XP: Honeymoon Tips to Oregon/Washington

calindi

Hi ladies!

My FI and I are planning on taking a honeymoon to Washington/Oregon in late September/early October 2012.  I figured you all might be the best source of information, so I decided to ask (if you don't mind too terribly much!)

We are major travelers and have been all over the world, but for this trip, our budget is low (a wedding and FI finishing school) and we don't have much time (he's in the military, and will just be going active duty, so we won't be able to guarantee dates until a few weeks before maximum).  So we decided staying in the US made the most sense, and we've always wanted to see the Pacific Northwest, so I think it will be the perfect honeymoon destination for us!

We are looking for a trip for approximately 2 weeks - we can fly into and out of either Portland or Seattle.  We want to spend a minimum of 2 nights in each location, and an absolute maximum of 4-5 nights.  We don't mind long drives as long as there isn't too much traffic (beautiful scenery is a plus) and we don't mind driving around a lot during the trip.

We like cute B&Bs, not too expensive (under $200/night) and with amazing breakfasts.  We want to basically drive around, stay in B&Bs, go wine tasting & beer tasting, eat delicious food, go hiking, horseback riding, and maybe another adventure - hang gliding, hot air balloon, etc.

Any suggestions?  Must hit sights?  Great B&Bs?  A suggested itinerary?  Tourist traps to avoid?  What are the best wineries and breweries to visit, in your experience and opinion?

Thanks in advance!!!  I've cross-posted to the Washington-Seattle, Washington, & Oregon local boards, so I apologize if you frequent more than one of those!

DramaGeek

Oregon can basically be divided into 3 (some might argue 4) parts - coast, Portland/I-5 Corridor, and central/eastern oregon.  The 4th would be southern Oregon.

If it were me, I would spend 2-3 days in Bend/Sunriver (central oregon) doing the beer (Deschutes brewery) and all the outdoors stuff - kayaking, horseback riding, hiking, biking, etc.  It's a more deserty area and there are mountains, lava tubes, obsidian flows, things like that.  The High Desert Museum is one of my favorite places to go.

Then I'd do 3-4 days in Portland and 2 days/1 night at the coast.  We have breweries and vodka distilleries in Portland, as well as some great sights to see.  Downtown is fun to wander, Forest Park is a large park that's, well, a forest, right in city limits.  Pittock Mansion can be fun, and we have several art galleries and things if you're into that.

From Portland I'd take two day trips; one to the Willamette Valley (Yamhill/Newberg/Dundee/McMinnville) for wine tasting - tons of vineyards and wineries down there - and one to the waterfalls.  You can drive the historic Columbia highway and get great views.  At Crown Pointe/Vista House you can see from Oregon across the river to Washington.  From there I'd drive to Bridal Veil Falls and hike to it (it's a short hike, less than a mile round trip I think).  I'd also stop at HorseTail falls if it's warm because you can get right in the water.  Multnomah is our big waterfall and you definitely need to stop there, whether you hike or not.

If you're into plays, Ashland in southern Oregon is the place to be.  That's where the Oregon Shakespearean Festival is located and they do great theatre.

Jeni315

Manzanita beach is a great not so crowded beach that you can do horseback riding. Astoria is a very clean quaint city from what I remember. The Japanese Garden in Washington park is the best! I'm going there tomorrow to get pics of the fall colors. The Rose Garden (they bloom all year long), zoo and forestry center is in the center of Washington park, but each take half a day or more to get thru if your the photographer type. there's also the lighthouses to see along the Oregon coast (and the tillamook chese factory!!!) mmmm :]

afuret47

Going out to Mt. Hood would be another great option.  Skiing is almost year round on the mountain and there's a lake or two I think.  We used to camp at Timothy Lake and that was always fun.  We used to fish off of the docks. 

Darling070

If you do the Seattle area, I recommend going to Victoria Canada, take the Ferry (because those are fun) and check it out. Its gorgeous. Obviously the space needle is one of those touristy things you've got to hit up. DInner there is a little spendy but at least get this ice cream that had a space type name to it.. they put dry ice in it, and it fogs your whole table. Its fun!

Its kind of silly but you can do twliight tours around here too. (In Portand Area)

You'll be here during rainy months, and its a very outdoorsy state unfortunetly, but obviously Crater Lake in Southern Oregon, and Multnomah Falls near portland are our two biggest attractions. Upper portland area also has vineyard country. 

If you like casinos, Spirit Mountain Casino has very nice hotel rooms and has room rates from $69 a night on Sun-Thurs. Its on the other side of wine country on the same road. 

As far as other smaller things go, we're headquarters for Nike for shopping. Same with Columbia Sportswear. 

calindi

Thanks guys!  We're definitely outdoorsy people, but we're not scared off by rain (especially as I've heard it tends to drizzle more than pour).

We definitely want more rural/suburban fun, with a few days in the cities.  We're city people, but we kind of want to get out in nature for our honeymoon.  Crater Lake, Multnomah Falls, hiking Mt. Hood (yes, I know that's a full day's hike), are all right up our alley!  I think we're going to spend a few days in Willamette Valley at a little B&B, and a few more days in Bend at another B&B, and finish up with a few days in Portland.

graceb15

If you are going to be up at Mt Hood for hiking, you might want to stay a night at Timberline Lodge. Its beautiful, we got married up there, they have great food and its just a fun place to visit.

flash8785

Just outside of Bend is a quaint little town of Sisters, Oregon.  There is a lodge in Sisters called "Five Pine Lodge".  It is very very nice and romantic!  I stayed there a few years back for one of my dating anniversaries and it was magical.  They have cabins with nice new amenities, comfy beds, fireplaces, and soaking tubs. It's not a b&b, but it still had a lot of character.  Every morning we would wake up and have coffee/tea on our porch and watch deer walk through the snow.  I loved it. I would recommend checking it out for a romantic place to stay near Bend.

There is also a spa and dine-in movie theater on property.

Elinetrouwt

Hi, 

We're doing the same kind of honeymoon in July 2012, three weeks to a month. I asked for advice too and got some wonderful ideas:

http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_washington_washington-honeymoon

http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_oregon_honeymoon-oregon