A weekend at Bird Rock Hotel
In the midst of downtown Friday Harbor and just a short walk from the ferry terminal there is a lovely place to stay called Bird Rock Hotel. It is a small, unassuming place, the type of place you might even walk right past if you did not know the charm awaiting you once inside. Bird Rock Hotel is a boutique hotel with a historic exterior and a modern interior. Rooms range from deluxe with harbor views and jacuzzi tubs to simple European style sleeping rooms with shared baths down the hall. Each room is unique which makes it a fun experience to stay there again and again. There are so many things I enjoy about Bird Rock Hotel, but the comfortable beds, location and delicious continental breakfast awaiting me each morning are three of my favorites. This is our second time staying at Bird Rock Hotel and just like last time we loved every minute of our stay.
There are so many fun adventures awaiting you on San Juan Island, so it is nice to be able to start your day feeling refreshed with a good night sleep and rejuvenated with a delicious and healthy breakfast.
Spring time is such a lovely time to visit San Juan Island. The flowers and trees are starting to bloom and a majority of the shops and restaurants are reopening after taking a few of the Winter months off.
Our weekend was packed with hikes along Cattle Point, whale watching, sunset drives to Lime Kiln lighthouse, spent an afternoon sea kayaking and partaking in one of the most mouth watering meals I have had in a long time at The Place.
Bird Rock Hotel offers it guests use of these charming cruisers during your stay.
The ferry ride from Anacortes to Friday Harbor is just part of thrill of arriving in the San Juan Islands. We decided to make it an extra special weekend by leaving our son with his grandparents and heading out for a weekend of fun. The weather was spectacular during our entire visit. And like any good vacation, by the end of our stay we were contemplating what it would take to build a vacation home there and more realistically planning a return visit to the islands soon.
It is fun to spend an morning walk around the waterfront checking out the different boats and seeing what is coming in fresh for the day.
You can spend a lot of time planning an itinerary or you can just go with the flow. Although I tend to error on the side over planning most of our trips, some of the most fun we end up having is during the unexpected moments. For instance, one day we came across this road side flower stand and spent the subsequent hour debating which dahlia tubers to purchase and realizing just how deliciously fragrant narcissus are. These are the type of experiences living with a sense of adventure allows.
We enjoyed breakfast each morning on either the deck or the adjoining courtyard. One of the many perks of a small hotel is feeling like we have the place to ourselves.
We spent one afternoon driving out to Pelindaba Lavender Farm and made certain to pick up another lavender plant for our ever expanding garden. We also made it a point to stock up on some of favorites: lavender hand soap and chocolate chip lavender shortbread cookies.
We saw and did so many wonderful things together, but one of my favorite parts was the reminder of how much fun the two of us can have together. It is easy to get into your routine at home and forget to take off your parenting hat at times, so it was nice to break free of all responsibilities for the weekend.
Our room was simple, but perfectly appointed with a sink, separate toilet and shower/tub. We did not spend much time here during the day, but it was a great place to come back to at night to relax.
We enjoyed an epic meal just steps from our hotel at The Place. Each course was thoughtfully prepared and contained fresh and flavorful ingredients. I enjoyed the Seafood Bouillabaisse while Cameron raved about his halibut. If dinner was not enough of a treat we were pleasantly surprised when a strawberry and rhubarb pie showed up at our table on the house. We will definitely make it a point to return here next time we are in Friday Harbor.
The stillness of dusk and a gorgeous sunset walk at Lime Kiln Lighthouse was a wonderful example of how some of your fondest memories are the unplanned moments.
This post was sponsored by Bird Rock Hotel. All opinions stated here are my own and I was under no obligation to write anything other than my personal experience. I will never write about anything I did not enjoy or find to be a valuable experience.
