Hi all
We are planning a trip out to visit friends in Vancouver who also want to visit the Orcas Islands. We have some constraints due to work travel for both families.
We arrive on 8/23 and we have 4 nights after landing in Seattle. I was thinking 2 nights in Cannon Beach and 2 nights in Washington somewhere. I thought Surfsand Resort looked great for our little one - since it's pricey I was debating taking advantage of their third night free but that would leave us only for one night in Washington. We are more beach/scenery people than hiking/outsiders.
On Day 5 we're driving from WA to Vancouver, where we will stay with them for 3 nights, then the group of us will drive from Canada and get the ferry over to Orcas for 2 nights - so need tips for where to stay there.
What should we see in WA?
I realize it's a lot of driving but the little one is a good car sleeper and we've generally been ok with 2 nights in hotels at a time.
all input welcome!
itinerary for NW trip with Toddler
Recent Activity
View all United States activity »
- 1 Newport, RI Questions
- 2 Places to eat like a local in Los Angeles
- 3 Honeymoon to Kauai and Maui from the East Coast
- 4 3 Week Roadtrip Starting in Nashville - Where to Go?!
- 5 Planning Road Trip Seattle to Denver and Back
- 6 American Airlines reservation question
- 7 DC Itinerary, June 8-13, suggestions welcome!
- 8 coast drive from Seattle to San Francisco
- 9 Yellowstone Hiking Suggestions for a 7 1/2 Year Old
- 10 Car trip from Seattle
- 11 Best place to raise a family in Florida
- 12
Air Bnb Declared Illegal in NYC
by
Doug_Stallings
|
8 responses; most recent on May 21, 13 at 03:37 PM
- 13 Bryce Canyon vs. Yellowsyone
- 14 Need a bit of help planning a 3 week trip to the US
- 15 Oregon Cave NM or extra day in Redwoods area?
- 16 Best timeshare in Branson?
- 17 Dennisport: Haigis Beach v. Sea Street Beach
- 18 Help with July 4th Marriott Houston trip
- 19 Help with New York Itinerary!
- 20 Driving from Atlanta to Orlando With kids resting stops
- 21 Customs & Checked Baggage at O'Hare - coming from Dublin Airport
- 22
Rocks and Roads in Utah
- 23 Central Coast of Maine in August
- 24 Road trip New Jersey to Montana
- 25 Santa Fe at the end of May?
The Surfsand is a great place to stay, especially with little ones. It is the only resort on the entire OR coast that has cabana service, so there will be large umbrellas with adirondack chairs set up, toys/kites to use, etc. It is close to Haystack Rock which has fantastic tidepooling at low tides. The hotel is also a short walk to the heart of downtown. You can rent a funcycle from right next to the hotel and ride on the beach. They have attachment trailers for your toddler. Ecola State Park is on the north edge of town and is another beach area that is great to explore.
As for 2 or 3 nights, it just depends on your preferences. One thing to think of though is that by the time you arrive, etc two nights is only one full day. So if you want more beach time, go for the 3 nights.
For your 4th night, you could do either Portland or Seattle. Both have a lot for kids.
BTW, Orcas Island is an island, but the San Juans is the chain of islands
I don't know how committed you are to Oregon Coast but it is a long drive from Cannon Beach to Vancouver, BC. So, I'll throw out two other suggestions to consider: 1) Vancouver Island and 2) Olympic Peninsula.
Scenario 1: We had a wonderful time with our toddler playing on the beach and exploring Tide Pools in Tofino.
Arrive Seattle (drive to Vancouver, get through customs, overnight in Vancouver; take morning ferry to VI, drive west across island to Tofino). (Alternatively you can overnight in Bellingham, just give yourself enough time to make border crossing and arrive early to ferry).
3 nights at Long Beach Lodge (we thought the lodge was really child friendly. We had a little cabin with a kitchen, but the main lodge was lovely too. I enjoyed drinking afternoon tea watching the waves from the main lodge while my little one happily did puzzles on the floor)
return to Vancouver and meet up with friends to explore Vancouver and go to Orcas (we usually stay at Rosario but there are several really cute B&Bs and Inns)
Scenario 2:
Arrive Seattle drive to Lake Quinault Lodge - 1 night, enjoy Lake and go on Rainforest tour
move hotels to Kalaloch lodge for beach time - 2 nights
final night in Port Townsend (walk main street, look at boats in Marina, get amazing ice cream)
ferry from Port Townsend to Coupeville, drive Whidbey Island (over Deception Pass) and continue north to Vancouver for very scenic travel day
Since you have friends to stay with in Vancouver, go there first. The wait to get into Canada is much shorter then the wait to get back into the US. Less than 5 minutes vs. 20 to 25 minutes to clear US Customs to get back to Blaine.
In Washington my DW always wanted to see Mt. St. Helens so we drove out there Saturday afternoon. We had to turn around at Coldwater Ridge because of snow.
Fill the gas tank at the Pilot north of Bellingham before you go into Canada. The converted price of gas in BC is about $5.50 USD per US gallon.