Where to go in the Northwest for a wonderful anniversary?

January 22, 2008 10:03 PM

What should we do and where should we go to make our 15th wedding anniversary one to remember? It's in early March, and we'd like to stay in the Pacific Northwest area. We plan to take a 3-day weekend, so a bit of a drive or short flight is in order.

One of the thoughts we had was to take the Clipper up to Victoria and stay at a nice hotel. What else is within a day of Seattle that would be romantic and wonderful in March?

posted by TochterAusElysium to travel & transportation (12 comments total)

if you play golf, bandon dunes is a world-class golf resort. you'll never see me on the courses, but at the bar, maybe.
posted by bruce at 12:17 AM on January 23

It depends on how you feel about the weather on the coast in march, but you might consider China Beach Retreat in Ilwaco, WA, on the Long Beach Peninsula. Or, if you want something slightly less isolated (and you don't want to have to drive to get your breakfast), the same owners also run The Shelbourne Inn. Charming old-fashioned rooms, excellent breakfast. And the Long Beach Peninsula is a fun place to hang out, although it may be chilly in March. It's about 4 hours from Seattle.
posted by leahwrenn at 3:55 AM on January 23

If you decide on Victoria, we had a very nice stay at the Laurel Point Inn. Try to get a room on the corner. They may have a deal with the Clipper.
posted by leahwrenn at 3:56 AM on January 23

When I went with my wife a while back, we stayed at the Empress right on Victoria Harbor. Definitely great if you're looking for something posh. Amazing views if you can request a room on the harbor side, and the afternoon tea was really wonderful.
posted by gregchttm at 6:10 AM on January 23

I'd recommend one of the Gulf Islands. Galiano is lovely and romantic, and a 1 hour ferry trip from Vancouver. I guess you could actually do Seattle-Victoria-Galiano-Vancouver-Seattle, but that is too much travel (and waiting in ferry queues) for 3 days, IMO.

Stay at the
posted by spandex at 7:51 AM on January 23

oh hell. I'm out of posting practice:

Stay at the cliffhouse or treehouse.
posted by spandex at 7:53 AM on January 23

The Empress is great, but they are currently ripping out and replacing the wood floors in the lobby and tea room areas. Might detract from the ambience. Call ahead and see -- and maybe get a cut rate? Victoria is deader than a doornail right now.

Just north of Victoria is the Yellow Point Lodge, which is rumoured to be very romantic, as is Point No Point. Those are both good if you want something rustic and fireplacey - not so much for the citylights.
posted by Rumple at 8:14 AM on January 23

The Salish Lodge is always a good choice - it's right on Snoqualmie Falls, and their Sunday brunch is fantastic.
posted by pdb at 8:15 AM on January 23

RE: The Clipper . . . possibly the scariest and ugliest eight hours of my life was spent on the Victoria Clipper enroute to Seattle in March or April in the middle of a storm. Horrific. As in water coming in through the seams in the windows and >50% of passengers and guests throwing up. I would recommend the Clipper in the summer months but stay the hell away rom it in the story months. YMMV.

On a happier note, I'd enthusiastically recommend The Inn at Langley.
posted by donovan at 8:49 AM on January 23

I went to Victoria based on some answers I got on Ask MeFi. It was... um... well, the people I met at the Meet Up were interesting and friendly. Victoria is much smaller than you might think, and I got bored traveling by myself with no car.

If you want a romantic get-away-from-it-all trip, how about La Push? Great beach walks, if you like that sort of thing. (And nothing much else. Bring books.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:01 PM on January 23

On Vancouver Island, about 40 miles west of Victoria is a place called Point No Point very cozy/intimate/romantic.

You can get your own cabin (I have stayed in 2, one was more a "cabin"/rustic, and the other was more like a hotel + had its own hot tub on the deck overlooking the ocean.) Its a quiet, remote place without tvs, phones, etc. There are nice little paths along the property & its a short drive to the Juan De Fuca Marine Trail.
posted by hazel at 8:52 PM on January 23

oops, just saw rumple's Point No Point. Post No Post.
posted by hazel at 8:54 PM on January 23