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Old 06-10-2011, 09:48 PM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
27 posts, read 37,300 times
Reputation: 12

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I am very excited to be visiting Portland for the first time- a long awaited trip. I think I was naive in thinking I could get a hotel in a cool area for around $100, though! I'm realizing I will probably have to pay more, but thought I'd check with you to see if you have any recommendations.

I am a lone female traveler, so safety is my main concern. A friend of mine recommended I stay in the Pearl District (many hotels I find here seem to be about $170-200 per night, however). I am looking for book stores, parks, coffee houses, vintage shops; I just want to get an overall "feel" for the city of Portland. I'm also a runner and hope to be in an area where I can run in the mornings safely. I'm very comfortable taking Chicago's El train, so public transportation is fine with me.

I have also heard I should try to get out to Multnomah Falls. For this, I think I would have to rent a car. If you have any suggestions about doing this as a day trip and renting a car or any other sites I should see, please let me know.

I'm not set on the Pearl District, although it does sound like fun! If you have any suggestions on where to stay or visit, I'd greatly appreciate it, including any hotels or B&Bs that you may know of. Thank you!
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Old 06-10-2011, 09:51 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,496,838 times
Reputation: 35863
Quote:
Originally Posted by MozLee View Post
I am very excited to be visiting Portland for the first time- a long awaited trip. I think I was naive in thinking I could get a hotel in a cool area for around $100, though! I'm realizing I will probably have to pay more, but thought I'd check with you to see if you have any recommendations.

I am a lone female traveler, so safety is my main concern. A friend of mine recommended I stay in the Pearl District (many hotels I find here seem to be about $170-200 per night, however). I am looking for book stores, parks, coffee houses, vintage shops; I just want to get an overall "feel" for the city of Portland. I'm also a runner and hope to be in an area where I can run in the mornings safely. I'm very comfortable taking Chicago's El train, so public transportation is fine with me.

I have also heard I should try to get out to Multnomah Falls. For this, I think I would have to rent a car. If you have any suggestions about doing this as a day trip and renting a car or any other sites I should see, please let me know.

I'm not set on the Pearl District, although it does sound like fun! If you have any suggestions on where to stay or visit, I'd greatly appreciate it, including any hotels or B&Bs that you may know of. Thank you!
If a hostel is a consideration check this out. The Hawthorne neigborhood has everything you describe and downtown and the Pearl District are a 15-20 minute bus ride away.
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Old 06-10-2011, 10:03 PM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
27 posts, read 37,300 times
Reputation: 12
Hi, thanks for your reply. I'm cool with hostels, but I will have my laptop and some other valuables with me, so I think I'll try for a hotel. What about hotels in the Hawthorne neighborhood? Would you say it's safe and offers a lot to do?
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Old 06-10-2011, 10:17 PM
 
Location: Lakewood OH
21,695 posts, read 28,496,838 times
Reputation: 35863
There are no hotels in the Hawthorne neighborhood. The neighborhood is very safe and there are tons of things to do. I was recommending it because I live there so I know it well.

Try GOOGLING Portland Neighborhoods and you will come up with just about anything you would want to see. Then you can scope out surrounding hotels.
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Old 06-10-2011, 10:56 PM
 
3,928 posts, read 4,918,270 times
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I love Hotel Modera. Deals can be had on-line. Good luck.
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Old 06-11-2011, 11:23 AM
 
Location: Portland, OR
181 posts, read 456,394 times
Reputation: 160
Quote:
Originally Posted by MozLee View Post
I think I was naive in thinking I could get a hotel in a cool area for around $100, though!
No, you're not naive for thinking that! I've stayed at three different (very nice) downtown Portland hotels and never paid more than $70 per night. That includes a stay during 4th of July weekend. Check out the "Name Your Own Price" feature on Priceline.com. The only (minor, IMO) downside to Priceline is that you can only choose the neighborhood where you want to say and the star-level of the hotel; you can't choose the exact hotel. Here's what I would suggest: search for a 4-star hotel downtown. Start your bidding low, in the $55-65 range. Your first bid will almost certainly be rejected. Priceline lets you re-bid right away if you add a different neighborhood or star-level. Downtown is the only area of Portland that has 4-star hotels, so keep the star-level at 4 and add a neighborhood that has only 3-star or fewer hotels. You can play with the neighborhood map on Priceline to figure out which neighborhoods have what star-levels. Do NOT choose a neighborhood that has a 3.5-star hotel - you'll see why in a second. Increase the amount by a few dollars and try again. If, after a few tries, your bid still isn't accepted, add 3.5-star hotels to your search, and increase your bid amount by another few dollars. As long as you have only selected Downtown and neighborhoods with 3-star or fewer hotels, you are still guaranteed to get a nice downtown hotel. The three hotels that accepted our bids were the Benson ($60 - AMAZING deal, especially considering it was 4th of July weekend), the Marriott ($70), and Hotel Lucia ($65). All were within a few blocks of Pioneer Courthouse Square.

I hope my explanation makes sense. There are entire websites devoted to getting good deals on Priceline if you need more info. If you Google "Priceline bidding," you will find sites where you can look up how much other people are paying to stay in Portland right now. That will give you a good idea of how low you can bid.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MozLee View Post
I have also heard I should try to get out to Multnomah Falls. For this, I think I would have to rent a car. If you have any suggestions about doing this as a day trip and renting a car or any other sites I should see, please let me know.
Again, I would recommend "Naming Your Own Price" on Priceline if you want to save some $$. (I swear I don't work for them! ) The downside here is that you will have to go to the airport to pick up the car, but if you're staying downtown it's super-easy to take the MAX red line train from Pioneer Courthouse Square to the airport (it's about a 40-minute trip). It's also very easy to access the highways you need to get to the Gorge or to the coast from the airport. We were able to rent a compact car on two of our trips for $15 and $20, respectively.

P.S. You mentioned running - if you do stay downtown, the waterfront park is a great place to run.
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Old 06-11-2011, 08:04 PM
 
Location: the Beaver State
6,464 posts, read 13,459,522 times
Reputation: 3581
There are several car rental agencies downtown. Enterprise is just off of 4th street.
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Old 06-11-2011, 08:31 PM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
27 posts, read 37,300 times
Reputation: 12
Thank you everyone for your replies!

gma- thank you for your detailed response about Priceline. I think that'll be my best bet for now. I have had such anxieties about the hotels, but this gives me some hope! I will also look into Priceline and Enterprise for car rentals. I will also look forward to running along the waterfront! I'm training for my first marathon- can't let vacation mes sup my schedule .

Will let you know about hotels. Thank you all again!
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Old 06-12-2011, 08:54 AM
 
Location: Portland, OR
181 posts, read 456,394 times
Reputation: 160
Quote:
Originally Posted by MozLee View Post
gma- thank you for your detailed response about Priceline.
You're very welcome! I hope you find an awesome deal!

BTW, I didn't mean to make it sound like there were no car rental agencies downtown. It's just that if you use Priceline, the trade-off for the low rate is that you have to pick up your car at the airport. My boyfriend and I are cheapskates, so we made the trek to the airport. Sorry if my last post caused any confusion!
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Old 06-12-2011, 10:49 AM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
27 posts, read 37,300 times
Reputation: 12
No, not at all, but thanks for clarifying. I'm a total cheapskate, too . I'll definitely go out of my way for a deal!
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