San Juan Island, WA Weekend Getaway: Roche Harbor Resort

© Roche Harbor Resort

Roche Harbor Resort offers a few different accommodations for guests. These include waterfront lodging, historic cottages, the McMillin Suites, Quarryman Hall and village homes, which are perfect for families. There are 25 waterfront condos located only 100 feet away from the ocean. Some of the condos offer a harbor view and the others have a lagoon view.

The Harborview rooms have the best views of the marina and water and are equipped with king sized beds, a living and dining room, and a kitchen. The resort offers these rooms as one-bedroom units and two-and-three-bedroom options, which sleep between two and eight people. The Lagoon view rooms are close to the water but tucked away in a forested area. For nature lovers, the lagoon view rooms offer the most relaxed and secluded setting out of all the available accommodations. These rooms also feature king sized beds, a living and dining room, a kitchen, and sleep between two to eight people.

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The McMillin suites are another option for guests and are located in a historic home overlooking the harbor. These suites sleep two, so they are highly recommended for couples looking to relax and have some alone time. There are four McMillin suites and all have large decks which are the perfect place to catch a sunset and wind down with a cocktail in hand at the end of the day. Inside these suites, guests can find a spacious living room, a king sized bed and lavish yet classically decorated bathrooms with heated floors and a large tub, ideal for bubble baths. The Harborview, Lagoon view, and McMillin suites all come with parking spots steps away from the suites, daily housekeeping services, complimentary Wi-Fi internet, a balcony with comfy furniture and flat screen TV and DVD players.

The resort also offers older more traditional accommodations. These accommodations were originally built in the 19th century and have a rustic feel to them which guests really enjoy. The resort offers both the historic cottages and Hotel de Haro. The Historic cottages are located on the east side of the harbor on the hillside and are the most popular places to stay during the spring, summer, and fall months. There are five of them and all have picnic tables and a fire pit out on the lawn for those who enjoy grilling and spending time around a camp fire. The cottages are the perfect size for a family or two couples because they have two bedrooms, a large kitchen for preparing and enjoying meals and a gas fireplace in the sitting area. The cottages sleep up to six people.

The Hotel de Haro is another rustic accommodation featuring antique furniture and some of the hotels original furnishings from the 19th century. The rooms in the Hotel de Haro sleep two and are close to all the resorts amenities. Every room has access to shared balconies that overlook the garden and harbor. Only four of the 20 hotel rooms have private bathrooms. The other rooms have access to four shared bathrooms down the hallway.

Quarryman Hall is the newest boutique-hotel in Roche Harbor Resorts that offers even more luxury to its guests. Quarryman Hall is perfectly located in the center of it all. Guests can choose to sleep in an air-conditioned room with a king sized bed or opt in for two queen beds while staying here.

Lastly, Roche Harbor Resort offers village homes to guests who are looking for a lot of room during their stay, typically families, groups of friends and couples looking for some extra space will reserve the village homes. All of these homes have a gourmet kitchen, living room, dining area and outdoor space for family barbeques and celebration. If guests are coming with many loved ones or friends, try the village homes. Guests can reserve the two or four-bedroom village homes and have plenty of space to relax and enjoy one another.

For guests who enjoy swimming and the game of bocce, the resort offers complimentary pool and bocce court access to all of its guests regardless of where they are staying on the premises.

© Roche Harbor Resort

Roche Harbor Resort has a several dining options for guests to choose from during their stay. These include McMillin’s, Lime Kiln Café, BeechTree espresso and ice cream stall and Madrona bar and grill, which is the only seasonal option only open during the summer months. McMillin’s is the perfect dinner spot for couples and families. The restaurant prepares its dishes with local and fresh products and serves dinner Thursday through Monday. McMillin’s house specialty is an aged slow roasted prime rib but other menu items include lobster mac and cheese, lamb empanadas, and buttermilk fried chicken and biscuits.

Lime Kiln Café is a traditional American café that serves breakfast every day from 8 to 11 and lunch from 11 to 3 in the afternoon. The café is known for its homemade doughnuts, but offers a variety of breakfast foods like omelets, breakfast platters served with eggs, meat and toast, and pancakes and fresh fruit. For lunch, the café offers a variety of salads, sandwiches, and burgers which include a smoked bacon burger and hazelnut crusted veggie burger.

For coffee lovers, Beechtree is a one stop shop for everyone’s morning grab and go needs. All coffee drinks at Beechtree are made with Starbucks coffee and flavorings. Guests can also find breakfast items such as pastries, muffins, and granola parfait as well as ice cream here. Kids flock to Beechtree for the locally made ice cream. They sell plenty of classic and unique flavors daily and work to satisfy every guest’s sweet tooth.

The resort is also home to the Madrona Bar and Grill, a hot spot with an outside deck for waterfront dining and tasty cocktails. Madrona is only open during the summer months from May to September and is one of the only places on the island with a full sunset view. Guests consistently review and say the sangria, decksicle and harbortender’s margarita are some of their favorite cocktails and the chicken wings with honey sesame glaze and fried oysters are a must-have. The restaurant does not take reservations and it gets very busy on the weekends, so guests should definitely plan accordingly.

© Roche Harbor Resort

Roche Harbor resort offers many different spa and treatment services to its guests. These include facials of all sorts, pre-treatment baths which include a eucalyptus bath and a mineral wellness bath which are made to help relax stiff and aching muscles and joints, and make the body feel at ease. They also offer a ginger renewal and use a dry brush to exfoliate the skin.

This is followed by a massage my trained massage therapists. The resort also offers couple massages, a Swedish full body aromatherapy massage, and a therapeutic massage that uses firmer pressure on tense areas of the body. All guests can choose to reserve an hour or 90-minute massage.

Both female and gentleman guests can also enjoy manicures and pedicures at the resort, which include cuticle care, buffing and polishing, and nail maintenance.

© Roche Harbor Resort

The resort is happy to host weddings and other celebrations. The ceremony and reception areas are steps from each other and guests are not restricted to one ceremony or reception option, as they can choose from a few different ones. The bride and groom can choose to have their ceremony in the sunken garden or chapel. The garden is a less traditional yet beautiful location.

The ceremony is centrally located in a garden full of colorful, scented flowers that offers a truly intimate experience. The chapel, a much more traditional setting, is located on the hillside overlooking the harbor. It holds up to 130 guests and has been in use for over a century.

Guests can have their reception in the pavilion and courtyard which overlooks the harbor and surrounding islands or the lawn located right on the shoreline. The lawn can fit up to 300 guests and the pavilion and courtyard area can fit up to 175 guests. The seaside lawn is only available during the summer months of July and August.

The resort also offers catering services with a menu focused on seafood and shellfish and other items like beef, chicken, vegetables, and salads. The resort is open to accommodating many different types of events and celebrations, not just weddings, in these venues.

© Roche Harbor Resort

The island and surrounding islands offer great opportunities for whale watching, kayaking and outdoor activities. The San Juan Islands are known for its marine wildlife and its orca whales. Almost a hundred orca whales visit the area during the warmer months and Roche Harbor offers whale watching excursions to guided groups, families, and travelers alike.

Kayaking tours are also an option for the ultra-adventurous. The exclusive kayaking operation from Roche Harbor offers trips into the open water and guests snatch views of the Cascade and Olympic mountains and can travel down Haro Strait and paddle alongside the orca whales.

For hikers, the island offers a variety of trails and outdoor footpaths that start at the resort and head out into the forests and nearby farmland. The National Historic Park, National Monument Lands and Mt. Young are just a few minutes away by car and can be explored and climbed as well.

248 Reuben Memorial Drive, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, Phone: 800-451-8910

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