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Location: Snoqualmie, WA

URL: http://www.salishlodge.com/

Price: $$$$

Summary: Expensive, but you’re in the lap of Northwest luxury!

We first went to Salish Lodge on our wedding night, and so far, we have gone back every year on our anniversary. We really love everything about this Northwest lodge – from the beautiful setting (overlooking Snoqualmie Falls), to the decor, excellent service, the relaxing spa, and the fantastic food. In fact, I hardly know where to begin extolling the virtues, so let me depart a bit from my normal “review” style and just tell you about a typical stay for us.

Look for deals: There is no denying that this lodges is on the upper range of costs, so we try to look for specials. We are part of their email mailing list, in which they offer great packages, but the best deal we’ve found over the years is the Costco gift certificate, which includes 1 night stay, breakfast and massages for two.

Arrive early: In order to really get the most out of our time and money, we always arrive early. Upon request, they can usually accommodate an early check-in, and if not, they will store our bags until the room is ready.

Pay the Resort Fee: There is a $15 resort fee – this used to be optional, but we still paid it. For this relatively small fee, you get free valet parking, but the real benefit is that you can use the spa pools as long as you like! (see below)

Hang out in the spa: We only have massages if we have bought a special “package deal,” but we always spend a long time relaxing in their spa, because they have a public area with two large jetted tubs, many comfortable chairs, a steam room, and a sauna. All of these can be used whether you are getting a spa service or not, so we take our reading materials and relax for hours together.

Enjoy the room: We always have a room overlooking the falls, often with a balcony. The rooms all come with a fireplace and jetted tub, and the tub has a window so that you can look out over the room. The rooms and lodge are all decorated in a contemporary hunting-lodge style, and they outfit the bed with fluffy pillows and comforters. By request, you can also try out their “pillow bar” – I like the lavendar-scented pillow filled with barley hulls.

Try the Country Breakfast: Salish has been in business since 1918, and they are famous for their 5-course farm breakfast. I think it’s impossible to finish, and you certainly won’t need lunch after! They start with a full coffee service: cream, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, sugar, and coffee that would taste great all by itself! That’s followed by fresh-squeezed juice, pastries, steel-cut oatmeal, and pancakes. Then, just when you feel like you need a bigger pair of pants, they bring out eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, country fried potatoes, and a biscuit with “honey from heaven”.

Check-out late: Yes, even though we came early, we always try to stay late, and they are so accommodating to us! We recommend this hotel in every way – it is a great romantic-hideaway with a perfect combination of outdoor activities (hiking, biking, rafting available) and luxury, and it’s only a short drive from Seattle. We have never had bad service here, even after all these visits, and the food has always been delicious.

On a lighter note… We recently went to Anchorage, Alaska and we ended up switching hotels. It wasn’t any big fiasco – we were checking out anyway to go to Mt. McKinley Lodge, we just didn’t go back to the first hotel. It did make me think about my criteria for a good hotel, though, and since I post my reviews here, I thought it might be valuable to know what I look for.

1. Good natural light – can’t stand it when I feel like I’m in a cave.
2. Separate shampoo and conditioner – now that the airlines have cracked down on packing liquids, I use whatever the hotel provides, but I have to draw the line at the “2-in-1″ shamp-ditioner.
3. Cable with Versus and USA – we only watch two things on TV these days, and it stinks to miss the Tour de France because we are on a tour de Alaska…
4. Free breakfast – bonus points for something beyond dry pastries and red apples.
5. View of something besides the parking lot – it doesn’t have to be a fantastic panorama, just pleasant and lacking oil spots.
6. Suite with a door – no door = toddler won’t sleep = no fun. Enough said.
7. Free Wi-Fi – so many hotels offer this now, that I actually am a little offended when they want to charge me for it. Ironically, it seems to be the ritziest hotels that end up charging. Hmm…
8. Clean – this almost goes without saying, but I have seen some strange things in my day. (cherry pits on the bed, open soda in the bathrobe pocket, even broken glass stuck in the bathrobe!)
9. Good service – I don’t ask for perfection, but if something goes wrong, I expect courtesy and apologies.
10. Luxurious Decor – Paint and bed linens are relatively cheap, but classy design goes a long way to feeling like I am really living it up.

So, there you have it. Did I miss anything?

Location: Bellingham, WA

URL: www.thechrysalisinn.com

Price: $$

Summary: Great romantic hideaway close to home!

We happened across a lodging + spa package for this hotel in our local newspaper, and it was the perfect place for us to enjoy an early Valentine’s Day romantic getaway. The hotel is relatively new (under 10 years old) and attractively decorated in the “Northwest Chic” style – lots of exposed rafters and soothing neutral tones. The room was large and overlooked Bellingham Bay to the west, so we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the spacious window seat. Each room also features a jetted tub that opens into the room, so you can actually enjoy the view from a bubble bath!

We both scheduled massages for the morning, and they were fantastic. We always appreciate a spa like this one: as a hotel guest, you are welcome to enjoy the spa’s lounging room and steam room, even if you are not scheduled for a spa service. We relaxed in the steam room and then the lounging area both the night before as well as the morning of our spa appointment. We were treated to heated neck pillows, a warm fire, a calming view of a stony brook, as well as delicious hot tea and spa snacks.

Their continential breakfast was excellent – fresh fruit and some hot entrees as well as cereal, oatmeal, juices, etc. The hotel is within easy walking distance of Bellingham’s Old Fairhaven, so we walked and shopped. We recommend Avenue Bread for fresh, natural sandwiches and home-baked desserts. We also enjoyed Village Books where we found an old favorite: Harold and the Purple Crayon, the 50th Anniversary Edition. (egad) Though we did not bring our labradoodle this time, both the hotel and the area are “dog friendly.”

Location: Vancouver, WA

URL: www.heathmanlodge.com

Price: $$

Summary: Fantastic business hotel with perks!

We stayed at the Heathman because it was close to the Blue Lake Triathlon course, in which my husband competed, and we couldn’t have been happier. They upgraded us to their business floor for free, which includes a daily reception with food and beverages. Another benefit of the business floor is that they will bring exercise equipment TO YOUR ROOM – wow! We did not try this service however, as someone was a little sore from a triathlon… However, for the same reason, we did have a chance to try their pool and hottub. Both are in a brightly lit room with floor to ceiling windows which look out on some greenery. I liked it because of the natural light and also because it didn’t smell too strongly of chlorine.

The staff was very courteous and helpful, and the hotel itself was decorated in a pleasing rustic, hunting lodge motif. Our room was very spacious, with a desk, a big comfy chair, and a flat-panel LCD screen. This was our first time sleeping on the Tempur-pedic mattress, and we were very impressed with that – the mattress is similar to very thick memory foam and it truly doesn’t move when your bed mate gets into or out of bed in the night. A warning though: if you send away for their marketing information, you may never hear the end of them!

We had a nice dinner at the Hudson restaurant, as well. In fact, we really loved everything about the hotel, except that there wasn’t a great view from the room (freeway on one side; mall on the other). However, that was easy to overlook (so to speak) and we look forward to staying there again.

Location: Boise, ID

URL: http://www.oxfordsuitesboise.com/

Price: $

Summary: I would stay here again, but I would definitely bring slippers for the bathroom!

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