I fell in love with the San Juan Islands last weekend.
On Friday morning we loaded the car and headed to Anacortes, where we had a ferry to catch at 2. We grabbed some food, ate, and then headed out to catch some views. The ride was short, about an hour I’d say. Before I knew it we were heading back to our cars and preparing for arrival.
{my sister-in-law and I, both preggo with baby girls!}
When we arrived, we drove to our vacation rental which we found on VRBO. It was a two bedroom, two bath house with great woodsy outdoor living space and a hot tub. (Which the girls couldn’t use – #pregnant) We all really liked our rental – it was perfect for our weekend.
After we got all settled, I was ready to head into town and check things out. Our rental was less than a mile from Eastsound, where there are lots of cute shops and restaurants. I was craving ice cream (as always) so we checked out Clever Cow Creamery first. This place was awesome! The waffle cones are homemade, and a must. I got the blackberry ice cream which was amazing.
After ice cream we walked around and looked at the shop fronts, which were all pretty much closed. We saw a beach area and headed down to it. This ended up being one of my favorite places on the island – which we visited a couple times during our weekend. I loved the views and exploring. We knew we needed dinner so we stopped by Pizzeria Portofino to pick up a pizza to take back to the house. We ate, watched a movie on Netflix, and called it a night.
Saturday morning we were up and headed to Brown Bear Baking for coffee and pastries. I really liked this place, although my husband referred to it as “frou-frou”. (He devoured his chocolate muffin though, so I know he liked it!) We walked over to the water for some exploration (you really never know what you’ll find on the Washington coast.) The weather was perfect and I couldn’t get enough of the views.
Next up was our whale watching trip we booked through Groupon. It was a little over a three hour boat ride in the stunning Puget Sound. There are so many islands in that region – I never realized! Our boat headed straight for the Orcas that had been sighted just of the coast of Canada. It was crazy to see them so active! We’ve seen lots of whales in Hawaii but these Orcas seemed so show-offy.
We hung out with the Orcas until it was time to make our way back to US waters and head for shore. On the way we saw sea lions, seals, bald eagles, and some wild sheep. We had a great time on our little whale watching cruise, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather.
After our boat tour we headed back to the house to get ready for dinner. We went to the Loft and sat outside. The food was great – I especially loved the seafood pasta I got with scallops and prawns. YUM. Next time I’m there I’ll have to have a cocktail as well ;)
We headed down to the water for a few to let our meals settle so we could make room for ice cream! (Yes, we went to Clever Cow Creamery two days in a row…) It was my sister-in-law’s birthday and she needed a fun dessert!
The next morning we lazed around a bit, getting our stuff packed. When the preggos needed breakfast, we meandered into town and went to Enzo’s. I ordered a coffee and two pastries – both were great, but I especially recommend the danishes!
With caffeine consumed and happy bellies, we headed back to the house to load everything up. We drove to the other side of the island we’d yet to see for a little hiking in Obstruction Pass State Park. We picked a super easy hike that would give us views of the sound as well as lead us down to the water.
We had a bit of time left before our ferry, so we stopped at Cocina Latina for a quick bite for lunch. (Cute place – good tacos!) We caught some final water views (and saw a sweet pony with goat friends) then it was time to get in line for the ferry.
We had such a wonderful weekend on Orcas Island. I already can’t wait for our next San Juan adventure!
XO,
Kayla
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