I am trying to quickly throw together a vacation for my husband and myself to the Seattle/San Juan area (or Victoria?). I have about 1-2 days to plan before I leave on a business trip. I have never been to this area before (have been to Vancouver). I do have reservations at the Inn at the Market for 3 nights in Seattle, but after that I am lost. I want to hit the most spectacular points in and around this area and there seems to be no shortage of sights. We will be there over the Thanksgiving holiday. Should we stay in Seattle or go over to the San Juan islands for Thanksgiving? I am looking at several inns in San Juan that look charming, but at this time of year, I am not sure what is best. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am in a major time crunch to get this planned.

The San Juans are fantastic, and there's no shortage of charming places to stay, but our worst weather comes in November (not to mention very short daylight hours), so it's not very condusive to the beachcombing, hiking, kayaking, etc that are so great up on the island. So, I'd stick to Seattle and indoor activities (especially since you've never been)-eating, drinking, museums, shops, etc., since you only have 2 full days. And with your hotel, you are right in the middle of everything.
If the weather is at all decent when you're in Seattle, you could take a ferry to Bainbridge. It's not the spectacular ride that the San Juan ferry is, but you'll get a little taste of Puget Sound scenery.

Thanks for your quick reply christy. I will actually have about 1 week vacation time, but just 1-2 days to plan it!

There are several trip reports here(maybe in the search category typye in San Juan Island, WA) My reports as of now are number 21 and 49 on the posts. We did alot of things will in the Pacific Northwest including the SanJuan Islands. However we took the ferry from Anacortes-the ferry only takes about 45 min from there but not sure if you will be in that area. WE loved the San Juans at end of Aug early Sept(saw lots of orcas from shore!)but have no idea what it is like at end of nov

Hi turkpat, I have family members that have lived on Friday Harbor for years. They claim they do not get as much rain as Seattle does. Having said that they have had some very severe storms over the years (trees falling on their house etc) but think that occurred more in January. You are going to a beautiful area. Have fun!

I might be inclined to stay in Seattle and tag on an overnite or 2 day trip to Victoria via the Clipper(pedestrian high speed catamaran). Victoria could be very beautiful at this time of year. The Royal Museum there is not to be missed. We stayed at Abigail's in VIctoria and found it a lovely place to stay. You could also stay right down by the harbor at the Empress. The lights from Parliment are lovely at night.

I have stayed at the Inn at The Market several times and really like it. You will be in walking distance to so many things including the Seattle Art Museum, Belltown, Pike Market,Pioneer Square.

I'd be more inclined to visit the San Juans when the weather is better. A great deal of their charm is in the outdoor activities. Unless you want to hunker down by the fire and devour several books, I'd opt for places (like Seattle and Victoria) where you can hit alot of great restaurants, museums and the like.

Ahhh...then maybe bring your warm clothes and find a place on the water in the islands (or at least with a great view) so if the weather is bad, you can have a cozy place to hang out and see the view. I'd choose Orcas-I think it's the prettiest, and it has the best dining options. There's also the great view from the top of Mt. Constitution.

It's true the islands get less rainfall but they can feel much colder than the mainland due to the winds that come off the water.

I'm with PamSF. I'd head for Victoria for my time away from Seattle. It's in the rain shadow of the Cascades, so more likely to be sunny. Plus, it's very cozy if you need to stay indoors.

Actually, predicted weather is not bad for the coming several days - partly sunny, which should be pretty darn nice.