Planning a Trip to Portland, Oregon
 

My husband and I are planning a trip to Portland in August for 5 nights. We currently have a reservation at the Hotel Monaco in downtown Portland. I'm reading good and bad reviews about it though. Any thoughts on that or recommendations of other places to go within or slightly below that price range ($314/night)? It seems downtown is closer to the sights which is why we chose it. We love to eat out and could use advice on that as well? Casual, fun places are more our style. What is the best way to get around Portland--metro---or do we need to rent a car? Suggestions on fun things to do there are also welcome. We are not hikers/bikers---like seeing the sights and mingling with the people.

Check out the Travel Portland website

http://www.travelportland.com

Am sure you will find something under $314 a night on that link - you will also find events that are happening during your time in Portland.
I have stayed at the Monaco and thought it was very nice- no complaints- parking is expensive though in my opinion- I found parking down the street for less.

Saturday market is a great place for mingling with people, check out the Epicurian Walking Tour of Portland - you will be treated to a bit of Portland history with food tasting at a variety of restaurants and bakeries- I think its very fun.

Its pretty easy to get around by metro but you might rent a car to visit the Gorge, or drive over to Cannon Beach.

see if they have any specials. It is a nice hotel. I would think you could find something cheaper downtown. How about the Heathman? Saturday market is great with lots of food trucks or at least they used to have them. Walking 23rd Street is fun, if you like shops.... Lots of shops in the Pearl District and also a stop at Powells Books is quite an adventure! If you rent a car, then drive down the Columbia river Gorge and stop at some wineries. The Portland Art Museum is quite nice and the restaurant in the old Meyer and Frank Building is really nice but expensive. Check to see if there are any plays in town.....

Jsut htought of a couple of hotels....Benson, Embassy Suites, 5th Ave Suites, Marriott...

twin,

I just visited Portland last month for the first time. I did the Epicurian Walking tour at sunbum's recommendation. Loved it! Our tour started at the Heathman Hotel, built in the early 1900's and gorgeous. I thought it looked like a fun place to stay.

I stayed at a vrbo property in Irvington and had a rental car because I was going on to the coast and Willamette Valley. If I were staying in downtown and mainly sightseeing there, I would not use a car. I found parking expensive by my standards since I never pay to park where I live.

Thanks again sunbum!

I am not from the area but my husband and I visited last summer and stayed at Hotel Monaco. The hotel was amazing. Yes it is a bit more pricey and you have to pay to park but the location was walking distance to a great famers market, lots of restaurants, and Powells Book store (which is a must see). The hotel was clean, the staff was friendly, and the hotel is just lovely. I would definitely recommend it. Sign up for a free membership to the hotel and you get a $10 credit to the mini bar!

We liked the Mark Spencer Hotel; great downtown location, historic place restored with hip modern vibe; happy hour with wine and appetizers; much lower rate than what you quoted above.

Also, we used public transportation the whole time we were in the city, eliminating hotel parking fees. We did rent a car to drive out to the Columbia Gorge/Hood River area, where we spent one night.

I like the Westin on SW Alder, a much smaller, intimate property than those in other major cities, like the Boneventure in LA. Public Domain on the corner serves great coffee and there are lots of food trucks about a block away, perfect for a quick, cheap lunch.

TriMet is the best way to get around the Portland area and to places like Beaverton and Milwaukie. http://trimet.org/
It is well worth the $5 per day per person to ride the light rail, buses and streetcar.
Across the street from the the Mark Spencer is Ken & Zukes's Jewish Deli. The Mark Spencer is about 3 blocks south of Powell's bookstore (main building 10th & Burnside).
The east end of the red line of the light rail is right outside the baggage claim at PDX.

Thank you all for your replies and information. If we go to wine country for a day, is it worth spending the night there or return to our hotel in Portland? Any information on where to stay in wine country would be appreciated if you think the stay is worth it. This makes a difference in our Portland hotel reservation. We have a reservation at the Monaco, but the Modero has been mentioned by some friends. Thoughts? I will check out the hotels mentioned above. Thanks again for your input.

If you're that close I would spend a night in Cannon Beach on the coast. I still don't see the point of visiting wineries before the harvest when you can buy the wine in a grocery store.

Even though we live here, we have stayed at the Monaco a fair amount for special events. Love the place! I can't help with the Modero except that it does have a good reputation.

tomfuller--Many of our wineries around here are very small production and you will not find most of them in any of the grocery stores here.