Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Eagles Nest Inn B&B$$$
( 360-221-5331; www.eaglesnestinn.com ; 4680 E Saratoga Rd; r $150-180; ) In an octa-
gonal house on a forested hill, Eagles Nest Inn is a B&B gem even by Whidbey Island's
high standards. Four lovingly furnished rooms blend perfectly with their natural sur-
roundings, while extras such as locally roasted coffee, aromatherapy shampoos, private
lounge (with piano) and well-stocked cookie jar add a memorable touch. The property is
adjoined by 400 acres of public trails.
Inn at Langley INN$$$
$$$
( 360-221-3033; www.innatlangley.com ; 400 1st St; r incl breakfast $175-595; ) This con-
temporary, condo-esque inn is the trendsetter in style and expense. The 26 beautifully
furnished waterfront rooms have large windows, whirlpool tubs and fireplaces. A full-
service spa provides Swedish massage and seaweed body masks, plus there's a fine-din-
ing restaurant serving six-course meals.
Cafe Langley MEDITERRANEAN$$$
( www.cafelangley.com ; 113 1st St; lunch around $10, dinner $11-23; 11:30am-2:30pm & 5-8:30pm
Mon & Wed-Sat,to 3pm Sun) Mediterranean cuisine, with a few deft Northwestern seafood
infusions (eg mussels) thrown in for good measure.
SAN JUAN ISLANDS
POP 15,844
Leafy hedgerows, soporific settlements and winding lanes jammed with more cyclists
than cars. Where the heck are you? Not in continental America, surely. The answer is
both 'yes' and 'no.' The San Juan Islands, a nebulous archipelago of approximately 172
landfalls, islets and eagle perches that lie splayed between the mouth of Puget Sound and
Vancouver Island, conjure up images of a sleepy American throwback where the clock
last chimed in the 1970s, '60s or even '50s, depending on where you dock. Sharing a
jagged watery border with Canada, it's also where the 'special relationship' between Bri-
tain and the US got distinctly tetchy in 1858 over a ridiculously overblown dispute about
a dead pig (the two countries nearly went to war). These days peace, not war, is the ar-
chipelago's greatest hallmark in communities where cars are left unlocked, motorists of-
fer salutary waves, and shopping malls remain a ghostly mainland apparition. Don't
come for the Starbucks and casinos (there aren't any); come instead for the fishing,
whale-watching, beachcombing, sailing, hiking, cycling, paddling, crabbing, clamming,
philosophizing and memorable, psychedelic sunsets.
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