Hi readers! Sorry for all of the blog craziness the last few days! We THINK we’re all squared away now on our new site http://hungrywanderers.com (have you updated your Google Reader feed to http://hungrywanderers.com/feed/ ?) We had some kinks to work out today so if you did update your feed, you might have received some posts from the old site but we think that’s fixed.  Everything from the old site should now be redirected to this brand new site until we get all of our links fixed.  Whew!

Now where were we in posts? Oh, that’s right! Last week, I made a quick business trip up to Portland, Oregon – my first time ever in what I was able to confirm is an incredibly beautiful state.  I know that my opinion may be slightly jaded now that I live in the desert, but it was just SO green there! Apparently, they have had a record amount of rain for June in just their first week! Lucky for me, it didn’t rain the majority of the two days I was in town

When trying to decide where to stay, I originally looked at the regular chains.  However, I decided I didn’t want to be boring and I wanted to find something unique if I could.  I pulled up my trusty Google Maps and searched for “hotel” in the downtown area to see what came up.  After checking out a number of the reviews that came up with the hits, I decided that the Hotel DeLuxe looked like a good bet for me.

While located in downtown Portland, it’s on a quieter street and was easy to find with my handy iPhone.  I checked ahead of time and knew there was valet so I wouldn’t have to worry about trying to find parking and ensuring that my car would be safe.  From the moment I stepped out of my car, I knew that this place was going to be something special.

There are a handful of stairs to head up when you first enter the building.  The valet kindly offered to carry my bag up but since I was only in town for two nights, my bag was nice and light (I like to carry my own bags anyway) so I was just fine.  When I made it to the top, I was welcomed with a beautiful view of the relatively quaint lobby.  It set the tone for the hotel, which prides itself in a 1920s-1940s Hollywood theme.

I headed to check-in and again was thoroughly impressed with the staff.  So far, everyone had been incredibly friendly and personable and made me feel so very welcome (and not in a fake way).  I caught the elevator up to my room and upon exiting the elevator found more early 1900s Hollywood touches.  From etched mirrors to artwork decorating the halls to the carpets and lighting, I loved it all.

My room was directly across from the hotel gym which had a small handful of machines, as well as the business center.  I swiped my key and entered my room to find a cozy, yet spacious room.  I had been told that I was given one of the large rooms of the basic King I had requested.  I don’t need a lot of room, but appreciated the extra space.

I didn’t have much of a view from my room (my windows faced in a center space so all I saw were other windows maybe 10 feet away), but I wasn’t expecting a view from where I was located (and with how little I spend in a hotel room, there was no need).  The ambiance of the room was all I needed.  There was a good size desk as well as a tea/coffee stand and mini bar with a nice selection of goods.

Facing the other side of the room, I had a very large walk-in closet on the left and a reasonably sized bathroom to the right.

Unfortunately, I don’t feel that the lighting portrays the bathroom well at all.  Like everything else, it had a very classic feel to it which I loved.  (I’m not sure how much I’ve portrayed this on the blog, but I love this era so this hotel was a great place for me.)

As I’ve mentioned at other hotels, I love Aveda products so I was excited to see them yet again.

The final touches of the room that added to the room entry experience: the iPod clock, which a lot of hotels have, was set to a Jazz station.  Personally, I’m not usually a Jazz fan, but it went so well with everything else I had experienced in my first impression that it was icing on the cake.  While I didn’t use it again during my stay, there was a little menu featuring specific types of stations for guests.  A nice little touch.

And then, the artwork in the room, matching the rest of the hotel, featured an early 1900s Hollywood theme.

Overall, I was very, very impressed with my stay.  I’ll post later about dining in the hotel, but from top to bottom, I thought that this was one of my best hotel stays ever.  Every employee was incredibly friendly and helpful, and made me feel just the slightest bit important (which feels silly – but it was true! They did!).  The price was comparable to the other boutique hotels in the area and it was in a great walking distance to the sites of downtown Portland.  If I have a reason to stay in Portland again, Hotel DeLuxe will most certainly be at the top of my list of places to stay.