By The Trip Sisters

Finding the time to get away isn’t always easy. That’s why, when you have the time, it’s important to find the right place to visit. Located in the Pacific Northwest, Portland is the perfect getaway for anyone looking for an eclectic city that has a great food scene, outdoor adventures, and plenty of unique shops and attractions. We’re here to help you plan the perfect trip to Portland!

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When planning your trip, one of the most important things to determine is your lodging. Portland is known for its walkability, so finding a central location is essential to planning your trip. We chose to stay at WorldMark Portland - Waterfront Park, which is located just across the street from the Willamette River in the center of a vibrant dining and shopping district. It’s also just steps away from Tom McCall Waterfront Park, which is home to a variety of outdoor events and most of the city’s summer festivals, including the Saturday Market (the largest arts and craft outdoor market in the U.S.), the annual Portland Rose Festival, Oregon’s Brewers Festival, the Blues Fest, and more.

The interesting thing about WorldMark Portland is that it is one of WorldMark by Wyndham’s timeshare properties. But this isn’t your grandma’s timeshare. This brand new resort is located in an incredible spot in downtown Portland. With industrial touches and modern interpretations of classic elements throughout, the Rose City-inspired design extends from the bright, open lobby to the suites with graphic murals reminiscent of the local neighborhood, with brick façades, exposed shelving and more.

WorldMark by Wyndham owners don’t just get to experience this one amazing resort; timeshare owners use flexible points to book a suite at one of 220 properties worldwide, so they can choose where they want to go and when they want to go, year after year. Beyond having access to amazing resorts and destinations around the world, another benefit of being a timeshare owner is that you’ve already bought and paid for your vacations for life, so you can carve out the time every year to make amazing memories with your loved ones. But if you aren’t a timeshare owner yet, do not fret! You can try out WorldMark by Wyndham resorts at www.ExtraHolidays.com, where you can book a suite the same way you’d book a hotel room, and find out for yourself what makes being a WorldMark by Wyndham owner so great.

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What made our stay at WorldMark Portland - Waterfront Park so incredible was the ability to book a two bedroom suite. Being sisters, as much as we love spending time together, it is great to have our own spaces that we both can retreat to after a long day, while still having that shared living space when we want to do something together.

If you want a relaxing night in, you can pick up some food at one of the many farmers markets nearby (we opted for the Lloyd Farmers Market) and cook a nice meal in the fully-equipped kitchen or kitchenette available in every suite. And to cap off the evening, we recommend buying a bottle of wine and enjoy sitting out on the WorldMark Portland’s terrace. While we could have enjoyed our entire getaway just relaxing at the resort, WorldMark Portland’s prime location to the many attractions nearby made it so easy for us to get out and really explore what Portland has to offer.

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you are like us (or at least Colleen), that means coffee! In that case, what better place for us to visit in Portland than Sisters Coffee? Founded in 1989 in Sisters, Oregon, Sisters Coffee became the first roasters to the Central Oregon region. Originally roasted in 5lb batches, the company has since grown to roast over 235,000 lbs of coffee a year. You can either visit their flagship cafe and roastery in Sisters, Oregon or you can do what we did and stop in at the cafe located in Portland’s Pearl District. We highly recommend their Portland signature Rose Latte and, for a bite to eat, the avocado toast. However if you aren’t a coffee drinker, Sisters Coffee also offers a variety of other non-coffee drinks as well. Catie definitely took advantage of their vast tea selection!

Once you are freshly caffeinated, put that energy to good work and check out Portland’s Pearl District for some shopping! This district is the perfect place for any shopper, with stores that range anywhere from clothes to books and so much more. One place we recommend visiting is MadeHere PDX. Here, local artists and makers from Portland are able to showcase their products that include anything from guitar amplifiers to backpacks, to beauty products to food. We love that you can choose from a wide variety of items and help support local artists. If you are looking for a place that really embodies Portland’s culture and vibe, MadeHere PDX is the place to shop.

If you have worked up an appetite from all your shopping, we recommend stopping by Deschutes Brewery. Founded in 1988 in Bend, Oregon, Deschutes Brewery is known for their variety of craft beers such as the Black Butte Porter and the Mirror Pond Pale Ale. However, you don’t need to go to Bend in order to visit one of their brew pubs as there is one right in the heart of Portland’s Pearl District. Open for both lunch and dinner, this is a great place to grab a pint while enjoying food such as their pub burger or chicken schnitzel. And don’t forget the dessert! We really enjoyed the peanut butter caramel cheesecake. It was so good that we learned we don’t always like to share!

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Perhaps you prefer a glass of wine. If so, then be sure to head over to Park Avenue Fine Wines. Located in the heart of downtown Portland, Park Avenue Fine Wines is known not only for its excellent variety of wines but also as a restaurant Tuesday-Saturday. Named Portland Monthly’s chef of the year, Karl Holl serves as the permanent residency chef and specializes in farm-to-table cooking. We highly recommend trying the thousand-layer lasagna, and be sure to grab a bottle of locally-produced Portland wine to bring back to your suite at WorldMark Portland at the end of the evening. Fun fact: Chef Karl also created exclusive, locally-inspired recipes that WorldMark Portland guests can recreate in their in-suite kitchens or on the shared resort grills! So, if you want to really live like a local, you can stay in and fire up the grill to try out the Chef’s recipes for yourselves. You can check out one of the recipes here.

Being away from home can sometimes make you miss a good home-cooked meal like your mom used to make. Well, if you’re visiting Portland, you are in luck! Mother’s Bistro and Bar is the perfect place to go for a home-cooked meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s got something for everyone in the family and it was just a very quick 3-minute walk from the WorldMark Portland. Opened in 2000, Mother’s focuses on bringing you meals from mothers all around the world with such classics as pot roast, chicken and dumplings, and meatloaf. Be sure to check out the “Mother of the Month” menu which celebrates the cuisine of a different mother each month. Whether you are a mother or not, everyone can appreciate a place like this.

Once you are all set and refueled be sure to check out Multnomah Falls. Located approximately 40 minutes outside of Portland, in the Columbia River Gorge, this 620 ft waterfall is the perfect place to end your trip. With great hiking trails and picturesque views, it is the perfect place to re-energize yourself and relax while enjoying nature. You will want to venture to this waterfall for a great photo that will truly encapsulate your trip to this great city.

Thanks for joining the Trip Sisters on our journey around Portland. Wherever your Portland adventure takes you, we hope you enjoy the City of Roses as much as we did!