Seattle Travel Forum

Hi everyone!
We will be coming into Seattle by train on 4 August around 9 p.m. and plan to stay at the Kalaloch Lodge on the 5th (it's a splurge!) Where do you suggest we stay the night of 4 Aug? We will be renting a car downtown so can go anywhere - but would prefer that our lodging is at least on the way to the Olympic Peninsula. We would also like it to be as cheap as possible without being infested by insects or other annoyances. We are a party of 4 including 2 children.
Any help would be very much appreciated!

As you probably know, it's a fair way to get to Kalaloch by the next day. With your late arrival, I doubt that you will get much further than Port Townsend or possibly Port Angeles on your first night, and then it might be by midnight.

You should probably drive from your Seattle car rental place to Edmonds (north), take the ferry across Puget Sound from there, drive toward Port Townsend, and make your overnight stop there. There are plenty of good B&Bs there, as well as some cheaper motels to google. Port Angeles is a bit less expensive, but it's going to be a longer drive. Your kids will be very tired.

Everyone coming here tends to underestimate the size of Washington State, so do keep that in mind when planning. You'll find that Kalaloch is lovely, and you were lucky to get a reservation there, as it often fills up a year in advance. Our Pacific Ocean beaches are WILD and practically unpopulated, except for a few very small towns. Enjoy!

You have the right idea about traveling on the 4th to make the trip on the following day shorter. You are getting in almost to late on the 4th to drive at all. By the time you get a car it is going to be late. You will have to catch a ferry to get on the Peninsula then drive some distance to just make it half way. I would definitely get reservations at your hotel. It would be great if you could make it as far as Port Angeles since they have lots of hotels. You are lucky to get reservations at Kalaloch since they book up very early. It is a shame that you can only stay one night after driving so far? Kalaloch is really a wonderful place to stay. You will have the beautiful outdoors surrounding you as the forest comes right down to the miles of unspoiled sandy beach.

HI there, Mike. Agree with you!

Hi, It's funny we both must have written our reply's at the same time. As usual, you are right on in your answer.

Yep, you're spot-on, too. Cheers!

Since you are getting in at 9 PM, I would suggest that you rent your car and try to catch the 10;05 PM ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island. The ferry leaves from Coleman Dock, just a few minutes from the train station. If you miss it, there is a 10:55 departure. As you drive off the ferry, you will get on Hwy. 305 on your way to the Olympic Peninsula. About 15 minutes from the ferry dock, there is a place called the Poulsbo inn & Suites, literally on Hwy.305. About half a mile further up from there is a Holiday Inn Express. This would get you on the way to your destination without having to drive another 45 minutes late at night to Port Townsend. I am sure you will be able to find these hotels online. They are clean and convenient hotels. They are in the city of Poulsbo. You will have about a 2 hour drive to Kalaloch from there.

P.S. We live in Poulsbo and, ironically, just 30 minutes, ago my wife and I were driving home, admiring the beautiful sunset over the Olympic Mountains, discussing how we ought to go and stay at Kalaloch this summer!

I also would recommend taking the Edmonds ferry. The map source, ViaMichielin, rates the time from Poulsbo to Kalaloch, 3 Hr and 36 Min. I believe that you would be lucky to make it in that short of time going through Poulsbo.

Mike

Thank you everyone! We're going to try to Priceline a hotel in Port Angeles and try to take an earlier train! We really appreciate your help and we are so excited to travel to Washington for the first time!