If you’ve haven’t been to Portland Oregon, it’s time to add it to the list.

We visited the small city of Portland after spending five days in NYC and it was quite literally – a breath of fresh air. Surrounded by dense woodlands and mountains, Portland feels like coming back to nature, in the coolest way possible. The cafés, food, boutiques, outdoor-scene, fashion and just general vibe of this place is off-the-charts, and incomparable to anywhere we’ve adventured to as yet.

I’m going to throw it out there early and just say Portland was a favourite of the trip, so it’s absolutely worth a visit. Because there was so many amazing stuff here, I’ve compiled my top five musts;

STAY AT Ace Hotel: it’s one of those places that you actually don’t ever want to leave as it has greenery, comfy couches, amazing rooms, decent wifi and good coffee for days. Beyond just being cool and a good place to meet creative folk – it’s in a really good location, nestled amongst the best restaurants and shopping streets.

EXPLORE the city by bikes as it’s completely ride-able and flat, most streets even have seperate bikes lanes so it’s super cruisey. You can even hire bikes from free at Ace Hotel if you are a guest.

GET LOST within Powell’s Bookstore.  This bad-boy is the largest bookstore in the entire world and it’s pretty much it’s own planet. There is SO many books and something quite special to it. We lost a couple of hours in there, on more than one occasion during our stay.

EAT at Voodoo Doughnuts. Portland has so many amazing places to eat, but you can’t leave this place without stopping at the iconic doughnut shop. Boasting the most far-out flavours and pretty much every permutation of the humble doughnut, this has to be seen (and eaten) to be believed.

DRINK pretty much everywhere. No matter what type of beverage you’re looking for, this place has it. For the beer barons among us, Deschutes Brewery has more beer varieties than you’ll know what to do with. For spirit buffs looking for some seriously delicious gin, check out New Deal Distillery in the industrial estate across the Willamette River. Last but not least, grab a cocktail at Pépé le Moko located in downtown Portland. This underground bar pumps blues and jazz tunes all night keeping the vibes flowing as much as the cocktails do. This establishment definitely needs to make it onto your bar-hopping hit list.

Enjoy!