darbyvt

Hi again...ok this time is not for me but one of my closest friends is getting married in October and planning to honeymoon in Oregon (yes last minute) for a week the starting the 8th. They don't do the fodors thing but since you guys are so helpful I told her I'd do my best to help them.

Not sure what the weather will be like at that time but they want a fairly rustic vacation, but romantic of course. They talked about driving down the coast (flying into Portland) and then driving back up through wine country. Mt. Hood, Crater Lake also options. They want to stay in a nice place on the coast or river somewhere...any suggestions for good ideas welcome!! They live in Salt Lake, love the outdoors and camping, hiking, etc. Pretty low maintenence people! Thanks, I leave tomorrow to move from Portland to San Francisco, can't believe it's time to leave already! I can't wait to get back to Portland, you truly have a beautiful city!

Scarlett

Hi darby
We are going to the Coast this week and I think I would ( before staying there) recommend the Inn at Arch Cape.. www.innatarchcape.com
Fireplaces etc, very romantic ..sort of rustic.
I think flying into Portland, stay maybe a night at the 5th Avenue Suites or similar luxury hotel then rent a car and drive to Cannon Beach then South.
The Wine country is not anything like Californias wine country so not sure if it would be worth a special trip..they can drive back to Portland through that area on 99W.
I think the Gorge and waterfalls, would be a good hike for them, without going too far, October is when the rains begin..
www.pova.com helps with planning.

sunbum1944

I recently visited this place in southern Oregon ( dont know if they want to drive that far) but I think it would be a nice place for a honeymoon

http://www.wildspring.com/

Andrew

They might consider staying at the McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale (east of Portland, edge of the Gorge). It's a neat funky little resort, if you've never been to see it. I spent some time there again last week - what a neat place! It's an old Poor Farm that the McMenamins brothers bought 16 years ago and converted to a complex of restaurants, a winery, and some sort of golf course. It's a popular place to get married.

Inside, where the rooms are, the hallways are lined with with really neat murals and old photographs. Many tell the story of some of the people who lived in the place in its previous incarnation. I walked around last week with one of my friends who used to work as a tour guide at the Edgefields so she told me a lot of the stories. I think this is one of the most unique man made places you could visit in Oregon - really a treat. I can imagine some couples might enjoy honeymooning here, depending on their tastes. (Extremely luxury? No. More of an earthy, new agey-type of feel. Many of the rooms use shared bathrooms (but there are pretty nice, we checked them out).

And Troutdale is on the edge of the Gorge so a great jumping-off point to go touring and hiking out there.

Otherwise, Oregon in October can be quite rainy. The coast - hard to predict. Tell them to cross their fingers but bring umbrellas just in case.

Andrew

beachbum

Portland and the coast are obvious - and good - choices for a honeymoon, but since you mentioned rivers too, I bet they'd enjoy a stay at Metolius River Resort: http://www.metoliusriverresort.com/index.htm. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Portland, at the foot of the Cascades, on the east side, so there's a good chance your friends wouldn't get wet. Scenery and hiking in the area are some of the best in the state.

Or, they might combine river and coast with a stay at Tu Tu Tun Lodge: http://www.tututun.com/. Tu Tu Tun is consistently ranked in travel mags as one of the top 100 small hotels on the planet. The downside for your friends would be that it's a long drive from Portland, but they might combine a stay there with a visit to Crater Lake. Weather at Crater Lake could be iffy, though. It's not unusual to have snow by then.

eroz

I agree with Scarlett to do a night (or two!) downtown and also consider a hike in the gorge A week is a good amount of time. We liked http://www.youngberghill.com/ inn & vineyard in wine country to stay a night or two on your way to the coast.
I'd probably land, head downtown for 2-3 nights with a day trip out to the gorge. Head towards the coast on 99 with a stop in wine country, then head to the coast for hiking and exploring.

darbyvt

Thanks for the tips, I'll pass them along. I have loved living in Portland the last four months, I want them to have a great experience and I know the biggest problem is narrowing down the options! I know I've been lucky with weather (that's why I moved here from May-Sept!) I hope they won't be completely rained out! Thanks again...

bbqboy

Darby, I never saw this thread:
Here are a few SO special places.....
http://www.peerlesshotel.com
http://www.ashlandsprings.com
http://www.weisingers.com/cottagepage/cottage.htm
http://www.weisingers.com/cottagepag...bility2006.htm
It looks like Sunday and Monday are available each week.
Lots of SO wineries too.
http://www.sorwa.org/
Very Romantic down this a ways.....
+ better weather.