My partner and I stayed at this hotel for over 3 weeks. I was there on business and they were very accommodating and pleasant.. They tend to know after that amount of time your timetable and yet keep a distance. The spa is definately worth a visit, prob hence why it is a spa hotel, but business comes first. The rooms are very clean and spacious, enough for two! Now that she has finished?! ;-) there is a fairly good restaurant/bar very close and a 'local' one about a 5 minute walk away. Also, there is a free car service to town but be aware that sometimes they are busy so find a good bar before calling!? ;-) End of the day, try this place. We don't think you'll be disapointed.

This hotel is further from the streetcar into the city than it appears on the hotels website. The desk staff were also unhelpful in providing directioins to the streetcar. They told me it was "just up the hill". Well, I went "just up the hill" and there was no streetcar. I did find another guest who was also lost. We eventually found the streecar. It's not that far, about the equivalent of 5-6 city blocks away. All told, about 30-40 minutes from the hotel door to downtown. The hotel itself if beautifully designed with large rooms and contemporary details. The rooms were spotless and the bed excellent. The deck overlooking the river is also a real plus. Young staff pleasant but poorly trained. In addition to providing poor directions to the streetcar another clerk almost ran into me rushing through the lobby with the luggage cart, and the valet parking staff was a little too eager for their tips and sometimes short on courtesy. (they also once ran past me helping another guest just as I was trying to get out the door carrying a large suitcase. It would have been nice for them to have held the door for me instead!) The dedicated restaurant has excellent food, well priced, very friendly staff. Really enjoyed eating lunch and dinner there.

My husband and I were really pleased with our recent stay at the Avalon. It is a very posh looking hotel, well appointed and for the most part staffed by very friendly, knowledgable employees. We had a junior suite with a partial river view and it was a really comfortable, spacious room. Our only complaints were that the towels and pillows were pretty substandard for a hotel that was otherwise extremely nice. Also, we were surprised to see "old" TVs in the room rather than flat panels, which are almost becoming standard these days. The spa was WONDERFUL with very attentive service. I got a 30 minute upgrade on my massage for being a hotel guest and full use of the gym and spa facilities, which was a really nice perk. The restaurant next door, AquaRiva, was delicious and the walking path along the river was great.

My husband and I stayed in a riverside room for 2 nights. We checked in memorial day and left 2 days later. I heard they were extremely busy over the holiday weekend but we got there after the rush. Which was excellent because every time I went to the spa it was just myself and a lot of relaxing privacy? PROS: -- A wonderful spa that is not co-ed. Each women's and men's locker room adjoins into the spa. Lockers, dressing rooms, toiletries (if you forget your razor they have you covered), slippers, cold water, showers with doors, a tiled hot tub, steam room, and sauna. It was very relaxing. This was the best spa I've been to in a hotel. -- Rooms on the river with balconies (chairs and table included). -- Nice furnishings (loved the armoire) and plenty of seating. -- A European style door that leads onto the balcony is a very smart design. -- A tile bathroom with lots of room, very spacious. Separate tiles shower and tub area. Shampoo and things were of good quality. -- Nice continental breakfast. An assortment of muffins, breads, cereals, fruit, yogurt, coffee, and juice. -- Nice bathrobes for personal use. -- It's on the river and it's quiet -- It's a green luxury hotel - meaning it adheres to specific standards to be eco-friendly. It is the 7th hotel on the planet certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED hotel. This certification sets the standard for environmental health and quality. We provide our guests with the assurance that their stay will be free of harsh chemicals and pollutants. CONS: -- Thin walls; we heard the neighbors especially when we were in the bathroom or if they were on the balcony. -- Poor lighting. There needs to be a central light and not just in the corners. Additionally, one of the bedside lamps was limp and didn't stay in place. -- Housekeeping was around at 8:30a knocking on the door. We fixed this by putting the do not disturb sign out. 8:30a is pretty earlier for housekeeping to be out in my opinion. Vacuuming was loud even if it wasn't in our room. -- There is no parking except for $18/day valet parking. We knew this before we came and got creative and parked 2 blocks away. However, if you have an alternative fuel car the fee is waived. DIDN'T BOTHER US BUT MIGHT BOTHER YOU: -- It is not on the streetcar. It's about a 5-10m walk away from the last streetcar stop (about 4 stops past the fare-less square). There is a complimentary shuttle to and from downtown which we took advantage of as well. -- We didn't mind the parking as we found a neighborhood 2 blocks away to park in. The hotel doesn't own the land around it, it's owned by businesses and the like so the hotel has to pay for the spots which are passed onto us. Makes sense to me. In general parking is expensive in Portland at all hotels. Some are cheaper but I think the Avalon is on par with others in the downtown area. -- It is not in the heart of downtown but it's easy enough to get to if you take the shuttle or walk to the streetcar. -- The elevator is slow as molasses. While it is a nice elevator to look at you would think for it's young age that it would be faster. Overall, we enjoyed the Avalon and would stay again. The spa, breakfast, and other amenities made it an above-average stay for us at a boutique hotel. We travel to Portland every year (5th year as a couple) and this was the best hotel so far. I can't give it an excellent until they fix the lighting, housekeeping hours, and sound-proofing. We did happy hour at their restaurant aquariva and the staff was excellent and the beers were cold. We ordered their almonds and fries and the almonds won hands down. They are delicious and not like the almonds you get at the supermarket. Recommended for locals, couples, professionals, seniors.

We were driving through Portland and had planned to stay for one night. We wanted to be relatively close to town so we could go in for dinner. The Avalon has a lot of positives, nice large establishment, on the river, quiet location. The rooms are nice, similar to a Hyatt. We enjoyed the spa amenities--saunas and jacuzzi, and you can catch the light rail street car into town. It is a pleasant ride, just about a 10 minute walk from the hotel at $1.75 per person round trip. It seemed like a safe area, largely deserted, especially on the weekend. Overall it was a comfortable stay, but I felt that the staff are trained to be very welcoming and attentive, but do not follow through. We were told that they had a towncar that could take us into town AND pick us up, but when I inquired about it, they seemed to be preoccupied with other guests and I barely received a response. We decided to take the street car into town, but even when I asked for a number to call from town to be picked up, the young man seemed inconvenienced to have to look for a card for me, telling us it was on the valet claim check. I didn't realize that they charged $18 each night for parking so that was a bit of a shock. We were given one of the worst rooms in terms of views--the back of the air conditioning unit--even a partial view would make all the difference. That would be something to really fight for. Also, the carpet in the hall was stained and worn which was really surprising given how they try to sell the place as so high end. The continental breakfast was sparse but good quality. They serve it on each floor in the elevator lobby, but it was quite an undertaking to get any food or coffee back to the room, as they don't leave any trays. Kind of reminded me of "finger food" where they don't offer any utensils because they don't want you to eat too much. I took a lovely walk along the river in the morning and that was great. Not a bad place to stay at all, but not the glamorous and accomodating place they make it out to be.