Finding a good hotel in Portland is always a challenge. I'm generally visiting friends in Southeast near Reed, but there's not any good hotels there. There's a variety of fancy hotels downtown, but none are as good as their cost and being downtown is a bit of a hassle.

So this time around I stayed at the Avalon Hotel, located in the forgotten John's Landing neighbourhood. Very pleasant. There's not a lot in the area and a car is pretty much essential, but it's a nice out of the way quiet spot and convenient to both the Ross Island and Sellwood bridges. (Except during rush hour, there's only one road out).

I stayed in a nice king river view room. Great balcony on the fourth floor with nothing but trees between me and the Willamette looking over Ross Island. Tranquil view. The hotel is pretty new and is the sort of comfortable anonymous business hotel I love to relax in. All in all very comfortable and easy.

The hotel also has a day spa with massages, etc. And a fancy bar/restaurant that I fear no one ever goes to. Beautiful view from the windows, though, and the bar is comfortable and the menu looks reasonable.

culturetravel
  2009-06-07 23:08 Z