JoB
Columbia River Riverside Lodge in Stevenson Washington…
http://www.cgriversidelodge.com/
It is located right on the river.. with wind surfers and barge traffic outside your door.. and the dock for the paddlewheeler that stops in carson.. and walking trails.. and the coolest wind sculpture… and maybe a hot tub on your deck…
The Stevenson Grill on main street has wonderful food .. as does the bakery in town… and the entire town is within easy (6 blocks max) walking distance…
you are a half day trip from Mt Hood or Mt Adams if you want mountains… and in the spring the hike to dog mountain less than a half hour east is incredible.
There is the new museum in the Dalles that is really very good… the Columbia Discovery Center
http://www.el.com/to/thedalles/
Hood River has better shops.. catering to the after ski and windsurfing crowd..
http://www.el.com/to/hoodriver/
if the train is running.. a trip to Clarkdale and beer in the brewpub is fun.. and you get a front row seat to one of the best views of Mt Hood ever.
The scenic hiway across the gorge has 7 waterfalls and the Multnomah Lodge for a very classy lunch..
http://trips.stateoforegon.com/multnomah_falls/
Carson Hot springs is less than 20 minutes from your room and has both soaking baths and massage. The water there is incredible…
http://www.carsonhotspringresort.com/
I haven’t been since they built the new building and i was told the baths had moved to the new bathhouse.. though the website doesn’t say so…
the soak alone at $20 is a soak and a wrap and a nap… and the massage for two specials are really good…
they also have a “new” hotel that i have never stayed at.. but am told is nice if the lodge is a bit too much… but i would go for the Riverside lodge if you can… and for the riverfront suite with it’s own hot-tub.
Another idea is the hotel on the pier in Astoria… the cannery pier hotel…
http://www.cannerypierhotel.com/
Astoria is a deep water river town and has a ton of antiques and historic sites.. and downtown has good to great food and is completely walkable…
from there access to the longview penninsula is less than an hour north… if you go to the end:)
and Seaside is less than an hour to the south…
Longview is an old fashioned beach town… there is a boardwalk that is walkable year round and you can drive onto the beach for a bonfire and great sunsets.
I also love the Shelburne Inn.. which is another story and honeymoon destination:)
http://www.theshelburneinn.com/
Seaside is a kitschy slightly more upscale beach town with good shops and good restaurants..
and south of that is Cannon Beach.. sort of an upscale artists community on the beach with Ecola State Park.. incredible headlands, great beaches and if you go to the end of the road.. sunset beach lives up to it’s name and then some..
any B&b in Ashland, Or
it’s a wonderful little town.. there is a hot springs just out of town.. and the play is the thing there… it’s another very walkable town with an incredible park, great restaurants and interesting shops… very romantic…
one of our my most romantic weekends ever played there:)
http://www.ashlandchamber.com/
I have always wanted to stay at the Ashland Springs Hotel downtown.. it has been renovated and the lobby was incredible…
they have romance packages…
and that’s just the first three that come to mind…
if you let me know when and what you think you might be looking for I can probably do better.. or even where you want to go and i can probably give you some help figuring out where to stay…
LOL.. i got so caught up in my memories that i forget to tell you to have an incredible honeymoon.. no matter where you go.
i spent my first one in a tent on the oregon coast and have never forgotten it… the man was unfortunately not up to the honeymoon:(
but hubby and i have been married nearly 18 years now and our honeymoon was spent sick on the washington coast… i think it’s what you both put into the marriage that counts… We have had many incredibly romantic weekends since :)