ideas,trip to Seattle, Vancouver, San Juan Islands
 

Hi all!

Planning a trip Aug 22-28,2008 for bf birthday! Surprise for him!
We are very active middle agers. Looking for fun, active, romantic week.
Just read about Seattle, Vancouver and San Juan Islands. Looks like a great trip!

Questions
1. Any help with itinerary? We are from NC and will be flying, I suppose , into Seattle. How should I arrange the trip, where should we stay etc? How many nights in each place? Is this too much for 6 nights?

2. Kayaking, hiking, cycling, whale watch cruises all sound great to me. Any suggestions in this area would be appreciated.

3.Any great restaurants not to be missed?

4. My budget is around $5000 for the week.

I have been to Seattle a couple of times, but he has never been to the pacific northwest, so any suggestions on what not to miss would be great!

What should we expect for weather?

Thank you all so very much!

I'm not sure six nights is ideal for trying to do Seattle, the San Juans and Vancouver without spending a lot of time on the road. From your home it will take most of the day to get here and get back, so you only really have 5 full days. To give you an idea, getting to and from one of the San Juan islands will take half the day (possibly more because ferries are busy then) on two different days, and getting to Vancouver from Seattle is usually close to 3 hours (border crossing) depending on where you stay.

I would try to extend it to 7 nights if possible. Otherwise, you might consider just doing one city or the other along with the San Juan Islands. However, if you like to be on the go every minute with no down time, maybe you can do it in 6 nights. Others will have an opinion, I'm sure.

That said, it is a great time to be here. Usually the weather is very nice in August, although for someone from NC it may seem nippy in the evenings and mornings. By mid-August, the days are shorter and sometimes cooler. You should probably bring a jacket/pullover of some sort for evenings, and it can be chilly on the water if you go boating or kayaking.

You can get whale watching trips out of Anacortes, which is where you will need to catch the ferry to the San Juans anyway. We also took a whale watching trip from Orcas once, so I'm sure there are boats available from Orcas and San Juan Island. Orcas, San Juan and Lopez are the three islands you would likely consider for a stay; other islands in the San Juan Island chain are much smaller with little in the way of amenities for tourists.

For hiking, there are Moran State Park and Turtleback Mountain on Orcas. I am less familiar with hiking options on San Juan and Lopez, but Lopez has bike rentals available and is fairly easy to bike around. All the islands are popular with bikers, but all also have narrow, windy roads that go up and down (especially Orcas), so be prepared for a work out. Kayaking is very popular. Maybe someone else can provide a specific rental service.

There are a lot of good restaurants in Seattle, and everyone has their favorites. Tom Douglas is a nationally acclaimed restaurant owner and chef, and he has several good places. Just Google him. Obviously, you can find excellent seafood, and there are many good places for ethnic food, especially sushi.

On Orcas we like Ship Bay Inn and Restaurant.

As far as itinerary, I would probably spend the first night in Seattle, but then head up to Vancouver for 2 or 3 nights, then to the San Juans for 2 or 3 nights, then back down to Seattle for the last night or two, that is if you are flying in and out of Sea-Tac. Switch Vancouver and Seattle on that itinerary if you are flying into Vancouver.

The San Juan Islands are definitely a romantic spot; book well ahead for accommodations. The good ones are popular and few, and many Northwesterners vacation there in August.

I'm not very knowledgeable about Vancouver, so I'll leave it to others.

Your budget seems adequate to me, depending on how much you splurge.

We love the San Juan islands. Look at Highland Inn -- very nice and very romantic. Also, look at Cayou Cove http://www.cayoucove.com/ -- we loved both of these spots. We spent 4 nights at each and thought it was perfect. Enjoy!

Yes, I think that's too much for 6 nights. If that's all the time you have, I'd pick 2 of the 3 destinations and spend 2-3 nights in the city you choose and 3-4 nights in the islands. And if you end up flying into Vancouver then you might consider the Gulf Islands rather than the San Juans so you don't have to cross the border (it's the same island chain--the Gulf Islands are the ones on the Canadian side of the line).

Once you decide Seattle vs. Vancouver we can give hotel and restaurant suggestions--what type of places do you like?

Inn at Ship Bay on Orcas is great--I also really like Spring Bay Inn on Orcas because they do kayaking trips every morning as part of your stay there. It's very Northwest.

Yes, I think 6 days is not sufficient for seeing Seattle, Vancouver AND the San Juan islands, without rushing around. Getting around the San Juans takes time because of the ferry connections involved.

I would suggest either Seattle and the San Juans OR Seattle and Vancouver, depending on your interests.

August is a great time to visit Seattle and The San Juan Islands, also Victoria, which is on Vancouver Island. It will be sunny and dry with temps in the mid 70's to mid 80's. That part of the country gets little or no rain from early July through September.
Given your relatively short stay, you'll have to spend only 1 full day in Seattle (2 nights) and then move on up the road. Here's a possible itinerary for the active traveller:
Day 1: Arrive in Seattle late afternoon and stay at The Edgewater Hotel on the waterfront. Be sure to ask for a water-side room, as you're actually on pilings in the bay and the view is terrific! Walk South on Alaskan Way (in front of your hotel) about 3 blocks and get a quick dinner at one of the seafood stands along the way. Or eat at Ivar's Acres of Clams...A Seattle institution! If you have time, visit the Seattle Aquarium which you will walk right by.
Day 2: Walk South on Alaskan Way (again!) to the ferry terminal (You probably saw it last evening...it's about 4 blocks). Take the Seattle/Bainbridge Island Ferry. (schedules online) It's about a 30 minute crossing each way and the views are especially good in early morning or evening when the water is likely to be dead calm. (And you're going to be up early, coming from NC.) When you return to the Seattle Ferry Terminal, walk across the elevated walkway East of the terminal to 1st Avenue. Walk North about 4 blocks to the Pike Place Market. It's popular even with the locals! Lots of interesting lunch places in the market. Buy a bouquet of flowers from one of the vendors. From the Pike Place Market, walk down the Pike Place Hillclimb Steps that lead you back to Alaskan Way, where your hotel is a couple of blocks North. By now it will be around 2-3PM. Make reservations for dinner at either The Metropolitan Grill, (Steaks) The Wild Ginger (Asian) or Etta's Seafood. All are in the downtown area. (Etta's is in the Pike Place Market area.) Look them up on the web to see the menus. All are very special places. You might consider making reservations before you leave home.
Day 3-4: Get an early start and drive North in I-5 to the Anacortes Exit and follow the signs to Anacortes and the Washington State Ferry Terminal. It's about a 1 1/2 hour drive. (AVOID WEEKENDS on the San Juan Ferries, as it's busy, unless you bring your bikes and walk on.) Check out the San Juan Islands website to decide where you want to explore. Lopez Island is quaint, friendly and a good island to bike around (lots of flat roads). Don't miss Shark Reef Park. Orcas Island is more hilly, but a beautiful spot with a definite agrarian feel (and more than a few sheep!.) San Juan Island has the largest town (Friday Harbor) and the coolest small resort (Roche Harbor Resort). If you like yachts, you'll love Roche Harbor. All of these places have great restaurants and B&B's, so check the web.
Day 5: If your schedule allows, catch the ferry from Friday Harbor to Sidney BC (Near Victoria)and stay at one of the great hotels in Victoria (see web). Take a tour of Butchart Gardens, a spectacular "wonder of the world" even for non-gardeners.
Day 6: Check out of your Victoria hotel and catch the ferry from Sidney BC back to Anacortes, and drive (1 1/2 hours) back to Seattle. You may need reservations on the ferry to BC, check the website.) If your flight is early in the AM, check into one of the airport hotels for your flight out on day 7. Finally, make plans to stay a little longer on your next visit, so you can have time to enjoy more of the places you won't want to leave!

Wow! Thank you all so much!!

This is a GREAT starting point for me. Will consider adding another day. PLan to spend some time analyzing all of this and will be back with lots more questions!

Again, thank you so much!