It’s the water, and a whole lot more. You might remember that as the slogan for a refreshing beverage made in our own backyard. But it’s just as true when it comes to Washington’s waterfront destinations. From ocean shores to mountain lakes, if you’re looking for a place where you can explore, relax and unwind, waterfront resorts are the perfect spot a weekend getaway or a weeklong vacation.
La Conner Channel Lodge
La Conner is often voted Washington’s most perfect getaway destination due to its annual tulip festival, art galleries, seafood restaurants and Native culture. The town is conveniently located 60 miles north of Seattle and is accessible by car and
Amtrak.
La Conner Channel Lodge, the town’s only waterfront hotel, offers plush accommodations, Pacific Northwest decor, and views of Swinomish Channel from most of its 40 guest rooms. Most of the rooms feature a private patio or balcony overlooking the water, enabling guests to drink in the tranquility of the Swinomish Channel and the beauty of Rainbow Bridge.
A flagstone entry and woodsy garden, cedar-shake siding, and a river-rock fireplace in the lobby set the regional tone for the rest of the lodge. The lobby, with its small library alcove, has a cozy maritime feel. The lobby also boasts a beautiful grand piano, business center, and each Friday and Saturday evening is the site of the resort’s complimentary wine and cheese reception with live piano music.
This resort is particularly a great choice for couples, including those planning honeymoons and destination weddings. Guest rooms are designed with comfort in mind and feature an airy seascape color palette, deluxe linens, plush down comforters and pillows, fireplace, granite countertops, flat screen TV, work desk, sitting area with high back plush chairs and air conditioning. Fir accents and a mixture of slate flooring and carpeting give the rooms a rugged beauty. A continental breakfast is included for all guests. The onsite spa offers several treatment options.
Chrysalis Inn & Spa
Bellingham is a haven for recreation and offers hiking trails, a boardwalk, kayaking, sailing, boat rentals, fishing, bird watching, rental bikes, adventures at nearby Mount Baker including skiing, whale watching, beaches, golf, ferries, theatre, shopping and art galleries. Bellingham is conveniently located 90 miles north of Seattle and 50 miles south of Vancouver, Canada. It is accessible by car, plane, ferry, private boat and
Amtrak.
Overlooking Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands, the beautiful waterfront Chrysalis Inn & Spa is a popular weekend getaway. Couples can enjoy a romantic room with a
view of the San Juan Islands, waterfront dining, luxurious spa treatments and sunset strolls along the boardwalk. Each guest room includes a window seat, fireplace, double soaking tub, walk-in shower and spa amenities.
The hotel has a variety of packages available from romance packages with spa treatments and dinner to adventure packages such as whale watching or kayaking. Couples can add a romance basket to their room and enjoy champagne, gourmet chocolates, aromatherapy candle, scented massage oil and luxurious bubble bath.
For a memorable “girlfriends getaway”, the Chrysalis “Spajama Party” includes gifts, food, pampering and champagne as well as an overnight stay. The resort is also a perfect place for business meetings and retreats, offering state of the art meeting facilities, excursion packages and “BizProv” corporate workshops.
www.thechrysalisinn.com
Grandview on the Lake
Visitors have been flocking to Lake Chelan for its 300 days of sunshine annually and fresh mountain air since the late 1800s. Lake Chelan has become one of the top fisheries in the northwest, with annual stocking programs releasing hundreds of thousands of salmon and trout into the landlocked lake. World-class wineries feature weekly entertainment, including a summer concert series, and six golf courses offer panoramic views of the lake.
Just steps away from downtown, the Grandview on the Lake resort is a place where five-star luxury meets small-town charm. Lake Chelan surrounds the resort on two sides, and private balconies and large windows, to patios and grounds, lake views follow guests from check-in to guestroom. The resort’s waterfront grounds, new immaculate swimming pool and hot tub oasis feature exclusive striking views of the lake.
Grandly enhanced in earthy tones of buff and cream, and accented with rich cherry woods and touches of stainless steel and granite, the hotel’s 93 guest rooms range in size from studios to three bedrooms. Spacious windows, which peer out to splendid lake, river and mountain views, fully-equipped kitchens, and four-fixture bathrooms add to the guest experience.
The resort’s Riverside and Rivers Edge Retreats, with 41 guest rooms and family suites, offer budget-conscious options. The Lake Point and Lake Terrace Retreats, with 51 luxurious one to three bedroom suites, bring high-end home and offer larger guest rooms ideal for groups.
www.grandviewonthelake.com
Rosario Resort & Spa
Horseshoe-shaped Orcas Island, nicknamed “the gem of the San Juans”, is a blissful combination of stunning shoreline, the highest mountain in the islands, and pleasant townships. The island’s 5,252-acre Moran State Park, with several lakes and Mount Constitution, the islands’ highest point, offering a panoramic view of island-dotted ocean and snow-capped Mount Baker. Visitors enjoy heading out on the water on a kayak trip, whale-watching tour, or fishing or sailboat charter.
Potters, jewelry workers, painters, photographers and sculptors abound on the island. Artists display their work at a number of galleries including Crow Valley Pottery, featuring the works of more than 70 artists, and Hot Ice Studio, home to one of the few crystal potters in the world.
One hundred years ago, Seattle shipbuilder Robert Moran built Rosario Resort & Spa with Arts and Crafts principles in mind: family, nature and quality craftsmanship. Rosario, the leading resort on the island, offers accommodations in three areas of the 40-acre waterfront property: the Bayside Rooms, the historic Roundhouse Suite and Cliffhouse Honeymoon Suite. The Harborside Rooms are also located directly Cascade Bay and offer spectacular views across the water toward the Moran Mansion and Rosario Marina.
Located on the garden level of the historic Moran Mansion, The Spa at Rosario features a distinctive turn-of-the-century indoor swimming pool and beautiful Arts and Crafts period mosaic tile floors. The Spa also includes a whirlpool, sauna, fitness center, exercise classes and therapeutic services, including massage.
www.rosarioresort.com
Iron Springs Resort
Thoughts of the beach bring to mind southing sounds of ocean waves, smell of salt water in the air, and surroundings of peaceful natural beauty. Nowhere is a beach retreat brought more to reality than rustically luxurious Iron Springs Resort.
Situated on stunning beachfront cliffs along the Pacific Northwest Coast in Copalis Beach, Iron Springs Resort is comprises of 24 unique and private cabins, each designed to offer unparalleled ocean views and beach access. The resort is carefully positioned on more than 100 acres of coastal woodland, where trees and shrubbery provide natural boundaries between cabins, making each feel like your own private beach house.
Iron Springs Resort retains the original charm as when it was opened in 1947 as a small eight-cabin, one-lodge vacation property at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Renovated in 2010, Iron Springs was careful to keep the original floor plans and historical character of the property while providing the modern comforts of home. Snippets of the past echo throughout the resort. An upside-down boat welcomes guests in from the highway when they arrive, salvaged wooden siding from the original cabins was used to create one-of-a-kind side tables and wall accents in the newly constructed lodgings, fallen Spruce trees became striking, knotted benches that line the cabin entryways, and the signature plush chairs, distinctive to each cabin, were upholstered from vintage Pendleton and East Hudson Bay blankets.
Iron Springs offers memorable stays for couple and family (including your four-legged friends). Sip a glass of wine and watch storms roll in from the warmth of your cabin or follow the trails to the shore for beach combing and some of the best razor clam digging around.
www.ironspringsresort.com
