Brutie

Going to be heading up to the Portland Oregon area for the first time. Can anyone recommend any areas for hotels, besides the obvious choice of Portland. I'd prefer to stay further out if possible. Havent decided yet if we'll drive up from CA or fly up. Probably depends a lot of how ticket prices pan out.

Any advice is much appreciated.

rwill11

hilton vancouver is nice

number_6

Any of the McMenamins hotels would suit if you are looking for something distinctive yet not too expensive. If you don't mind being 50 miles from Portland, in the Oregon wine country, consider Hotel Oregon http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?...ion%20Homepage

Brutie

I didnt even know Oregon had a wine country. Thank you for the tip, I'm off to check it out....

number_6

It is a lot like Napa in the 70s ... excellent wine (esp. for pinot noir) and no crowds, much nicer than Napa today. Also free tastings at most places, though that is changing. Well worth a visit if you have the slightest interest. And in case you didn't know, Portland is the beer capital of the US (at least in terms of quality).

Cloudship

Going to be in Portland next week. Flight gets in at 11:00 pm Sat and leaves 6:30am Monday. I am not going to rent a car.

Would I be better off staying near the airport, or staying downtown? I am thinking the iarport would be a lot more convenient, especially with a late arrival and early departure. I don't think the MAX would be running late enough by the time I headed downtown, so I would probably need to pay for a cab. But, how easy is it to pick up the MAX from the airport hotels? Looks like they are pretty far from any station, and might not be good if I was planning on popping back to the hotel a couple of times during the day. Suggestions?

BLI-Flyer

The airport hotels all have shuttles to the airport and thus to the airport MAX station. However, there is NOTHING to do at the airport hotels except hang out at the hotel. (Well, there is a new shopping center with a Best Buy and a few other stores on the MAX the stop before the airport, but that's about it.) If it were me, I'd stay at a downtown hotel, even if I had to pay the cab/shuttle fare the night I arrived. It's a 30 minute ride on the MAX from the airport to downtown, so I'm not sure how much "popping back to the hotel" you're going to want to do.

joporto

I agree with BLI-Flyer Although many of the newer hotels by the airport are nice, there is nothing to do out there. You will have a much more fun time in Portland if you stay downtown. The first Airport MAX will get you to the airport at 4:44 am.

Schedule link

The downtown stop would be "Pioneer Square South".

Coming in from the Airport on Saturday night, the last MAX train leaves the airport at 11:56 pm.

dgwright99

I alaways stay at the airport if arriving late/leaving early.

But if you want to keep "popping back" to the hotel during the day on Sunday then you either need a hotel downtown or a rental car.

Cloudship

That's kind of cutting it close for my comfort. Especially if the flight is late or there's a luggage issue. Do they offer any kind of bus/shared van service downtown?

joporto

There are some shuttles and of course cabs. If you know which hotel you are staying at, then I would call and ask the hotel. I never take the shuttle, so I am not sure of the cost.

loopies

Need a downtown hotel in Portland July 31 - Aug 2. Considering:

Heathman - is it worth the money?
The Benson
Paramount Hotel
Governor Hotel
Hotel Monaco
Hotel Deluxe - Location?

Would like something classy, a little different than the cookie cutter hotel but in a location we can walk everywhere (or short transit ride).

Any suggestions or comments on the above?

BLI-Flyer

You might also check out the Hotel Lucia. It's right downtown, a very short walk from the light rail station at Pioneer Square. The hotel restaurant, Typhoon, is a decent Thai restaurant.

Here's a link: http://www.hotellucia.com/

aw

I just came back from Portland and it is a delightfully compact city. I was facing a dilemma because I was torn between the Hilton, Paramount and Modera. I chose the Modera and couldn't be happier with that decision. The staff was truly professional and warm, a continental breakfast is a standard (smoked salmon, capers, purple onion, ham, cream cheese, cold cuts and cheese slices, boiled eggs, yogurt, bagels, scones and fruits) and the whole property was stylish and "artsy". The hotel is in a quiet neighborhood about 6-7blocks from the downtown shopping area (Pioneer Square). It took me about 10-15 minutes to get there but public transportation is very accessible. The Heathman is a couple of blocks from the Modera but it has a reputation to be haunted. I will post a report about this trip within the next couple of days.

The Governor looked like a "grande dame" property from the outside with lots of old world charm and I liked the location because it was not too busy tucked a bit away from the shopping core. It's pretty close to Powell bookstore. I passed by the Monaco and there were a couple of homeless people hanging around across the street. I think there is a park that is a hangout for them about 1-2 blocks away. However, the Monaco is considered the #1 property in Portland according to Tripadvisor.com and is very convenient for shopping.

dhammer53

Slightly off-topic... I stayed at the Marriott (overlooking the waterfront) last year for $53 on Priceline. I didn't mind the 10 minute walk to the center of town.

dh