For Leandra’s birthday she decided that we would go to Portland to celebrate with wine tasting, hiking, good food, and unbeknownst to her, a concert too. There are so many things to do within a few hours of Portland so one of the hardest parts of planning was focusing on just a few areas. Weather played a role too, as the weekend we were there saw temperatures in the mid 90s, so we rearranged our schedule along the way. In the end we spent a day hiking on Mt. Hood, two days wine tasting, and two more days waterfall hiking. All in all a good way to celebrate a milestone birthday.

Where we stayed

Jupiter Hotel
Check-in was friendly and easy and we were given the choice of a first or second floor room on the ‘chill’ side – we choose the second floor. It was a warm day, and our doorway was very hot as the air conditioning units of our room and the neighbor both exhausted to the same small space. We ducked into our room which was small but enough for one night. Beside the bed there was a small two person table, a desk area and a small closet. Bed was OK, if a little firm. The cold water in the sink was not working, but was addressed by the time we returned later in the evening. Our room didn’t get very dark so we were glad for the eyeshades we brought so we could sleep in the next morning.

The Jupiter isn’t that fancy, but it definitely had a great location with lots of bars and restaurants within walking or short Uber distance. This was our second visit and we would consider returning in the future for a good price.

Windrose Vacation Rental
Located on the edge of downtown Newberg, we enjoyed staying in an apartment whilst in wine country. Located in the basement of a larger meeting center, the bedroom stayed cool even in the August heat, and had a large closet and plenty of space. It would be nice to have a thicker curtain to keep the room dark in the summer mornings (the blinds did not cut it). The kitchen had the pieces we needed to enjoy breakfasts and takeout. Downtown is quite walkable from here, and we took advantage of this a few times too. While we never met the owner in person, she left us a kind note, tasty chocolate and her cell number in case we needed anything. The only (small) negative was that the TV didn’t work – apparently she was getting her roof redone and the DISH wasn’t set up properly.

Radisson Hotel Portland Airport
Tucked amongst some low rise office parks, the Radisson has a strange location compared to some of the other airport hotels.

Pros:

• Cookies in the evening, snack bars and coffee in the mornings.
• Housekeeping was quite friendly, always smiling and saying hello in the hallways.
• Spacious rooms.
• Lots of parking.

Cons:

• Sleep number bed didn’t work – it was stuck on the hard setting and it was never fixed, even after we mentioned it to the front desk staff.
• The windows are thin, so you do hear air traffic. The hotel provides ear plugs, but some of the more recently constructed hotels nearby block the noise better.
• Room layout is a little strange – bathroom when you first walk in, then the bed, then a sitting area? Perhaps this is to move the bed away from the window, but it felt a little odd to have the bed in the middle of the room.

Overall, the room was fine for our needs, a good use of points during an expensive time to stay in Portland.