Oregon Trip Report
 

I wanted to provide some feedback and thanks to the posters who helped me plan my recent Oregon trip. We flew into Portland and spent the first couple of days there. Hotel Monaco was a big hit with the wife. She particularly liked the decor and location. The staff here is obviously well trained to be helpful with directions and info. She liked the Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden, and the Pittock Mansion. The Saturday’s Farmer’s market was very entertaining too. We went to the Portland Saturday Market too but I recommend the Farmer’s market if you can only make one. The displays of fruit, flowers, and vegetables were remarkable. If you like to people watch, this is a good place. I read in the paper that they typically get 14,000 visitors on Saturday and I can believe it.

We ate at Wildwood and Higgins Restaurants and loved both. We arrived early for our reservation at Wildwood and enjoyed the lively bar scene there before dinner. We met several Portland couples who were happy to give more tourist advice. After the bartender plied the wife with free shots, I am not sure that she recalled the meal. We also caught lunch at Jake’s because one of my wife’s friends insisted that we go there. A friendly waitress added a little spice to lunch. I enjoyed all three places and had no complaints with food or service.

My wife and I are both outdoor types and like to take long walks and hikes. There were numerous opportunities and choices everywhere that we went. I cannot begin to describe or recall all of them. We walked along beaches, along rivers, through beautiful parks, and up and down hills. Oregon is truly a great state for people like us. We spotted many different animals and birds as we hiked. For once I remembered to take my binoculars and used them often. My wife was worried about gaining weight as we dined well with wine & desserts almost every evening. Upon arrival at home she had gained only one pound.

We drove to Cannon Beach after Portland for a couple of nights. We stayed at the SurfSand Resort right on the beach. It was great to lay in bed with the fireplace going and watch the waves and sunset in front of you. The numerous fires on the beach after sunset seemed to add to the scene. The wife loved the large bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub and a separate shower. The staff was pleasant to visit with and seemed interested in making our stay enjoyable. We had a real nice dinner at the Wayfarer with a window table overlooking Haystack Rock. Our young waiter kept us entertained and made good recommendations on wine and dinner selections.

We next drove leisurely down to the central coast area and stayed a couple of nights at the Overleaf Lodge in Yachats. This place was also right on the beach and was very scenic. The hotel grounds were well cared for. Our king room was spacious and comfortable. This was probably the best bargain price wise on our trip as the summer rates were not yet in effect. A free continental breakfast was served every morning which was better in selection and quality than the typical free breakfast. The breakfast area overlooked the ocean which added to the experience. One of the trip highlights occurred one morning during breakfast when two whales were spotted in the ocean in front of the hotel. We ate at the Drift Inn twice during our stay in Yachats. They had musical entertainment each evening and the food was good.

Our next two nights were at the Tu Tu Tun Lodge on the Rogue River near Gold Beach. What can I say about this place that has not already been said dozens of times? Our second floor king room with fireplace overlooking the river was fantastic. This was easily one of my most unique vacation experiences. A recent remodeling is complete. My wife is a big talker so she loved the dining experience where you meet the other guests. After a couple of glasses of wine, I must admit that I am a big talker too. The hosts make sure that everyone has a good time. The 104 mile jet boat trip with Jerry’s was another trip highlight. The boat driver was a hoot and we saw lots of wildlife and birds. Seeing the bald eagles was my favorite.

After finishing on the coast we hit the interstate and drove back toward Portland for a day in the Columbia River Gorge area. We stayed at the Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River. Get your camera ready as the grounds at this hotel are a sight to see. This is a 1920s era hotel that has been restored so the rooms & bathrooms are small. Our room was nicely furnished but you can only do so much with little space to work with. We had a very pleasant experience here, but I feel compelled to warn those who do not like small rooms. A country breakfast is included in the price of the room. You can skip lunch after this several course breakfast. While making reservations I was encouraged to pay more for a room with a view of the falls. This was a complete waste of money as the best views were from the grounds of the hotel. We drove around in this area and enjoyed the views of Mount Hood, the old Historic Highway with many trail and waterfall stops, the museum built by Sam Hill, and just seeing the country side in the Hood River valley with the farms in full bloom.

We returned to Portland the night before our flight home. We stayed at the Springhill Suites near the airport and were completely satisfied. The hotel made dinner reservations for us at Salty’s on The Columbia which was near by. It was a lively place with a combo playing, and we had a window table overlooking the river. There were lots of birthday celebrations and prom dates that night. It was a fun atmosphere, and we enjoyed a nice Copper River Salmon meal as we reminisced about our trip.

We left a lot of recommended things to do for our next trip to Oregon. We could only do so much in our short stay. We probably spent more time in the car that I typically like to, but we had never been to Oregon and wanted to see the coast first. Without calling names I want to again thank all the Oregon posters for your help. I went back and read your informative posts from the past year or so. We had no bad surprises and most of the hotels and restaurants exceeded our expectations. I owe this to your valuable help.

Glad to hear the trip was such a success:) You sure lucked out to be here during the Copper River Salmon time!!!

Enjoyed reading your post!

Enjoyed your trip report as we'll be heading to Oregon end of the summer. I'm thinking of booking in the Hotel Monaco for our stay in Portland. Did you stay in a regular room as opposed to a suite? I've heard that regular rooms are on the small side. thanks

Wow! SurfSand, Overleaf, Tu Tu Tun, Columbia Gorge Hotel..... You picked some great places to stay. And some fine restaurants to dine in. Geez... we need to get back to Tu Tu Tun!

Nice to see you had such a great time.

Beachbum,I read many of your posts so actually you choose most of those for me. Thanks again! The room at the Monaco was a suite which consisted of two rooms and a bath which was plenty of room for 2 people.

Nice report, glad you had a great time in Oregon! We visited the Japanese Gardens for the first time this past March and loved it. Very peaceful and scenic. :)

We also are fans of Wildwood and Higgins, two of Portland's finest restaurants. ***kim*** ((f))

Kim, I read many of your recommendations. I probably selected those two based partly on your posts. I talked to several fellow tourists who really liked Pauley's in the same area as Wildwood. Thanks to all again.......... my mind is still in Oregon as I struggle to get back in the groove this week.

Thanks for taking the time to post! It is always nice to hear from people who love our city.

So, when are you moving out here? :-))

Thanks Eurotraveller. My first trip report just because we had such a nice time and people were so anxious to help with the planning. I would definitely move to Portland or just about anywhere that I visited in Oregon. Unfortunately my roots are deep so I'll just have to wait for the retirement days. My only problem was that I am so adjusted to pumping my own gas that I jumped out of the car and wrestled for control of the nozzle a couple of times. Do you tip these guys? If they were friendly which they usually were, I gave them a couple of dollars.

MrRip, LOL! No, we do not tip the gas station attendants so I am sure they were very surprised! :-) It is against the law for us to pump our own gas so we often have to wait patiently until an attendant gets to us.

Nice not to have a sales tax, too eh?

Yes, the lack of a sales tax was nice, eurotraveler. I used this excuse several times to make a purchase that I probably would have passed on otherwise. The gas attendants had a big smile when I tipped them.......now I know why.

you can always tell out-of-staters like me! i still have to think twice about jumping out of the car to pump my own gas! i got a good chuckle about the tipping.