labern116

Hi - My boyfriend and I plan to spend 4 nights in the Portland area. We want to stay by the beach and just relax and have a room with a wood burning fireplace. Maybe see some whales. Then see the major sights in Portland. I was thinking 2 nights in each spot. Any suggestions for a hotel in Portland and one on the beach? What is the weather temperature like in Nov? Thanks.

Andrew

If you want to stay by the beach in Oregon, you'll need to travel 90 minutes west of Portland minimum, perhaps to Cannon Beach, which is highly recommended for visitors: a beautiful beach with dramatic views. To find recommendations for staying in Cannon Beach, search this forum for "cannon beach" and you'll find lots of past posts. I'd also browse Trip Advisor hotel reviews; there aren't hundreds of hotels there, so it should be easy to narrow things down to two or three choices there.

In Portland, the Hotel Monaco is often recommended - it's right in downtown Portland, very centrally located. Another recommendation is the Inn at Northrup Station in NW Portland - a popular neighborhood close to downtown that has fun restaurants, shopping, and people watching opportunities in a leafy neighborhood full of classic old homes. You can take the streetcar directly from the hotel (thus the "station" in the hotel's name) directly to downtown and the Pearl District nearby, without driving (though I believe driving in Portland isn't hard at all).

Weather in November is very likely to be overcast and rainy especially the later you get in the month. Early November that's a slim chance you might still luck into some nice weather, but I wouldn't bet on it. The great weather months in Portland are generally Aug and Sep. The locals in Portland don't let a little rain bother us, though.

If you love books, Powell's Books in Portland is a world-reknowned independent book store in a huge building the size of a city block. Book lovers come to Powell's like a mecca.

Otherwise, Portland is a nice strolling city with nice neighborhoods and some decent restaurants, bars, and coffee shops (there's a Starbucks on almost every corner and lots of other non-Starbucks choices). Bring warm clothes, plan to walk around a little in the rain, and if you're lucky you'll get some decent weather instead.

kimamom

Hi! I am in Seaside now on the northern coast. There is a nice property here called the Inn of the Four Winds you may want to check out. It is in a quiet area of the promenade and there are oceanview rooms with fireplaces here.

We stayed at The Benson last month in Portland, this was our second stay there and we enjoyed it very much. We got a great rate of $139/night on Expedia. The lobby is gorgeous and you can walk to several great restaurants in Portland. We walked over to Pazzo for dinner at the Hotel Vintage Plaza. Enjoy your travels, it's a gorgeous day on the coast today, off to the beach! ***kim***

Fodorite018

Two nights in each spot would be good. Even though we live here, we occassionally stay in downtown for events. That said, we really like the Monaco. Great location, very nice rooms, underground valet (nice when it is rainy), and there is a good restaurant/bar on site called the Red Star Tavern. Also have stayed at the Heathman, but was not impressed with it recently. Too stuffy, but also service was lacking and the suite was in need of repairs. Good location though. All that said, what is your budget and what style of hotel are you looking for?

As for the coast, as Andrew mentions it is about 90 minutes from downtown and is a scenic drive. I am not a fan of Seaside as it has more of a carnival atmosphere, IMO, so we prefer Cannon Beach. Again, not knowing your budget it is hard to make suggestions. We always stay at the Surfsand Resort, but it is on the higher end costwise. The rooms have fireplaces, but they are not wood burning. I can't think of a place that has those.

As kim said, the weather on the coast today is nice, mid 60's ...but definitely don't count on that in November, lol At that time I would plan on 40's or 50's, unless you luck out with a stray warm day. Definitely plan on rain and wind for both here in Portland as well as at the coast.

Scarlett

I agree with Andrew and mms... Portland at the Monaco www.monaco-portland.com would be my choice ( well, it always was my choice.. nothing so cozy as the lobby with chairs and sofas pulled up to the big fireplace and sipping complimentary coffee in the am or wine in the evening. You can get around town by Streetcar, eat in a couple of great restaurants , Powells, of course..
The Heathman Bar is good for fries and a drink before a concert/ballet next door at the Schnitzer.
Some hotels have great restaurants.. as mms said, Monaco has the Red Star Tavern, The Lucia has Typhoon, great Thai , the Benson has the most expensive steak restaurant lol and the Governor has Jakes .. great clam chowder! ( the Starbucks in Jakes has a fireplace too )
Then there is the Everett Street Bistro, Fenouil, bluehour and sooo many more in the Pearl and NW .. you will have to eat 3 dinners a day

I would stay in Cannon Beach ( much nicer than Seaside imo) or .... Arch Cape... which is only about 10 minutes South on 101 from Cannon Beach.
You can stay at the Inn at Arch Cape www.innatarchcape.com where you will have a nice huge cozy bed with a fireplace in the room, a tiny kitchen and bath and a closet full of games
It is sooo romantic.

In September, it was freezing cold and foggy at night ... kimamom, you have to visit Oregon in the winter and see how you like it !

Scarlett

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...-comfy-bed.jpg

Here is a photo of our bedroom ( with huge fireplace) at the Inn at Arch Cape ..