Weather in June could be rainy- seems like we can't count on Sun until after the 4 th of Jul.

3 nights is not enough to do all you want to do- but the Gorge is much more impressive than downtown Portland.

A few kid things to do downtown if its rainy is OMSI- lots of hands on things for the kids.
You could take a jet boat ride up the Willamette River- I think it takes you up to a waterfall

I disagree that Edgefield is only worth staying at if you want to party or go to a concert- it may not be high end or serve gourmet food but it is a fun place to stay.

When I went to Portland last June, it was mostly drizzling and cloudy with occasional breaks of no rain. Visiting without a car, I went to the Columbia River Gorge by Gray Line tour ($49.99/adult for a four hour tour if I remember correctly, don't know about kids). The tour guide was excellent, the group was small, and despite the drizzle, I totally loved the views from Vista House, Multnomah and other falls as well as the Bonneville Dam.

We were there late June last summer and it was unseasonably HOT! We were shocked. Our room at Edgefield was not air conditioned, and we were miserable. We had to leave after one night. You just never know about weather.

Edgefield won't work for us. I am sure about that. My other option is to rent a house or an apartment in SE Portland but I don't feel like going through the trouble.

Lets assume we will be downtown. I have three options -- Monaco, Embassy Suites and Riverplace. Is Riverplace much more inconvenient in terms of location? Will it be a pain to get to MAX, restaurants and to a car rental place?

Why not stay at the Embassy Suites next to the airport? There you have a nice hotel, the light rail to go downtown and the rental cars from the airport. The airport has easy access to I-205 and I-84 to see the gorge and waterfalls.

Staying at the airport sounds depressing somehow :)

Of the three hotels you mention that might work, I have only stayed at the Monaco- which is nice and the rooms are more like a suite so the kids could sleep on the pull out and adults would have a separate bedroom.
I think the parking there is expensive so I found another place to park that was much less - its a dog friendly hotel so you will see lots of them around and there is a nice wine tasting in the evening.
Its close all downtown things

Riverplace is a nice location, there are several restaurants close by. I don't think it would be a big pain to get to other restaurants, Max etc- not sure about car rentals but your hotel concierge could probably help with that.
There is an urban hike you can do from your hotel- there is a paved walk way that goes along both sides of the river- you can cross over the bridge, walk along the path til you get to the next bridge, cross over that and back to the hotel. You can also rent bikes and bike it.

Did you check out the Inn at the Mountain I suggested- I think they have villas

Even though we live here, we stay overnight in downtown on occasion and our goto place is the Monaco. Location is great, very nice hotel, and most rooms are suites so very spacious. They often have specials that include parking and breakfast as well. Of the 3 hotels you list, the Monaco would be at the top of my list.

As for Multnomah Falls, a large rock fell onto the pedestrian bridge there, damaging it so much that the bridge is closed. They are hoping to have it repaired by Memorial Day, but for now you cannot get as close to the falls.

sunbum1944, the inn can't accommodate us for some reason. Either the dates are not available or they don't allow two kids and two patents in the same room.

I think we will be totally fine at BW in Hood River -- they have suites. I am just not convinced we should stay In Hood River and not downtown considering a short trip and beginning of June

I have stayed at the BW in Hood River but a few years ago so can't comment on what it is like now. Was fine back then. Hood River is a fun little town I think.

Either choice would work I think- the drive between is not that bad. Even the suggestion of the airport area hotel would work- and some of them are pretty nice hotels. You aren't going to be in the room that much. You can take a train from airport area to downtown very easily.

We stayed at Residence Inn Riverplace for a couple of nights. The location is a little out of the main action, but there is a trolley line right there and a big parking garage. Seems like a good place for families, with the kitchenette, sleeper sofa and really great free breakfast included. It is not far from the aerial tram if you are interested in doing that with the kids.

I'm a little unclear about your car situation and if you have kids. If you don't have a car and money's no option, I'd pick the Monaco. It's a breeze from the MAX (2 block walk) and excellent surrounding restaurants. If you're renting a car, parking and crossing bridges can be frustrating as a newcomer (your GPS will cop out right when you need it). You might consider the east side up and coming Jupiter hotel for easier rental car parking. None of these issues would matter to a single 30 something but if you've got diaper bags and strollers they become relevant. As for restaurants, SE Division has plenty to compete with downtown if you want to stay on the east side.

Sorry alisa, just now seeing the kids are 6 and 8. Public transportation is definitely riveting to young kids and worth considering a car free stay. I'd vote Monaco for superb service and location. Your 6-8 kid range best bets are OMSI (east side), Lan Super Chinese Gardens, the roof top garden at the public library, and getting to pick your own lunch from food carts downtown, and riding the indoor ski lift thing at the forestry center in Washington Park. All available by MAX or streetcar.

Thank you, everybody! It will be Embassy Suites in downtown for now. They have huge suites for reasonable amount of money.

Thank you to everybody who helped. We ended up staying at Monaco. It was good.