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good family hotel in Portland close to Powell's?

good family hotel in Portland close to Powell's?

Old Jul 16th, 2007, 02:05 PM
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maw
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good family hotel in Portland close to Powell's?

No rush on this but at some point we may do a family Portland weekend, driving down from NW Washington state. Both of our daughters are BOOKaholics and the oldest-who would LIVE in a library if she could- has a friend (with grandparents in Portland)who told her you HAVE to get to Powell's Bookstore!
So can Portland-ites recommend a few family hotel choices close to this bookstore? yes, we'll read up on Tripadvisor too.
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Old Jul 16th, 2007, 02:47 PM
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Downtown Portland is very easy to navigate on foot or by public transportation. The streetcar stops right next to Powell's, as do many, many buses. So if you're staying anywhere downtown (even across the river), you don't need to stay near Powell's. Getting there will be a snap wherever you stay.
Check out www.trimet.org to plan your trips.
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Old Jul 16th, 2007, 03:17 PM
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your girls might get a kick out of staying at The Inn at Northrup Station-
Its called a "boutique" hotel -
kind of retro- bright colors etc- its close to the 23rd street shops and lots of restaurants and not that far from Powells - although you still might want to drive -
I think its a fun hotel
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Old Jul 16th, 2007, 03:25 PM
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Of course, if you stay at the Inn at Northrup Station, you can simply take the Portland Streetcar directly from the hotel to Powell's. One of the benefits of the hotel is that it is directly on the streetcar line.

There are a good number of nice 4-star hotels downtown that are easy walking distance to Powell's. You didn't mention your budget, but you might also consider the Benson, the Hotel Vintage Plaza, the Monaco, and the Heathman (roughly in order of distance to Powell's). If you want to save some money try Priceline.com for a 4-star hotel in downtown and you might get one of these hotels for under $100/night (cheaper after September) plus about $20/night for parking. They are more "botique" hotels (no swimming pool or anything). There's also a Marriott right downtown on SW Broadway that is quite close to Powell's - that might be more "family" I guess than the botique hotels.

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Old Jul 17th, 2007, 07:37 AM
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We have stayed at the Heathman, it's very nice and in a good location downtown. The Inn @ Northrup Station look cool, very colorful decor and a nice rooftop area there for relaxing. I like the area this is in, the Nob Hill District of Portland has many quaint boutiques and shops, there is also Escape From New York pizza and Papa Haydn's for yummy desserts. Enjoy your trip! ***kim***
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Old Jul 17th, 2007, 09:08 AM
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I don't know if it qualifies as a "family" hotel (although I know they have rooms that can accommodate families) but the Governor is a nice historic hotel very close to Powell's.
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Old Jul 17th, 2007, 09:13 AM
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The Governor Hotel is another that's located conveniently to Powell's. Or, if you're feeling adventuresome, have a look at the new/old Ace Hotel, also just a few short blocks from Powell's. It's making a big enough splash in town to be recommended in the current issue of Travel & Leisure's article about Portland.

As others have said, though, almost any place you pick will have easy access via public transportation to Powell's and most other Portland attractions.
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Old Jul 17th, 2007, 09:15 AM
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Ooops! Sorry for the echo, NWWanderer. I was composing as you were posting.
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Old Jul 17th, 2007, 11:08 AM
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If you're willing to walk a half mile, Embassy Suites is a great place for families.

Your daughters will enjoy the wonderful old hotel from which the suites have been carved and the big breakfast spread each morning.

If possible, book through www.travelportland.com
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Old Jul 17th, 2007, 11:11 AM
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Oops! I forgot to mention the swimming pool at Embassy Suites.
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Old Jul 17th, 2007, 11:34 AM
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The very closest hotel to Powells would be the Mark Spencer..A block past that would be the Governor..Since Powells is on the streetcar line, you can stay anywhere in town ( as Andrew and others have pointed out and be just a short ride away.

The Inn at Northrup Station is a good choice because they have kitchenettes and accomodate families nicely, the Heathman in my opinion is such an "old lady hotel" that I just can't imagine staying there with kids..and the price is not so special either.. The Vintage Plaza and Lucia are close enough to count in too..

I was soooo lucky, I lived on and a half blocks from Powells..I was there almost every day..I miss it
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Old Jul 17th, 2007, 11:47 AM
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By the way, if you happen to ask anyone about "Nob Hill" in Portland, most likely they will tell you to go to San Francisco lol...
at some point, a tourist magazine referred to the NW as Nob Hill and although locals never refer to it as such, some tourists still think that is what it is called.

This is a great area of boutiques, nice little restaurants and cafes and it is fun to walk the length of the street, NW23rd..


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Old Jul 17th, 2007, 12:50 PM
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We always stay at the Mark Spencer--2-3 blocks from Powells Wonderful Pearl St, Bakery one block down from Powells
This hotel was formerly a "apartment" hotel, The rooms are not fancy but for the money BEST value in Portland. We always have had room with kitchenette. convenient with our kids...IF you try Priceline--only ask for 4 star hotel because--these are all in downrtown area (west of river) Priceline map includes Convention Center area (east of river) in THEIR downtown map. If you ask for 3 star hotel you could end up far away from area you want...
Portland is a great city ..lots to do
Good luck
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Old Jul 17th, 2007, 04:35 PM
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THANKS to all for the helpful info, I really appreciate it and since we may not go til later this year or early next (don't worry-we ARE doing some other trips-Orcas in the fall and Winthrop in winter!) I'll keep checking the thread.

Thank You again..
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Old Jul 17th, 2007, 05:45 PM
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maw--If you come when it is apt to be raining, you might especially enjoy the Monaco. Even though we live here, we have stayed at this hotel several times and it is great. The location, the hotel itself, and the staff...and they have a good onsite restaurant, the Red Star Tavern. Now what sets this place apart from the others is that the valet parking is underground, so you stay dry.
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Old Mar 2nd, 2008, 10:15 PM
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Bringing this back up because the girls and I are looking at the upcoming Spring Break to take 2 nights in Portland. It's perfect since the oldest turns 15 the week before so this will be a bday "turn her loose at Powell's" trip. It's been a trying past year with myself AND my hubb having some health problems (he won't be able to go)so this will be a good 'escape' for our daughters.

Going to make the hotel calls tomorrow but from Trip Advisor have narrowed it down to Embassy Suites downtown or Oxford Suites that are in a different location. Love the idea of being able to WALK to Powells (Embassy) but also love the idea of saving $$ with many of the same amenities-breakfast, evening munchies,pool,etc (Oxford).

My main questions are--is Powells a fairly 'easy' walk from Embassy?
We are 'country folks' and not used to any kind of buses or other public trans.--if we chose the Oxford is the transp."newbie user friendly"?

Our younger daughter loves books too but also is VERY active and that's why I didn't go for the boutique hotels--needed the pool aspect and myself needs a hot tub to pop into for a bit!
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Old Mar 3rd, 2008, 05:40 AM
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maw, I had never heard of the Oxford Suites in Portland until I just looked it up. Is this the hotel at Jantzen Beach? (That's the closest hotel listed on the Oxford Suites website.) If so, that is certainly not a quick bus ride - you'd be taking the #6 bus and connecting to the MAX train (probably) to get downtown and that's a good 45 minutes each way. You might not enjoy it being not used to buses and trains! I'd certainly drive instead, because it's an easy drive from the hotel to downtown (about 7 miles on I-5).

Or do you mean another hotel not at Jantzen beach?

While the Embassy Suites physically is an easy walk to Powell's (about eight short Portland blocks), that part of town (W. Burnside-ish) can be a bit scary, as there are homeless people and some seedy characters hanging around. Anyone who is used to a city would have no problem (compared to many other cities it's a piece of cake) but you might find it a bit scary especially with young teen daughters. If you think you can get past that (I would personally stay there in a heartbeat), the location is great.

Have you considered a hotel over by the Oregon Convention Center? The Doubletree is right by a MAX train stop so very easy to get downtown, yet that ought to be a bit cheaper than the Embassy and should have a pool(?). There's a Courtyard by Marriott on Martin Luther King Blvd. in NE Portland that's easy walking to another MAX stop. The Holiday Inn nearby is a further walk from a MAX stop but is doable. I'm not saying any of these hotels are in a class with the Embassy Suites, only that they are walking distance to easy public transit and are going to be cheaper than the Embassy, plus I think (double-check) that they all have pools/hot tubs, etc.

If you really could live without the hot tub/pool, though, the Inn at Northrup Station mentioned earlier in this thread. On the other end, I just remembered the Residence Inn which might be listed as "downtown" but it's at Riverplace (so right at the river), probably has a pool, and also a streetcar ride away from downtown proper and Powell's.
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Old Mar 3rd, 2008, 06:01 AM
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By the way, if you want to see what the areas in Portland look like street-wise, Google Maps has Portland "street view" views now. So you can pan the streets as if you were walking on them.

Start here to check out the view around the Embassy Suites downtown:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie...,0.159302&z=13

Powell's is at 10th and Burnside.
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Old Mar 3rd, 2008, 07:06 AM
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I would prefer the hotels closer to Powells than staying by the Convention Center..you will spend too much time getting where you want to go instead of just walking out the door.
Same with anything in Jantzen Beach..all this involves cars or transportation.

maw- look into the Mark Spencer Hotel

http://www.markspencer.com/
A friend and Fodorite stayed there not that long ago and her room even had a little kitchenette.

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Old Mar 3rd, 2008, 05:00 PM
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Thanks for the input...HOPEfully there are still openings at any of our choices by the time I can reserve--just found out today there's been unauthorized charges on the one and only major credit card we use so had to shut it down and we'll get a new one in about a week-ARGH.

On the bright side I can keep checking my thread here for your helpful tips

Is it really difficult/frustrating/pricey to find parking in downtown Portland?
Leaning towards Embassy (if they've avail. by the time I can do it), would just review the 'street situation' with daughters beforehand. BUT if we do have to stay 'away' I'd probably be more interested in just driving to downtown than the public trans. depending on what you guys say about parking.
Will possibly be open about other hotel options downtown but REALLY want the pool/hot tub.

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