Laguardia Spain - Dining before 9pm with cardigan wearing bar hoppers

Stepping into the walled town of Laguardia is like stepping back into the middle ages.  This walled town was built in the 10th century, and sets upon a hill and overlooks the valley of vineyards.  When I say walled town the entire town is all within the sand stone color brick walls.  There are no roads inside the town. Just winding walking paths that run through the town.  I can say I have never seen or visited anything like this before.  The town has everything a modern villager will need.  Cafes, restaurants, wine shop, a butcher, and a market.

Finding our B&B was a bit challenging.  Google Maps leads to you to the front gate of the village, which of course you cannot drive through.  I started thinking what have I gotten us into.   We ended up having to call and they talked us through on where to park on the backside of the wall.
We chose to stay at Erletxe, which is a family owned house within the walls of the town.  It is a charming B&B run by several of the family members, which some live on the proiperty.  They were very hospitable and accommodating.  They assisted in planning several activities during our stay, booked a lunch reservation for us, provided a brief history of the town, and overview of the town how to get around and places to eat.

Erletxe offers rooms on the 1st and 2nd floor.  We chose a room on the 2nd floor with a view looking out towards the valley.  The only downside is there a road below, and can be a little noisy in the morning and at night, but was not horrible.  The rooms are cozy, comfortable, but nothing overly fancy. We didn’t spen much time in the room, so it was fine for us.
We arrived around 6pm, and by the time we got settled and got the lay of the village, it was around 7:30is.  By now we are ready to eat. As you probably have heard, Spaniards don’t typically have dinner until after 9pm.  I am usually going to bed by this time.  In Barcelona, we did not seem to run into issues finding place to eat prior to 9.  However, in a smaller town this is a little more challenging. We had c
ouple of restaurant recommendations made by the hotel proprietor, so we headed out to see what we could find.


As we walked through the paths, the town seemed a little quiet.  Just a few other people wondering about.  We located one of the restaurants that was recommended. The door was open, lights were on, and music was playing.  We walked in, and assumed someone might be out in a minute or so to greet us.  Few minutes went by still no one came out to greet us.  We politely said “Hello??  Hello??”…no response.  We waited a few more minutes, and still no sign of anyone.  So we decided to walk around a little more and see if we can find another restaurant. Not much luck finding anything open this early (which sounds doe strange). We returned back to the original restaurant about 20 -30 minutes later.  The door still open, lights on, music playing, but still no sign of anyone.  By now it is probably after 8pm.  We head down the pathway and we see a bar with some tables outside.  There some older gentleman sitting at the bar having a drink.  We ask the bartender if they are serving food now.  He looked a little surprised, but said yes.  YEAH...food. We picked our table outside, and began reviewing the menu.  I do recall a bit of challenge reading the menu, because it was in Basque.  However, we managed to understand some options, and asked if we didn’t. A funny little story about this restaurant. About 5-10 minutes after we placed out order, we see the bartender/waiter/maybe chef too jog out of the restaurant and over to the market across the way.  We saw him pick out a couple of vegetables outside, then he walked inside.  He then came jogging out of the market with a bag in his hand back to the restaurant.  He gave us a little smile has headed back into the restaurant.  Guess he needed some extra ingredients!

It was before 9pm, and the older gentleman headed out the bar and strolled down the walkway.  There about 4 of them, and they all dressed very similar.  They all had on cardigan sweaters or sweater vests with a button down underneath, a pair of khakis or dress pants, topped off with a newspaper style hat.  They all looked very dapper and adorable I must say.  I thought maybe since it Friday night, they get little “dressed up” to hit the bars.  We watched them stroll down the walkway to the next bar.  Shortly after a couple of older couples strolled in.  They gave a bit of strange look.  Either it was obvious we were not from there and/or we were eating before 9.  They too just had a drink and then strolled down the walkway to the next bar.  Then about 20 -30 minutes later the older, dressed up group of gentlemen strolled back up the walkway. Not sure if they were going to hit another bar or turning in for the night.

Once we had just finished up our dinner, and sipping the last drops of our wine, the younger generation of the town started to appear in the bars.  Now it was around 9:30.  However, the younger group had the same way of doing things as the older group of gentlemen.  Have a drink, socialize, pay the bill, and move onto the next bar.

As we could not keep up with the younger group, and I would guess the older gentleman as well, we mozied down the walkway to the town center to the wine shop.  We were going to be doing our drinking in our room.

Planning a couple of days in Rioja Spain

When planning our Spanish road trip, I knew we wanted to stop for a couple of days along the way.  I also knew I wanted to stop in Rioja region.  Of course my driving factor was to explore wineries and drink a lot of good wine.  However, I experienced more than just wine.  I was introduced to a charming village and their way of life that I did not know existed. 
The Rioja region is encompasses a pretty sizable area.  The challenge is where in Rioja we wanted to stay for a couple of days. Everyone has various ways or tools for planning their trips. A thing to know about me, is I love to do the research, exploring various regions or towns, and reviewing hotel websites.  Here is how I narrowed down my choices, the tools I used to make this decision on where in Rioja we would stay.  

The Rioja region is encompasses a pretty sizeable area.  The challenge is where in Rioja we wanted to stay for a couple of days. Everyone has various ways or tools for planning their trips. A thing to know about me, is I love to do the research, exploring various regions or towns, and reviewing hotel websites.  Here is how I narrowed down my choices, the tools I used to make this decision on where in Rioja we would stay.  

Google Maps – I knew the motorways that we could take to get from Barcelona to Rioja.  So I used Google Maps to familiarize myself with the towns in Rioja and where they were in respect to the motorways we would be traveling

TripAdvisor – As mention in my Barcelona post, I always use TripAdvisor to search for hotels.  TripAdvisor usually has a Top 10 Hotels or a city or region.  When you drill down into these hotels you begin to see names of towns.  Then this allows you to go search specifically in these towns for hotels

        Exploring the Options - One I find some areas and hotels, I go and Google them to find their website (if there is not a link on TripAdvisor) and see where they are located on the map.  Most sites have a button you can click for English or Google will translate for you.

        Making a Final Decision – I will have to admit most of my decision making is done based of gut feeling, my overall impression of the information provided on the site, and of course price.  I do read the reviews on TripAdvisor, but as I have said before I take these with a grain of salt.  Some people just like to complain or just would not be happy with anything or anywhere they stayed.

        Booking the Hotel - Once I decide on what hotel or BB I will stay at, I always book with that hotel directly.  Sometimes this does require multiple emails, because a lot of these smaller hotels don’t do online booking.  I feel more comfortable if there is an issue with the reservation, etc, I can deal directly with the hotel vs a middle man (ie: Expedia, Orbitz, etc).  I was even informed by hotel representative at a hotel I once stayed at, it always to book with the hotel.  Doing this they have more control in assisting you with your booking.

I narrowed my options to 3, and eventually decided that we would stop in Laguardia Rioja Spain.  Stay Tuned for my blog entries on our days in walled town of Laguardia. 

 

What to know about renting a car in a foreign country

I have rented a car in two countries, Ireland and Spain. The reason we rented in these cases we wanted to travel outside of the city we were staying in. My opinion is when you are in a city like Dublin or Barcelona, you do not need a car.  There are plenty of transportation offerings in the city. Not to mention driving in a city no matter where are you can be a little nerve wracking.  This is even multiplied when you are in a foreign city.

Planning your self- drive

You have decided to rent a car and take a road trip in a foreign country. Before you leave for your trip, there are some steps you must take before you get to your vacation destination.

•   Renting a car –  DUH..well this step is a no brainer.  Most of the rental car agencies that are in the United States, rent cars in most European countries. However, there are few things to consider or ask when renting a car in a foreign country.

o   Make your reservation on the phone vs online.  This will allow you to ask the agent some of the questions below.

o   If you will be visiting another country outside the one you are renting from, just ask that it is ok if you drive the car into another country.  In our case, we drove across the border to France for a couple of days and had no issues.

o   If you do not plan on returning to the country you rented the car, can you return the car in another country.  In my planning for Italy, if you rent a car in France, you cannot return the car to a location Italy.  The car has to be returned to a location in France.

o   Once you select the car, you may want to verify how many pieces of luggage the car can hold.  We learned this lesson when we arrived to pick up our car in Barcelona.  The website said the SUV we were renting could hold 4 pieces of luggage and 4 people, but when we got there the car barely could hold the 2 we had (we had 2 other people joining us along the way).  Luckily we were able to go back and get a bigger vehicle, but this may not always be an option.

o   Speaking of size, understand the terrain where you are traveling. This may require you do some google searching on driving thru <TBD> country.  You want to understand if the roads are narrow. Because if they are like in Ireland or Italy, than a SUV is not the car you want to rent.  In Spain, there was no issues.  The roads we drove on were your typical motorways or 2 lane roads.  When my friend I drove in Ireland, we drove outside of Dublin, the country roads are so narrow barely 1 car fits.  We were happy we had the small car.  

o   Stick shift vs automatic – you might have driven a car with a stick shift since you were 16, but nothing can prepare you for driving a stick shift when you are driving on the opposite side of the road, like in Ireland. Your shifting is backwards and can be very challenging. I know several of my friends who rented a car in Ireland, and always get an automatic.

o   Pay the extra money and get the car with the GPS?  I am on the fence with this one.  When I selected this option for the car we rented in Spain, my assumption was the GPS was part of the car.  However, it was a separate, and not very easy to use. The issue was it could not pinpoint your current location, and sometimes it was not easy to read street names.  I had purchased an international plan on my phone, so I would get on Google Maps on my phone to get us the directions we needed. Also, an old school paper map comes in handy too.  We used to track where we were at on the motorways and distance. So although we didn’t really use the GPS and probably get our money’s worth, I still think it is a nice thing to have.  It just another backup in case your other options fail.

o   Get the number you need to call if you have questions or issues with your reservation.  Because I had made the reservation in the United States, I needed to contact an office in the US vs in Europe.  It took a bit of work to locate the correct number to call.

•        Other things you want to consider

o   Do you need an international driver’s license?  Although the rental car company did not require that we had this, it is a Spanish law.  So to ensure we did not end up in a Spanish prison, we went to AAA and obtained one for $15.

o   Do you need extra insurance?  Check with your insurance company or credit card company (like American Express) to see if they cover foreign rentals or offer coverage.  When we rented in Ireland the rental car company said I had to buy insurance because mine would not cover any damage to the car. Although I felt he was full of it, I had not done any research on this, so I bought the insurance he was selling.

Self-drive vs Private car

Honestly I did not know the option to have a private car to drive you from point A to B. In planning my current trip to Italy, I have discovered the option for a private car.  So I really can speak to the experience of a private car.  I’m sure there are pro’s and cons to both.  With a private car I am sure you will get a local person whom can provide you with a plethora of information about the region you are driving you through and make stops along the way that you probably driving on your own will never know about.  The con is it will cost a lot more money than renting a car.  It really is what your comfort level is driving in a foreign country and what you want to experience.  My take is sometimes it fun to make these discoveries on your own.  This is what makes for some great stories when you get home.

Do you want to self-drive, but don’t like the planning?  I know when I was planning it probably took me a month or so to determine the route and where to stop.  There are tour companies that can do this planning for you, and you will meet a guide along the way.  Responsible Travel.com has a very similar itinerary to the trip we took through Rijoa. Might be something to look into if interested.  If you are planning a driving trip to Spain, feel free to email me.  I would be happy to answer your questions or provide information.

Spanish Road Trip – Barcelona to San Sebastian

We opted in renting a car and driving from Barcelona to San Sebastian, with a stop in the Rioja region.  It seemed kind of romantic idea to drive through the Spanish countryside and see the sites along the way.  Realistically, it is probably as romantic as it sounds.  A road trip is a road trip, no matter where you are driving.  Just like when you take a road trip in the US, there are sections of your trip that are long, a little boring, and the some of scenery is dull.   However, there are still things that you will see and experience that would not been seen in a plane or a train?  So if you enjoy driving, enjoy taking road trips, and can handle making a wrong turn and getting lost once in a while, then I say you should experience a road trip in a foreign country, at least once. 

Here is what we encountered on our drive.

Once you get out Barcelona, the drive is actually pretty easy. Although I am speaking as the passenger.  My husband, the driver, might say different. However, I was really surprised how little traffic there were on the motorways.  The traffic you did encounter, most everyone was going the speed limit, and not always driving in the fast lane.  We didn’t feel like we were driving on roads with crazy, lunatic drivers.

We purchased a Driving through Spain book to familiarize ourselves with the motorway signs that we might encounter along the way.  My husband, who was the one going to drive, read some sites on general driving rules and tips for driving in Spain.  If you have never encountered a roundabout, familiarize yourself with how to drive in a roundabout.  Spain is full of them.  You don’t want to end up like the Griswold’s and be stuck driving in one all night.  Although there were a couple of times I thought we just might. Also ensure you have an old school paper map.  You know those things that you used to use before Google Maps.  We tried to use our cell phones as little as possible, and the map came in very handy.

Taking a road trip in Spain is a little different than in the US.  In the US, you are used to having services available at pretty much most exits, such truck stops, any fast food restaurant or Starbucks.  In Spain this is the not the case.  You will not see a McDonalds or a coffee stand right off the side of the road.

 On your journey you will probably see a lot of these signs.  At first when we saw this we had no idea what it meant.  We called it is time to potty time.  However, when you drive long enough (and do a google search as soon as wireless is available), you learn it stands for picnic area. These are similar to rest stops in the US. The area has some picnic tables that always seem to be under a tree for shading.  Which I am sure this is nice on a summer day. We never stopped at these, but I learned later that Spaniards bring food with them and stop at the picnic area. You will see gas stations.  We stopped at several along the way, and each one offered something a little different.  One was just a very small mini mart, another one had mini mart to it with small variety of hot food to choose from.  The best one we stopped at reminded me of a Spanish smorgasbord.  It offered various tapas, some hot dishes, salads and fresh sandwiches with the delicious cured meat.  They also served little bottles of wine.  It was a perfect Spanish road stop picnic.

When you decide to drive, you think we will stop off, see some sights along the way. However, it just didn’t seem that there a lot of signs with attractions or things to stop to see.  Where we were traveling, if you wanted to exit to go to a town or village you had to pay a toll to do this.  It is a little difficult to read and understand the toll signs when you are driving the 60 MPH.  So we never really ventured off the motorways.  Also with road trips you want to get to your destination and/or you are running behind, and want to or need to get to your hotel before a certain time.  Even though we did not make any stops or explore along the way, Spain provided a beautiful backdrop of scenery for us to enjoy along the way. Below are some picture from our drive through Spain.

In a future post, I will provide more information about what you need to know about driving in Spain, and things to consider when you are planning your driving adventure.  

Spain - Barcelona

This was my first trip to Spain.  It always hard to decide what cities to visit when you are visiting a country for the first time.  Since I knew I wanted to go to San Sebastian, we opted to fly in and stay in Barcelona for a couple of days.

I didn’t know anything about Barcelona or any ideas on hotels to say at.  Barcelona Tourist Guide provides a breakdown of all the Barcelona neighborhoods, transportation information, and nearby hotels.  Use this to familiarize with your city, and you might get some ideas of attractions you might want to visit while you are there. 

Where to Stay

I always use TripAdvisor to when I start looking at hotels.  I look to see what the highly rated hotels are, where they are and the average cost.  My preference is to try to find a “local hotel” vs. a chain hotel (Hilton, Sheraton,etc).  I want to try to get the local experience if I can.  However, depending on where you are traveling the chain hotels might be best. Once I locate some hotels that look nice, within my price range, have higher ratings, I begin reading reviews.  With any type of review you have to take some with a grain of salt.  I do appreciate reviewers that provide a clear description of their stay and why or why they did not like their stay.

I finally decided on Hotel Montecarlo.  It was a great hotel.  Right on Rambles street, which for being our visit it was worth experiencing Barcelona Main Street and all the sights, sounds and people it provided.  The hotel was clean, comfortable, and the staff were very friendly and helpful.  We had to stay an extra night due to a reservation conflict at our next hotel, and they were very accommodating.  We stayed in the big standard natural light room.  The room was a nice size, plenty of storage and was very quiet for the location.

Staying on Rambles street, it easy to walk to a lot of restaurants, cafes, old town, attractions, etc.  However, if you are not up for walking, it was always east to hail a cab, or the metro stops are nearby.

What to Do

Of course we did most of your first time visits tourists visits, which I will not list out. You can find all of this information in any good guide book or travel site to decide what you want to see.  However, I will share one of the things I enjoyed the most about Barcelona. Walking the little streets of old town (Gothic Quarter). As you walk through the small narrow streets, you will see architecture dating back to the 14^th century to modern day.  It is fun to see a mix of the old and the new.  The architecture is amazing and this experience is not anything you will ever experience in the US.  You don’t have to be in a rush or have an itinerary, you just follow the roads and see where they take you.  Stroll into the 14^th century church and listen to the sounds or the music.  Sit in a pew, ad just take in all the history and the beauty. Take a break in a little café, and pretend to be a local.  A place to definitely visit in the old town is Picasso Museum.  The museum occupies 5 palaces dating back to the 13^th -15^th century.  Not only is the art great, you get a bit of glimpse inside the palaces.  The entrance alone is pretty spectacular.  If you are going to visit, buy your tickets online beforehand.  The lines can get pretty long, and you do not want to waste your vacation waiting in line.

OH..The Food!

Just like trying to decide where to stay and where to stay, trying to decide where to eat is the biggest challenge.  So many wonderful places to eat, but there is no way of even skimming the surface of all the great flavors that Spain has to offer. 

In searching for restaurants and bar, I use the following apps on my phone or websites:

      Foursquare

      Chef’s Feed

       FED Guide

      Google

Here is what I found using these tools.

Boadas Cocktails – this bar was located right down from hotel.  And what grabbed my attention about the bar is that it is the oldest cocktail bar in Barcelona, dating back to the 1930’s.  It does not get more authentic and Spanish this.  When you walk in it is like stepping into a speakeasy in the 1930’s.  The bar is cozy, intimate, with a touch of class and nostalgia. The bartenders are wearing tuxedos, and make martins with a certain flair that I have never seen before.  It was such a treat to find such a place.  I only wish there was one of these in my neighborhood.  If you go, try the cocktail of the day.  More than likely you never heard of and it may not be familiar with the ingredients. When in Barcelona, drink like the locals!

Tapas 24 – This restaurant was within walking distance from our hotel.  I decided to go here based on the reviews I read.  All the reviews said it was delicious, and it was. We had to wait about an hour to get in.  I about have up, and went down the street to a place that did not have a wait, but I am glad I waited it out.  Try whatever looks good to you, because it will be good.  The atmosphere is little crowded and little loud, but also fun and lively.

Quimet & Quimet – this wonderful treasure we stumbled across by chance, and what a wonderful chance it was.  We visited Montjuic, and were ready for something to eat.  The choices in the area where were limited.  I used Foursquare to see what was nearby, and this Quimet & Quimet came up as a top choice.  It is located at the bottom of the hill, which is about a 5 or 10 minute taxi ride.  After walking around for most of the afternoon, I was ready to sit have a cold drink and some good food.  Well sitting is not much of an option.  There are just a couple of tables, but it is mostly belly up to the bar, and rub elbows with your neighbors has you eat your tapas.  No one seems to really care that we are kind of squished in the bar, because we are all just enjoying the wonderful tapas. One of the best tapas we had was the montadito (a small, open-faced sandwich) of smoked salmon with Greek yogurt and truffled honey.  It doesn’t like these items goes together, but it is the perfect balance of sweet and savory.

An Adria Brothers restaurant – if you are a foodie then you know Ferran and Albert Adria or El Bulli.  Since El Bulli closed, the brothers opened Tickets and 41 Degrees.  From what I could tell 41 seemed to resemble El Bulli, with a couple of items that were on the El Bulli menu, but had a cocktail focus.  41 has since closed, but Albert is working on a revamped 41 Degrees called Enigma.  When is Barcelona  make a reservation at one of Adria brother’s restaurant. It is an eating experience that cannot be missed!

Barcelona is a top city, and I will always have fond memories of my time spent there.  I highly recommend that you add it to your travel bucket list. 

Traveling thru Spain

In September 2013, my boyfriend and I traveled to Spain.  Spain and been on my bucket list for a while.  Between watching several episodes of Anthony in Barcelona and San Sebastian, reading about The Ferran brothers, thinking about all the cured meat, I just had to go.  The planning I did for this trip was geared towards these activities, in this order; what restaurant will I eat at, what wine I will drink, and what I will see/visit in between meals.  I will document my Spanish experiences in 4 different blogs:

·                 Spain - Barcelona

·                 Spanish Road Trip – Barcelona to San Sebastian

·                 Spanish Detour – Biarritz, France

·                 Spain – San Sebastian

So if you are interested in learning more about how to eat your way through Spain, with you stops in between, then you want to keep on reading.

Storyteller Traveler

Everyone has a story to tell.  However, there is always something exciting to hear about someone’s story about their travel.  You want to know where they went, what did they do, what did they eat, did they enjoy themselves, and what was the best part of the trip?  I think some of my best stories and memories are from my travels.

I remember my first plane ride when I was 10, when my parents took me to Disney World. I remember the experience of my first airplane ride, the excitement I felt, and the fun I had just like it was yesterday.  Although, I do not quite remember, but I am sure I as soon as I got home I told all my friends what I saw, that Mickey Mouse was way cool, and what rides were the best.

I remember my first trip abroad when I was 23.  I was lucky enough to go to the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer Norway.  My friend and I spent a month with my Norwegian friend, and traveled across Scandinavia with a few days in Saint Petersburg.  So many stories from the trip, form the people I encountered, how different the lifestyle is in Scandinavia, soo much snow, soo cold, I ate Moose, and just the overall experience. To this day, I can tell a story about this trip.  This story is the beginning of many other stories this traveler will gain over her lifetime.  It is this story that changed her life and makes her who she is today.

What is your Travel Story?

A weekend on Lummi Island WA

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.