International Resort Spotlight

• Which resort did you book? 

I planned this trip to Oregon for my father and I to enjoy a new state and spend time together. We exchanged to Eagle Crest Resort, a premier-rated resort in Central Oregon. Eagle Crest was about 20 minutes from Bend, and 10-15 minutes to Redmond.

• Which accommodations did you book? How many people did your unit sleep?  

We booked our exchange into a three-bedroom unit, which could sleep up to 8 people. The unit was condo-style with a full-sized kitchen, large living room, and back patio with hot tub. There was a large master unit upstairs with a king-sized bed, a queen-sized bed in bedroom two, and two twin-sized beds in bedroom three. We had plenty of space to cook at home and enjoyed spending the evenings in the hot tub. Our favorite feature of the unit was that the Deschutes River flowed right out back, so we could hear the sounds of the river.

• What was the atmosphere of the resort? 

The atmosphere of Eagle Crest Resort was laid back. It is premier-rated, same as Grand Timber Lodge, but seemed a bit older and not updated as frequently. We got the sense that many of the guests at the resort were owners who had been coming back year after year. The people at the resort were very respectful and quiet, it was not a party atmosphere at all. Something to be aware of is that Eagle Crest Resort is huge- it took us a while to find the right condo! There are units in the area surrounding the three on-site golf courses.

• What amenities were available at the resort?

There were tons of amenities available at Eagle Crest, although to be honest we didn’t take full advantage. There are multiple pool areas with pools and hot tubs, tennis, basketball, volleyball, and racquetball/pickleball courts, fitness centers, and more. At the pool area nearest to our unit, there were bike rentals available as well! On the days that we didn’t feel like cooking or venturing into town, we went to the on-site restaurants. If you are interested in golf, this resort would be a great option. There are multiple courses on site- two championship courses, a par-63 challenger course, and an 18-hole putting course.

• Was it difficult to find availability through Interval International?

From what we have seen, Eagle Crest Resort is frequently available through Interval International, although not as often during their more popular season- summer. We lucked out and found a large unit available in June, which seems to be a rare find! More often Eagle Crest Resort is available during fall, winter, and spring. If you happen to see it open- we would recommend booking!

• What was Central Oregon like? 

Oregon is such a unique and diverse state! For my fellow Coloradoans- Central Oregon is very similar to Buena Vista. The environment is high desert, with lots of pinon pine, sagebrush, antelope, and the like. Central Oregon is a great vacation location for an active adventurer. There are so many opportunities for outdoor recreation- fly fishing, biking, rafting, climbing, hiking, and more. We loved Smith Rock State Park, which is about a 20 minute drive, just past Redmond. We learned that Oregonians love breweries, wineries, and food trucks! All of the breweries we went to had multiple food trucks on-site. If you head west, the environment quickly changes to dense forest. Eagle Crest was a great location to jump-off and explore the region.

• How did you get to your resort? Do you recommend a rental car?

We made a road trip out of the exchange and spent a few days driving from Colorado to Oregon, checking out sights along the way. There is an airport in Redmond, but it seemed like there weren’t many flights per day. Another option would be flying into Portland and making the 3-hour drive to the resort. I would definitely recommend a rental car for exploring the area.

• What types of things are there to do at this destination? 

Central Oregon is an outdoor lover’s paradise. Many of the activities that are popular in the area are also popular in Colorado. You can hike, bike, climb, fish, raft, etc. In the winter, there are cross-country skiing trails, snowshoeing, or skiing at Mt. Bachlor. We spent a few days visiting Smith Rock State Park to enjoy some incredible rock climbing. A few of our favorite hikes were Tumalo Falls, Tamolitch Blue Pools, and Misery Ridge.

• Is the area family-friendly or more adult-oriented? 

I definitely consider the area family-friendly, especially if you plan to spend time enjoying the outdoors. Even the breweries we visited were very kid-friendly. There were large outdoor spaces for the kids to run around while parents were enjoying their beers.

• Any restaurant recommendations?

There are so many food trucks in the area and they were all incredible. We actually didn’t go to any sit-down restaurants because we were enjoying the food trucks so much! Our favorite (we visited twice) was Mother Shuckers, a seafood truck in the Podski Food Cart Lot. There were probably 10 food truck options in the lot, ranging from Thai to Polish and everything in between. Marionberries are also a popular food grown in the region- try out some marionberry ice cream or milkshakes!