The Columbia River Gorge Hotel and Spa
DIP INTO SOMETHING MORE COMFORTABLE
How a Gilded-Age developer made the most of the Oregon landscape , and now , so can you .
BY CAM REID aybe I am just really lucky to be living in ever-gorgeous Oregon and it ’ s hard for me to wrap my mind around , but I was rather delightfully taken aback to learn that only an hour outside of Downtown Portland there is a historically certified resort that feels a lot more like a European dream destination than a quick weekender spot just outside of the city where I live . With architecture that is quintessentially West Coast in its alpental-resort-meets-missionstyle-lodging approach , the Columbia River Gorge Hotel and Spa is both a time capsule of American decadence and a timeless approach at merging natural wonders with fine dining and upscale hospitality . Surrounded by stark , wooded mountains threaded by interlocking waterways , the hotel overlooks a 200-plus-foot waterfall formed by Phelps Creek as it pours over the towering cliffs of the Columbia River Gorge . that the best view at the resort is from the top of the hotel ’ s tower , which has exclusive access and is reserved only for the twenty-some couples that tie the knot at the Columbia River Gorge Hotel and Spa each wedding season . Around the grounds , there are all sorts of hidden gems and secret corners for special moments . In the early spring , cherry blossom trees bloom , creating a lovely ( and iconic !) backdrop for wedding photos . The rose garden is quite lovely when the season is right , and various native plants crop up in and out throughout the growing season , under the careful guidance of the resort ’ s expert landscaping team .
The resort ’ s cobblestone overlook is adorned with iron rods and mossy parapets and gives visitors an astonishing view of both the waterfall and the mighty river that it feeds into . But I heard
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