The Bravo team recently made the trip up to the Gorge to meet with current and potential clients, along with the Columbia River Gorge Visitor’s Association to promote the regional expansion of Bravo! The meeting took place at the Brick Haven Bed & Breakfast, a nice place to stay if you’re visiting the Gorge!

While we were in town we toured multiple properties, and found some great locations for weddings, events, honeymoons and weekend getaways! Our first stop was at the Columbia Cliff Villas, where the motto is “easy to get to, hard to leave!” The hotel itself is gorgeous, with hard wood floors and modern amenities (flat screen TV’s and wireless internet in every room!), and with picture windows, the views cannot be beat. If you do find it hard to pack up and leave, the hotel offers ownership options for 18 of their luxury villas! Located right next door to the Cliff Villas is the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel, a luxury boutique hotel that is worth a peak even if you don’t plan to stay the night! Another option is the newly renovated hotel, Best Western Hood River Inn. It is located on the shore of the Columbia River, and they have just added gorgeous suites that overlook the Columbia River—a spectacular nighttime view.

During our time at the Gorge we went to the Cathedral Ridge Winery, where we enjoyed tasting a variety of wines while listening to stories from Rob. He told us about the local climate, and how every grape they use is grown within 25 miles of Cathedral Ridge. Aside from tasting and tours, the winery also is a great location for company parties, social events, and wedding receptions.  Our final stop for the day was Hood River’s newest hidden gem, Mt. Hood Winery. With breathtaking views you will experience 360 degrees of mountain vistas. The winery is available for weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, and corporate events.

We stayed at Skamania Lodge, to which we give rave reviews. The Lodge is amazing, as are the pool and the 18-hole golf course. We ended our day sitting out front watching the gorgeous sunset, a truly amazing experience.

On our way back, we stopped at the Carson Ridge Cabins. This hotel is a great place to hold a retreat or family reunion, as each cabin is private and luxurious. You can spend your time at the in-house spa, drive the Fruit Loop, “a 35-mile, scenic drive through the valley’s orchards, forests, farmlands”, or visit Carson Hot Springs which is less than a mile away!

This trip made us appreciate how truly beautiful Oregon is.  

The VIPlanners had the best trip ever! The event started out at the Bravo offices. Each planner was greeted with a hand calligraphy name badge by Alesia Zorn Calligraphy (so, we all knew who everyone was). They boarded the luxury VIP PDX bus and what a bus it is. Large comfy leather seats with the best bathroom you have ever seen. Graham, owner and host served us well and provided some great music! They took us to the Vista Hills Winery, where Stephanie served us 5 different varieties of fabulous Oregon wines. From there, VIP PDX took us to the Allison Inn & Spa, where Joanne Austin and Lori greeted us. We sat sat down to a beautiful table made possible by Barclay Event Rental menu cards by Uncommon Invites and flowers designed by Leah Clouser of Sweet Nellie’s. Joanne shared her vision with us and how she made her dream possible. Owners Jim and Vicky of Gourmet Productions provided the most amazing lunch! After lunch Lori took us on a hard hat tour of The Allison. This place is amazing! So much thought and details has gone into the planning. If you are looking to plan an event in Mid-Willamette wine country, this is definitely the place. Their grand opening is set for September 2009.