This past weekend was awesome and much needed for Elisabeth and me. Neither of us had ever been to Orcas Island before, so we were very excited to embark on this adventure. This adventure was born from a text message Elisabeth sent me one morning at the beginning of January saying, “We should do a weekend getaway, just the two of us, soon.” The moment I got the text, I started planning our getaway.
In looking for a place, I pulled up a map of the PNW and thought, “Where should we go that we haven’t been?” I immediately started looking at Victoria, B.C., as that’s something we had spoken about greatly. However, as I’m looking at the map, I see the San Juan Islands and think, “Nope, that’s where we go." I had always wanted to visit Orcas Island, and Elisabeth had never been, so it was decided: ORCAS, HERE WE COME!
I was looking at all the Airbnbs, vacation rentals, and hotels when one stood out to me: Rosario Resort and Spa. From my first look at their website, I was all in. They are right on the water, and the vast majority of their rooms face the water and have amazing views! We stayed in a Harborside King Suite (I’m a big boy, I need a big bed), and our balcony faced the harbor. We got some great photos from the deck we had off the room.
We had a great spa day at the resort, where Elisabeth got herself a massage and I got my first spa facial. We both enjoyed pampering ourselves, for sure. Fellas, if you’ve never pampered yourself, start now!
The adventure took us all over Orcas; the main focal point for us was Mt. Constitution. We drove up the windy 7 miles to the summit, where we took some great photos and learned about the lookout tower that stands 50 feet tall and is made out of 20,000 pounds of stone. The views were, as Elisabeth put it, “simply stunning!" We took copious amounts of pictures, especially our disgustingly cute couple selfies.
We had some great food, wine, and cider while on the island. The experience was awesome, and we definitely want to come back. We feel everyone should visit Orcas Island at least four times in their life!
Here are the places we visited:
Hotel:
Rosario Resort and Spa
Places we ate:
The Mansion Restaurant - Highly Recommend - The 3 course dinner was delicious and the service we got from Annie was impeccable, Breakfast was equally as delicious and Cole was very attentive. 5/5 Stars
The Lower Tavern - Recommend - We stopped in for some lunch before our excursion. The BBQ Burger dip was tasty and they have some good beer on tap. 4/5 Stars (Sweet Potato Fries Lin!!!!)
The Madrona Bar and Grill - Mildly Recommend - The Crab Bisque was AMAZING, however with some issues with my entree I would have to give the Madrona 3/5 stars. I would give them another chance to make it a better experience.
Island Skillet - Highly Recommend - the chef’s omelet was tasty as heck! Great atmosphere and kind staff made this a great visit! 5/5 stars (hot sauce bookshelf)
Other cool places:
Boathouse Ciderworks - HIGHLY recommend - They have delicious ciders and friendly staff, Elisabeth and I say everyone should try the plum cider they have as well as the dessert port! 5/5 stars!
Doe Bay Winery Tasting Room - This was a quaint little spot with 4 tables for tastings. The wines were good and the stories behind each told by Rachel was a lot of fun. 5/5 stars!
