I’m in the habit of treating Ruth to travel on her birthday. I will never top the birthday that encompassed Athens and Istanbul. On the evening before her big day, we were in a Greek restaurant on the 2nd floor with a great view of the Parthenon outside our window in the moonlight. It was, to say the least, sensational. We did not make a big deal of her birthday after COVID began to affect our lives. But this year we decided to resume our birthday celebrations, so I treated Ruth to a night at the Allison Inn.
The Allison is Oregon’s only 5 star resort, and it is close to Portland in Newberg at 2525 Allison Lane. The Allison is trying to recover its mystique after COVID affected it. The Allison is a high-end resort featuring large but anonymous rooms that the staff calls serene and are. It contains 85 luxury hotel rooms and 8 suites. Our experience included dining at Jory’s, Allison’s on-site restaurant. More about it later.
The Allison Inn is amid many Oregon Wineries. There are 200 of them nearby. This is one of its chief features. In fact, this inn’s own grape vines greet visitors at it entrance. It opened for business in 2009. Its wood and stone buildings feature oversized windows in each room. Each sleeping accommodation has a balcony for viewing the rolling hillsides covered with thriving grape vines. The bathroom was spa-like. It was surely a luxurious escape kind of place, calm and elegant. About 100 regional artists contributed pieces to its decor. It’s a masterpiece of glass, sculpture, photography, and paintings worth paying attention to.
Ruth’s treat included a facial by a girl named Madison. It was expensive, and Ruth liked other facials better. Madison massaged oils into her face during her herbal infusion, anti-aging facial extravaganza. Madison being relatively new at her job, Ruth was expecting information about products used and given suggestions for facial maintenance, but that did not happen.
There was a Jory’s bar menu in our room along with other food treats. We arrived early for dinner and the staff willingly moved us to the bar and closer to the live music. We ordered Jory’s signature hamburger with bacon and cheese. Dinner included a salad and a glass of wine. Jory’s was fine but expensive for what we had. We were surprised that a hamburger with extras could cost more than $100, but it did. This did not seem so surprising when we considered that this is a luxury resort where guests pay upwards of $465 for a night’s accommodation.
The next morning we traveled from Newberg to a bakery in Carlton, Oregon. It had sensational, celebratory rolls to enjoy. We went from there to the local Adelsheim winery for a tasting and tour. Their pinots and whites did Oregon proud and we certainly appreciated Oregon’s family-owned and operated wineries. We had a great time but hope to travel farther in 2023 for Ruth’s birthday.
Hank
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