Travlingirl's Blog

During a business trip here back in Oct. 2008 we got to stay in the luxurious Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel. The beds were the most comfortable I’ve ever slept in and the customer service was outstanding. They bent over backwards to make sure our conference there went off without a hitch. One attendee who had driven to the conference mentioned her grocery bags had been misplaced somewhere between her car and the delivery of her luggage to her room. The hotel staff searched but could not find them. In the meantime she had to attend the opening session of our conference and by the time she returned to her room, the hotel had provided a spread of appetizers for her group. This place goes above and beyond in service. The gift shop was also exceptional with some unique (although expensive) items such as speciality Christmas ornaments and fine wine from Portland vineyards. Although the weather was overcast the view from our hotel was exquisite – the leaves were a multitude of yellow, red and orange all over the city. I definitely will be going back one day as there are many sites I wanted to see – The Classical Chinese Garden, The Grotto, Oregon Coast, The Wine Country and much more. The food at the hotel was absolutely fabulous and I gained a few I’m sure during my stay. We went to Fratelli’s one night and I had the best ravioli with some kind of fig filling – DELICIOUS. The flavor was very unique, a little sweet but not too much. Definitely worth trying. The only thing about Fratelli’s is it was quite dark and even though we asked for more lighting (we had to use the candles on the table to read the menu) we never got more than the candlelight. The picturesque walking trails across the street from the hotel at the Waterfront Park would have helped keep those pounds at bay but alas we had our nose to the grindstone the whole time.They also have a Starbucks in the lobby and fresh, naturally flavored water is available (free) in front of the elevators. One day it would be water with lemons, another day with strawberries. yummy. Wherever I go I like to take a few photos and get a few postcards as a momento of my stay (in addition to sending to the kids).
[rockyou id=133303915&w=426&h=319]