Willows Inn has been one of those bucket list places. Mostly for the food, but had head the inn was nice too. So a long weekend in October, my husband surprised me with a trip to the inn and Lummi Island.
Willows Inn is located on Lummi Island. From Seattle this is about a 2 hour drive (depending on traffic) North. Requires you take a ferry, which probably holds only 15-20 cars and only accepts cash, to take you 5 minutes across the passage to the island. Willows Inn is then about a 10 minute drive to the other side of the island.
Willows Inn offers accommodations on site behind the main house, which is where the restaurant and where you check in. They also offer accommodations off site, which are anywhere from .5 to 1 mile away.
When we checked in we were offered home cured meats and cheese, and variety of house made juices. Not something you normally receive at hotels during check in. I did not snack on anything, because I did not want to ruin my appetite for dinner. (I did have some of the cured meat at breakfast and it was delicious)
We stayed in the Low Tide Room. The Low Tide Room is literally right on the beach. Once you get to the room, the beach is just a few steps down. You have amazing windows that looks out to the water and you can see Orcas Island in the distance. The room is small and quaint, but comfortable. The room has water dispenser, small fridge, Kueurig machine, wine glasses, robes, and small little fireplace. There is nothing really fancy about the bathroom, buy it is a good size and plenty of counter space. There is only a shower, no bathtub. Above the Low Tide is High Tide. On the other side is another building, which I assume is part of Willows Inn.. In between the 2 building is nice deck with plenty of sitting to sit and watch the waves come in or the sun set. A few disclaimers about Low Tide:
- There is a steep stair case to get down to the room. Luckily I had my husband to carry mine down and back up (Thanks Honey)
- The walls and ceiling are a little thin between Low Tide and High Tide. So if your neighbors above are noisy then you might hear them
- Your stay will not be cheap. However, it is worth the money spent. You will remember the trip, and not the amount you spent
For information on the restaurant at Willows Inn, visit my
food blog.
We were only able to get a room at the inn, so we opted to rent a little cottage on the other side of the island for 2 nights. The thing about Lummi Island is although it is the closest on the San Juan Islands that is closest to the mainland it feels the most remote of all the San Juan Islands. A few things to know about Lummi Island:
- There are no gas stations on the island
- There are no Starbucks
- There is not a bank or ATM on the island. You can go to the grocery store and pay 50 cents to have them run your card and give you cash
- Other than the restaurant at Willows Inn there are only 2 restaurants on the island
- There is another B&B, Nettles farms that has 2 rooms available to book and yummy ingredients to be purchased and a little cheaper than Willows.
Our rental house was right by the Beach Store Cafe. One night we went in and ate (it is very tasty) The next night we ordered a pizza and paired with wine we bought at Artisan Wine Gallery. This is your source for coffee in the AM. We had lunch one day at Sauseburger stand (right next to the grocery store). It is serves sandwiches and soups.
If you are the outdoorsy type, there is plenty of
outdoor activities for you to partake of.
When we were there the weather was rainy and windy. So we drove around the island. We visited the
Legoe Bay Winery. It is in a great location with a view of the bay and Orcas Island. If you are there during the summer they have a bocci ball court set up across the street, nice sitting area right on the beach. Before or after your tasting, you can stroll down the beach and and check out the
Salmon reefnets. Something you will only see here.
We then drove a little less than a mile a way to Artisan Wine Gallery. This is a cute wine shop tucked in a room above the garage. They have a wide range of wines from around the world, and quite a few Washington State Wines. A tasting is $10, and you can sit up at the vbar and chat with the owner or grab a ledge by the window and enjoy a nice view. If you go on Friday night you can pick up bread made by a local lady. I hear this sells out fast. Unfortunately, the bread lady was vacationing in Ireland when we visited.
Compared to the other San Juan Islands, Lummi Island is a little rural. However, to me this is the charm of the island. Get away from the city life and enjoy some island life.
