Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Of Portland’s neighborhoods on the west side, Nob Hill is the least crowded and most relaxing. You’ll find just a handful of inns and hotels in this area, all with easy access to the cool shopping and dining of Northwest 23rd and 21st avenues as well as the natural beauty and several attractions of Forest Park and Washington Park. This isn’t as central a neighborhood as downtown, but the streetcar and several bus lines connect Nob Hill to downtown, and when the weather is nice, it’s a pleasant 20- to 40-minute walk to reach the Pearl District (just east) and downtown.
Bright colors, bold patterns, and retro designs create a cheerful vibe at this hotel, which contains upscale apartment-style suites with full kitchens or kitchenettes as well as patios (or balconies) adjoining most units, and a garden terrace for all guests to use. All suites have two TVs, an iHome and USB ports, and large sitting areas, and the complimentary continental breakfast is quite good.
On the northern edge of Portland's trendy Nob Hill neighborhood, this reliable branch of the ubiquitous, midprice, Holiday Inn Express chain offers large, updated rooms if not much personality. On-site is an indoor pool and fitness center. A generous hot buffet breakfast is included for guests.
The closest hotel in town to Washington Park, this comfortable if not especially fancy apartment-style hotel is one of the city's better-kept secrets; it's on the southern edge of the Nob Hill shopping district, and about a 15-minute walk from downtown. Suites have one or two bedrooms and come with spacious, work-friendly living areas and kitchens stocked with dishware, lots of cabinet space, and a full-size refrigerator, stovetop, microwave, and dishwasher. Standard rooms, which are in a motel-style building across the street, have bamboo floors and a simple midcentury-modern aesthetic.
If you don't mind shared-bath accommodations, this European-style B&B in the heart of Nob Hill and Alphabet District is a terrific bargain given the great location. The six rooms in this handsome early-20th-century house have queen beds and simple, tasteful furnishings; a few of them have additional single beds that accommodate a third guest for $10 nightly. Help yourself in the morning to complimentary juice, coffee, tea, cereals, and a common microwave, toaster oven, and fridge.
The sole Portland branch of a small, Seattle-area, mid-priced hotel chain is just a block from the lively upper end of N.W. 23rd Avenue and a great alternative to the bustle of Downtown. The spacious, contemporary rooms—including standards and minisuites—have large HDTVs, microwaves and refrigerators, and premium bath products. It's a pleasant 10-minute walk to the streetcar. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served in the quite good Urban Steel Kitchen + Bar.
