Intro

My wife and I decided to schedule a trip to Friday Harbor over Memorial Day weekend with another family we know. Between us, we totaled 7 people – 4 adults, 2 five-year-olds, and a toddler that was essentially stroller bound.

The islands are breathtaking. Even as a jaded Seattle native, I am always taken aback when I get the chance to come out this way, and San Juan Island is as beautiful as it gets. The island is large enough to “get lost” on while not actually being unable to find your way back, and when adventuring on your own, you will not be disappointed by what the island has to offer.

For our group, however, anything that involved service often meant unhelpful, incompetent, unavailable, or (in one case) hostile staff that made us feel completely unwelcome.

Lodging

We stayed at the Hotel Elements, which is just on the edge of the tourist area of Friday Harbor. The hotel was the cheapest the island had to offer over the weekend, yet our rooms still cost over $200, per night, each. The balconies looked out at an abandoned industrial building, which was something of a let-down at first but actually served to provide a great deal of privacy. The rooms were clean and well furnished, the beds were comfortable and housekeeping was prompt. The hotel is fairly small. There is a spa and an indoor pool on-site, and the standard souvenir shop, but no other amenities.

Good luck trying to reach the front desk. In the three days we stayed, I called the front desk five separate times and failed to reach a person each time, requiring me to walk down and poke my head around the lobby for assistance. The air conditioner only worked part of the time, and the hotel staff told us that this was just “the way it is.” In all, it was a nice and convenient place to stay, but short of the New Age motif, it was not much more than an expensive Motel 6.

Shopping

Friday Harbor is on an island, and like all islands, goods cost more because they have to be shipped over. Gas and groceries were about 15- 20 percent higher than on the mainland, while goods with MSRPs were usually offered at that price. With a little preparation, you can avoid most of the extra expense by filling the tank and stocking up in Anacortes before getting on the ferry. Even if you drive everywhere on San Juan Island, it will be pretty tough to use up a whole tank of gas.

The better part of the tourism district is made up of a warren of businesses set into the hillside, connected by staircases and interconnected passageways. For us, it required two adults to navigate the staircases, each holding an end of the stroller, and much of the rest of the time was negotiating the steep hills of the district. I cringe to think of anyone with accessibility problems trying to navigate this town; what is a trial for a stroller would be a nightmare for a walker and simply impossible for a wheelchair. No place in the wharf is accessible by wheels, and what ramps exist would deposit the unwary into dead-ends, back-alleys or side streets.

Almost no place in Friday Harbor takes American Express, but all take MasterCard or Visa. This is not uncommon to see at home, since AMEX charges more for transactions, and it reflects a shrewd decision by the business owner not to accept these cards. However, the American Express card is a quality proposition. It is common for travelers to use it for the insurance, security, and other away-from-home benefits it provides, and it’s surprising to see a town whose lifeblood is tourism uniformly turn down one of the most common methods of payment tourists use simply to save a few bucks.

In short, leave your AMEX at home and be prepared to pony up.

Dining

By far the dining situation was the worst part of the trip, and quite possibly the worst service I have ever experienced while on vacation.

It is fair to remind you that we were a large group – four adults and three small children. Nevertheless, this is not an abnormally large number, and we were willing and understanding if it took some time to accommodate. We had money. We tip well. However, the reactions from the staff in every restaurant we visited consistently implied rejection:

Downriggers: The four (!) hostesses each looked at us in shock, then looked at their seating chart that was only half full, then debated amongst each other, then all walked off without saying anything to us, then came back a minute later to tell us it would be 30-35 minutes to seat us in this half-full restaurant.
Dos Diablos: The owner informed us that the kitchen “will need to be fired up” (?) and would take 30-35 minutes before we can order. Then, “why don’t you try Downriggers?” After being rejected in one way or another by the other restaurants in the area, we came back 10 minutes later to see dozens of people seated.
Maloula: The hostess stood there, mouth agape, saying nothing. We asked if we could sit here or there, offering some suggestions, to which she replied “I’m not sure…” and shrugged. Eventually we just sat ourselves, and waited almost thirty minutes to get menus.
The Place: We gave up after ten minutes of watching the people in front of us wonder where the staff was and if they would ever get a table.

You will also notice a number of gotcha-coming-and-going tactics happening as well. Refills on a $1.80 cup of coffee will cost an additional 50 cents. A split-plate charge in a restaurant with no kids’ menu will cost $2.00. The words “Expected Tip” are written on your bill with a rather gracious number written next to it. You get the distinct feeling that you are being nickel-and-dimed by someone who is calling you a skinflint while he does it.

We would have to ask for menus. Then we would have to ask for kids’ menus. Often there was none. Any further kid-dining options had to be extracted from the wait staff who seemed shocked that small humans existed, were present, and might need something different than what was on the adult menu. Adjusting the seating arrangements – putting tables together, moving chairs, etc. - was always up to us, as the wait staff was unwilling or unable to adjust the table arrangements. The food always took an hour or more to arrive, and was either bland, uninspired or processed. In one case, the kids’ food came indelibly spicy, on scalding hot plates that burned fingers.

On and on and on.

When dining in Friday Harbor, the message was clear: Kids Not Welcome.

Tours

The whale watching tour was the highlight of the trip, and turned out much better than expected. We took the Western Prince II, a boat that held about 25 people plus the crew. One of the naturalists on board was not just well informed but actually giddy about what we were doing. The captain directed the boat promptly to where the whales were, kept us around out of the sun and in great viewing distance for plenty of picture opportunities. We were fortunate to have great weather coupled with a very active family of whales. The kids absolutely loved it. In short, this excursion redeemed the trip for us all by itself. Notably, this was one of the few places that accepted AMEX.

Ferry Transportation (with Cars)

We took the Washington State Ferry system to the island with two small SUVs. There are three ferries that serve the 4 major San Juan islands, Vancouver Island and the mainland at Anacortes. Whoever the prodigy is that came up with the logistics of moving those ferries between all those destinations as often as they show up deserves a medal. The planner’s genius is no match for the holiday throng, however, and getting back and forth from the islands requires preparedness and early arrival.

Because of the distance from home and the children, we decided to bunk in Anacortes for the night and take a ferry in the morning. We stayed at the Ship’s Harbor Inn, which is right next to the ferry terminal and one of the nicest hotels in the town. This is a relative term though, as Anacortes is pretty run down, and while the hotel was clean and convenient, it was expensive and otherwise unremarkable.

The advantage to this particular hotel was evident as we left. Our plan was to catch the 7:45 ferry, but as anyone with kids knows getting into the car is no mean feat, and we ended up leaving 20 minutes later than expected. This made all the difference as we watched the queue of cars pile up right before our eyes. However, as the hotel is close to the ferry and the only way out is to get onto the road, you just have to wait to squeeze into the line. This generates mad scowls from people who will give no inch, but eventually a fellow parent-in-tow let us in. Even so, we missed the 7:45 and got put onto the 9:30.

Coming back from San Juan Island was even worse. Thinking we had plenty of time to queue up for the 1:45 ferry, we ate breakfast first and then went to put the cars into the queue at 10:00. By then it was too late, and we were bumped to the 4:20 sailing. We were in town more than 6 hours after getting in line – and we were lucky.

With the Ferry, the moral is that a few minutes can cost you a few hours. While there is a beach that helped pass the time in Anacortes and we could still putter around in town at Friday Harbor, had we left only a few minutes before we would have gotten on the ferries we wanted. Consider what you think would be a good time to get there. Then subtract another 30 minutes. Then subtract another 15 for good measure. The looks of dismay on drivers arriving late are warning enough.

On reflection, I think it may be a better to take a ferry on foot and rent a car on the Island. Not only would it be less of a hassle to get the cars on the ferries, there are convenient passenger-only options from Seattle, Victoria and Bellingham. The trade-off, of course, is the ability to transport luggage, and toddlers are notorious for requiring ten times their weight in gear. Additionally, I am not sure why the Department of Transportation does not allow reservations for any destination besides B.C. I think it would cause a lot less heartache all around if people could reserve space in advance.

Conclusion

As a Seattle native, it was very disappointing for me to “tour the backyard” as we are often encouraged to do only to be let down. More than any vacation I have been on, I was made to feel completely unwelcome by almost all of the people who took our money. It’s bad enough to treat local this way, but for those who come from far away – our friends from France as well as those from Japan, Europe and the Midwest that we encountered – it serves as a poor example of what this place - my home - is about.

From the person who hustled us through the Ice Cream parlor on Front Street to the man who almost ran our children down while we were crossing the road to the people who turned the Closed sign and shut the door in our faces: Friday Harbor, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

You certainly shame me.

Orca watching in San Juan Islands should definitely be done by kayak. We came within 30 yards of these magnificent animals and felt secure with our guides.
The island of San Juan itself seemed a bit overrated, but I think from a tourist standpoint it didnt really bother me....I was there to see the orcas, eagles, clean air and experience of kayaking along the coast line.
One thing I would like to make sure that people know about if you visit this area for the first time is, make sure that if your main purpose is to enjoy the orca and wildlife ...be sure to find a hotel on the island of San Juan and NOT in Anacortes. Why? because as we found out the cost of the hotels in Anacortes are too high and not worth it...plus you have to pay for ferry rides to the other islands anyway and that only adds to the expenses you have to incur...especially if you are in the islands for multiple days.

let me know if you need any advice on this area or any other in and around the Olympic penninsula or North Cascades/Mt Rainier area.

Beautifully timed (late July) for flawless weather, clear skies and gentle breezes. Friday Harbor is a fine place to relax, to window-shop, to wander about. It was a fine family weekend. Understandably popular (and a little crowded at peak season), perhaps it's not the first choice for a romantic escape, but it's a fine change of pace from the city's confinement, and a good reason to leave the cell phone behind.
Prices for food & lodging are fair, considering the environment. If you enjoy arts & crafts, bargains are few but there's something for every taste and finding just the right item is worth an added expense. We look forward to a return visit, confident the crowds will thin in the off-season. There are kayak to rent. Scuba diving was not a priority on this visit, but I was very pleased to see a PADI-affiliated dive shop nearthe waterfront, and I enjoyed the opportunity to get a better insight into the area's marine environment. I will bring my scuba gear next time!