We stayed the night at Portland Inn & Suites Airport East. A nicely renovated hotel, the lobby was the epitome of old fashioned elegance, complete with rich dark wood on the rails of the gracefully carved master staircase and along the second-floor mezzanine. The young man working the counter was obviously hurried and overworked, but he still managed to be polite and efficient. Our room was a lot of bang for our buck, likely because we were travelling before the standard tourist season. I use either Booking.com or Air B&B to make all our lodging arrangements, and I tend to find some pretty good deals. This, however, was the first I’ve made through Booking.com that actually charged me less at the desk than the estimated cost from the website. It was only a dollar, but it was still a nice surprise. We had a full king suite for what I expect to spend on a room half this size with a single full-sized mattress. Knowing this, I didn’t mind in the least that the material on the bottom of the couch was lightly frayed. The couch itself was comfy, the fridge was functioning quietly and well, so we were able chill our remaining tarts and our travel beverages here. The bed was downright dreamy, and the shower had sufficient pressure that I felt clean after, even with the softened water that I usually despise. Raz and I were out cold without even testing the giant flat-screen TV.

Portland Inn & Suites Airport East advertises a full hot breakfast, by which it appears they mean a continental breakfast spread and a make-your-own-waffle station.