San Juan Islands
 

We just moved to this area from Massachusetts and have friends coming to visit in August. They have two boys ages 8 and 5 (the same as ours) they will be here for three nights and would like to go to the San Juan Islands (unless someone has a better idea) We are wondering what island to visit (we are thinking about Friday Harbor.) Any suggestions on: how to get there, what to do, where to stay and eat?

There are tons of posts about the islands if you search. I've linked one of the best trip reviews I can remember-this poster went to Orcas, but it has good general islands info (as do many other threads). You can find all the ferry info on the WA state ferry website (your only other option is flying, but that is very $$).

August is a great time for whale watching.

I'd make reservations asap. The islands are the kind of place where families book the same lodging year after year for an August stay. You might look at some of those traveling with kids type books (I know I've seen these at local bookstores for the PNW) to find lodging recommendations. We went there regularly when I was growing up and the most fun thing for us was to stay on the water, with beach access (rather than in a town, like Friday Harbor). That kept us kids entertained for hours.

I wonder if Orcas is slightly better with kids. They can swim or rent paddleboats in the lakes at Moran State Park, and that park has the most hiking trails of any on the islands.

Oops, here's that trip report I mentioned:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=1

Well, welcome! I grew up in the Boston area myself and came out here in 1987 but I still consider that area to be "home" in a way (still have lots of family there) and I still root for the Red Sox ;-).

I think the San Juans would be fun with kids, assuming you want to do mostly water based activities like kayaking and whale watching (although I think the minimum age for kayaking might be 6). You can also visit and hike/walk in the parks, go to the whale watching park, stuff like that. And if you get bored on one island, you can always day trip to another island (for instance, go to Orcas for a day and hike and swim in Moran State Park).

With two families, you should consider a condo or cottage at Roche Harbor on San Juan Island, which has a lot of the water based activities available right there at the resort. Another option might be to rent a house or condo--I think at least some rental companies allow rentals of less than a week as long as you're staying at least 3 nights. Orcas is actually my favorite island but I can't think of any good family places off the top of my head where you can get a condo/cottage (Deer Harbor had them but they are a time share now)--but consider rental houses on that island too.

As far as getting there--I prefer to have a car in the islands so I just deal with the ferry lineups. Avoid going over on a Friday and coming back on a Sunday--otherwise, plan to be in line about 90 minutes to 2 hours in advance to be on the safe side.

Our kids were about that age on one of our trips, and they really enjoyed the British Camp and American Camps.

Sorry, that should not have been plural.

I have friends with kids that go to West Beach Resort and Beach Haven Resort, both on Orcas, but I've never been to either so can't endorse them firsthand.

Oh, yeah, I forgot about those places. I stayed at West Beach years ago with my dog since they took pets. It was pretty basic and rustic, but I liked it. I'm not sure if they have cottages big enough for both families together but maybe they could take 2.

And I drove down the road to Beach Haven one time--great location. I'm not sure how updated the cabins are though.

Another possibility on Orcas is Doe Bay--I heard from a friend who was there last summer that they've done some renovating and have added some new cabins, I think? He said it's not the same laid-back place it used to be, but to me that isn't necessarily a bad thing ;-)...it was a bit *too* rustic for my tastes.

That's good to hear about Doe Bay. Some of the units they advertised as "cabins" were actually trailers covered with plywood. You could look through and see the hitch and license plate. But it's such a pretty location I hope they fix things up.

The San Juan Islands are great, but it may be difficult to have a relaxing time there if they are here for only 3 nights. I have family on Orcas, and we have made the trip countless times. We live in the northern part of Seattle, and it is still 3.5 hours minimum to get from our door to theirs and longer if you count summer ferry waiting, which, as someone noted, can be horrendous on weekends. If I were going with young kids, I'd choose Lopez or San Juan over Orcas. Lopez offers fun bike rentals and easily accessed beaches to explore. San Juan has Roche Harbor, which is bustling, and a historic fort that is also kid-oriented. The San Juans are a great getaway, but they aren't conveniently located for quick out-of-town visits. The other thing is that none of the islands has a great selection of kid-friendly restaurants, although there are a few spots. And each has only one main grocery store. If you decide to go by car, plan your food ahead of time. It's not that easy to drop by the grocery store or a restaurant.

More information I didn't think of...to be fair to Orcas, it does have Moran State Park (you can Google it), which has a lake with rowboat rentas, hiking trails and a playground. Many people camp there in the summertime. The San Juans are usually a little cooler than Seattle, so bring layers, even in August, for the evening. Accommodations on Orcas are mostly B&Bs, rentals and cabin/condo resorts. You might try using Trip Advisor to see ratings of different places on each island.

Since the islands are a huge weekend destination for Seattlites, I would have to disagree with the idea that 3 nights isn't enough-it's more than a lot of people ever take. If the OP can avoid going there on the weekend, though, it certainly will make things easier in terms of ferry waits.

My husband and I found three days on beautiful San Juan Island quite adequate during our first visit last year, although we could have stayed longer. It's not a very big island so it doesn't take long to drive anywhere. (We were there in the off-season though - I don't know what it's like in the summer.)

We too enjoyed the English and American Camps, each quite different from the other. It was the combination of scenery and history that made the island especially interesting to us.