portland to victoria
 

Portland to Victoria 4 nites August 40th anniversary. Drive to Seattle, take Clipper, rent car? Or drive to Vancouver take ferry and then rent car? Which is quicker? Should we get motel in Seattle so we can catch clipper early am? Where to leave car? Where do you rent a car when you come in by clipper or ferry? Can you recommend romantic place maybe 20 min outside the city (great view, beach, not dark and woodsy)Or is there something realllly nice in town? Penthouse or suite? Aerrie is overrated??
Is this better choice than going to Leavenworth, WA (I thought it might get to hot in WA in Aug.)

if you are driving - I would take the ferry from Tsawwassen - you can take your car on the ferry- its a very pretty ride- and then you'll have your car
How about Sooke Harbor House - its a little north of the city -

>>>if you are driving - I would take the ferry from Tsawwassen - you can take your car on the ferry- its a very pretty ride- and then you'll have your car<<<

And do make reservations for the ferry at www.bcferries.ca .

I don't see any need to overnight on the mainland on the way there. You could drive Portland - Vancouver (actually Tsawwassen) and catch the ferry to Victoria (actually Swartz Bay) on the same day.

According to the Weather Underground website's Trip Planner feature, the average daily high for Victoria in August is 73 deg F, but it can be as high as 87 deg F. Average night time low is 54 deg F, but it can be as low as 48 deg F.

Didn't find weather statistics for Leavenworth, but did find them for Wenatchee, which I'm guessing is close enough. Average daily high is 88 deg F, but sometimes gets up to 102 deg F. Average low is 62 deg F, but can get as low as 45 deg F.

So it seems that your hunch that August weather in Leavenworth may be on the hot side probably is correct.

That said, Victoria's daily high can be as low as 60 deg F, so it would help if you were aware of that too.

Congratulations on your upcoming 40th anniversary!

You can also make reservations for the Washington State ferry from Anacortes, so check into this option as well. Anacortes is about 90 miles north of Seattle, so it is closer than Vancouver. Plus, you'd avoid traveling through customs at the border crossing on the highway. You'd still have them on the ferry, but I'm guessing you'd clear customs faster on the ferry in August.
Check out cost differences, too. The walk-on ferry from Seattle is very expensive. Add renting a car to it and Ouch!
No comparison between Leavenworth and Victoria. I don't think you'd want to spend four nights in Leavenworth. It might be part of a Lake Chelan, NW Cascades trip, but that's a lot of driving.
By late August, our drought should be hitting hard. We'll have yellow lawns, water restrictions, and Lord knows what. I'd be heading for green Canada.

jv_o

Paying for 2 passengers on Victoria Clipper and then renting a car in Victoria is considerably more expensive that either Anacortes or Tsawassen ferries and your own car. The cruise through the San Juans or the South Channel Is of BC are both beautiful. If you are planning either of these ferries be sure to reserve. The wild card is the border crossing at Peace Arch. Sometimes delays are looong. If so you can backtrack to the next border crossing to the east
( about 25km?) and then come back to Canada 99.

A wonderful place to stay in town which i enjoyed in January is the suite ( 2 rooms and lux bath) at Binner's B&B, Binners is located 2 blocks from the water and the same from Beacon Hill Park and Cook Street Village for restaurants and cafes. www.abeautifulislandaway.com
1888 409 5800

enjoy,

AndrewDavid

We have spent a lot of time in Leavenworth and love the area, but agree with Orcas that 4 nights would probably be too much. Now if you are wanting to do lots of hiking, then its a different matter. Yes, it is usually hot there in the summer, but it is a dry heat (said with a straight face:) ) and so it never gets uncomfortable, and I am a total heat wimp.

Can't tell for certain but it sounds as if you might live in Portland and have your own car (vs. merely flying into Portland).

If that is the case, with just 4 or 5 days for the trip, you would make best use of your time with simply driving up I-5 the length of Washington (275 miles) then getting across the border (I recommend "Truck Customs" @ exit 275 for a dependably faster border crossing) vs. staying on the freeway 3/4 of a mile and going the way most non-locals go)

Just across the border a few miles you'll want to drive due west toward the "Tsawwassen" Ferry where you would ideally have a reservation for a CAR at a certain departure time, and you're off to Victoria.

Taking the BC Ferry system means you're not restricted to the once daily sailings on some other routes. If you dawdle in Victoria on the last day, you're free to ferry over later and just drive (home?) later.

I guess the entire Washington drive would be 5 hours-ish (add time for stops - meals, gas, etc.) provided you do NOT come close to Seattle rush hour.

If it were my 40th anniversary, in Victoria, I wouldn't see anything wrong with booking the popular and pricey Empress Hotel, right smack dab in the middle of everything. It is certainly upscale and perhaps for that reason worthy of a milestone anniversary.

That goes double if you've never been to Victoria before (????).

Thanks for all the anwers, but I am still confused. We have a SUV, driving from portland to Twawwassan (which I gather is the preferred way) and then park our monster and rent a car?? Price of gas, you know. Or just take the SUV on ferry and drive it??
Also about hotels I keep reading about the same ones: Sooke Harbor House, Prior House, Wickin-something, Victoria Regent, Hotel Grand Pacific, Marriott,
I think I want water view maybe a little aways from town. Are there hotel shuttles into town, is it hard to park ones car downtown etc-but something luxurious. If I had oodles of cash I would fly from PDX to Victoria and just rent a car. I just hate to sit in a car for 6-8 hours....

Sooke Harbour House and the Wickenish are well out of Victoria, actually they aren't even considered in Victoria. If you want something quaint on the water I suggest the Oak Bay Beach Hotel. Its about 20 minutes from downtown and the local bus service can get you into downtown and back. Parking the SUV to save on gas, I think the cost of renting a vehicle would be the same as paying for gas, plus the hassle involved. I don't understand your comment about sitting the car for 6 to 8 hours. If you make a reservation on a certain ferry, you just need to arrive at least 45 minutes prior. The ferry trip is 1 hour and 40 minutes and you get out of your vehicle during this time.

Thanks, I meant 6-8 hr drive from Portland to Twawassen, then the ferry. I think I will need 3 days in Victoria in order to see the city and then drive north. It's been 20+ yrs since I was there last. Any views on Laurel Point Inn or Ocean Point, Victoria Regent, Prior House. Sooke sounds nice, I guess we could drive into the city, although I don't know about parking...

Both Laurel Point and Ocean Point are across the inner harbour from the Empress. In my opinion much nicer than the Empress. Within walking distance of all downtown attractions.

I have stayed at both the Laurel Point Inn and Ocean Point. They are very convenient in termsof visiting Victoria and having access to routes in and out of Victoria. But they are nothing special as hotels go. If you want to splurge for your anniversary Sooke Harbour House would be wonderful. It is not inexpensive, however it has beautiful accommodations,is right on the ocean and has wonderful organic gourmet meals. It is about 45 minutes from Victoria but the drive is pleasant. As to parking being a problem in Victoria I don't know what you mean. I travel often to Victoria from Edmonton and always rent a car. I've never encountered parking difficulties. I have had a speeding ticket watch your lead foot!! Hope this helps.

Thanks. Someone had mentioned Victoria Regent,Aerie.Oak Bay Beach, Coast Harbourside, Haterlleigh Inn. I like the sound of Sooke Harbour but don't know about the 45 min drive. I guess we could spend 2 nights in downtown and then 2 nights at Sooke. Probably won't spend that much time around the hotel--too much to see. I didn't know if there was free parking downtown.

Also had ruled out Abigails as too cutesy and full of young newlyweds, and just heard about the Great Gatsby (but I think that's too far out) so any other suggestions would be great!

Wouldn't driving I-5 to Olympia and then taking the 101 to Port Angeles be faster? It is about a 3 hour drive and then a 95 minute ferry ride. This is the way I always go from Portland and have never had a problem. I take my car on the ferry. There isn't much driving involved in Victoria for us. Just out to the gardens and some surrounding area. I have never purchased gas there.