MEDIA COVERAGE

Other popular venues include Friday Harbor House on San Juan Island, with 1,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Bluff Restaurant ▪ Bar ▪ Terrace has opened at Friday Harbor House, located on San Juan Island, Wash., and features fresh fare from local waters and farms.

Two blocks from the ferry we arrive at Friday Harbor House. The architecture is contemporary yet distinctly Northwest, the luxurious little boutique hotel brings urban sophistication to the island. The Bluff Restaurant is located on the property, this sleek dining room has captivating views. Freshness and flavor define dining at the Friday Harbor House.

The Bluff faces the postcard-perfect bay, and its refurbishment capitalizes on that magical setting. The designers wisely removed any obstacles between diners and the great outdoors, essentially creating a wall of windows between the indoors and out.

When it opened, the façade of Friday Harbor House seemed almost too avante garde for this sleepy former fishing village. But if Friday Harbor House was ahead of its time, the town seems to have caught up with it. This century, Friday Harbor has gained a number of new buildings; one of them, a swank new multiuse facility, bookends the small park adjacent to the inn. Friday Harbor House has changed, too, but only for the better. The sleek island getaway now includes a conference center and several new guest rooms, and a recent makeover has expanded its dining room.

The Friday Harbor House, an intimate inn with a much-lauded restaurant, sits on a bluff overlooking San Juan Island’s marina. Each of the 23 guestrooms has a sitting area with a gas fireplace and a whirlpool tub; some have balconies.

Where to Stay - In Friday Harbor, try the Friday Harbor House (packages with breakfast from $299; fridayharborhouse.com).

The Bluff Restaurant ▪ Bar ▪ Terrace opened in Friday Harbor. The restaurant overlooks the ferry landing with views of the San Juan Channel and marina.

Mornings are crisp and cool, the trees are exploding with color – it’s time to get in the car and take a long weekend to the San Juan Islands. Pick just one of these Pacific Northwest Isles, or do one a day. On San Juan, stay at the Friday Harbor House.

Friday Harbor on San Juan Island is thriving with activity during vacation season. Arrive to the island using the Victoria Clipper, which operates daily service from downtown Seattle to Friday Harbor during the summer months. While on the island, enjoy the best view in town from the lawn at Friday Harbor House from its gorgeous hillside perch.

Friday Harbor House was voted as one of the top 20 summer getaways in the United States. Only 100 miles north of Seattle, you can walk two blocks from the ferry to the resort itself, where 23 modern guestrooms and suites have unique artwork, furniture, fireplaces, and oversize jetted tubs, and most have views of the harbor and pine-covered islands. Since the islands are one of the best whale-watching spots in the world, don’t miss boating out to Harp Strait and marvel at breaching orcas and humpbacks frolicking with their calves.

The Lummi Arts Festival has several events that will take place to help San Juan residents connect with the original cultures of the islands and Friday Harbor House donated an exhibit of works by artists from the Lummi Nation and from Turtle Mountain Chippewa for the event on West and First streets. Some of the artwork includes intricate beadwork, carvings in wood and bone, leatherwork, and silverwork.