The Inn at Langley

Someday, I will post more about our honeymoon itinerary, which included Portland, Seattle, and the Puget Sound. But with Valentine's Day just around the corner, I want to tell you about what is surely one of the most romantic places in the world:

Situated just off of Washington in the Puget Sound, The Inn at Langley is a true sanctuary on Whidbey Island. With views of the Saratoga Passage, a James Beard Award-nominated chef, and all that Whidbey Island has to offer at its fingertips, The Inn at Langley is a kind of paradise.

Every one of the inn's guest rooms has a porch with 180 degree views of the Saratoga Passage. The views are staggeringly different at high and low tides. Unlike most hotel balconies, the porches at the Inn at Langley are actually spacious enough for two people to enjoy. It's perfect for sipping coffee or a glass of wine, or for reading a book while listening to the water.

The rooms are sumptuously comfortable. They include wood-burning fireplaces, which are enjoyable year-round in the Puget Sound. The inn has a small library of books and movies to bring back to your room, and a wine cellar showcasing the best of the Pacific Northwest. The decor, like the view, is placid and serene. Even the bathtub overlooks the water. 

On our first night, we enjoyed a six-course dinner at the inn's restaurant. Many of the herbs and greens were grown right in the restaurant's beautifully landscaped garden. Even the flowers on the table were from the garden. The restaurant features an open kitchen, so we could watch as Chef Matt Costello prepared each imaginative course. One of the most memorable courses that night was a roasted duck breast with a pine and cherry sauce. After hiking the previous day in Olympic National Forest, the pine sauce filled our mouths with the fragrant taste of the Northwest.

Each course was paired beautifully with a wine. While the menu said six courses, the whole evening was more like eight or nine, because the chef kept sending out playful little bites, such as a chocolate chip cookie cotton candy before dessert.

One of the most brilliant moments came when the crab course was served. There had been two candles sitting on our table. As the waiter came around, he told us that one of them was not actually a candle, but rather coconut oil that had been burning. He extinguished the flame and poured the toasted coconut oil over our plates. Incredible!

The Inn at Langley is situated in the heart of the town of Langley, which has a few streets of boutiques and restaurants. The residents could not be friendler nor the town more quaint. Whidbey Island is small, so it is easy to get around and explore. We drove about an hour and a half to Anacortes to catch a whale-watching tour. We ate lunch on the Greenbank Farm at Whidbey Pies Cafe where we savored the regional specialty of loganberry pie.

On our last day, we went for a hike at Ebey's Landing, a national historical preserve. We forgot our camera, but I can assure your imagination that there is nothing more breathtaking than a prairie that is along the ocean.



Make sure to leave enough time to just enjoy the inn. Go for strolls on the beach. Greg got close enough to a heron to snap this picture as it took flight.

 

  

We will certainly come back here again and again for special anniversaries. We were lucky to be here during June, which is the peak of whale-watching season, but I would like to experience it in the winter months, too. The Inn at Langley is a retreat for all the senses.