Eastern Oregon Vacation

We really enjoyed hiking down to the Deschuttes River. It was about 100 yards or so downhill from the condo. My kids loved chasing the butterflies along the dirt path that paralleled the river.

Quick Tips:

Bring warm clothes! It rained a few days and the evenings get pretty cooooool. I think I packed mostly shorts and short sleeve shirts for myself and the kids. Good thing we had a washer and dryer.

Do not park close to the golf pro shop!! My daughter and I went to check out the putting course and there was a spot just adjacent to the door. I was thinking to myself what a great spot. As we were getting ready to leave, a ball came flying over the pro shop and nailed our hood!

Best Way To Get Around:

A car is definitely the way to get around from town to town. Bend and Redmond are a short jaunt away, about 10-20 minutes.

Best Things Nearby:
We really enjoyed hiking down to the Deschuttes River. It was about 100 yards or so downhill from the condo. We saw people getting their gear ready for fishing. The sign said fishing was available for salmon and trout over 24 inches. You can walk along the river until your legs get tired. We had two small kids, so knowing that we probably had to carry them back up to the condo, we didn't strain ourselves hiking indefinitely.

Best Things About the Resort:
We really love these timeshares. The last two times that we stayed here we stayed in a 3 bedroom, but this time we were only able to get a 2 bedroom. The floorplan is pretty much the same except the 3 bedroom has a full size washer and dryer and a hottub on the deck. The first thing my daughter said when we walked outside was "where is the hottub?"

The units are usually very clean. We have never had a problem until this time. When we got there the rug was unvacuumed and floor unmopped. They came out as soon as I called to vacuum, but they didn't come until the next day to mop since it was late in the evening.

There is an upstairs master bedroom with vaulted ceiling, huge bathroom with a shower and whirlpool tub, walk-in closet, queen bed, tv, coffee maker, small balcony with sliding glass door and a few chairs outside. If there was only a refrigerator upstairs, there would be no need to leave the mini penthouse!

The downstairs had the other bedroom with two twin beds just right of the main door. I called and tried to request a queen instead, but she told me that most all the units have 2 twin beds and very few have the queen. The ceiling is vaulted and the closet is just about the length of the wall.

The downstairs bathroom has the stackable washer and dryer across from the sink. There is a door between the shower/toilet and the sink/washer area. They supply enough detergent for 8 louds of laundry. They probably would give you more if you needed it.

The kitchen has everything and more: the usual stuff and a waffle maker, coffee maker, and popcorn popper. There are placemats, cloth napkins and rings.

The family/living area was pretty large. The ceiling was greatly vaulted. There was a pull out couch, two comfy chairs that turn, ottoman and a bench seat across the huge window. There was a TV, VCR, and stereo system. There are always games, puzzles, books and magazines that people have left to share with other vacationers. My kids love checking out those cabinets. There is a sliding glass door that goes out to the balcony. The balcony is pretty good size. It has a round table with four chairs and a bbq grill.

Resort Experience:
There is so much to do within the resort, we only left when we wanted food. Fred Meyers and Safeway are about 5 minutes away in Redmond.

There are two golf course and a cute putting course with sandtraps and 18 holes. The resort has 2 outdoor pools, an indoor pool, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, raquetball courts, indoor basketball court (I think it was a half) and two gyms. There are walking and biking trails throughout the resort area and down to the river. You can rent bikes for $5 per hour or $25 per day. They have those tandem attachment and a ride-in for kids. The cost is 8 per hour.

There is a hairdresser on-site and a restaurant.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Excellent

I called the front desk at Eagle Crest for a recommendation for Chinese food. She said to eat there instead of take-out because you get a lot more food. The decor was pretty basic and plain. The restaurant was one square room with tables for four throughout in rows. The walls were white with a few pictues on it. The portions were huge. It was definitely a pile of food. Each dish comes with soup and rice. We took home enough for lunch the next day plus more. The food was not greasy, but not very flavorful. The egg flour soup tasted like chicken noodle soup with the eggs. It did come with crackers though. The chow mein was those crispy noodle type over bunches of veggies and meat. We ordered chicken chow mein and got tons of chicken. The service was excellent and the restaurant was clean.
My four-year-old is a Chinese food connoiseur. She ate the appetizer, but refused to eat the chicken and veggie dish, which is usually her favorite. She said it smelled funny and wasn't the same as her favorite Panda Restaurant.
I would say if you aren't too particular about your Chinese food and want a whole lot of food, this is the place to eat.

Applebee's is a chain of restaurants that we were familiar with. The restaurant was clean and the service was great. There was a carousel horse my son couldn't wait to get on, as a part of the decor. The walls were covered with various paraphernalia. The bar is in the center and the tables perimeter it. I noticed that the bar area was nonsmoking, which was nice. They have a kids menu for about $4, which included their drinks, unless you get them the special super duper lemonade, which costs a dollar more. The kids got their placemats with four crayons to take home.

There is a great 18 hole putting course across Cline Falls. It is still a part of Eagle Crest. It takes about an hour and a half to play a round. It costs $8 per person and very small kids are free (my daughter is four). She said that they usually lose interest, so they don't charge them. The course looks just like a mini golf course. It has sand traps, hills, etc.