FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash. — The phrase 'Getting there is half the fun' is not so cliché when you get there by floatplane. Kenmore Air and Friday Harbor House on San Juan Island are pairing up to offer a Fall getaway that will have you admiring the view of the ferry from your room instead of waiting in line to ride on one.
"It's just a great package. You get to show up and just walk right up here from the floatplane and hang out." said Molly Prima, assistant general manager of Friday Harbor House.
A forty minute flight, then a walk on the dock delivers you to Friday Harbor House, where a bottle of local bubbly and a cheese plate will be waiting in your room.
All the rooms have king-sized beds, soft robes, and Extra extras like Chemex coffee makers and full size L'Occitane soaps. Many rooms also have views of the busy Friday Harbor waterfront.
"There's always something to see out there," said Prima. "The ferry coming in and out, the floatplanes zipping in. It's not totally common, but sometimes the orcas come into this harbor. It's totally possible to be in this room and watch an orca swim by."
The Restaurant at Friday Harbor House features Island-fresh fare created by Chef Bryce Harding, who came from the famous Willows Inn on Lummi Island.
"Cooking in the San Juan Islands is wonderful because we have so much access to so many great ingredients," said Chef Bryce. "So there's just this access to an abundance of variety that's just so much fun to play with."
Chef Harding is serious about playing with food - one of his most popular dishes? Smoked carrots. No lie. He smokes locally grown Thumbelina carrots for 6 hours then adds a citrus/habanero glaze.
"One of my favorite things is having the smoker running in the back and having some macho man come up and say 'What you got on the smoker?' and I open the door to a billow of smoke and say 'carrots!'," Chef Harding said.
Chef Bryce also creates special dishes like pozole with locally farmed pork, for 'Savor the San Juans' - a Fall celebration of island fare.
And at this Island getaway, when autumn arrives and the crowds depart, you can savor far more than just food.
"It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the sunrise, all of our east facing rooms you get a spectacular view of that," said Prima. "It's magical. I totally love it here."
Click here to find out more about the Autumn Getaway package from Kenmore Air and Friday Harbor House.
Sponsored by Kenmore Air.
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