Glamping on San Juan Island, Washington

We’ve finally sorted through all the photos we took and are excited to tell you all about our glamping adventure on San Juan Island, Washington.

Glamping at Lakedale Resort San Juan Islands, Washington

As many of you saw on Instagram, Adam and I spent some time on San Juan Island last summer. There are 172 named islands and reefs in San Juan County, which makes the area a stunning place to visit.

Of those islands and reefs, three islands are accessible by ferry: San Juan Island, Orcas Island, and Lopez Island. You might remember we visited The San Juans a couple of years ago. That time, we spend most of our time on Orcas and Lopez. We loved our time there and are so happy that this time, we had the opportunity to spend time on San Juan Island.

It was beautiful!

Here’s a Google map showing you everywhere we went during our trip.

Visiting San Juan Island Washington / Haro Straight - Whale Watching from Land
Our first day on San Juan Island — Adam is looking for whales

The morning of our first day, we were both beaming. We were about to drive onto a ferry headed to one of our favorite places to visit in Washington State. We were also about to check off an item on our travel bucket list. We were going GLAMPING.

What is Glamping?

Have you ever heard of glamping? It’s basically the best thing, ever, and thanks to Lakedale Resort we can tell you all about it.

Glamping makes camping more luxurious. Take all the fun and adventure of camping, then add a warm, cozy, and comfortable bed, a beautiful decked out canvas tent, a bathroom (a major win for me), and a serene deck that overlooks nature.

Lakedale Resort Glamping Canvas Cabin
A first look at our Canvas Cottage, Lakedale Resort

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love traditional camping and getting a bit dirty, but let me tell you, glamping is FUN. We spent most of our time outside, sat around our firepit, made s’mores, and walked around the lake in the mornings.

Inside Lakedale Resort Glamping Canvas Cabin
Our canvas cottage has a comfortable king bed, luxurious linens, an electric stove to keep warm, and a private bathroom with shower.

Then when we were ready to head out and explore the island, we were able to shower and dress so we looked somewhat presentable.

Glamping blends the outdoors and the laid back feel of camping with the ease and amenities of a hotel. I’d take my cozy warm canvas tent over a hotel room any day!

You have to try it and, personally, we think you should try it at Lakedale Resort. It was an amazing experience!

Inside Lakedale Resort Glamping Canvas Cabin
The dreamy view from our canvas tent. We stayed in Cottage #6

Oh, and before I show you a few things we did on the Island, you should know that Lakedale doesn’t only have canvas cottages. They have camping sites, RV sites, an airstream (so cool), canvas cabins (a little less luxurious than the cottage), log cabins, a lodge, and my personal favorite, YURTS with hot tubs!

Now you know where to find me this summer, right? In my yurt. Wait, no. I’ll be in my yurt’s hot tub ?

Lime Kiln Point State Park, San Juan Island
Lime Kiln Point State Park, San Juan Island

What we did on San Juan Island

Our first day on San Juan Island was devoted to whales. You see, The San Juan Islands are notorious for whale watching. (By notorious, I mean one of the best places in the world).

As our ferry was docking, we caught a glimpse of some Orca whales (woah). We took note of the direction they were heading and the moment we could drive off the ferry, we headed in the same direction as the whale pod (did I mention you can take your car onto the Islands?).

As luck would have it, we finally caught up to them and watched as they surfed waves past us. We didn’t know it at the time, but the area we caught up with them overlooked the Haro Straight and is one of the best places to whale watch from land.

We saw eight or so whales that day but had a hard time getting a photo. (We did take some video footage, which we shared on Instagram — check our story highlights to watch.)

Best donuts from Lime Kiln Cafe, Roche Harbor Resort
Best donuts from Lime Kiln Cafe, Roche Harbor Resort

After so much excitement, we needed a snack so we headed over to Roche Harbor and treated ourselves to donuts from Lime Kiln Cafe (so good) and a big serving of spiced shrimp from Madrona Bar and Grill — pretty much my dream lunch.

Spiced shrimp from Madrona Bar and Grill
Spiced shrimp from Madrona Bar and Grill

The next day, we wanted to get out onto the water. We brought our kayak with us, but there are lots of rental options and even guided tours.

We wanted to venture out by ourselves and hoped to see more whales, but no luck. We had a great time, anyway. Exploring San Juan Island by land is fun, but the absolute best way to see it is to get on the water.

Kayaking at Roche Harbor, San Juan Island
Kayaking at Roche Harbor, San Juan Island

After working up our appetites, it was time for more seafood! We stumbled across Westcott Bay Shellfish (thanks to a sign on the side of the road) and ordered a bunch of grilled oysters and steamed clams. Such a great stop!

Grilled Oysters and Steamed Clams from Westcott Bay Shelfish
Grilled Oysters and Steamed Clams from Westcott Bay Shelfish

That evening we headed back to Lakedale Resort early, because we reserved two spots in their Gourmet Glamping series. Instead of staying by our tent, we were to join an intimate group of fellow glampers for a multi-course menu paired with award-winning Washington State wine. (Twist my arm, why don’t you.)

The food was prepared and cooked in front of us and because we were glamping, it was all cooked over firepits. The chef for our evening was Executive Chef Michael Wieczorek of Chrysalis Inn & Spa and the featured winery was Gilbert Cellars from Yakima, WA.

Lakedale's Gourmet Glamping Series, Chef Wieczorek working on his previously sous vide pork being finished over an open fire with a glaze of hazelnut and Douglas Fir honey
Lakedale’s Gourmet Glamping Series, Chef Wieczorek working on his previously sous vide pork being finished over an open fire with a glaze of hazelnut and Douglas Fir honey

The food was insanely good. Chef Wieczorek included us in the cooking process, which made the whole evening so much more fun.

With full bellies, we walked back to our tent and saw this. If this photo isn’t enough to make you want to go glamping, then I’m not sure what is.

The whole experience was so dreamy. (Especially since inside that tent lies a comfy king bed, warm linens, and a shower!)

Lakedale Canvas Tent at Night
Our canvas tent at night. Dreamy!

The next morning, it was time to leave San Juan Island. Boy did we wish we had more time. As we waited for our ferry back to the mainland, we enjoyed one last bite to eat. Just across from the ferry terminal, there’s a cute little coffee shop with pretty tasty bagel sandwiches. Perfect for our ferry ride back!

Bagel Sandwich, The Crow's Nest Coffee Shoppe
Bagel Sandwich, The Crow’s Nest Coffee Shoppe

Disclosure: Lakedale Resort hosted our lodging during our trip. We are already planning another visit (unsponsored) since we loved our time at Lakedale so much. We only work with businesses that we love and only share suggestions that we would encourage friends and family to enjoy. All opinions are our own.

If you enjoyed this then follow us on Instagram. We share lots of extra photos and videos when traveling plus you’ll get to see our foodie side!

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3 comments… Leave a Review
  • Liz M. June 27, 2020, 6:19 pm

    We are headed there in August and have booked a canvas tent (with shower) for 2 nights. I am so excited and hope that all the activities will be available, in some sort. That dinner sounded amazing!! Thanks for posting this!

    Reply
  • Barbara Marrett April 25, 2019, 4:59 pm

    Thanks for the great shout out to visiting the San Juan Islands! The oyster shot has be itching to go to Westcott Bay Shellfish, now that they are open for the season.

    Reply
    • Adam May 7, 2019, 2:01 pm

      We had a great time visiting as always 🙂

      Reply

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