Looking for a late summer road trip not far from the South Sound?
My family and I recently spent a long weekend exploring the Olympic Peninsula with a stay at Kalaloch Lodge. It took just a couple of hours to get there, but it felt like a real getaway. The boys loved being just steps away from miles of sandy beach. My husband and I loved getting everyone unplugged (no TV, no Wifi, no cell phone coverage-heavenly)!
Kalaloch is in the heart of Olympic National Park, about a two hour drive from Tacoma via Olympia. We opted to go the long way through Port Angeles, where we spent our first night. Next time we’re heading straight to the lodge.
The buildings at Kalaloch are perched on a bluff above the ocean. There are rooms in the main lodge as well as in a separate motel style unit where we stayed. There are also detached cabins.
Now, this isn’t the place for everyone. If you value high end amenities and swimming pools-well, this is not the place for you. Both the outside and inside of the buildings show the kind of weathering you’d expect from historic buildings facing the Pacific Ocean, and the interior of our room was comfy and cozy-not luxurious. A stay here is like spending a vacation at a friend’s beach house-in other words, perfect for our family! We also loved that our unit had two rooms. It was just fantastic to be able to put the boys to bed and then have some adult time watching the moon over the ocean.
The lodge is just steps from a terrific beach, but you can also go just a few minutes down the road to any number of others (We loved Ruby Beach, and we’re looking forward to checking out Beach Four next time). We also took a side trip to the Hoh rainforest about 40 minutes away. No, we didn’t take in any, “Twilight,” sights, but if you want to, it’s o.k. with me! Want to just cozy up in your room? That’s not a bad idea either!
We enjoyed a meal at the on site restaurant, which is very nice without feeling stuffy. I will tell you it was Expensive, but as my husband pointed out, you’re eating a fine meal in the middle of nowhere! If you do need to stay on a budget you could eat elsewhere, or there is a little store with supplies. Our room had a dorm sized fridge and a coffee maker we also used to heat water, so we fixed our own breakfasts and lunches. There are also units with fuller kitchens. Do pay attention when you book, as there is quite a lot of variety in your lodging choices.
The best part of the trip was just being able to enjoy one of the most beautiful parts of the state with my family. Sometimes it feels like our vacations are as fast paced and frantic as our regular lives. Kalaloch gave us a wonderful chance to actually relax and just enjoy being with each other.
If you’d like to try to fit a Kalaloch stay into your summer, they do sill have some rooms available. If you don’t have to fit your plans around a school schedule, the fall would also be a great time, or head out a little later in the season for amazing (maybe a little romantic?) storm watching. They also had some deals on various deal sites last year, so you could keep an eye out on those. For more information, you can head to the Kalaloch Lodge website. It also has scoop on exploring Olympic National Park and other nearby sights.
Disclosure: We were provided with a one night, complimentary stay to facilitate this review. I was not compensated in any other way, and the opinions are my own.
Speak Your Mind