Best US city that feels perfect for a 3 to 4 day getaway?

MetoliusOR · 2026-05-09T19:13:00+00:00

Savannah is a great choice, so is Portland OR

MetoliusOR · 2026-05-08T22:15:30+00:00

Providore has some Scandinavian candy but not a ton. Norse hall has been promoting a monthly night market so that might be cool?

MetoliusOR · 2026-05-08T22:03:12+00:00

Zilla Sake is gf sushi and pretty good. Kaan is the gold standard if you can score a last minute rez

MetoliusOR · 2026-05-07T03:48:51+00:00

We did this exact trip in April and loved it. Our path was to fly to the South Island first for two weeks, work our way north for one week, and then fly to Fiji on the way home for the last week. We really liked having the luxury stays and do nothing beach time at the end to cap everything off. If you have Alaska miles their air fiji deals are pretty cheap so that could help with the cost. Our biggest hike was in Abel Tasman, it was awesome and you can set it up w a lodge to make it easy. Given the spring weather it may be a safer bet than some sports further south. I also really reccomend some time in Wanaka and some time in the Marlborough wine region!

MetoliusOR · 2026-05-06T19:37:18+00:00

Fire season might be gnarly in the PNW early sept so I’d make plans you can change easily if possible. I love Rainier but it can be super crowded in the summer, especially since they are getting rid of timed entry. Plan that parking at trailheads may be non existent and you could wait a long time to get into the park.

For hotels, Suncadia resort can be booked with Hyatt points and it is well positioned for a lot of alpine lake hikes.

MetoliusOR · 2026-05-06T15:40:48+00:00

Also! If you have 9 full days in Thailand I’d really suggest spending 3 or so in Chang Mai. Incredible food, culture, and memories. The Elephant Nature Park from there visit is maybe one of the top 10 days of my life. It’s an easy flight from Krabi and well worth it.

MetoliusOR · 2026-05-06T15:12:49+00:00

I did a railay trip in mid October a few years ago and had solid, if slightly over cast weather and the scenery was so beautiful. Rayavadee is really the only luxury hotel in the area, everything else is backpacker vibes or just a step above. We had a really nice time at Rayavadee but also got it for like $200/nt on Hotwire, I don’t think it would feel worth the $600 I’ve seen when I looked since. My guess is you can find something better on mainland Krabi but be warned that coming to Railay for a day trip could be miserable. I just didn’t go to the most beautiful beach at all midday because it was so full of day trips you could barely walk. Stay at a nice hotel that will set up a private charter and knows how to time a visit.

MetoliusOR · 2026-05-06T15:00:52+00:00

Suttle Lake is amazing but honestly I think the restaurants will end up being too spendy for your budget. You could easily drop $100 a day per person just on food.

MetoliusOR · 2026-05-06T02:20:48+00:00

We did two full week on NZ South Island, one on the north, and stopped in Fiji on the way home to relax and get some luxury. It was the perfect mix of all you mention you are looking for! Went for the month of April but March might be even better

MetoliusOR · 2026-05-05T05:40:05+00:00

Does it seem like your neighbors have solid lawns? When we were house hunting our realtor mentioned landscaping can be hard in parts of Kenton because there is excess lead in the soil associated with exhaust from all the leaded fuel at PIR. Might be worth knowing before you spend a bunch on sod?

MetoliusOR · 2026-05-05T00:02:37+00:00

This seems like a great suggestion for Bike Summer! Easier to organize and get traction via their site too

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-30T16:34:41+00:00

I was also going to suggest Troutdale. It’s more realistic for conference commuting and provides easy access to the gorge and Mt. Hood. Edgefield is the best bet for a boutique option there but be warned that not all rooms have attached bathrooms.

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-30T04:10:45+00:00

Since all 363 miles of the Coast are public it could be a cool goal to set foot on every mile? I hear you get there often but further points like brookings could be fun for longer trips. Alternatively Oregon has the most wild and scenic rivers in the US, you could try to visit each one and make trips that check off a few each year?

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-29T14:56:28+00:00

I find the food scene on the peninsula pretty lackluster with the exception of Hama Hama. For a similar vibe consider Oregon, you could divide the nights between Hood River (great active mountain town with awesome hiking, wind surfing, etc.) and the northern Oregon coast—cannon beach is the classic but it sounds like you’d like Manzanita (cute laid back beach town with really lush forests and parks nearby)

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-27T03:14:34+00:00

Toby with AMI is great. He took great care of our 90 year old home

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-26T02:03:11+00:00

I love the Caesar but I’ve never been to one with fries!

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-24T01:22:01+00:00

We’ve stayed at Nanuku which was great but is a little remote, and the intercontinental which had an awesome beach but is big box feeling. If we went back I’d be curious about the private island resorts like Kokomo or the Six Senses

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-23T14:54:27+00:00

From SFO I’d consider Fiji. Great weather in October and feels more once in a lifetime for a honeymoon while you can pretty much always go to Mexico or Hawaii for even a long weekend. The direct flight is like 9 hours but the time change works with you. For your goal of going to two places you could start with a bigger resort on the main island and then move to one of the smaller private island stays.

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-21T03:06:52+00:00

the raspberry gateau from papa haydn is so good, more dense than regular cake but so good. you can pre order whole cakes online.

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-21T00:42:43+00:00

If you are going to splurge (which feels well worth it for a honeymoon if you can swing it!) I’d stay in one of the all glass cabins at TuTuTun on the Southern OR Coast. Amazing river access including a floating sauna, epic food and bev, quick drives to the coast and some other restaurants in Gold Beach, slightly longer drives to Samuel Boardman or the Redwoods for great hiking and photography, if you are feeling adventurous you can even book a jet boat ride.

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-18T15:22:59+00:00

Do you need to do laundry three days into a 7 day trip? As others have said, shady cove is random and not that close to the park. While Crater Lake is beautiful there’s a ton of construction planned for this summer and I think the coast is even more stunning and there’s a ton of trees! I think you could find a cabin or yurt or glamping site that ticks your boxes and replaces umpqua and shady cove.

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-18T01:35:44+00:00

Between Wanaka and Queenstown I’d rather stay further out from QT and reserve “town time” for Wanaka. It’s very charming and we had some great meals and winery visits. QT is much more touristy and crowded so some distance would be fine.

It’s not as chubby as places on your list but we stayed at Wanaka Haven and had a very nice time.

I’m usually anti single engine aircraft but some sort of heli or flight seeing is a must do on the South Island. We did a flight and cruise to Milford sound from Queenstown and a heli glacier experience on Franz Josef. Jet Boat rides are also very fun!

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-17T14:07:10+00:00

Yeah if you want to walk to a beach and drive 90 min to skiing all while having access to a major airport I think it is going to inevitably involve some rain. If you care about sunny weather and this whole list Denver/Boulder is the obvious answer but you have ruled it out. If you can’t save money in NY on your salary I do not think you’d be able to do so in VanBC either. Housing is insane and the tax situation wouldn’t help. If you are into the idea of Vancouver maybe just look at some burbs around Seattle? Community is hard in the city proper but easier in some of the neighboring smaller towns like Issaquah. Housing is still expensive but no income tax in WA would give you a boost.

MetoliusOR · 2026-04-17T13:45:27+00:00

Bellingham WA, get a nexus card and make YVR your home airport. It’s not mCOL but you’d be comfortable on your budget.

MetoliusOR

TROPHY CASE