I'll be on vacation in Portland in early May with my husband and daughter (4 yrs old) and am looking for a hotel recommendation for 2 nights. We are flying in early from L.A. and plan to drive the Columbia Gorge that day, returning to Portland for the night. The next day we will do Washington Park - Children's Museum etc. The following day we will head to Mt St Helens, then out to Astoria and coast. So any suggestions for a hotel in Portland, preferably with a pool, or at least which area of the city to stay in? We'll be renting a car. Thanks for your help!

Best place to stay is Downtown.
Our favorite hotel is the 5th Avenue Suites.
But there are a few really nice hotels in downtown Portland..
The Heathman
Vintage Plaza
The Lucia
The Westin
The Paramount
Marriott
I think there is a pool at the Hilton (indoor) and the Riverplace has a pool nearby, but they are in the middle of the mess that is the renovation of the Naito Highway running right by the hotel, so I do not recommend staying there.
Washington Park is wonderful, as is the Zoo!

I'm with Scarlett -- love the 5th Ave Suites. Also loved the restaurant connected, the Red Star Tavern.

Thanks for the suggestions. What about the Residence Inn Riverplace - do you know if it is also in the hwy renovation mess?

That highway mess is a real mess. They are also building some huge highrise buildings along the river and traffic is always backed up and there is dust around..I would stay IN town and skip being by the river at this time (although they say the highway will be closed and being worked on all summer)..

Mrs Kal recently stayed at The Embassy Suites.

I asked her about it and all she said was "What happens at the EmbSuites-Stays and the Emb Suites".

She liked it...got a decent rate...pool....free b'fast and the usual free cocktail hour.
Nice location but I'd defer to The Woman in Red from the Great City of Portland when it comes to locations.

We have only stayed at the Riverplace, it is a Luxury Hotel with full-service amenities and access to the Riverplace Athletic Club which has an Olympic size pool and full facilities for a great workout.
You may want to check into the funky, boutique hotel Inn at Northrup Station in Nob Hill. It is walking distance to the cool boutiques, cafes and restaurants in the Nob Hill area of Portland. Make sure you take her to the Zoo, it's great fun! ***kim***

Kim--Have you seen the construction down around the Riverplace? Maybe it is time for a trip back here so you can see it firsthand.

kim, I mentioned the hotel down by the river, but you really should read all the replies, you would get some info too...Naito Pkwy, right in front of the Riverplace is being dug up. It is closed. They are also putting in the finishing touches on the tram and today the streetcar lines were closed, making it impossible to get back and forth from that hotel by vehicle or streetcar.
I also think that for someone looking for a hotel for 2 nights in Portland, with a 4 year old child, I feel somehow that an athletic club is not on the top of their list of hotel priorities.lol.
The zoo has already been mentioned too..
The next time you are in Portland, I hope the highway work is finished and you can enjoy your favorite hotel, but for now, it is really a mess down there.
But you did say that next time you visit Portland, you want to stay at the Heathman, so that might be much nicer for you .
You really should come visit sometime this year, I believe it has been a while, no?

The work on Natio Parkway now is nothing compared to what is coming to downtown Portland in the next few years: re-building the TriMet Bus Mall on 5th and 6th Avenues. Work will supposedly start in January 2007 and last for two years. That means most of the slew of buses on 5th/6th today will be re-routed onto 3rd and 4th Aves (or maybe some even 10th and 11th Aves), making downtown traffic a nightmare. Maybe for a while the 5th Avenue Suites won't be as attractive of a destination with all the construction going on around it. By then the Riverplace construction may nearly be done and make the Riverplace Hotel more desirable for a while.

Andrew

I keep thinking of that, Andrew, what is downtown going to be like..I know a few people have told me they are not happy about it.

Instead of Riverplace, I think downtown is still the best choice..Paramount and Lucia and the Vintage...so many nice hotels in town
* personal opinion here-every time we have walked over to the river and been around the hotel there, we have had to deal with persistent bums on the benches in front of the hotel and walking past..being away from other buildings etc, I did not feel that secure.*

To be fair, there are homeless people all over Portland, including near all of the hotels you mention (which are all great hotels, no doubt). In my experience, most homeless people are harmless - I just ignore them and don't make eye contact. Just one of the fun parts of living in big city!

Andrew