Marlena777

Please see questions related to proposed itinerary. I appreciate any help or suggestions to make this the best trip it can posssibly be!

Questions: Where should we stay in Seattle on Sunday? We won’t have a car, so is there something near Pier 69? Also where should we stay on Monday night knowing that we have to be at the airport by 6:30 a.m.? How can we get from Seattle to SeaTac without a car? How much would it cost?

Also, do you know a better way to organize this trip and still see the same places? The biggest trouble is when to pick up and drop off the rental car (this is expensive since we are not returning it at SeaTac).

Proposed Itinerary:
Tuesday
Arrive at SeaTac airport at 10:22 a.m.
Pick up rental car and head to Mt. Rainier.
Stay at Alexander's Country Inn at Ashford

Wednesday
Travel to Sequim via the eastern coast of the Olympic Peninsula
Visit Port Townsend and anything else that looks interesting along the way
Stay at BJ's Garden Gate B&B in between Port Angeles & Sequim

Thursday
Visit Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, and Hoh Rain Forest
Stay at BJ's Garden Gate B&B in between Port Angeles & Sequim

Friday
Return rental car at Port Angeles
8:10 a.m. take Victoria express ferry to Victoria Island
Stay at Chalet by the Sea in Victoria

Saturday
9:30 a.m. take Victoria express ferry to Friday Harbor
Visit points of interest on San Juan.
Take the inter-island ferry to visit other Islands.
Stay at Trumpeter Inn Bed & Breakfast in San Juan

Sunday
11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. go on Whale & Sealife Search with Victoria Clipper
Depart Friday Harbor at 4:30 p.m. with Victoria Clipper and arrive in Seattle Pier 69 at 7:15 p.m.
Stay at ?????

Monday
Free day to visit points of interest in Seattle
Stay at ????

Tuesday
Depart at 8:00 a.m. from SeaTac airport.

mooselywild

In Victoria- if you have the money, I'd stay at the Empress, if that's on your "to see" list (people not staying there don't get to see much, and it's a very impressive place)

In Seattle- stay closest to either Pike's Place (I'm fairly sure P69 is close by there, never can remember exact lay out) or Seattle Center...most stuff to see is around those areas...

Maybe instead of picking up the rental the first day- stay a night in Seattle- most hotels offer shuttle service from airport- free (am I right?)

Can't really think of anything else- your itinerary is pretty good!

Have fun!

happytrailstoyou

Your itinerary is very well thought out.

The hotels closest to Pier 69 are The Edgewater and the Marriott--both expensive. Marriott is newer; Edgewater has rooms right on the water.

However, IMO it is much more convenient
to stay in a hotel in the heart of the retail core to be closer to more sightseeing, shopping, entertainment, and dining options. Some of the hotels in this area are Hyatt, Westin, Andra, Sheraton, and Mayflower.

Visitors also mention they like staying at Inn at the Market (i.e., Pike Place Market).


There is good taxi and limo service from SeaTac to Seattle (a 14-mile trip).

christy1

A comment on your San Juan time: You aren't going to have time to "do" San Juan AND other islands in one day (actually, you won't even have a whole day, it looks like). There really isn't anything to see at the various ferry dock areas, anyway-you need a car to explore these islands (at most, there will only be some tourist trap type shops at the dock, at worst, there will be nothing). It is a very scenic ferry ride, so if you are doing it just for that, and you are not planning on getting off, that is understandable (though I still don't see how you will have the time).

You know you will also need transportation around San Juan Island, right? I apologize if you have already planned for this, but I just don't want you to be surprised. You can walk around the town of Friday Harbor without a car from the ferry, but to see any of the good sites-the two sections of San Juan Island National Historical Park, for example-you will need to hire a taxi, tour guide or shuttle service.

You mentioned that it's expensive to return the car in Port Angeles-so why not keep it? Then you won't have problems getting around the islands, and you can return it in Seattle either at a downtown location, if you don't want to pay for parking while you're there, or at the airport, so you won't have to pay the $30 for the cab fare to the airport.

mooselywild

You can't take a car on the vic clipper....at least, I think that's the service she's talking about...and I'm fairly sure there's a bike retal, at least at Friday Harbor. But Marlena- Christy1's right about the rest....I missed the inter-island part of your itinerary- have you looked at the WA ferry website? I don't even think the ferry visits every island every day!

The points of interest is a good idea- and then riding on the ferries until you get bored/sick. It is beautiful!

mooselywild

heh- rental, not "retal"

Marlena777

Thanks guys for all your comments. I will definetly look into some hotels near Seattle Center.

I will do some more research on the San Juan islands to see the logistics of doing stuff during the time I am there. I just booked the airline tickets this past weekend and felt that I needed to get a skeleton itinerary figured out so I could book hotels.

Thanks again!

enzian

Good choice on Alexander's. I'm assuming you will drive up to Paradise to see Mt. Rainier that same afternoon? You can't see it from the Ashford area itself.

As for Seattle hotels---make sure you understand the difference between the Seattle Center area, which is not right downtown close to Pier 69, and the actual "center", or downtown. I believe the recommendation is that you pick a hotel in the latter area---downtown, NOT near Seattle Center (I think that would be a Travelodge).

Your simplest way to the airport is a taxi or limo; there is a set rate which I think is around $30 (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). You could save a little by taking the scheduled Grayliner service:
http://graylineseattle.com/airportexpress1.cfm
which starts early enough in the morning for your 8:00 departure. In that case, you should choolse one of the hotels where it picks up passengers. The Warwick might be the closest to your cruise ship terminal.

Marlena777

Enzian, yes we will be seeing Mt. Rainier on the first day we get into town and then late that night drive into Ashford when we are done.

Christy1, Yes we could keep the car and take it to Victoria and San Juan, but I am worried about waiting in line for the ferry and it being too busy and having to wait for the next ferry. We will be traveling to Victoria from Port Angeles on Friday, August 19th and then the next day going to San Juan and then the following day (Sunday) heading back to Seattle via Ferry. Wouldn't it be nuts to do this or am I fearful of traffic for no reason? Please clarify.

mooselywild

Traffic is not a worry- the worst part about taking a car on the ferry is the waiting (and the extra cost).

If you're worried about traffic, just avoid the rush hours.

mooselywild

oh- and when is this trip (missing that,sorry) after labor day, the ferry lines are much shorter

Marlena777

We would be using a ferry on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Mid August.

happytrailstoyou

I don't understand why you want to stay near the Space Needle when you requested the names of hotel near Pier 69--a long way away. I reiterate:

IMO it is much more convenient
to stay in a hotel in the heart of the retail core to be closer to more sightseeing, shopping, entertainment, and dining options. Some of the hotels in this area are Hyatt, Westin, Andra, Sheraton, and Mayflower. (There are many others.)

christy1

I do understand your point of not wanting to wait in ferry lines-if you were heading back to the mainland any other time but Sunday afternoon/evening, I would say it isn't a problem, but that day, that time in August...there will be lines. Going from Sydney (near Victoria) to Friday Harbor, you might be able to make a reservation-check the WA St. Ferries website for that. I don't know anything about the potential wait between PA-Victoria.

What I would probably do is keep the car and stay that Sunday night on San Juan Island, then catch a monday morning ferry back to the mainland and drive down to Seattle. You won't have to worry about ferry traffic on a monday, and it will give you a bit more island time. But, I do see why you scheduled things the way you did orignially-whichever way you do it, I guess, there will be a bit of a trade off.

NWWanderer

You can make reservations on the PA/Victoria car ferry now (this is a fairly recent development) and reservations have always been possible on the Sidney/San Juans ferry. But be that as it may, since you're coming back from the islands on a Sunday, and that leg isn't reservable, you'll have long waits that day so the fact that you can reserve the other legs is probably moot ;-). But, you can always put your car in line on Sunday and then go off and have a meal and go to the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor while you wait.

You're not going to have time to see other islands though. And unless you're a very strong cyclist, or enjoy riding a moped, you'll going to need to rent a car for the day on San Juan Island to see anything outside of Friday Harbor (or I think there's a shuttle in the summer time but then you'll be captive to the shuttle schedule and with such a short amount of time, I don't know that you want to do that).

I would stay both nights in downtown Seattle rather than switch hotels to be by the airport and save 15-20 minutes. It's not going to take more than 25-30 minutes to drive or cab it from downtown to the airport at 6 AM.

Orcas

Personally, I think your trip is very ambitious, taking in many of the greatest sites in this corner of the PNW in just one week. You may find yourself wishing to slow down somewhere along the way, and eliminate some things so you can actually explore where you are.

We've used the shuttle on San Juan Island and it goes from the ferry dock to all the points of interest. It is easy to use and inexpensive. That said, I looked up your B&B, which looks lovely, but it's 1 1/2 miles from the Ferry Terminal, and I think you will have to get back and forth by cab to town or walk. You also might be able to hitchhike in and out of town. Ask at the B&B about that. Are you sure you want to stay outside of Friday Harbor?

With only one day, you will find plenty to explore on San Juan Island, alone. San Juan Island has the best transportation, and, unless you want to just play tag with the ferry terminals on the other islands to say, "been there," there is no reason to go elsewhere.

I would not pay the extra bucks to stay at the Empress in Victoria, as has been suggested above. B&B's are great.

I'll get back to your itinerary later. Having so little time at Mt. Rainier is a problem....I figure you'd arrive around 3 PM. You need to eliminate something....

cindiloowho

Sounds very ambitious!d But good. Monday is the only day you didn't plan so I would stay in town, visit the waterfront shops/restaurants, or take the Winslow ferry as a 'walk on' for a pleasant ride and a nice relaxing day in town, or go to the Pike Street market for an experience. Can take the airporter from town to the airport..don't have the address but can get it off the internet

Marlena777

Just booked our last two nights in Seattle at the Westin Downtown for $135+tax a night on priceline. I hope this is a nice place.

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. I know we have a busy schedule. The beauty of it is that we have a little bit of wiggle room with what we do when we have the car. Like you all said if it is too much, then drop a couple of things.

Marlena777

Orca,
Oh I forgot to mention that the Trumpeter B&B in San Juan is a mile and a half away from Friday Harbor, but the owner was so gracious to pick us up and drop us off with our luggage. I figure we will walk into town and do all the sites via the shuttle.

Orcas

Back from doing this and that. I would guess that you already have reservations for all of your night spots, so I won't throw in suggestions of changing your overnight accomodations. Here are some thoughts on how you might make good use of your days, though.

First, Mt. Rainier is magnificent and huge. So, spend maximum time there. Try to pick up a ranger led walk at or near the Paradise Visitor's Center. There are also easy trails there where you walk along glacial streams and can see some awesome views. The trails at Longmire are interesting, but not as stunning.
If it is cloudy, drive to the eastern side, to the Sunrise Visitor's Center. It is almost always sunny there in the summer if it is overcast at Paradise.

Also, seriously consider driving to Ohanapakosh, to the east from Paradise and go on a nature lead hike there. You might have to do this Wednesday morning. The area has huge, huge, old trees and a rain forest. If you do this, you will not have to feel bad about missing the Hoh Rain Forest on the Olympic Peninsula, which you might not have time for.

After your Mt. Rainier morning, head to the Olympic Peninsula. Port Townsend is a bit out of the way. It's a cute town with Victorian homes and some nice shops in a pretty setting, but skip it if you are running late.

On the OP, Hurricane Ridge is also magnificent, with glorious views over the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria. You will be about a mile high, with views to sea level to the north, and over the mountains to the south. There is a visitor's center at Hurricane Ridge. I believe the second stop at the top is the one with the best short hikes. You can ask at the Visitor's Center.

In Victoria, you can enjoy the Musum of British Columbia along with everything else going on there. If you have time, go to Buchardt Gdns.

San Juan Island - Roche Harbor, the English Camp, lots of good places to visit.

That's about it. You'll want to come back, as you will find you are scratching the surface. You'll be mixing mountains with islands, which is great. Have you been here before?