Jantzen Island or Gresham?

Trying to figure out the best location/ hotel to stay on the end leg of a Gorge trip.

I%26#39;m looking at a Sunday night stay.

I%26#39;ve found Oxford Suites Jantzen Island, looks very nice,appears to have a river side walk nearby, and not bad rate at $123 incl. tax. But am I going to get stuck in traffic going north on Monday morning?

Then there%26#39;s the lesser Days Inn Gresham/Portland ( it%26#39;s the one that%26#39;s #1 of 7 in Grehsam on the hotel%26#39;s list), it looks OK but there%26#39;s no way of knowing how %26#39;aged%26#39; the rooms might be, the reviews are pretty OK and the rate is good at $67 incl. tax.

Any input welcomed.

Jantzen Island or Gresham?

We%26#39;ve stayed at Oxford Suites many times. Very nice, large rooms, micro/fridge, even a *slight* river view from top floor back side ;-) Excellent full buffet breakfast, evening reception (free appetizers %26amp; wine/beer), great staff, nice quiet area.

You%26#39;re going north on Monday? The big congestion on I-5 is south in the morning, north in the afternoon.

If you are thinking about the airport area, consider the Clarion. Have stayed there twice and will again every time we%26#39;re in Portland. Just spent last night there, as a matter of fact. Decent sized rooms, nice micro/fridge/cupboard/sink unit, everything clean and nice. Pretty view of the small lake there. Great breakfast - full complete buffet. Wonderful desk staff. And . . . $78/night! (AARP rate)

Both have wonderful beds with comforters.

Both these hotels do get jet noise, of course. They quit about 12:15 at night and start sometime early morning but it doesn%26#39;t bother us.

Not familiar with Days Inn Gresham.

Jantzen Island or Gresham?

First, just to be geographically correct, it is Jantzen Beach, not Jantzen Island.

While both lodgings are similar, I would go for Jantzen Beach. The only reason I say that is that it puts you closer to PDX, if you are flying out. Also, you will have far more choices of places to dine that night.

Not putting down Gresham, as a lodging stay, but staying over night, in Gresham, is more of a ';we need to stop now and there is decent lodging';.

The Days Inn is right off the freeway. Not much else around there. Traffic can get a little backed up at the I-205 merge as well. There are a bunch of fast food restaurants around. The Francis Xavier%26#39;s restaurant near there does an excellent breakfast, and is runs a pretty good dinner special (usually along the lines of steak and some sort of seafood).

As half-brit said, most of the traffic in the morning is going south, so you would not run in to much trouble leaving from Jantzen Beach. In fact, I think you would be better off staying at Jantzen Beach.

If we%26#39;re getting real technical here, isn%26#39;t it Jantzen Beach on Hayden Island?

;-)

Yes, technically it is Hayden Island. Jantzen Beach is the name of the amusement park that once stood there, then the shopping mall. Then the even smaller shopping mall and the collection of stores.

I live in Gresham, and don%26#39;t mind sleeping here at all!! LOL!!

Getting real technical, it was past 2am when I wrote the post; I knew it was Hayden Island on the map, though the brain did not correspond! lol

Thanks for the assistance.

Half-Brit, the Clarion looks pretty OK too, though some of the reviews make it sound like Fawlty Towers!

I guess I am still leaning to the Days Inn with the cheap rate, after all, saving $60 is part of a pair of shoes for a girl!

But....if anyone knows anything about the place.

And anymore suggestions welcomed.

If you are traveling north on Monday morning, you might consider crossing the I-205 bridge and staying in Vancouver instead of going to Jantzen Beach. There are plenty of good options in the Vancouver Mall area.

If you are just looking for a clean, comfortable place to lay your head for the night, then the Days Inn would be fine I am sure. It is near the freeway, and would be a quick hop on point in the morning.

So, if I stay at the Days Inn, what%26#39;s the traffic like on Monday morning heading east on I84?

Also, what%26#39;s the noise level of the Clarion as it seems to be on final approach to the airport? I%26#39;m an open windows sleeper am I going to go crazy with the noise?!

Both the Clarion and Oxford Suites get airport noise. Virtually *every* hotel, home and business around the airport gets airport noise.

We had the window open the other night and it didn%26#39;t bother us, however, we are both ';heavy'; sleepers. It%26#39;s impossible to tell how it will affect you! As I said earlier, the flights stop at around 12:15 or so at night, and pick up sometime early morning.

Where are you headed in the morning? You%26#39;re going east on I-84?

vc