Bachelorette Party Weekend in Portland

I spent a weekend in Portland celebrating the impending marriage of my friend Kiley to her fiance Todd, who happens to be one of Shyawn's closest friends. We drove down from the Seattle area on Friday afternoon and stayed in Portland through Sunday morning.

Shyawn and I had visited Portland the year prior for our anniversary so I was looking forward to seeing the city for a second time.

Note: being that we went out a lot, many of the photos were taken with my point and shoot instead of my DSLR.

Hotel:
We were able to stay at the Westin Portland for the amazing low rate of $69 per night as one of the friends of the bride works for Starwood Hotels. Everyone shared a room, so it ended up costing me only $35 each night; quite a bargain! The hotel was located in a fantastic location in downtown Portland. The hotel has been recently renovated with modern and ascetically pleasing decor. Our rooms were spacious and comfortable and featured the Heavenly Beds and Heavenly Showers, both of which lived up to their hype. The shower was not only large but the water pressure and shower head were amazing! Directly next to the lobby was the small but beautiful lobby lounge and the hotel's on site restaurant The Daily Grill which we utilized on several occasions. The only negative aspects of the hotel were that the lobby was much smaller than I had anticipated it would be and there were only two elevators, which during busy times created a line that reached out to the lobby. However, for the price we paid, the amenities and location were fantastic so I really have no complaints!

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

The group enjoying a late lunch at the Westin Portland.

The group enjoying a late lunch at the Westin Portland.

Pretty candle at the Westin Portland.

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

Westin Portland

Portland, Oregon (Sightseeing)

Portland may surprise visitors with it's options of places to visit and experience. Although Portland is a large city, the easy-going nature of it's residents has resulted in a a small-town vibe that it very focused on it's uniquely hip neighborhoods. Portland is an extremely easy city to get around by public transportation due to it's comprehensive light rail and bus system. A car is definitely not necessary for a visit and it actually not recommended due to the cost of parking.

Below, I have described the different places we saw on our three day visit over Memorial Day weekend. Be forewarned that this blog post is very photo-heavy!

International Rose Test Garden: This 4.5 acre park is located within the much larger Washington Park and has no entrance fee. The garden is one of 24 sites nationwide that tests new rose varieties and today displays over 550 different varieties.

Since our visit occurred at the end of May I was hopeful that we would be able to see some roses, especially considering the annual Portland Rose Festival took place over the course of our visit. Unfortunately, this was not the case. In fact, there were so few roses in bloom (we probably saw less than ten rose buds and flowers) that the local newspaper even made fun of the "no rose" rose festival. No roses aside, the Rose Test Garden is still a beautiful place to stroll, no matter what the season is.

International Rose Test Garden

The many rows of rose-less rosebushes.

International Rose Test Garden

International Rose Test Garden

International Rose Test Garden

International Rose Test Garden

International Rose Test Garden

Two rosebuds at the International Rose Test Garden.

International Rose Test Garden

International Rose Test Garden

International Rose Test Garden

International Rose Test Garden

International Rose Test Garden

One of the few roses in bloom at the International Rose Test Garden.

Beautiful rosebud at International Rose Test Garden.

International Rose Test Garden.

Artwork at the International Rose Test Garden.

International Rose Test Garden.

International Rose Test Garden

Portland, Oregon (Hotel, Dining, & Nightlife)

My fiance Shyawn and I spent four days over Memorial Day weekend visiting Portland, Oregon to celebrate our one year anniversary.

I am going to divide my report on Portland into two separate posts; one on hotel, dining, and nightlife and the second will be on sightseeing.

Portland is located about three hours from us by car, although neither one of us could claim that we had ever truly visited the city. As with many people I know from Seattle, we had both experienced many drive-bys and a few half-hearted visits. For years I had wanted to get a true taste of the city so when we were thinking of places to go and visit for our anniversary weekend I figured Portland would fit the bill as the perfect place for an economical long-weekend trip.

Hotel: Hotel Modera was selected after reading its glowing reviews on both Trip Advisor and Yelp. I wanted to stay somewhere centrally located in the downtown area that was recently updated but one that also wouldn't break the bank. By booking directly through the hotel's website and paying for the room in advance, I was able to secure two nights at $109 and the third night at $99. Had I not done that, the room would have been about $30-$40 more per night. Since we had our car with us, I also paid ahead of time for valet parking which was $20 per night instead of $27 per night that we would have paid upon arrival.

The hotel was very modern and clean with lots of simple details that made it feel as though we were staying at a very upscale and luxurious place even though we had paid so little! I loved the fun and colorful art as well as the heavenly smelling Tarocco products in the bathroom. The staff was extremely accommodating and went out of their way to help us. I would stay here again in a heartbeat and definitely recommend it to anyone!

Lobby of Hotel Modera.

Elevators at Hotel Modera.

Our room at Hotel Modera. 

I loved this fun mirror in our room. 

Pretty orange bathroom at Hotel Modera.