My USA Trip – Part 2 – Bellingham

After an extremely long day travelling and full of lovely seafood from our meal we arrived in the city of Bellingham. The place certainly didn’t feel like a city and had a very New England feel to it. It’s made up of different suburbs, the most notable one being Fairhaven with it’s old world charm.

Our hotel for the night was the beautiful Bellwether Hotel. We each had our own huge suite decorated in traditional style complete with everything you could want during your stay including a whirlpool bath and cosy fire for those staying over in winter. The view over the marina and beyond from the balcony was beautiful despite the grey skies.

We were all shattered, but in a bid to combat jetlag we had a short walk around the marina and a quick drink in the bar to watch the jazz band then we were all ready to hit the sack. And what an amazing sack it was. the comfiest bed I have ever slept in and as one of my fellow travellers described it ‘like sleeping on a cloud’. Even with the comfiest bed in the world the jetlag still came back to bite us in the bum and most were awake by around 4am.

We had a busy day ahead and after a delicious typically large portioned American breakfast we set off to the ferry terminal to take a boat trip over to Vendovi Island. The weather had not been kind to us & the crossing was rather choppy to say the least. There were some rather green faces by the time we arrived on the island.

Despite the constant rain and grey skies you could see how beautiful this place was, inhabited only by the 2 park rangers and only recently opened up to the general public. The plan was a nature walk and picnic, but the weather gods were having none of it! A quick walk down to the beach then back for the return journey.

In the afternoon we had some free time to look around Fairhaven and the rain had just about stopped. The place had a really relaxed small town feel and everyone we came across were really friendly. We had a quick look at the Fairhaven Inn which is a quaint hotel in the heart of things which was really lovely and with a cosy traditional feel, but with a superb Gatsby styled cocktail bar attached.

Craft ales have become so popular in many parts of the States but in Bellingham alone there are no less than 17 breweries. I love a nice ale (let’s face it I like most things with alcohol in) so was very much looking forward to our tour around the Boundary Bay brewery. We got educated about beer making, we had a lovely tour, but most importantly we got to taste several of their offerings. My personal favourite was the sour beer. Delish!

After the brewery we were off to our 2nd hotel at Tulalip which started as a Native American Indian reservation in the 1800’s and now boasts a resort casino with a very plush hotel. Tulalip has it’s own laws and regulations, kind of a state within a state and that’s why they have a casino that I have to say was extremely busy and open 24 hours. We were hosted by the hotel to a beautiful meal in their Blackfish Restaurant where we saw the chefs preparing our food over open fire. We had a little drink and a mosey round the casino but the jetlag was back with a vengeance so not a despite the temptations around us we bombed out.

I think if you are sailing from Seattle or Vancouver this area of Washington State really is a great area to spend some time in to extend your trip. We only got to sample a few of the activities available and places to see, but if you’re cruising to Alaska you are generally going to be a fan of wonderful scenery which this area has in abundance with greenery, the waters of the beautiful Pugent Sound and San Juan Islands with a back drop of the white-tipped Olympic Mountains. If you need any information or more ideas feel free to contact me on 0800 408 6105 or [email protected].

Nest stop….Sensational Seattle!