My husband and I are celebrating our 60th and 65th birthdays next year by taking our 4 (all 30s in age)children & spouses, plus one 9 month old grandchild on a trip to the Northwest. We plan on staying in one place for a week sometime in August.

We are debating about whether to base ourselves at Port Townsend, WA, or one of the islands around there, or some other place in the area.

Does anyone have any suggestions about where to base our reunion, and about lodging around this area, i.e. to either rent a house or have a couple of condos?

Are you looking to just relax or do you plan on doing outdoor activities?

In Port Townsend, check out Fort Worden State Park. There are homes on Officer Row that you can rent. They book up very fast, so if that is what you want, then I would call now. As much as I like Port Townsend though, I think a week is a few days too much here.

Another couple of options, but in Oregon, are Black Butte Resort and Sunriver Resort. Both near Bend. So much to do in both areas, and both have lots of homes for rent that would be perfect for what you are doing. We do this at Sunriver every year.

My two cents - the Bend area (Sunriver) is very hot in the summer quite an extreme difference from the coast. Check out vrbo.com there are lots of homes in the area like Whidbey Island etc.

My two cents would be to rent a house in Cannon Beach, Oregon. August is the best time of year and there are many large homes that you could rent. Beautiful scenery and often voted "best family beach" in the USA. Great hiking, sightseeing, shops, restaurants.

I love to pop into Pt. Townsend for an afternoon, but agree that a week would be too long.

If you are interested in looking into Cannon Beach, you could try Cannon Beach Vacation Rentals (www.visitcb.com. If you decide to do this, you may want to act quickly as August is peak season, many homes book a year in advance.

Have a wonderful time!

We used to stay at Black Butte in August with a couple of other families when our kids were young. We loved it - tennis, golf, biking, swimming, all on site. Whitewater rafting nearby. Near the towns of Bend and Sisters, which are both fun. If you're looking for a relaxing/outdoor activities type of place (as opposed to city sightseeing, and as opposed to the beach), this would be my choice (caveat: I've never been to Sunriver, so I can't compare the two - everyone who goes to Sunriver seems to enjoy themselves, though).

Black Butte and Sunriver are both great for family vacations, but it sounds like they are looking at places near saltwater.

I love Port Townsend and spent a lot of time up there when my mother lived there. It's a nice town with lots of restaurant choices, shops and galleries, and a good selection of outdoor activities nearby---hiking in the Olympics, kayaking, beachcombing at Dungeness Spit, bicycling on a new adventure trail near Sequim, golf and tennis.

You can also do daytrips to Victoria and Seattle from there.

Fort Worden in Port Townsend and fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island, across the bay< both have officers' homes for rental. I have stayed in the Fort Flagler ones with groups and they are terrific---right on a bluff above Puget Sound, with views from Mt. Rainier to Mt. Baker.

http://www.parks.wa.gov/vacationhouses/

You have to provide your own towels and bedding. They are reasonably priced, but book up well in advance. There are other options for cabins and cottages in that general area as well, including condos at Port Ludlow.

One alert---the ferry service between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island has been discontinued, because the car ferries were badly in need of repair. They hope to put passenger-only ferries on the route in the interim, and hopefully things will be back to normal by August. But you miaght check on that if trips up to Whidbey Island are part of your plans.

It would really be helpful if you let us know what kinds of activities you like and give us an idea of what your budget range might be.

One thing you have going for you is that the weather is usally very pleasant that time of year.