Sunriver Resort

Out in the forest beyond Bend, Sunriver is a large resort township with a number of privately owned rental cabins as well as lodge hotel rooms spread out over a huge swathe of forest, all connected by well-paved bicycle trails. The resort primarily attracts families from Portland -- many of whom come down every year during their summer vacations -- as well as business travelers since many companies use the resort for annual retreats. Four on-site golf courses also make it a popular golfing retreat. The ambience is laid-back and while it can get busy in the summer, the resort is big enough that it never feels crowded. However, the summer months also coincide with "moth season," and frighteningly large moths come out en masse; sometimes the bike paths can get overrun with their remains. 

Sunriver Resort is located in the Deschutes National Forest, just off of Highway 97 and about a 20-minute drive from Bend. Mount Bachelor is a pretty half-hour drive through the forest from Sunriver. The Redmond Municipal Airport also takes about 40 minutes to reach by car, and Portland is just over a three-hour drive away. 

Sunriver is dominated by furnished cabin-style vacation rentals, but hotel rooms are also available for those on shorter visits. The Lodge Village offers rooms with two doubles or single kings, gas fireplaces, and private decks; Suites are loft-style and have kitchenettes. Guests of both room types also get access to Sage Springs Club & Spa. Near the Lodge Village are slightly more upscale River Lodges that come with beautiful marble bathrooms, cotton robes, and decks. They also have mini-fridges and coffeemakers, but lack full kitchens. Visitors also have the option of renting cabins and vacation houses, from older rustic abodes to newer three-bedroom Caldera Springs Cabins with luxury interiors that vary from unit to unit. 

Sunriver has a lot of on-site amenities, and guests here often spend their entire trip on-site, only venturing to Bend if they are in need of special groceries not available in the resort's medium-sized supermarket. Sage Springs Club and Spa offers a large variety of facials and massages, as well as beauty services such as waxing and manicures or pedicures. Sage Springs also features a large fitness center with a three-lane lap pool, lots of cardio and circuit-training equipment, and regular group classes (for a fee). The club also has both indoor and outdoor tennis courts, and classes are available. Golfing is also a big draw, and the resort is home to four excellent courses: Caldera, Meadows, Woodlands, and Crosswater. Caldera is a nine-hole course that's designed to introduce kids to golfing, while the other three are proper 18-hole courses, all with beautiful scenic backgrounds. The resort's most celebrated course, the heathland-style Crosswater, is crossed by the Deschutes and Little Deschutes River and was named one of Golf Digest's top 100 courses.The most popular activity here, however, is bike riding, and the entire property is connected by an extensive network of paved trails flanked by forest or fields full of prairie dogs. Sunriver's great horse stables offers trail rides and the occasional hayride, multiple outdoor pools, and even an on-site observatory. There's also a cute outdoor shopping center with a kids' recreation area and a couple of cafes and restaurants. Paintball, bike tours, fly-fishing, and rock climbing can be arranged through partner tour operators, as can whitewater rafting.