If any of you are flying in or out of the Portland International Airport before August 25, 2011 you might be interested in today's Portland, Oregon Groupon.

For just $119 you can get a One night stay at Embassy Suites, including made to order breakfast, evening reception and seven days worth of parking. This deal will last through tomorrow, so if you are interested grab it now. Sometimes hotels have limits and once the limit is reached they stop the sale even if there is time remaining.

Remember anytime you travel watch Groupon for local stays, fare and entertainment. You just might save yourself a few bucks.

Around here we are always working on some kind of "vacation".  For us getting away for an afternoon or a weekend is just as fun as getting away for a week.  We will take whatever we can get.

We are always looking for vacations that we can do on a budget.  The cheaper they are the more we can do.  Being that I am frugal about my trips you won't be surprised that I am doing a guest post over at Frugal Living NW.  Following her advice is what allows us to save money so we can do trips.

One of the things that we do every year is a roller coaster vacation, thus the name, Vacation Thrills.  I didn't think we would go this year, but right before my back surgery we decided to do one last run.  I know crazy, but I was getting a new disc, so I thought I might as well run the ones I had into the ground. Standing in line is what hurts the most, but we keep ourselves entertained to keep my mind off of it.  Want to know how to plan the perfect roller coaster vacation?

We also like experiencing things right in our backyard.  This year my husband and I celebrated our 20 year anniversary.  Since going away for a week wasn't an option (again that surgery got in the way) we decided to at least get out of town for a couple of days to Hood River.  We had the best time ever.

For us the thrills just won't stop.  So check back as we continue to look for fun vacations, find great places to eat and even become a tourist in our own town.  Like I said we are always up to something.

Finally last summer I met up with a friend and we stopped in Hood River.  We had the the most amazing meal and I decided the next time we came through we would stop as a family and enjoy.  And we did!!  That was the stop that made me want to come back for a weekend.

So here we are 3 months later enjoying Hood River.  Before we even entered the town we enjoyed hours of hiking and sightseeing and photography.  Not that I am good at photography, but I just wanted to remember it all.  The day was beautiful and we managed all 3 meals outside in the sun.

The weather the second day was bad and we sat inside Doppio Coffee shop, reading and relaxing.  I had found this place online, before we even got here.  When we went out the first day I forgot to take my list of coffee shops to try and that didn't seem to matter, we ended up here anyways.

The bed and breakfast was good.  I am not a bed and breakfast person, but no complaints.  I was hoping for a little protein for breakfast, but the homemade scones did not disappoint.  The room, although small, suited it's purpose on that sunny day.

It seems that there is always something to do in Hood River.  This day was no exception.  As we began to walk around we noticed that the roads were blocked off.  After asking around we realized that there would be a Crit bike race.  This sounded intriguing, so we began to look for a place to sit and watch.  We knew the race was going to start right around lunch time, so we started walking the 1k course to find a place to sit.  We stumbled upon Double Mountain Brewery, which was also on my lists of places to try.  We walked in and the owner/manager (not sure which) told us to go into the other room, where a garage door was wide open and tables were pushed up to the edge.

Double Mountain Brewery is great.  The pizzas were amazing, and the beer was even better.  The thing I really love about beer and breweries is you can sample until you find one you like, then they pour you a big glass knowing you are happy.  This place was no different.  I sampled 3 kinds.  She told me I HAD to try all 3, so I did.  And just like they hoped, I was completely happy and ready for more!!

As the rain began to come down, we sat there, fully covered, yet outside, with the best view of the race.  How do we know it was the best view?  The whole time people walked by the said "wow, you have the best seats here."  We smiled, sipped our beer and hoped they would keep moving, as to not block our great view.

Between the hiking, the breweries, and the bike race we just got a taste of what Hood River has to offer the outdoorsy person.  It is after all the windsurfing capital of the world.  Along with all kinds of other water sports, the close mountain for ski or boarding, and mountain biking there is never a dull moment in Hood River.

Check out the Romantic Side of Hood River

The grounds at the Columbia Gorge Hotel are beyond romantic, as they are the settings to many weddings.  From the pictures you can see why.  What I never knew is hidden on the hillside is this beautiful waterfall.  The bridge gives you a view from above.  Worth the stop to just look if you have time.

One of our gifts from the Hotel was a wine tour.  They had 6 places that we could to a tasting.  We didn't make it to all of them, but the drive was so pretty and the grounds of the Wineries we did stop at were  beautiful and surreal. Definitely a place I could hang out at and drink a glass of wine.

We ended our romantic day with an incredible find.  The Stonehedge Garden Restaurant.  I found this online with high recommendations. (go to the website and click on events and you can print a coupon for 10% off) What we experienced far out exceeded our expectations.  The road that leads up is a gravel road, with plenty of potholes, and it's next to a rock quarry.  You kind of think you are not heading anywhere even remotely romantic.  You follow this road to the top where a beautiful home and gardens await.

Walking around before you dine is a must.  The only disappointment in this stop was that it was not warm enough to sit outside, but our waitress took care of us and sat us at the window overlooking the gardens.  Wow!!

The food was amazing.  They offered 4 specials on top of the well rounded menu.  We noticed that there was a signature dessert that needed to be ordered ahead.  We asked and were told it was a must.  Bread pudding without raisins topped with Creme Brulee, topped with a rum sauce that is then lit on fire, brought to your table them topped with a caramel sauce.  Spectacular!!

The day could not have been any better.  It was a leisurely day taking in all Hood River had to offer for the Romantics.

Check out the Outdoorsy Side of Hood River

My hope is to stay at the Columbia River Gorge Hotel  or Bonneville Hot Springs.  Let's see if I can pull this off with a very small price tag.  We have chose this location for 2 reasons. 1) It's only a little over an hour away and 2)I have always wanted to spend some time in Hood River.  It's an up and coming food, wine and beer mecca and I want to experience it, all of it.  Often times the best places for people to vacation are right in your backyard, but we all choose to fly to someplace better.  Well, not this time.

Day 2 – I worked on it a lot yesterday and we finally came up with The Villas at Columbia River Gorge Hotel.  My husband has always wanted to stay there and it does look amazing.  The price for one night was around $250, but we managed to get it for $169 a night.

This is the crazy part, let me share with you how we got this deal.  We found it online at Hotels.com or priceline.com.  Even though we had seen it there we called the Hotel directly and asked about the price.  The guy said yes, he could do that price and he could also upgrade us to a better room, but it didn't stop there he also threw in wine tasting for both of us that evening.

I really thought the days of calling the Hotel to ask for a better price were long gone.  I guess it never hurts to ask, then beg, then plead a little.

I know what you are thinking, $169 is not a budget vacation, but it is our 20th so we do have this splurge.

We are only staying there one night.  We are going to spend the next day in downtown Hood River because there are lots of shops, eateries ( I like to eat), breweries and wineries.  I want to take it all in.  Don't worry, when I get back I will give you all the details of the places to go and things to see.  Plus the place we are looking to stay is a little cheaper, but not much. Hood River must be the place to be.

Hood River also has the Fruit Loop, tons of hiking in the Gorge, and a mecca for wind surfers and kite boarders. Most times we just pass through on the freeway, stopping for lunch or making a day trip nearby for a great hike, but we have never stayed and enjoyed Hood River.

Check out the Romantic Side of Hood River and the Outdoorsy Side of Hood River