Seattle

We've just booked tickets to Seattle, and have never been there before. I know lots of people on here are from that area, so I'm hoping to get some good suggestions on where we should stay.

We'd like to rent a cottage for a week, ideally with an ocean view. I'd like to be near a rocky coastline, rockpools, ferries to beautiful places, and everything else that Washington State has to offer. I've heard that Puget Sound is nice, but I have no idea what it's really like! Should we try and find a place there, or further north?

We'll also be spending some time in Oregon, and I got some really great suggestions in this thread: http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=53107.msg759679#msg759679. Sadly, we had to postpone that trip, but I'd love to hear any other suggestions about Oregon.

Many thanks! 


 

I'm from the Seattle area, but I'm sad to say that although I've lived here all of my life, I can't really help in your search. I might suggest Ocean Shores, but I don't know how far it is from Seattle. I do know that I learned a lot more about Seattle and what it has to offer when DB came to visit me this first time. He did a lot of google searching though.

Sorry that I couldn't be more help. I hope you enjoy your stay!

If you want to stay in the city of Seattle, I think you'd be hard-pressed to fulfill your requirements. Gig Harbor is a short drive from Seattle and is served by a bridge, so you don't have to use a ferry. However, if you want to be more secluded... and dependant on the ferry system, try one of the Orca Islands - just off the coast of Seattle.

As for Oregon - I just moved to London from Oregon. I lived on the Central Oregon coast in a little village called Yachats (yachats.org), between Newport, Oregon & Florence, Oregon. The coastline between Yachats and Florence is Amazing!!! Volcanic rocky shoreline, blue ocean....And there are lots of vacation rentals in the area. The beaches are clean and not very crowded. So if you have any more questions about the Oregon Coast, send me a message.

You probably know that you will be close to England when you go to Seattle. If you miss England then go and stay in Victoria, BC, Canada. I'm sure you can take a ferry from Seattle over to Victoria which is on Vancouver Island. I love that place! Best climate in the world IMO. Victoria is different than the US and you should really enjoy it. I hope you will get the time to go there and because of the exchange rate it is cheaper there. You could have 'high tea' at the Empress Hotel and that would be a real treat.

I think that Victoria is less than an hour on the ferry.

If you want to stay in the city of Seattle, I think you'd be hard-pressed to fulfill your requirements.  However, if you want to be more secluded... and dependant on the ferry system, try one of the Orca Islands - just off the coast of Seattle.

Thanks! Sorry I wasn't clear: I definitely don't want to spend a week in the city! i meant that I was just flying into Seattle and looking to drive out. We'll rent a car, so it won't be a problem.

I'm thinking about Whidby Island. That way, we'd be able to take day trips and can visit the Orca Islands too.

As for Oregon - I just moved to London from Oregon. I lived on the Central Oregon coast in a little village called Yachats (yachats.org), between Newport, Oregon & Florence, Oregon. The coastline between Yachats and Florence is Amazing!!! Volcanic rocky shoreline, blue ocean....And there are lots of vacation rentals in the area. The beaches are clean and not very crowded. So if you have any more questions about the Oregon Coast, send me a message.

Looks beautiful! Thanks for that! We've decided to stay in Portland with friends for a few days, and so will take a day trip to Yachats and coast. And we'll also stay in Bend for a few days. Perfect mix for me of coast and mountains. 

You probably know that you will be close to England when you go to Seattle. If you miss England then go and stay in Victoria, BC, Canada. I'm sure you can take a ferry from Seattle over to Victoria which is on Vancouver Island. I love that place! Best climate in the world IMO. Victoria is different than the US and you should really enjoy it. I hope you will get the time to go there and because of the exchange rate it is cheaper there. You could have 'high tea' at the Empress Hotel and that would be a real treat.

I think that Victoria is less than an hour on the ferry.

The ferry is 2 hours 45 minutes and $85 USD single (one way).  http://www.clippervacations.com/

If you want advice about Victoria, I did my undergraduate degree at the University of Victoria and still spend time there every time I return to BC. But Victoria is not like England at all, as much as it may like to think it is and pretend it to be so. It is lovely, though, in its' own right.

hi sevans...i'm from the northwest and i was born in anacortes. anacortes is where you take the ferry to victoria and the san juan islands. i would definitely recommend renting a cottage/cabin on one of the san juan islands. i've visited most of them, but if i recall orcas island is where i stayed for a week. friday harbour is nice as well...if even just for a day trip. you can take a walk on ferry and it has a nice little downtown to walk around. here's a website about rentals in the san juans. i've not used this specific website but it will give you an idea:

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/washington/san-juan-islands

my son lives in port townsend...which is lovely. it's either a drive from seattle or a ferry trip from whidbey island. but it can be quite expensive place to stay. again it's a great place for a day trip. there are lots of forts (like the one from the movie "Officer and a Gentleman") that your boys would have fun exploring.

i wouldn't rule out spending a bit of time in seattle as well. i used to live just off green lake and it's a lovely place to spend a day....and there are many family friendly places to explore.

good luck...let me know if i can help with anything else.

Thanks, Kerry. You are lucky to be from such a beautiful-looking place!

I have a question that I can't get an answer for. Is Whidbey Island cliff-y at all? How about the San Juans? I know you can *see* the mountains, but is there gradient for hiking on the islands? I'm asking because we'd rather stay on a hilly terrain, as opposed to flat.

Many thanks! 

http://www.chevychasebeachcabins.com/

Hi - I'm originally from Seattle (though I live in Texas at the moment).  The link above is a cabin that we rented for a week with my family - they have lovely views - the water is beautiful and you're on the peninsula so you can head out to the mountains (Olympic National Park) or to the wilder coast if you want. 

There's a particularly breathtaking hike that's relatively easy so long as you pay attention to the tide tables:
http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGW191-097
The area is described on this site:
http://www.gonorthwest.com/washington/olympic/Neah_Bay/Neah_Bay.htm

Port Townsend is also a lovely little town with a few nice restaurants and also has other bed and breakfasts to enjoy.  You can catch a ferry from just north of seattle to get there. http://www.ptguide.com/gettingaround/ferry.html

From there you could also follow the 101 highway south and get a great peak at different parts of the sound.  There are a lot of bed and breakfasts in that area.  Gig harbor is really sweet - we've stayed there as well. If you follow it around the south end of the sound (through Olympia, the capitol) you could then head out to the area around Mt. Rainier - which is impressive as well. You can drive up to some pretty high elevation if you like mountains.

Personally I usually choose to head toward Bainbridge on my way back to the city and take the ferry to downtown from bainbridge - it's a lovely view of seattle's skyline.  There are also a few wineries on the peninsula and there's at least one on Bainbridge so that's a fun thing to do as well.

No matter where you go the scenery is wonderful - so don't worry about what you choose!  I used to work on the Victoria Clipper (first on the boat and then in reservations) it's a nice way to get to see Victoria - but from my perspective it's a rushed trip to do in one day.  If you're in England now you have the real thing - so I'm not sure it'd be worth spending the 2.5 hrs each way to get there and see victoria - they do have a great museum and the Island is beautiful as well.  Victoria Clipper also have a few less well-known trips to some of the San Juan Islands that are actually beautiful and then drop you off on a island at a B&B where you can canoe or bike and just relax.  If you call them you can get pretty good reservation details about those options.

I'm making myself homesick - so I'll stop now.  But have a wonderful time and feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

hi sevans....hmmmm...cliff-y? whidbey island is definitely....google "deception pass". but i wouldn't recommend staying on whidbey island but rather day trips for some of the beaches. bowman's bay is my favourite (near deception pass) and has a great hike around the little islands. last time we watched a pod of orcas feeding....and there are more eagles in that area than you can imagine.   

i think staying on one of the san juan islands would be most enjoyable. guemes island is very hilly...but too small and not enough interest. where i stayed on in one of the islands it was a cabin on a cliff....on a point! it was beautiful. wish i could remember where it was!

UKUrs gave you lots of great information. if you decide on port townsend let me know as i am very familiar with the town. they have lots of festivals....just had a beerfest....they do a blues festival and film festival. i think it might be a bit on the expensive side, but the advantage is you can drive to other areas from port townsend. it's not an island, it's a town on the tip of the olympic peninsula...but it feels like an island.

it really is an amazing area and if you take advantage of the ferry system i don't think you'll be disappointed!

 Think we do a great job of getting off the subject. Well a little bit anyway.

Another tip is if you do go to Victoria use the BC Ferries which you take from outside Vancouver. They are soooooooooooooo much better than the US ferries.

Remember there is favorable rate of exchange with the Canadian (peso) Luny.

Excellent! Thanks UKUrs and Kerry! (And mapleleaf/Peacemaker: unfortunately we won't make it into Canada on this trip but thanks anyway!) I knew I'd get such great advice here.

http://www.chevychasebeachcabins.com/

This looks amazing. I just contacted them to see if we can stay there for 3 nights. Then we'll take one day trip to Hurricane Ridge and one day trip to Whidbey Island.

And I've just booked two nights in Seattle. (And bonus: I used points, so we've got an fab hotel downtown!) Hooray! Any must-sees in Seattle?

Thanks again. 

And I've just booked two nights in Seattle. (And bonus: I used points, so we've got an fab hotel downtown!) Hooray! Any must-sees in Seattle?

The Space Needle is well worth a visit if you've never been before, especially if it is a clear day - the views can be fantastic.

My most favourite Seattle site is Pike Place Market.  So much fun, and you could then venture down the hill to the waterfront and have yummy seafood at Ivars, take in the Aquarium, and hit all the fun little places along the waterfront like Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.  All are kid-friendly, but fun for grown-ups too!  :-)

My nieces love the Pacific Science Centre, and I enjoyed the Experience Music Project, but wouldn't say that these are must-see.  Good if you need to kill time or get out of the rain though!

sevans....your trip sounds exciting! when are you going? so let me know if you are able to reserve the cottage in port townsend. i'll give you a list of my favourite places if you plan to stay there. i've spent a lot of time in port townsend as my son has lived there for about 7 years and until recently my daughter and grandbaby have lived there as well. it's a lovely little town.

The Space Needle
 Pike Place Market.  Ivars,  the Aquarium, and Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.  

She's hit the high points you could do the second line all in one day.  Add the foot ferry to west seattle for something different and you can get lunch at a fish and chip shop on the other side.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Seattle_Water_Taxi 
I second the Space Needle as a good place to get a unique view of the city. 

Some other not "must sees" but depending on the interests of your party good things to do:
http://www.tillicumvillage.com/ It's interesting if you're into native american culture and the food is good.  Only thing is that it's gotten pretty expensive and you're stuck out there on the island based on their timetable. But I've taken most of the extended family and the hae claimed to enjoy it. 

http://www.undergroundtour.com/ So FUN!  and amusing and interesting from a historical standpoint.  Seattle once burned to the ground, when it did, they sluiced the hills behind and built the roads above the ground floor.  There's a whole underground city under there.  The tours are humorous, not much to see, but still fascinating and interesting to be under the city above.  Again, multiple guests have said they enjoyed it.

http://www.museumofflight.org/ Seattle is about logging and airplanes - the museum of flight at Boeing field is really a good one if you're into that sort of thing.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/local/library/ The downtown central library is a major tourist attraction these days. Pretty neat looking and a nice respite if you want to chill during a day of walking the city.

http://www.seattle.gov/tour/locks.htm The Ballard Locks are fun at certain times of the year when the Salmon are spawning.  Also if you have a kiddo into trains and boats and mechanical things it's pretty fun to watch the boats move in and out of the locks.  Ballard itself is really interesting - it's where the Scandanavians who moved to Seattle settled originally and there are still signs that they are there - swedish pancakes and the like.  It's gotten more "hip" lately though.  They have a nice farmer's market in the summer on the weekend.

The university of washington campus is beautiful too.  In short, you really can't go wrong in Seattle!  Enjoy your trip and post pictures!

Urs