Portland

"We recently were in Portland for the first time at a family wedding. We had our son and daughter-in-law with and also their 2 children, aged 1 and 3. We did not want to stay at the wedding hotel, because it is hard to stay in hotel rooms with small children and try to keep them entertained and be able to have naps. This house totally fit the bill for us. We loved the quiet, woodsy area with a beautiful view of the city. They had a pak N play, hi-chair, lots of toys and books. The play set outside was really fun for the 3 year old. Nice swings, monkey bars, and slippery slides. I even swung with my grandson! The 2 small rooms were very private and great to put them down for naps and bedtime. I can see where if you were a larger person, it might be tight to stay in the smaller rooms. The main bedroom was huge with a nice fireplace in the corner. The other king size bed was not in the most private area, but it was very nice and easy to work around. We grilled on the deck and enjoyed the beautiful view. There is a pasture out the back with 3 friendly mules to watch. The living area is on the upstairs over a garage, so not good if you cannot climb a flight of stairs with lots of luggage, but we didn't have any problems with that. The place is located close to beautiful walking trails. Some of the trails were steep and great for hiking but there also were wide trails that you could push a stroller. (there was a stroller there too) If you want to be close to the downtown bar crowd, its a bit of a drive, not so much in distance, but curvy with a slow speed limit that takes time. We did head downtown for some shopping and lunch. There were all the amenities we needed to stay in and relax. The grocery store was about 3 miles away with everything we needed to purchase. On one of the rainy days, we played some of the numerous games they have there and put one of the puzzles together. The welcome basket with the treats and local information guides were a nice welcomed touch for us first time visitors. If we ever are back in Portland, we would stay at this place again in a minute!"

"I stayed from Sunday to Wednesday and I think that is key -- the restaurant is quiet on Sunday evening and was closed Monday and Tuesday, so I had the place to myself. If it had been Friday or Saturday I don't think I would have liked it -- you really are right on the patio of the restaurant. It is a nice little cottage -- my brother (who wasn't staying there) and I treated it as a home away from home as the kitchen and living area gave us everything we needed to cook some meals and hang out. It is best for one person or two people who don't need privacy from one another. There are no internal doors, and it is an open plan. As one person, I loved it. One thing -- the address on the gate is very hard to see and the back path is dark. Get your phone flashlight out!"