San Francisco to Portland must stops
 

Flying into SFO this sept and driving along the coast to Portland.

We love wine and art....so I was hoping to get some advice of what might be a good route and a one night stay at a beautiful hotel and an amazing restaurant. Price not a factor.

Idea is one night stay along the route, and 3 nights in Portland before flying out.

Also, never been to Portland before, would love recommnedations for an upscale/hip (W style) hotel to stay at, with walking access to the shops/sights.

Thank You!

The best place I know of on the coast between San Francisco and Portland is Tu Tu Tun Lodge in Gold Beach, OR. http://www.tututun.com/ Dinners there are very good too, easily the best in that fairly remote section of the coast. Someone else will have to suggest a route from San Francisco that's best suited to your tastes. But from Gold Beach to Portland I'd recommend US 101 to OR 18 (just north of Lincoln City), then inland. This will take you through the heart of Oregon's wine country.

For Portland, I'd recommend Hotel DeLuxe, Monaco, or Lucia, though not necessarily in that order. If you don't mind edgy, have a look at the recently opened Ace Hotel.

i'd forget everything in-between and go straight as fast as possible directly to PORTLAND!
i love Portland and wouldn't want to waste a day on the road doing something else!

Unfortunately, the interesting places to visit such as Mendocino, the Redwoods, Tu Tu Tun Lodge, and the Oregon Coast are not convenient to visit on such a quit trip between San Francisco and Portland.

Perhaps this is why nanabee suggested you drive straight through (635 miles). If you select that alternative, you could spend one of your four days in Portland driving to the coast (Cannon Beach), the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood, and/or Mt. Saint Helens.

If you decide to go the fastest way, Interstate 5, then I would suggest a stop in Ashland. There are some very nice restaurants there and also some wineries in the area although I don't know if you'd have time to visit many of them. Ashland is very charming.

True, Ashland is as good as it gets on the I-5 corridor. Near Ashland is Jacksonville, which has quite a few 19th century buildings.

I like the suggestion for a stop in Ashland, the Plaza Inns & Suites is very nice as is the Ashland Springs Hotel. We had a very good meal at Amuse this summer, Lark's at the Springs was good, but on on the same level as Peerless (Peerless Hotel) or Chateaulin (little French place a few doors down from the ASH.) :)

In Portland, we like the Riverplace Hotel or the Heathman Hotel. Our recent meals at Portland City Grill, Olea and Bluehour were all excellent.

Have fun on your travels, don't miss the Rogue Creamery for some amazing Blue Cheese in Central Point, a few minutes away from Ashland. ***kim*** ((f))

Thanks everyone!

Just as an idea, would a Seattle --> Portland trip be better, or should I stick with SFO?

mark - i think i would stick with one large city (SF, Portland, or Seattle) and then explore the surrounding area.

Especially since you have limited time.
Any of these three great cities would be a wonderful vacation!

Mark, SF to Ashland to Portland is a trip lots of folks do.
Spend the night in Ashland,
and do the applegate valley wine trail; you'll come out in Grants Pass, then head north to P-town

here you go:
http://www.liquidassetswinebar.com/

http://www.ashlandchamber.com
http://www.winchesterinn.com
http://www.ashlandcreekinn.com/
http://www.sorwa.org/
http://www.weisingers.com/cottagepage/cottage1.htm

I travel to SFO and SEA a lot, so I know those well, but I was looking to explore mostly Portland, with a quick trip of the coastal scenery.

Is the trip up the coast to Portland worth it, or is it typical highway scenery?

Also forgot to ask about restaurants in Portland.

Any MUST DO's??? In particular we like culinary adventure, fusion style etc.

Also....one GOOD breakfast place.

Thanks again.

Do a search on here for Portland restaurants. You will get more than you ever imagined! As far as the best breakfast here...easy...Mothers Bistro!

It's a wonderful road, but a long ways to drive in your time frame.
here's nick's portland food board.
http://www.portlandfood.org/

Interesting question. I, too, like the idea of mixing a big and a small city. If you've never been to SF, that's a great plan. It does involve more driving than mixing Seattle and Portland, so I'd suggest an extra day for travel. The Oregon coast is a world treasure and not to be missed.

I'd suggest you high-tail it up I-5 into Oregon. I'd suggest a night in Gold Beach, then up the coast and a night in Canon Beach. The drive from Gold Beach to Canon Beach will take the entire day. You will drive along the coast, enjoying magnificent views. 97% of the Oregon coast is public and HWY 101 hugs the coastline. There are sand dunes, light houses (Yaquina Head lighthouse in Newport has great views and good displays), rainforests, beautiful beaches, small towns with interesting art, the Oregon Coast Aquarium - so much to do, so little time. Portland is a really wonderful city, but you'll be kicking yourself if you try to do the drive in one day.

Meant to say two days, one night. It's not enough time. Take the time for the coast. You'll get a flavor of Portland in 2 nights. You'll have to come back and do Vancouver BC, Seattle and Portland. Portland is only 3 hours from Seattle, so it's easy to include in the next trip if you want to spend more time there.

MMS: I also like Mother's Bistro.
AND on NE Albert Street is the Tin Shed for breakfast - very good.
Another breakfast spot that I like is BiJou Cafe on SW 3rd Ave.

err -- sorry make that NE Alberta Street.

Orcas--Actually all of the Oregon coast is public. One of our great laws:)

nanabee--Another good breakfast place is Lorn and Dotties. Fantastic dutch babies!

dutch babies? is that something you eat or are they just really cute kids?