Bungalows, chalets, yurts...escape the Seattle bustle for a few nights in these cozy dwellings.
By Allison Williams 5/15/2017 at 7:00am Published in the June 2017 issue of Seattle Met
Romantic Retreat on the Columbia Gorge
The four-poster beds at Carson Ridge Luxury Cabins are handmade from thick logs, and the jetted tub is set in a pile of stones—picture Paul Bunyan on his honeymoon. Rentals face the brushy, flower-filled meadows of the Columbia River Gorge and come with a heavy breakfast like creme brulee french toast. The couple-minded 10-cabin property welcomes pets but not kids. carsonridgecabins.com
The cabins at Carson Ridge.
IMAGE: COURTESY CARSON RIDGE LUXURY CABINS / JIM MOTES PHOTOGRAPHY
Remote Recreation in the Central Cascades
Over the river and through the woods? That, plus up a few big hills and ridges from the parking lot on the highway. Nine A-frames and cozy Alpine Lakes High Camp cabins sit among the private forests east of Stevens Pass, beloved among backcountry skiers who crave seclusion and untouched powder. The summer season offers empty hiking trails, a shared lodge, wee cabins, and a wood-fired hot tub. Never heard of it? Until recently, the high camp was named for nearby Scottish Lakes. scottishlakes.com
Hiking near Alpine Lakes High Camp.
IMAGE: COURTESY MARK GRIFFITH
Tiny Living in Olympia
Bayside Bungalow owner Brittany Yunker is something of a tiny house evangelist, and she rents her diminutive Olympia-area cabin to show off the delights of living with low square footage. Though the interior is small, there’s a sleeping loft, seating for four, and a six-foot-three-inch kitchen ceiling. Her own fruit trees and a fire circle sit just outside, while the quiet trails of Tolmie State Park next door lead to the rocky beach at the bottom of Puget Sound. baysidebungalow.com
Tiny house Bayside Bungalow
Legendary Village on Hood Canal
First came the darling, shingled-roof huts of Robin Hood Village Resort in 1934, built on the hook end of Hood Canal. Then Disney hired the builder to construct the sets of Errol Flynn’s The Adventures of Robin Hood, which looked awfully similar, and the whimsical resort got its name. Circled across the road from a kayak beach on the canal, only two of the 16 cottages are original, but all are a cozy fairy tale size. robinhoodvillageresort.com
Desert Yurts on the Gorge
Why are there almost no lodging options on one of the most stunning stretches of the cliffed Columbia River Gorge? Fortunately there’s Cave B Inn, a collection of a lodge, stand-alone houses on the gorge cliffs, and yurts. The latter have bathrooms and queen-size beds, a marked step up from the camping at the Gorge Amphitheater next door (though the high desert topography mutes the music). cavebinn.com
The desert yurts at Cave B Inn (also pictured at night at the top of the page).
IMAGE: COURTESY JEROME TSO
Harborside Comfort in the San Juans
There isn’t much difference between the waterfront and the waterview cabins at Snug Harbor Resort, on the western, quieter side of San Juan Island; both are mere steps from Mitchell Bay’s quiet marina. The 20-cabin resort provides free crab pots during the crabbing season, and the common fire pits are ideal for cooking the day’s catch. Though the whales and other wildlife are the region’s biggest draw, the wood-sided buildings have giant windows, so being trapped by a Salish Sea storm won’t cause cabin fever. snugresort.com
IMAGE: COURTESY SNUG HARBOR RESORTS
Chill Central on Orcas Island
When The Big Lebowski’s the Dude dreams of a perfect vacation, it probably looks something like Orcas Island’s Doe Bay Resort, a waterfront collective of full-service cabins, yurts, and clothing-optional soaking pools on a deck that hangs over an actual babbling brook. Live music enlivens the local-minded restaurant dishing oysters and garden-grown veggies. doebay.com
Beauty Sleep in Leavenworth
Beds are tucked into all sorts of interesting places at Leavenworth’s Sleeping Lady Resort, like into alcoves, up on lofts, or in bunk beds. While many rooms are hotel style, in clusters of small buildings, two are stand-alone cabins on Woodpecker Hill: an eight-person mini lodge called the Rookery and a romantic hut. Exempt from nearby Leavenworth’s Bavarian theme, the resort is a sprawl of red roofs, a soaking pool, an organic garden, and a grotto bar. sleepinglady.com
Sleeping Lady Resort’s soaking pools and Rookery.
Trailer Chic in the Methow
It’s called the herd, but don’t fear a stampede—it’s just what owners call the six Rolling Huts that sit atop trailer bases in a sunny Methow meadow. The ultramodern steel boxes boast modular furniture, bearskin rugs, and Wi-Fi, though the canvas tent village located through the trees evokes a more old-fashioned form of camping. The huts, striking with their angled panel roofs and yellow doors, were designed by Seattle architect Tom Kundig (see more of his cabins here). rollinghuts.com
The herd at Rolling Huts.
Cedar Suites at Mount Rainier
Between the stone fireplaces and log furniture, the deluxe cabins at Wellspring Spa embody the classic Northwest aesthetic. Other abodes on the wooded property take a Zen approach, with stone garden statues and mini waterfalls, and one supersized cabin can sleep 14. The spa, cedar saunas, and hot tubs combat the chill of the Rainier-adjacent woodlands. wellspringspa.com
Cabins at Wellspring Spa near Mount Rainier.
IMAGE: COURTESY WELLSPRING SPA
Petite Refuges in Wine Country
In 2015, a Columbia River winery south of the Tri-Cities constructed two tiny houses as part of an HGTV show; the Alexandria Nicole Tiny Houses have since grown to four vineyard abodes on the Destiny Ridge property. One wears a dramatic twisting roof, but the Jet Black Tiny House clearly takes the cake with its interior wine tap pouring Alexandria Nicole syrah. anctinyhouses.com
The tiny houses of Alexandria Nicole Winery.
Hobbit Heaven Above Chelan
Enjoy all the round-door, sod-roof charm of Hobbiton without the bother of that one ring to rule them all. But you don’t have to be a J. R. R. Tolkien fan to embrace the Hobbit House built by a Boise-area dreamer, though renters must endure a 100-yard uphill hike and halfling (i.e., small) accommodations. With Columbia River views from the porthole windows, it turns the Chelan area into a convincing Middle Earth. airbnb.com/rooms/8794484
Inside and around the Hobbit House near Chelan.
IMAGE: COURTESY CHRIS TACK
Oceanfront Expanse on the Olympic Peninsula
The empty stretch of Copalis Beach at Iron Springs Resort is more than strollworthy; it’s littered with razor clams below, and airplanes land atop the state’s only beach runway. Though the resort dates back to the 1940s, the cabins are updated—and especially welcoming to dogs, who get their photos posted in the general store. ironspringsresort.com
Quaint Cottages on Discovery Bay
The Chevy Chase Beach Cabins have nothing to do with that town in Maryland or the guy from Fletch; born Saint’s Rest 120 years ago on a homestead outside Port Townsend, the name changed around 1923, and the seven surviving boxy cottages date to the 1930s. Situated between the waters of the northern Olympic Peninsula and the Discovery Bay Golf Club, the homestead offers private access to the beaches that sit below its bluffs. chevychasebeachcabins.com
A room with a view and sunset at Chevy Chase resort.
IMAGE: COURTESY JB PHOTOGRAPHY
Floating Cabin in Eastern Washington
No skipper experience required to rent a houseboat at Lake Roosevelt Adventures; it comes with a temporary Washington State Boaters Card and a quick steering lesson. The climate along Lake Roosevelt—a 150-mile section of the Columbia River—is dry and hot during summer months, hence the boat-side slide. lakerooseveltadventures.com
Overlooking Lake Roosevelt Adventures houseboats.