Has anyone ever stayed in a McMenamin's hotel? They are ridic (yeah, I'm cool. I can say words like wiggidy wack).
Marshall and I were first introduced to the McMenamin hotel chain when I went to a weekend women's retreat there and of course, the males tagged along.
We stayed at the Grand Lodge, which is in a Podunk town called Forest Grove (essentially just outside Portland).
The McMenamin brothers (see family can get along) take old historical buildings and restore them to be cute hotels that retain their original character. The Grand Lodge was an old Masonic lodge. No, it's not filled with conspiracy nuts. But instead, it kept a lot of the old decor and spruced it with funky paintings, bars in rooms and a movie theater with couches.
The charm of the place is irresistible. Seriously, I dare you to go there and NOT love it.
Reasons why I love McMenamins.
1. The halls magically smell like lavender but I never see any plants.
2. They usually have large properties where you can play golf, Frisbee golf and drink beer. It's like a classier Vegas.
3. They shove little bars into little nooks and crannies. It's like a scavenger hunt.
4. They always have outside music and fires in the summer months.
5. The hot tub is ridic!!
6. The food is incredible. The servers have ALWAYS been good. We've been about a billion times and I have never over exaggerated anything in my entire life.
7. The decor is soooo unique that you spend most of the time just walking around and looking at things (with beer or wine in your hand).
8. The mentioned above movie theater which you can drink and eat in.
9. It's just fun. Seriously it is like Disneyland for weekend awayers!
10. You could pay $120 for some generic Hilton hotel room with beige this and beige that or you can pay quite a bit less (depending on what hotel you stay in) and have some fun... without having to leave the hotel.
What we love about the ones we've been:
Edgefield (the biggest) has a large property to walk around on (while drinking, of course). It has a great little shed that is a cigar barn. I love the smell of cigars but hate the act of smoking. My favorite place is the front porch, which is lined with old rocking chairs. Also the spa pools are ridic!
Grand Lodge is pretty much the one we stay at the most because well, it's the cheapest. No really, it's a smoking good deal. It has a great Frisbee golf course in which I beat my husband every time. It also has a great yard house that has records all over the ceiling. Marshall and I play a "name that record" game. I pretty much lose after the Spice Girls.
Olympic Club is in Centralia, WA. It is on Main St, which is lined with antique stores. We usually only stay in this one passing through. We love that it has a pool hall in which I beat my husband every time (thank goodness he is not reading this). It also has a great movie & concert venue.
We really want to stay in all of them.
They are also building one in our hometown of Tacoma, WA (Holla, 253). Marshall and I fully intended to take the bus there from our house and stay the weekend. Once we figure out what to do with the kid and the dogs (leave them at home????).
We are long overdue for a McMenamins getaway. Stay tuned for an update!
P.S. It’s kid friendly. Once we found McMenamin’s, we took a deep breath and said, “Okay, we can have a kid and be happy”. Nothing is beige!
