10-day Honeymoon itinerary: Portland and….???

I%26#39;m in the midst of planning a honeymoon in late September and need insight!

We%26#39;ll be spending a few days in Portland and want to add a few more days elsewhere. But we%26#39;re not sure which direction to go, which is where you come in. We are a couple that loves good beer, good wine, good food, and quiet nature.

Right now, we are thinking of going down to Gold Beach (we love the looks of the Tu Tu Tun Lodge) but want to break up the long drive. Folks have recommended driving down along the ocean and stopping in Yachats, but my fianc茅 and I are more forest people than beach people. Plus, we live in San Francisco and have already driven the CA coast from Eureka down to Big Sur. Is the OR coast that much different?

Key questions:

- Is there a good place inland to stop halfway for an overnight on the way to Gold Beach? ';Good place'; is defined as good lodging + good food + scenic.

- Should we consider going North to Mt. St. Helens or Yakima or Walla Walla instead?

(fyi 5 hours is probably our max for driving one way.)

Thanks in advance for any insight.

10-day Honeymoon itinerary: Portland and%26hellip;.???

I can relate, I much prefer forests over the beach:)

You can do Mt. St. Helens as an easy day trip from Portland.

I have lived in Yakima, and really do not care for it or the area at all.

What about Bend? Great breweries in the area and lots of mountains/nature. September is a beautiful time of year there. We head over to the area several times each year and never tire of it.

10-day Honeymoon itinerary: Portland and%26hellip;.???

The Oregon coast is spectacular, but then so is Big Sur! ONe difference between the Oregon Coast and the California Coast is that just about all of the Oregon Coast is open and accessible to the public. And most of the coast highway is a bit inland from the shore...in forest. The magnificent views of the Pacific from Cape Perpetua (Yachats) are complemented by great forest trails.

However, if you%26#39;re looking for romantic forest ventures, you can%26#39;t beat Silver Falls State Park%26#39;s 10 waterfall loop...including a couple where the trail takes you behind the waterfall. The park is about a half-hour%26#39;s drive east of Salem. I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll get wine country recommendations and this could be worked into any such itinerary.

I definitely think you could find all that you want between Yachats and Portland. It%26#39;s a long trip down to Gold Beach and unless you%26#39;ll be spending enough time there to do the jetboats up the Rogue, I%26#39;m not sure you%26#39;ll get your money%26#39;s worth out of Tu Tu Tun (although, if you could afford it, that wouldn%26#39;t be a bad honeymoon lair).

Very important note about your route if you do go to Gold Beach.

*Do not* plan to get to Tu Tu Tun directly from I-5 over the mountains. The only way to reach it is from Highwy 101 on the coast, then up the river 7 miles.

Many online maps show a route from Grants Pass. This is a mostly gravel road with no services, no signs, nothing. It is not a highway.

I agree about Tu Tu Tun, but you don%26#39;t have to go that far for that kind of setting. And I wonder if you know that meals there are at communal tables. Having them delivered to your room may be an option; I don%26#39;t remember for sure, though.

I like the suggestion of central Oregon. If not Bend, possibly Sunriver Resort, Black Butte Ranch, or something like Metolius River Resort: http://www.metoliusriverresort.com/. Suttle Lake Lodge is another consideration: http://www.thelodgeatsuttlelake.com/.

And, just because I think it%26#39;d be a nice honeymoon spot, check out Stephanie Inn in Cannon Beach (Oregon%26#39;s Carmel equivalent): http://www.stephanie-inn.com/.

In my opinion, the best reason for Yakima and/or Walla Walla would be if you%26#39;re into wine tasting. Even then, neither area is comparable to Napa or Sonoma.

I would stay at the Stephanie Inn, there is an amazing restaurant there, also where you could have great food! This is one of the nicest places to stay on the entire Oregon Coast, it would be perfect for a honeymoon stay. Have fun! :)

syrah--It may be one of the nicest places, but you haven%26#39;t stayed there so how can you say that?

Addendum to my previous post..... ;-)

If you stick with the Tu Tu Tun plan, I agree with those recommending Yachats. Overleaf Lodge there has a spectacular setting: http://overleaflodge.com/ . Nothing particularly extraordinary about the rooms, though. So, another consideration would be Whale Cove Inn: http://www.whalecoveinn.net/index.htm . I%26#39;ve not stayed there, but stopped by a couple months ago out of curiosity. It doesn%26#39;t look like much from the front, but from what I saw beyond that, Whale Cove Inn might be the nicest lodging on the Oregon coast. I%26#39;m surprised that the website doesn%26#39;t mention the on-site restaurant, 44 Degrees, because I%26#39;ve read good things about it too.

ive been there a number of times and the stephanie inn at cannon beach is a wonderful romantic honeymoon getaway