Here is a TENTATIVE itinerary for our trip to Wash/BC in early Sept, two couples late 40s-50s, looking for lodging between $100-175/night, enjoy dining/wine.

Sunday: Arrive around noon at SeaTac. Head for downtown Seattle and the ferry to Bainbridge Island. Have lunch on Bainbridge Island. Travel to Port Angeles, check into hotel/B&B and find good restaurant for dinner. Total driving 3-1/4 hours, 88 miles.

Monday: Olympic National Park to Hurricane Ridge for the views, which is 17 miles south of Port Angeles, then to Lake Crescent, which is 16 miles west of Port Angeles–turn off at Storm King Info Center and hike 2 miles to Marymere Falls, a 90-foot waterfall. If we have time, go to Sol Duc hot springs. Port Angeles for the night.

Tuesday: Whitewater rafting on the Elwah River (closest to Port Angeles). There are trips on the Hoh, but it is more of a drive. Olympic Raft and Kayak is the only outfit permitted to operate in the park, but there are other companies. Port Angeles for the night.

Wednesday: Explore the beautiful, rugged northern coastline toward Neah Bay. Have lunch in either Neah Bay or Sekiu. Port Angeles for the night.

Thursday: Take the car ferry to Victoria, about 2 hours. Explore Victoria, see Butchart Gardens. Victoria for the night.

Friday: Explore southern Vancouver Island. Victoria for the night.

Saturday: Travel from Victoria to Seattle via Port Angeles, 100 miles, 4 hours, 40 min. Stay in the city.

Sunday: Fly home.

We need the OP experts to chime in as I think there are problems with those plans. My thoughts: You'll get tired of returning to Port Angeles every night and the Olympic National Park is better spot for the coast than Neah Bay.

Why not stay on Monday night at Lake Crescent? I don't think you'll have time for Sol Duc hot springs that night.

Tuesday - forget Neah Bay. Go south to the beaches in the Olympic National Pk - Rialto, First, Second, or Third Beach. Stay in Kalaloch.

Wednesday, do your rafting and visit the Hoh Rain forest. Stay in Kalaloch again, Lake Crescent, or Port Angeles.

Make ferry reservations and plan on getting there on time.

I'm so jealous. I love the whole area, but my favorite is Vancouver Island. If you can make it to Botanical Beach on the coast at lowtide, you'll be amazed.

Thanks for the feedback. Are there any hotels/B&Bs in Kalaloch? My reasoning for returning to Port Angeles every night is that there seems to be many good accommodations and restaurants there and that is something that is important to our group. We enjoy good food and we're not campers!
What makes the southern beaches more desirable than the northern? We're looking for unspoiled, wild terrain, not necessarily "hanging out on the beach" beaches.
Thanks again for your input!

Hi, I live in Port Angeles and I don't see a problem with you returning here each night. It all depends on how much time in the car you want to spend each day. Here are the driving times from PA:
Hurricane Ridge 45 minutes each way.
Lake Crescent 30 minutes.
Neah Bay 1.5 to 2 hrs.
Sol Duc Hot Springs 1.3 hrs.
Elwha Valley 20 minutes.
Hoh Rain Forest 2 Hours.
Kalaloch 2 to 2.25 Hours.

The roads here on the Peninsula are narrow and windy and it always takes more time to get places than you think.
I personally prefer the hike to Sol Duc Falls (.8 miles each way) over the hike to Marymere Falls.
The beach at Neah Bay is much more rugged than the sandy beach at Kalaloch.

Thanks y_lou, for the drive times, they actually don't look too bad. We may want to save the Hoh Rainforest/Kalaloch for a future trip since it's so far away. Do you have any suggestions re hotels/B&Bs and restaurants in Port Angeles? Are there any rafting/kayaking operators or trips that you would recommend?
Thanks!

Hi again, I am slightly hesitant to recommend restaurants because people have such diverse tastes. That said here are a few that we personally like or are favorites of friends:
Michael's Divine Dining
Toga's International Cuisine
Cafe Garden
Joy's Wine Bistro

For a good breakfast we highly recommend either the First Street Haven or the Chestnut Cottage.

The Best Western Olympic Lodge has been remodeled recently and is considered nice. It is not in the downtown area, however. The Red Lion is right on the water but some say it needs a freshening up. I haven't been in either of their rooms. I don't have any knowledge of B&B's in the area.
I hope this helps.

Don't worry. There are no "hanging out" beaches anywhere on this part of the coast, unless you like to freeze your buns. And you have to hike in to virtually all of the beaches in the park. They are all rugged. (Rialto, Third, Second, First)

The reason I suggested Kalaloch is not particularly for the beach (though I believe it is about the only one you don't have to hike to and can actually see from the road) but because there is a decent lodge there (about the only one nearby).

I don't know how far you are coming from to get here, but I can't see missing the Hoh Rain forest and staying three nights in Port Angeles if you are going to spend 3 days on the OP.

Neah Bay doesn't have a lot there....

It appears you're not going to Vancouver. Correct?

You might want to consider 2 nights in Port Angeles and 2 nights out in the Forks area to minimize the back and forth and get to see more of the Peninsula. Rafting isn't going to take a full day so you could do Hurricane Ridge and rafting on the same day, then do Marymere and/or Sol Doc on your way out towards the Forks area. I agree that it would be a shame to spend so long in the area and not see the Hoh rainforest.

Are you pretty avid hikers? If so, the 9 mile Cape Alava triangular trail out near Neah Bay is spectacular--you could do that, as well as the museum and Cape Flattery, on your day out there.

My favorite B&B in the Port Angeles area is Colette's, and I like Bella Italia for Italian. While you can get decent meals out on the Peninsula, it's not a "foodie" place like Seattle.

If "early September" includes the Labo(u)r Day weekend, be sure to book accommodation well in advance. The Olympic Peninsula and Victoria are inundated with visitors over the long weekend.

If you're going to be in Seattle then, the Bumbershoot festival at Seattle Center is the premier arts festival in the northwest.

For lunch on Bainbridge, I'd recommend the Harbour Public House - http://www.harbourpub.com.

Also agree that I'd swap the Neah Bay day for Hoh rainforest. Not a lot of difference in driving time, and well worth it.

Our favorite place to stay on the Olympic Peninsula is Lake Crescent Lodge: http://www.lakecrescentlodge.com/

If you must stay in Port Angeles, Best Western Olympic Lodge has very nice rooms and a good breakfast.

Again, all posters, thank you for your suggestions. I am forwarding everything to my travel companions and we will make a decision. And yes, it will be over Labor Day, so we need to get moving to make reservations! I'm worried that some places will already be booked.

Myer, no, we're not planning on going to Vancouver. I think with Olympic NP and Victoria we have quite enough for a week. If time and finances permitted, I'd be there a month, but reality bites!