Bedding down at the Bird Rock Hotel
Whenever I travel around this great state of ours, I always try to find a good place to stay that isn’t a Holiday Inn Express or a Comfort/Quality/Sleep Inn. In fact, my preference is to patronize either a local B&B or an historic property that’s been converted into a hotel (see my posts on the Shelburne Inn, the Olympic Club, and the Marcus Whitman). So, on a recent trip to San Juan Island I was excited to learn that the place I’d be staying was built in 1891, making it one of the oldest hotels on the island established only two years after Washington achieved statehood.
Originally operated as the Tourist Hotel, the Bird Rock Hotel was the first hotel on San Juan Island with indoor plumbing, boasting a restaurant, a bar, a pool hall, and a reception room for the ladies (who were not allowed in the bar). It even featured a dentist, who periodically provided his services in the lobby. Through the years, the hotel has undergone many transformations. It spent time as a hostel, a private residence, a house of ill-repute (maybe the ladies were finally allowed in the bar?), to a famous pizzeria with a hot tub rental place in the basement. It wasn’t until 1999 that the current owner made the decision to return the historic property to its roots. After a number of years, a sizeable investment, and a heap of renovations, the Bird Rock Hotel was born.
I’ve stayed at outdated places that slap a fresh coat of paint over the bricks and update the plumbing and electrical to describe themselves as having “updated amenities” (and some that haven’t bothered to update the plumbing), but the Bird Rock Hotel isn’t in that category. The exterior of the building retains all the charm of a bygone era, complete with free bicycles for patrons to use while exploring the island. It’s clean, has a comfortable feel, and is remarkably quiet given how busy downtown Friday Harbor can get during the busy tourist season. The fact that it shares the block with the town grocery store makes its serenity all the more noteworthy.
The property features a modern check-in process with numerical codes that open doors at precise times. While a 4 p.m. check in time may be later than most hotels, it doesn’t seem to be an issue with so many things to do within a few minutes’ walk around Friday Harbor. Once inside however, it instantly becomes clear that any expectations of antiquated accommodations are completely unfounded. Inside the front door, guests are greeted with a modern sitting room worthy of placement in any chain hotel. The cleanliness is instantly apparent, as is the availability of any room necessities either on the long countertop or in the myriad drawers beneath.
The floors are all level, there is no creaking to be heard, and the sense of modernity is ever-present. It’s a welcome surprise, given the age of the structure itself. It soon becomes clear that the owners have invested quite a bit of time, attention, and funding into making the Bird Rock Hotel one of the premier destinations in Friday Harbor. Halls and stairways are wide and brightly lit, and each room on all three levels of the property has its own name and character. Because I was staying alone for only one night, I stayed in the Skipjack—likely the smallest and least appointed room in the building. It was literally a room with a bed, a dresser, and a TV, and nothing more (not even air conditioning). However, it had access to the balcony from which you could watch seaplanes taking off and landing in the harbor.
Though spartan, the bed was very comfortable, the television channels abundant, and the overhead ceiling fan negated any need for air conditioning on an already breezy island. Two plush bathrobes awaited me upon entry, and a personal note from the staff welcoming me to the property made me feel quite at home. It had a single-serve coffee machine with plenty of pods (not every place does) and reading lamps on both sides of the bed. As the sun set, cracking open the balcony door invited cooler temperatures and island sounds to come wafting in.
While some of the rooms must share a common bathroom with other patrons, at no point did it feel dirty, gross, or uncomfortable. To the contrary, the two guest bathrooms were clean and well-stocked with the proper amenities. One had a roomy shower with a frosted window to allow light while preserving privacy, while the other featured a clawfoot tub for guests who really wanted the historic hotel experience. I stayed on a Thursday night so the hotel likely wasn’t at full capacity, but at no point did I hear any conversation through the walls. In fact, I think I bumped into only one other couple during my stay despite knowing that most of the rooms had been booked for that night.
There are dozens of options from which to choose when staying in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, but perhaps none is able to so aptly blend modern comforts with historical charm. Any heritage tourist would be satisfied at the Bird Rock Hotel, and I will no doubt be looking to stay there again when I return with my family next summer. I highly recommend any island visitors do the same.