This past weekend Danny and I celebrated TEN years together! That’s a long time! Instead of just going out to dinner we thought it would be fun to explore more of the PNW and head up to Whidbey Island located in the Puget Sound (about an hour North of Seattle).
To get to the island we took the Mukilteo-Clinton Ferry. I had never been on a car ferry before and it was so fun! I know this is a normal thing for locals in the area but I thought it was the coolest thing. Being off-season, we did not get stuck in any line and it was a breeze. The island is only 3.1 miles across The Sounds so about 15 min total on the ferry though I wish it were longer.
We booked a few nights at The Captain Whidbey Inn, a historic hotel nestled under the firs along Penn Cove. The interior is dim but warm filled artifacts and antiques with furniture in rich tones. The hotel is broken up into three parts: The Historic Lodge and modern cabins which face the cove or Lagoon Rooms on the other side of the property. We opted for the Lodge since it looked extremely cozy and we love a place with history. Each room has multiple windows, a plush queen bed and a vanity area with a sink. These rooms do not have private baths but their communal restrooms are lovely and very clean. Our first night we stayed in room 13 which was more of a garden view and was located directly over the front desk. Since the Lodge is from 1907 and is not very sound proof, this ended up being great as there was a wedding at the hotel that evening, which was very sweet and made the evening more lively and loving.
That evening, we made a reservation at their restaurant downstairs. Due to the wedding also happening, seating was a bit tight in the dining room so they set us up at a more private table within the lobby for us where the chess board lives and it was PERFECT! We had just enough action from the wedding while still being able to enjoy each other and have a conversation. I had read some so-so reviews about the service and food but we had a great experience (thank you again, wedding). Our waitress was wonderful and food was great, too. They made me a delicious dirty martini and the cheese board is 10/10 MUST. We also ordered their clam chowder which is also recommend, their broccoli salad, calamari and fish & chips. It was way too much food and we put ourselves into a food coma passing out before 9:30pm.
Nine hours of sleep later, we walked around the neighborhood of Coupeville while having our coffees. The area offers a lot of Victorian homes which I loved and a ton of cute shops and restaurants. And dogs, lots of dogs.
30 min North of Coupeville is the famous Deception Pass State Park which is gorgeous. There are a few hiking trails you can take as well as beach access. There are also boat tours available to view the area from the water and whale watch during migration season.
Pro Tip: If you do not have the WA Discover Pass there is a $10 park fee for day-use and their CC machine was down. If you do not have cash you could try to find parking along HWY 20 but it can be tough and watch out for passing cars.
On the way up we stopped at the roadside Shrimp Shack for lunch. We thought we’d try something different and got their Oyster Burger. I would definitely skip this and go somewhere else in the area. It did not do much for either of us and some of the other patrons were very rude and they only provide porta-potties for restrooms. (There are public bathrooms at Deception Park)
Later that afternoon when we returned to the Inn. we found out we were upgraded to a new room, 7, with water views. I highly recommend you try to squeeze in a reservation for one of these. Though the garden view was quiet and serene, the water view offers sounds of lapping waves which is incredible to sleep/wake up to if you keep your window open like we did (the heaters in these rooms are very efficient and you will likely need to crack a window anyways).
We had dinner our final night at Front Street Grill after having walked by it during the day. Once again, the staff was incredible as well as the food. We kept it smaller this time with their Crab Dip and Green Curry Muscles. It was definitely enough foe two people and would eat here again. There was also the most stunning moonrise I had ever seen which we got to enjoy from our table.
The morning of check out the skies put on a show and it was a perfect goodbye. I cannot say enough good things about this place and hotel other than it might now be one of my favorite places ever. It’s a perfect escape from busy, city life where you can slow down, read your book in peace, make sweet conversation with staff and other patrons, have great food and drinks, and sleep soundly. Pictures do not do this place justice and hope to return year after year.
Happy TEN years together, Danny. I love you forever.
