A good bed and breakfast around Seattle?

March 20, 2006 8:49 AM

Any recommendations for a good Bed and Breakfast near Seattle-- either in town or out in the scenery?

My wife and I are going for a wedding in September and thought we'd make a vacation out of it. A few decent places are listed here, but here's the rub. My wife and I want to stay either in the city or within a short drive (an hour or less, let's say) from the city in a scenic location.

posted by MasonDixon to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

My girlfriend and I stayed at the Amaranth Inn while on vacation last September. It was pretty reasonable, the breakfasts were good, and it was a very short jaunt to the freeride area of the bus system.
posted by cog_nate at 8:58 AM on March 20, 2006

I've never personally stayed there, but the people I know who have stayed at The Illahee Manor loved it. It is just outside Bremerton, which will stretch your "hour or less" requirement, because it is an hour on the ferry to Bremerton - but it's a gorgeous ride (I've seen bald eagles mating on the wing, orcas, sea lions, and spectacular sunrises/sets from this ferry run). This also clearly meets your "out in the scenery requirement."
Additionally, it puts you within an hour of the lovely Port Townsend, one of the more interesting and beautifully located town in the NW (in my opinion, anyway).
Have fun.
posted by dbmcd at 9:55 AM on March 20, 2006

B&Bs might be listed by neighborhood. If so, the in-city neighborhoods you'd probably want are Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, Belltown, Fremont. All of these are pretty near the city center and have good bus service. (Of course, if you have a car, then bus service isn't quite as important.)

You could be very adventurous and stay at the Gypsy Arms. Although it's set up to cater to the fetish community, they welcome all guests and all, ahem, extracurricular activities are confined to the basement. It's a cute house in a great neighborhood (Fremont), just a three minute walk from the neighborhood center, with lots of restaurants, coffeehouses, and brew pubs.

And if you stay at Gypsy Arms, you could stop by and say hi. I live right down the street.
posted by luneray at 10:06 AM on March 20, 2006

Chelsea Station, (listed in the post you linked to) was two blocks from where I grew up. It is right next to the Zoo and next to Aurora (99) which would give you easy access to a senic drive.

We used to always have family stay there when our hourse was full, and they never had anything but good expereinces with it.
posted by piratebowling at 11:07 AM on March 20, 2006

If you want to stay in the city, look towards Capitol Hill - the Bacon Mansion is really nice, as is the Gaslight Inn. Also heard good things about the Capitol Hill Guest House, but I've not experienced it myself.

All three of these are easy to get to, and very central to most anything you'd want to see and do in the city.
posted by pdb at 1:31 PM on March 20, 2006

I'm going to do a variation on dbmcd's post and recommend finding something on Vashon Island. It's less than half an hour from Seattle by ferry (and less than $14 for car, driver and passenger...you only pay to get ON to the island, not off), and it's just as though you'd travelled two hours away to a truly rural, quiet bit of paradise. The island is big enough for variety and has a nice little town of its own, but small enough to explore in a day or three. The scenery is fantastic -- Mt. Rainier to the west, the Olympics to the east, and downtown Seattle, though close by, is around Alki Point and out of sight. Lots of gravel beaches, a classic 1890's lighthouse, and lots of B&Bs. From the south end you can take the 15 minute ferry ride to Tacoma, where you are dumped directly into Point Defiance Park with its fine little zoo, aquarium and deep, old-growth forests on the edge of the city.
posted by lhauser at 2:38 PM on March 20, 2006