Hotel rooms are not always on the top of my list when a trip involves friends…so for this type of travel (U.S. and abroad) I head to Vacation Rental by Owner – VRBO.com website. It really is all about space and keeping costs manageable. Being with others…it’s much more fun to have a common area to gather and cook and just hang out…not to mention how much more affordable it is to split the cost several ways! After lots of research within our group…months ago we selected and booked four homes throughout our stay in Oregon.
In the heart of Willamette Valley, our first home was right beside a working vineyard with amazing views of Mt. Hood…especially this view early in the morning from my bedroom window when the sun was rising and the fog was starting to lift. (Unfortunately what wasn’t lifting was the fog from all the wine the night before…but I digress.)
The plus about this home was location, location, location…as it was close to everything…downtown Portland, wineries, restaurants, hiking areas…but time just flew by and before we knew it…we were moving on…
…on to this adorable little cabin above in the Mt. Hood area…secluded, comfy, and totally my kind of place from a decor perspective. Warm colors, fun art everywhere, and the constant sound of the Sandy river and that sweet aroma of pine. Oh…time went way too fast in this area too…and it so deserves a longer stay to take in all the amazing hiking areas and everything the Mt. Hood area has to offer…like sitting by the fire and watching it snow! So unique…check this out below…such creativity between the three floors.
Just when you think that life can’t get any better…we head south to Jacksonville…Oregon’s quaint, historic little town right in the heart of Southern Oregon’s wine region. We were welcomed to the Melissa C. Taylor House located just two blocks from all the action…restaurants, shopping and a huge city wide yard sale! Yep, Jacksonville’s once a year sale bringing in hunters and treasure seekers from all over…it’s billed as Southern Oregon’s largest garage sale with homes and businesses all participating in the event. Talk about getting to know a little town! That was such a fun time!
The house was a restored 1800’s Victorian home…
filled with every antique imaginable…
I’ll let a few photos give you an idea…
And then we head to the Gold Beach area of the Oregon Coast to end our three week stay…
Now. This place wasn’t about the inside of the home at all…with the exception of the mass amount of windows to take in the incredible views. It was all about the outside…our own personal beach…with hardly a soul in sight. The Oregon coast totally blew my mind. So special it deserves its own post…so stay tuned!
Of course each property had some sort of caveat or trade-off…but we thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them as they all created fun memories for our group!
More soon! Vermont is calling my name! gg
Oh my goodness!!! What fabulous places you’ve chronicled here! All look so incredible and fun! That last place sitting up on the hill – AMAZING! Thanks for the recommendation of VRBO.com! I definitely plan on checking it out. As always your images are magnificent, Robin! The last one is simply breathtaking! Have a great weekend! xox-M
Thanks Mary! Please do check VRBO out…there are others out there as well, but I’ve found this site to be the best and I’ve used them for years!
OMG!!! What amazing photos of all the amazing views you had in each home! I just love the beachfront property views and Oh MY… you know I LOVE all those antiques in that Victorian home… So glad you had such a wonderful time and that you shared what you saw and learned with us. Love and hugs XoXo
I thought of you so many times while staying at the Victorian house! You would’ve LOVED it as well as the yard sales…even though I know you only LOOK now! Thanks so much! xoxoxo
I would say your group really hit the jackpot with each place. How fun to get to experience so many different types of homes. Beautiful images, especially the sunrise from bed … fantastic!
Happy Weekend ~
That’s what I love about renting a home or condo instead of a hotel room…you get more of a feel for neighborhoods and lifestyles. These four properties were so different from each other and they all had their pluses and minuses…but no place will be perfect and having that understanding going in is a must! Thank you! Happy Weekend to you!
Absolutely the best way to do it when you have a group of family/friends, Robin! We’ll be in the North Georgia Mountains at our very special cabin soon, so I totally get it. And believe it or not, sister Ruth has already found the apartment in Paris for next summer when they come to visit us. It’s adorable and will hold memories of a lifetime. YES YES YES to finding such rental spaces. Kinda makes you want to offer your own apartment in NYC for rent, right, when you’re not there???! 🙂
I love that you are returning to the cabin again! Your photos are always so beautiful from there. Well renting out your apartment in NYC is not that easy…even though we own our apartment there’s still stipulations on what you can and can not do. Our building wants stability with it’s owners and not having every Tom, Dick and Harry coming and going…and…I really like that. Plus there’s lots of worry that comes with letting folks use your home regardless of where it is…and for me right now life’s too short to worry! Safe travels over the pond!!
I totally get that, Robin. I think I could only do it with trusted family/friends!
Exactly!
Hokey Pete!!! Absolutely FABULOUS, each and every one!! This is really the way to go if you ask me. And your photos!!
Thanks Ruth!! Love hearing from Ginnie that you’ve nailed a place in Paris for next year! You go girl!!
Much nicer places than the hotels we stayed in, although I really did like the Timberline Lodge where we could see Mt Hood. I fell onto a rock trying to cross the Sandy River. Fortunately, a man who was gathering mushrooms in the woods directed us to where there was a better log to take across. We hiked to the Ramona Falls. It was my favorite hike of the trip! And now I’m enjoying seeing your photos and hearing the story of what you are doing, which I may use the next time we head to Oregon, which I SO want to do again!
We visited the Timberline Lodge too…just for a look while we were in the area. I don’t know what I was expecting, but thought it would be a little more opulent than what it was…I hadn’t done any research so it was one of those things that I just drew up in my mind I guess. We didn’t make it to Ramona Falls, but others that I’ll showcase soon…and like you I SO want to go again too and next time to the eastern area of the state and play in Bend for a couple of weeks! Thanks Maery for dropping in!
Superb way to travel (As long as you like the ones you are with and have enough room to escape their company. Eh em, you learn a lot about people when you live with them.) – Thank you for the tip and website. Never know, it can come in handy one day.
Oh My Gosh, magnificient views from your bedroom. Sorry about the wine fog but sometimes we just have to go there, even if we pay the price. As far as digressing, as I am the Queen, as you’ve been a victim to my writing, too and I wouldn’t describe you digressing at all!
I love the inside of the cabin and the trees. My favorite! Love antiques and Victorian home and beautiful view of the house from the coast. Just wonderful photos and so glad to have a glimple of where you stayed and what you saw. Amazing how much you got in, in this one trip!
Looking forward to more on Oregon.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Onward and upward to VT, RR!
Love you.
xoxo
Oh for sure Lisa. My group has traveled together for years…so we know going in what we’re getting ha ha! But that still doesn’t mean we all can’t get testy at times. But that’s friendship…just letting it roll off your back. We had a blast and everyone in our group brings something different to the table. We’re even thinking about 2016 or 2017… Yes, we packed in a lot of stuff in this trip, but then it also felt like we had plenty of down time to just hang and be together. It was definitely a trip for the memory books! Thanks always for your comments and dropping in! Love you!
Fantastic. I am going to put this on my travel list… your exact trip : ) We have not used VRBO but do use Airbandb which sounds like the same thing. You can find some unique places to stay.
Thanks Cathy! I know you’ve been so successful with Airbandb…especially in Asia! You really need to visit Oregon…you will love it! It’s probably my favorite state so far! Such diversity in things to do…and experience…especially if you love being outdoors.
WOW…. talk about some great designs for the inside of the house. LOVE the old American Fridge, great colour and with the matching chest.
I would not mind living there and on that spot….keep dreaming… but what is a life without dreams 🙂
Love and hugs.
So true Astrid! I dreamed about living in NYC since I was a little girl…so dreams can come true! 🙂 Enjoy your trip across the big pond! xoxo
You truly managed to find the most amazing places. So much more fun than staying in a hotel.
We are now letting our flat in Berlin and so far it was a good experience….
Oregon looks like a place to discover and your pictures are truly beautiful.
Thanks so much Karen…I totally agree that homes have their place and hotels have theirs….I love both depending on the travel scenario! So happy you’ve had good experiences with renting your flat in Berlin! That’s great!!
What an amazing time! I love staying in houses when I travel; it feels like you get to put your roots down
for just a small slice of time, enough to really belong a bit. Beautiful story of your travels! Thanks for all the
sweet peeks into charming spaces. Inspires me so:)
-Jennifer
Thanks so much Jennifer! I couldn’t agree more with your thoughts about putting your roots down even if it is for a short time. I actually feel more like a local when I’m in a home! Ditto on the inspiration!
Amazing! O Robin your travels are giving me the itchiest feet….
Itchy feet! Love it! Thank you!
These are superb spots, stunning property combined with perfect locations, love the Melissa C Taylor prop but the peach for me would be the coastal one, as a beach hugger thats my favourite.
Oh mine too shooter! That was one fabulous week in that peach! Thank you!!
So beautiful. And your last photo – that’s mastership. Your photos habe become incredibly gorgeous.
Oh, thank you Katrin! Means so much!
A dream come true jaunt! Gorgeous images.
Definitely! Thank you!!