Kristen

My mother, sister and I will be in Astoria for 2 nights and Portland for 4 nights. Any recommendations for lodging? We have visited many web sites, but would appreciate any first hand info. We are considering the Embassy Suites or the Residence Inn, one downtown, the other near the Convention Center. Also, anyone been to the Oyster Bar Restaurant recently? Thanks.

SR

The Embassy Suites in downtown Portland is very nice and I would pick the downtown location over the convention center location which is across the river. That said, the Residence Inn is nice and well and MAX is very close for easy access to the downtown area. Can I ask why you picked Astoria over all the other much nicer Oregon beaches to visit? There aren't any real great places to recommend in Astoria but I know Red Lion is one of the bigger places there. If you're open to other beaches, Cannon Beach is our favorite and is about 1/2 closer to Portland than Astoria. The Hallmark Inn is a great place to stay in Cannon but there are many others as well.

SR

Sorry, I meant to type that Cannon Beach is about 1/2 HOUR closer to Portland.

Tony Hughes

There is a Shiloh Inn located in Warrenton, just over the small bridge from Astoria. Shiloh is a chain located mainly in that area. It's not that new but it is clean and tidy.

lisa

We moored our boat at the Red Lion Inn in Astoria last summer and I was not impressed. At least their restaurant was dank and the food not particularly good. It is north of the downtown, and was a long walk. They have some sort of tram service, but it didn't run frequently enough to be useful.

NW Best Places, which is usually on the mark, lists the following places to stay in Astoria. Each of them sounds intriguing and I hope you can find them on the web.

Benjamin Young Inn (**) a 20 room mansion built in 1888.
Clementine's Bed and Breakfast (*) built 1888. Great breakfasts. On edge of downtown.
Rosebrian Hotel (**). 11 unit hotel in residential area 2 blocks from Waterfront.
Rose River Inn B&B (**) 4 guestrooms.
Hope this is helpful.

kinstaa

Definately stay at the Embassy Suites downtown Portland. It is a very nice hotel and it's in a good location. You will be able to walk to a lot of great restaurants and shopping! Have a great trip.

Kristen

Thank you's to all who posted replies. Answer to one question, we are going to Astoria because my mom is interested in Lewis and Clark Expedition. That said, would we be better off staying in Cannon Beach and driving up to Astoria to see Fort Clatsop and Fort Canby?

lisa

Canon Beach is really nice, but Astoria is really interesting, also. Canon Beach has a lot of active "beachy" things to do, like walking along the sand and looking for starfish in the rocks. Also, just north is Ecola State Park, which has beautiful coved beaches with lots of tidepools and great hikes. It is great for a picnic. (wear sweats!)
Canon Beach also has a lot of artists shops in a cute little town area. It gets quite crowded in summer, but we really enjoy going there with the children.

Astoria is not a beach town at all, but a real town that used to vie with San Francisco as a major west coast port. Needless to say, it lost out. Many of the Victorian homes in it have been preserved and wrap around a great hill that overlooks the water. Near the top of the hill is a famous carved "Column" that, I think, has the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition on it.

Astoria is closer to your targets, but Canon Beach is not far. It depends on your interests really. Both are great places to visit.

x

We did not like Astoria after a short visit and went on down to Cannon Beach and stayed at the Hallmark which is very nice. I thought Astoria was dirty and smelly.

Sara

I hope you enjoy Astoria - I have great memories from there. The Lewis & Clark stuff is well done. I believe there is also a nice shipping museum, the Astor Column, and the houses are old and wonderfully kept for a nice walking tour. I recommend staying in a B&B in Astoria if you like them at all. Many of the old houses are B&Bs and I think they are fun to stay in. A very nice website for B&Bs in Oregon http://www.bbexplorer.com/

Perhaps you could drive south Hwy 101 from Astoria to Seaside and stop at some beaches along the way then back to Portland from Seaside on Hwy 26. Lots of people like Cannon Beach and it isn't too far south of Hwy 26.

Embassy Suites is actually a re-done old hotel so it feels very old but has all the modern stuff. Very nice and great location to downtown. I second the recommendation to stay downtown rather than across the river.

Hope you have a wonderful time in Oregon.

lisa

Sara is right. There is a Maritime Museum in Astoria. This very weekend, in fact, will be the grand openning for the newly renovated museum. Millions was spent on the remodel and it will have more interactive exhibits than in the past.

Astoria tries really hard and is about old lace and a bygone era, while Canon Beach is about water thundering over the rocks and reflecting the sky off the long flat beach.

kinstaa

Yes - you should stay in Canon Beach and drive up to Astoria. It isn't a long drive and Canon Beach is a smaller more quaint beach town with lots to do!

kimamom

We own a second home in Astoria. The town has gone through some wonderful changes in the past few years. The Hotel Elliott is a new, prestigious hotel that is definitley worth checking out. Across the street is a wonderful new spa that we toured in August. First class! Also many new restaurants have been added to the area. The Silver Salmon Grille is the best seafood house in the area. You can read my review on the restaurant in this month's issue of Oregon Coast on p. 7. The renovations to the Maritime Museum were amazing, making this a first-class museum. The Astor Column, Fort Clatsop and the Flavel House have become amazing tourist attractions over the past couple of years. They have also added a riverfront trolley that you can ride with a narration of Astoria. I also hear they are getting ready to make another major motion picture in the area.
Any questions about Astoria, I will be glad to answer them here or in private e-mail. ***kim*** www.oldoregon.com is a web address for those interested in learning more about this town.