tom

My wife and I (early 40s) will be heading to Oregon in May. Would love suggestions for hotels, hiking areas, wineries or places not to miss! Since we are not acquainted with area, we especially need to know where to base ourselves for wine tasting as well as outdoor activities like hiking/biking. Also, how long to spend in Portland and what to see.

Thanks for your input!

Tim

I don't know how long you plan to be in the Portland area, but you definitely need to head out to the Gorge area of the Columbia River to hike through the waterfalls.

kim

Downtown Portland would be a very central location for your interests and has the greatest selection of hotels. If you have a car, you'd be able to take day trips to the gorge, Mt. Hood, the Coast, and wine country is only about 45 minutes outside of Portland. There are great day hikes in the gorge & Mt. Hood areas. There have been many good hotel recommendations on this site. Some downtown hotels include the Benson, the Heathman or the Governor. Check out www.portland.citysearch.com for a full list and reviews.

Coming in May, be prepared for any kind of weather - including rain!

XXX

I love the Benson. Great jazz music in the lobby during many evenings. But for something different, you might want to consider staying at McMennamins Kennedy School. It's not a glamourous place, but would be fun to stay there for a night. It's an old elementary school that has been converted into a B&B, brewpub, theater, etc. The McMennamin brothers have put together several of these converted properties, including another fun lodging option out in Troutdale. Would be on your way to the Gorge and plenty of good bike riding in the area.

As for great food, definitely make a trip to Jake's. Not the cheapest place in town, but very good seafood and they also serve a wonderful steak for non-seafood eaters.

I'd recommend picking up a copy of Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Seattle and Portland. It was just published in the past year and offers lots of great info on the local area.

Previous post

Here's a post from a previous post that might help.
Message: You can't go wrong with the Benson or Heathman for lodging in Portland. Both are great, old hotels. Make sure to make it down to the lounge areas to take in some live jazz in the evenings.

Keep in mind that many of the wineries are only open on Memorial Day and Thanksgiving weekends. So be sure to find out which ones that are open year round. I have some definite favorites in the area, but not sure if any of them are year round.

Rick

For wine tasting, head west of Portland to a liitle town called Dundee 2 miles west of Newburg..its in the heart of oregons wine country..Several wineries along the way most open year round.

xxx

There are wineries in the Yamhill County area, as well as south down near Salem. You might want to do a search on wine spectator magazine for some articles on the Oregon wine scene. Or maybe you could find an article on Oregonian.com.

Pam

Ken Wright Winery has wonderful wines, but I think they're only open on Memorial and Thanksgiving weekends. The wines often sell out before even hitting the shelves, but if you get an opportunity to try it while you're up there, it's worth it.

The wineries up in Oregon are not nearly as commercialized as those found in Napa. If it's raining, be prepared to slosh around in the mud. It's a fun, kickback area - good wine and lots of friendly people.

Patty

Tom;
My family and I go up to Portland often and have stayed many times at the Mallory, downtown. Nice, historic hotel.
We also like the bed and breakfasts in the old historic neighborhoods, such as the Georgian house. There are several river cruises and great shopping. I would think 4 days or so would be long enough to enjoy the best. Mt St. Helens is not that far out of the way, just across the Columbia river, and worth a trip. Its something youd never forget.

xxx

Head up to Mt. Hood and have lunch at the Timberline Lodge. The Shining was filmed there and it's a great place. Just be sure to dress warmly. I've been there in the middle of summer and found snow.

Shannan

Willamette Valley (wine region): I do NOT recommend Wine Country Farm in Dundee. My husband and I stayed there on a recent trip. Loud gravel yard behind property and very grumpy host makes for tiring, awkward stay. But... just down the road there is a great place to have dinner. It is called Red Hills Provencial Dining and Fine Wines. It is in Dundee on highway 99 just as you come into town from the North (hard to see). We had a terrific meal there. The wine was excellent. For a wine related road tour you can drive in a sort of cirle from Yamhil to McMinnville to dayton, dundee, newberg and then 240 back to Yamhill. We loved chateau Benoit. Very friendly and breathtaking view. The folks at the Argyle tasting ceter are friendly and full of information... if they are not busy.

Portland: You must go to Washington Park. The roses are spectacular and they have an incredible Japanese garden located up the hill from the roses. This is an excellent place to hike. There are some excellent trails right in Portland. Around the Oregon Zoo and the Hoyt Arboretum there are trails that meet up with the Wildwood Trail. Very nice. You could also go for a nice walk along the river. Lots of homeless folks toward the Burnside Bridge area.

If you can, try to do the Columbia Gorge Scenic Hwy. Plenty of hiking and incredible sites. We stopped at the dam and talked to the fishermen about the monster sturgeon they were catching. Very fun.

Enjoy your trip.

John

The McMenamins property XXX recommended in Troutdale is called the Edgefield and it was converted to a hotel from the former county poor farm. There's a winery and brewery on the premises, several bars, a movie theatre and rose garden, lots of fun things to see and do. http://www.mcmenamins.com/ It's at the west edge of the Columbia Gorge, a must-see for your first time in the area. (Windsurfing heaven.)
Portland has lots of fun things to do, plenty of outdoors alternatives. A great indoors alternative is Powell Books, reputedly the largest bookstore in the US (or is that the world?)

btilke

You haven't said what kind of accommodations interest you or your price range. The Heathman, Vintage Plaza, 5th Ave Suites, are all good hotels downtown but are on the expensive side.
A motor inn that doesn't make most guidebooks but is very comfortable is the Silver Cloud (about $100 a night) in the NW 23rd area. The motor inn is clean, modern and comfortable, with covered parking, and is located at the edge of one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Portland. The NW 23rd area is full of shops, restaurants and wine bars. There is a Zupans market at NW 23rd and Burnside that usually has free wine tastings on week-ends from local producers.
Visit the Columbia Gorge area as others have recommended.
If you go to Dundee, make sure you don't drive above the speed limit--it's a notorious speed trap and the police there love to hand out tickets for going just a few miles above the limit.
If it's a sunny day and you have some time, I also recommend a drive to the coast or to Eugene. On the coast, most areas are pretty but I'd stay away from Seaside and Lincoln City, which have clogged traffic and, especially Lincoln City, lots of strip malls.
For biking, definitely go to Eugene...it's a bicyclist's haven.
Btilke