Inns, Hotels, B&Bs; in the Great Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is a natural delicacy with rocky coastlines, verdant mountains and fertile farmlands. At times its exterior can appear gray, its climate sober, its waters chilled and its mountains temperamental. But at other moments it is warm and sunny and frosted with wildflowers under constantly changing skies and crystal-clear air.

There are many wonderful places to stay. The inns, hotels and bed and breakfasts that follow are a few of its treasures.

April Point Lodge: P.O. Box 1, Campbell River, B.C. V9W 4Z9, Canada (about 100 miles north of Vancouver on Quadra Island), (604) 285-2222; double rooms start at $99 a night. This is not roughing it. April Point Lodge is perhaps the finest fishing lodge in the Northwest and not just because the knowledge the fishing guides have is based on generations of experience. Cabins are attractive, with large fireplaces, and food is outstanding. You must fly or take a ferry in.

Columbia Gorge Hotel: 4000 Westcliff Drive, Hood River, Ore. 97031 (about an hour east of Portland), (503) 386-5566 or (800) 345-1921; double rooms start at $135 a night. On a cliff overlooking Columbia Gorge, just above where hundreds of windsurfers zip back and forth across the river. If you’re going to stay in this handsome hotel, a gorge-side room is a must (otherwise you may find yourself overlooking and overhearing Interstate 84). A seven-course breakfast comes with an overnight room. It’s so big it’s frightening.

Four Seasons Olympic Hotel: 411 University St., Seattle, Wash. 98101 (downtown), (206) 621-1700 or (800) 223-8772; double rooms start at $190 a night. Seattle’s most elegant hotel, it’s not as luxurious as you might expect, but refreshingly simple. The service is gracious and the hotel exhibits four-star touches.

Hastings House: P.O. Box 1110, Ganges, B.C. VOS 1EO, Canada (halfway between Vancouver and Victoria in the Gulf Islands), (604) 537-2362; double rooms start at about $200 a night, including breakfast and afternoon tea. A remarkable place in part due to the surroundings amid fruit trees, gardens and rolling lawns that overlook a peaceful cove on Salt Spring Island. A dozen suites in four renovated farm buildings. Our favorite is the Hayloft with its bay window seat, Franklin stove and folk art. The service is especially prompt and efficient.

The Heathman Hotel: 1009 S.W. Broadway, Portland, Ore. 97205 (downtown), (503) 241-4100 or (800) 551-0011; double rooms start at $125 a night. The place to stay in Portland, it has afternoon tea each day, an exquisite marble bar for the evening, elegant rooms and one of Portland’s finest restaurants. You feel well taken care of but not fussed over.

The James House: 1238 Washington St., Port Townsend, Wash. 98368 (about 50 miles northwest of Seattle); (206) 385-1238; double rooms start at $60 a night. Among the Northwest’s first B&Bs; and Port Townsend’s finest Victorian home. James House has about a dozen antique decorator rooms, though the best ones face Puget Sound. The main floor has two beautiful parlors, each with a fireplace.

Mattey House Inn: 10221 N.E. Mattey Lane, McMinnville, Ore. 97128 (35 miles southwest of Portland), (503) 434-5058; double rooms start at $55 a night, including breakfast. The Mattey House stands behind its own little vineyard, like a remote French manor. It’s an 1890s Victorian mansion. It has nice extra touches such as fresh flowers, plush bathrobes and, appropriately, a glass of wine in the parlor. The hosts are enthusiastic guides to the Willamette Valley wine country.

Mazama Country Inn: P.O. Box 223, Mazama, Wash. 98833 (185 miles northeast of Seattle), (509) 996-2681; double rooms start at $58 a night. A spacious lodge in the middle of pristine Methow Valley, where in the winter guests cross-country ski over the 100 miles of groomed trails. In the summer they explore the valley on horseback. The original inn was a converted farmhouse but the new cedar building has a bit more charm. It’s rural without being rustic. Dining is family style.

Paradise Ranch Inn: 7000-D Monument Drive, Grants Pass, Ore. 97526 (about 200 miles south of Portland, about 61 miles north of the California border), (503) 479-4333; double rooms start at $83 a night. Imagine a working dude ranch turned into a Northwest resort. That’s exactly what you’ll find here, with activities ranging from trout fishing to tennis, swimming in a heated outdoor pool to hiking. But best of all, it’s not a sprawling resort. Having only 18 rooms makes it very peaceful.

Sylvia Beach Hotel: 267 N.W. Cliff, Newport, Ore. 97365 (about 114 miles southwest of Portland); (503) 265-5428; double rooms start at $50 a night. In this informal bluff-top hotel for bookworms, each of the 20 rooms is decorated in a different literary theme. For instance, the Agatha Christie room is in green English chintz with a tiled fireplace and items that served as clues in Christie mysteries. The best part of the hotel is the library on the third floor that has a fireplace, lots of comfortable chairs and a wide-open view of the Pacific.

Tyax Mountain Lake Resort: Tyaughton Lake Road, Gold Bridge, B.C. VOK 1PO, Canada (about 110 miles north of Vancouver), (604) 238-2221; double rooms start at $98 a night. This place defines indulgence for the active minded. The best way to get here is by float plane. It’s right by a lake, though the key to fun here is “heli” anything: heli-skiing, heli-hiking, even heli-fossil hunting. You can stay in the large log lodge but if you arrive with a group try to reserve one of the three chalets on Tyaughton Lake.

The Willows: 2579 West Shore Drive, Lummi Island, Wash. 98262 (about 100 miles north of Seattle), (206) 758-2620; double rooms start at $90 a night. On pastoral Lummi Island, the Willows has only four rooms but all are very comfortable.

However, it’s the Saturday night dinner, really a feast, that has won such a following among locals. It begins at sunset on the porch to the accompanyment of a harpist and guitarist and finishes five courses later in the sitting room with a civilized glass of port. Dinner cost is $75. Reservations are required.