pattytravel

Hi Friends! My DH and I are going to Oregon for the first time in Sept. I've taken some of your advise and have the following itinerary:
Wed. Sept 15 - arrive Portland (late). 3 nights. Stay downtown at Hotel Lucia? or Hilton (Family rate).
Thursday - explore Portland &Pearl District
Friday - do Columbia River Gorge (we will have a car)
Saturday - depart for the Coast. Stay 2 nights in Cannon Beach. Stephanie Inn? Surfsand also looks interesting? use this as a base to go up to Astoria, down to Newport? etc.
Sunday - day 2 of above
Monday - head to Willamette Valley. Stay in Newberg at the Allison Inn. 2 nights.
Tuesday - tastings !
Wednesday - drive up to Seattle. Stay 2 nights. TBD hotel.
Friday afternoon - depart back for Florida

We would have preferred to go to Newberg first and to the Coast second but the Allison is booked for the weekend. How are the distances / drive times for the Newberg - Seattle drive? too much? my DH really wanted to see Seattle so we addded it at the last minute. Any thoughts? changes? other ideas? Thanks alot~!!!! Cant wait!
Patty

spirobulldog

Definately see Powell's Bookstore and have coffee at Stumptown Roasters. If you want a good afternoon dessert head to Papa Hadyn's. They have lunch and dinner items, but they are really known for their desserts. We just had some awesome desserts there, but many of their entrees did look good- several really good looking salads passed by us. Voodoo Doughnuts is an interesting place. Another really good place we ate at was Toro Bravo-tapas.

passerbye

I'd pick Hotel Lucia. Central downtown location, and yet just a short walk to the Pearl District. Plus, it's got more character than any Hilton anywhere.

Stephanie Inn promotes itself almost exclusively to couples, so it's much more intimate, private, romantic... Surfsand Resort on the other hand goes after families, including their pets. I've stayed at and like both. Besides the difference in rates, you should also consider that it's a hike from Stephanie Inn into town. Surfsand is a five minute walk. Regardless, of which you choose, I suggest you restrict your wanderings around Cannon Beach to between Astoria and Manzanita. Plenty to see and do in that area.

Then on Monday, drive south and do the northern section of Three Capes Scenic Loop before heading inland from Tillamook on hwy 6. Turn south on hwy 47 near Banks, and you might be in wine country with enough time for a couple tastings that day. Where are you planning to taste?

I'd put the minimum drive-time from Newberg to Seattle at 3.75 hours, but because of traffic, it will almost certainly be longer. It's anybody's guess as to how much.

NWWanderer

i'd add the ocean lodge to your list of places to consider in cannon beach--it's simpler and less expensive than the stephanie but still nice.

i drove from seattle to the allison in 3.5 hours earlier this year and i'm not a particularly fast driver but i did happen to hit portland at a good time of day when there were hardly any slowdowns on I-5 going into or through the city. so you may luck out but for planning purposes, i'd assume the drive will take about 4 hours.

pattytravel

All: great insight, thank you!
Passerbye: is there much to do in town in Cannon Beach? If Surfsand is nice, then we might consider that as well. I usually prefer paying a little more for a nicer hotel and I heard (I think through you before!) that the Stephanie Inn is really nice.
My DH really likes to "do stuff", ie., just exploring, getting going, eating, etc., rather than lounging around. I like a mix of the doing and the lounging in a nice hotel!

Spirobulldog: are your recommendations in Seattle? they all sound great! Any great hotels you'd recommend?

Thanks!

sunbum1944

There is plenty to do in Cannon Beach to keep busy for 2 days - a lot of tome can be spent just watching waves and walking on the beach.- but lots of shops, art galleries etc too

We usually have breakfast at Lazy Susan's - not sure if they make reservations - its usually pretty busy.

Lucky me- I have a friend with a house on the beach there which she shares with us from time to time.

I have stayed at the Hilton in Portland many times - always been pleased- they have a bar/restaurant on top - very pretty at night with Portland lights twinkling
Its been awhile since I was there but they used to have entertainment on the weekend- jazz/vocals etc.

I love Portland- heading up there today for Blue's Festival.

lennyba

Powell's and spiro's other reco's are in Portland.

What are you looking for in a Seattle hotel? Budget? I'm an expatriate that spends a few weeks in downtown Seattle hotels every year - usually use PL. If you're looking for special, I'd recommend the Inn at the Market or the new Four Seasons. Otherwise, the Marriott Renaissance is very nice, as are both Homewood Suites, the Red Lion on 5th, and the Silver Cloud Broadway (that one's not quite downtown though - it's on Cap. Hill). I also like the Warwick but haven't stayed there recently.

spirobulldog

all Portland

pattytravel

lennyba: In Seattle, we are looking for a nice hotel, centrally located. We will only be there 2 nights and finish our trip there to return to Florida.
My sister works w/ Hilton and we get great Family rates w/ her; we plan to stay at the Portland Hilton, which I understand is nice enough...I know nothing about Seattle Hilton yet.

On a separate note: Willamette Valley Hotels. We wanted to stay at the Allison but they are booked, as we are there on a Sat. and Sunday night.... Any other recommendations for a good hotel in that area? We considered re-routing our itin so that we would go to the N Oregon coast first and then go to the W.Valley, but then we'd have to zig-zag back to get up to Seattle from the W.Valley.... my DH thinks that's senseless and that we should go to the W.Valley first, then up to the Coast, then to Seattle. True??

Any recommendations?

Fodorite018

I live 5 minutes from The Allison and we make it to Seattle in 3.5 hours if I avoid the bulk of rush hours and I go the speed limit Even this weekend with holiday traffic, I made it in 3.75 hours. We do this quite often, and DH does it weekly, FWIW.

Anyway, your plans as they stand are fine. After the coast, you can head to the wine region and then to Seattle without the zigzagging that your DH is thinking. From the coast, off of hwy26, at Forest Grove cut down onto hwy 47 and then hwy 240. There are countless wineries in this area.

As for the Allison, if you want something along that same level then look to either the Black Walnut Inn or Youngberg Hill B&B. If you want a place that has the same type of stunning views, but at a more reasonable price, then look to Chehalem Ridge B&B.

As for places to stay on the coast, I am another fan of the Surfsand. Love the place and we have been going there for years. Just a week ago though we stayed at Schooners Cove for the first time and really liked that too.

pattytravel

great imput, mms! thanks, I remember you told me about you living 5 mins from the Allison and being a big fan of their spa.
So, would you recommend:
1. do PDX, then the Coast (Sat & Sun), then wine country (Mon & Tues) and up to Seattle - OR -
2. do PDX then wine country (Sat & Sun), then the coast (Mon & Tue) IF you had to decide? We could pick another hotel other than the Allison in this case!

Also, I'd appreciate your input on these hotels: my preference is a little bit more on the high end, but not too posh or so secluded (as my DH likes to explore and not just be stuck in the room!)
1. Coast: Cannon Beach is our pick. Looking at the Stephanie Inn, Surfsand - don't know Schooners Cove
2. Wine region: The Allison, if we can get in, Black Walnut, Youngberg Hill & will look into Chehalem Ridge as well.
Thanks!

lennyba

The Seattle Hilton is certainly centrally located. Great restaurants, shopping, Pike Place, etc in easy walking distance. I haven't stayed there, but the public areas are nice.

Fodorite018

pattytravel--September is still high season at the coast, so you may want to decide where you want to stay there and availability might dictate whether option 1 or 2 will work.

As for where to stay, I personally would opt for Surfsand. I have not stayed at the Stephanie Inn so can only comment on the location and such. While you can walk into downtown along the beach, I would not attempt it otherwise. There are no sidewalks and the road is a bit windy and hilly in one spot. The Surfsand is a short easy walk to the heart of downtown, either along the beach or along sidewalks. I love the hotel itself as well as its location. Schooners Cove is nice, and the location is great, but I would still rank Surfsand above it, just by a tad.

For the wine region, each of the places listed are removed from any walking areas. Well, the Allison is a mile or so from Safeway, but I personally think it is located in a wierd area. The owners had the land already, so that is why it is located there. Not a pretty drive to get to, from Newberg, but if you come in off North Valley Rd, then it is much more scenic. Chehalem Ridge is a bit secluded, but the views are worth it! Very easy to get into Newberg and such, but it does sit pretty high up on Chehalem Mountain.

I am sorry that I don't have a definitive answer for you on which option to take, but I think checking availability at hotels will help you decide. FWIW, neither is a bad option

Also, if you decide to head to Seattle from Newberg, I can give you some easy directions to I-5 that will bypass the usual congested routes.

pattytravel

Never mind - The Allison is booked!! both alternate dates!
The website for Youngberg Hill looks nice, will check it out now!

NWWanderer

The nicest rooms are quite a splurge but the views from the Black Walnut Inn are really spectacular.

The hilton in seattle imo is one of those generic, corporate, ok but nothing special places. but if you're saving a lot of money staying there it may be worth the trade-off.

passerbye

My wife and I stayed at Youngberg Hill earlier this year. Loved it, but it's definitely laid-back, and not much to do besides read and play board games (no TVs even), so I wonder if your DH might be climbing the walls. At Black Walnut at least, you're closer to the excitement of Newberg and Dundee. ;-)

If you're still wondering about when to go where, lots of wineries close on Mon - Tues, whereas Cannon Beach will be more quiet those days. So, weekend in wine country, then to the beach.

stevensjnr

We are headed to Newberg on Labor Day (from Portland ) and will be there for only one night. Do you suppose the wineries will be open. Any favorites ? Next stop will be Bandon....

passerbye

I'm pretty sure wineries will be open the day before Labor Day, but not on it. So reversing your Portland and Newberg nights would work better in terms of wine tasting.