We arrived in town without reservations and on the suggestion of friends, drove to the Hotel Bellwether. It was the week before the Thanksgiving holiday so the hotel was almost empty. We were given a plaza view room on the 3rd floor which had a great view of Bellingham Bay and the city so we'd recommend saving the extra $30 for a water view room and take the beautiful view to the east.

The room was very large and well-appointed with abundant down pillows, robes, and fluffy towels. The large jetted tub was wonderful after a long trip and there are doors next to the tub that open up to the bedroom. A gas fireplace made the whole room cozy and warm.

But here are our gripes and I hope the hotel management takes note on how they can improve their guest services with better training for their front desk staff (although Harold was very nice and very friendly):

--When guests check in, advise them that there is secure underground parking for their use. Tell them how to get into the garage (when didn't know about it until our 4th night)

--Give guests a little heads-up on dining in the hotel. It would be a nice touch to tell them about the hotel's restaurants (not to mention building the restaurants' business).

--Let guests know that there are complimentary local papers in the lobby and that USA Today is delivered every morning.

--There's no bellman, but it would be nice if the front desk staff could at least point guests to the available luggage cart.

--Although there was a DVD player in our room, the instructions for using it weren't complete and we had to get assistance from the front desk.

--Here's the biggest gripe: the hotel was NOT busy but each time we walked through the lobby the front desk staff did not only fail to greet us, each and everyone of them had their head down and glued to a computer monitor. A smile and a greeting would have been welcome and gee, it would be good to know that the front desk was paying attention to who's walking into the lobby for the safety and security of the guests.

We'll probably stay again, but we won't have any lofty expectations of the staff.

I made reservations for my wife so that she my have a break from our one year old and 4 month old boys. I secured the reservation with my credit card and asked if anything else was needed and was informed that "everything was taken care of ". When she arrived she was informed that she need to present a major credit or she would not be allowed to stay at the hotel. She told the front desk that that my credit card was already on file and that no one informed us of this policy. They would not back down and my wife returned home frustrated and upset. Then to add insult to injury they charged my VISA anyway. I have written two letters to Mr. Kris Wentworth who is the front desk manager and to Michael G Herzog the hotels owner and managing director in a effort to get them to reverse this charge and they refuse to do so! I am in the process of appealing this charge with my credit card company. Long story short, don't stay here.

We found this hotel to be an exceptional experience. Cosy, comfortable king size bed, beautiful soft linens and pillows, a perfect setting, friendly staff, and peaceful waterviews. All in all, the Hotel Bellwether was much more that we expected. We will definitely stay there again and, in fact, are planning another visit next month.

Fantastic setting and a great view from the third floor, and while the rooms are luxuriously appointed with a fireplace, balcony, wet bar, quality bed and linens, and a large bathroom with separate jetted tub and glassed-in shower, the furnishings are beginning to show signs of age, wear and tear and the shower tiles in our room showed and smelled a little moldy.

Lunch at the restaurant downstairs was really good (try the Coconut Lime Seafood Chowder if they have it....fabulous!) and the huge bustling Anthony's just a block away was surprisingly good as well. Wireless internet access was free and flawless.

The boiler for hot water in the hotel went on the fritz while we were there and the management kindly slipped a letter of explanation under the door at night so that we knew what was going on. We didn't have any hot water the second day, though, and when we checked out no compensation was offered, though they did give us a $25 refund on our credit card after asking. There was also a loud fan humming on and off the entire day and most of the night (central airconditioning
for the hotel perhaps?).

We loved the quaint town of Bellingham and its very scenic surroundings, and for the most part, we enjoyed our stay at the Bellwether and would probably consider staying there again on our next visit because of the beautiful setting and room amenities.