Planning an Oregon trip?

Sunset, Sept, 1990

You're in Portland, thinking of getting away to Bend for the weekend. Or you're in San Francisco, interested in trying a B & B in Portland. Or maybe you're in Phoenix, dreaming of a vacation on the Oregon coast. Need help with Oregon trip planning? Consider three new sources. A lodging hotline. Overnight Success covers the state (and may include Washington by next year).

The service is free to callers; simply describe the kind of lodging and price range you have in mind, and Overnight Success will provide names and numbers of accommodations matching your criteria. You make the reservations yourself. Costs are paid by subscribing businesses, whose names-naturally-are offered first, but the hotline works from a list of 2,035 hotels, motels, condominiums, inns, and B & Bs. Call (800) 365-6343 between 8 A.M. and 11 Pm. daily. Guidebook series. Many Northwest travelers swear by the recommendations in the Best Places guidebooks. Portland Best Places, edited by Stephanie Irving (Sasquatch Books, Seattle, 1990; $10.95), lives up to the series' reputation. Reviews of accommodations and restaurants fill a quarter of the book; ratings range from worth knowing about, if nearby" to "the very best in the region" (only two restaurants and two hotels in the book are so honored). Reviewers' tastes are eclectic, their recommendations solidly reliable. The rest of the book covers the city's cultural life, insiders' shopping tips, basic services, and suggested outings (from an urban gallery walk to old-growth forest hikes outside Portland and theater sojourns in Ashland). Order the book through a bookstore or from Sasquatch Books, 1931 Second Ave., Seattle 98101; (206) 441-5555 (add $1.50 for shipping). B & B directory. The 1990 Oregon Bed & Breakfast Directory is a 16-page pamphlet with brief but thorough descriptions of 116 B & Bs, from a 1925 Georgian home in La Grande to a modern inn on the Chetco River in Brookings. It's not comprehensive (innkeepers pay for inclusion), but it gives plenty of options in most parts of the state; listings number a dozen each in Portland and Grants Pass and include B & Bs in such small towns as Carver, Prineville, and Myrtle Creek. The directory is available free at state visitor centers. To order by mail, send $1 and a business-size envelope to Oregon Bed & Breakfast Directory, 230 Red Spur Dr., Grants Pass 97527.