Columbia Gorge Hotel

A beautiful historic hotel built on a cliff overlooking the Columbia River; Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River, Oregon.  This is a great hotel for a romantic getaway but I wouldn’t recommend it for a family trip unless your children are older.  The hotel has manicured lawns, sculpted gardens, and it’s own waterfall (named the Wah Gwin Gwin falls and is 208 feet tall).  I do have to say there are a few tiny details that I thought should be looked into but none that would keep me from staying here again the next time I’m in the area.  The bedrooms are on the small side since it is an old hotel, but our room had a large closet and the bathroom was a decent size and recently updated.  The bed was big and comfy and our view was outstanding.  We had a King River View room.  Worth every penny. Sadly we did not have the opportunity to try the restaurant or the spa but I hear great things about both.  This is an excellent place to stay if you intend to tour the scenic Columbia River Gorge and is a short drive into town for plenty of shopping and dining options.

My favorite feature was the old elevator.  The elevator needs to be operated by a member of the staff and is generally only used to transport you and your luggage at check in and check out.  When you step in the outer door is shut, the inner gate is shut and then a hand crank is used to manually raise and lower the elevator.  It was a pretty awesome step back in time.

The hotel staff was friendly and helpful and we definitely are looking forward to a future visit to the Columbia Gorge Hotel.