Clam Cannery Hotel in Port Townsend, WA (Hotel Review)
We were invited guests of the Clam Cannery on this trip. I received no other compensation beyond the room and a lovely "welcome basket", and the hotel did not require that I express a particular point of view.
Port Townsend, about 60 miles north of Seattle is a popular weekend destination, and a great stopping point if you are on your way to the Olympic Peninsula. Most of the hotels here are in restored mansions, and filled with the type of elegant (and delicate) period furnishings that you would expect. I'm always afraid to stay in these old, thin-walled B&B's. With three kids under 5, even when they're well behaved, there's always a certain amount of noise, unscheduled night-waking, and early morning exploration. Add to that the fact that we need a fair amount of space and our own bathroom. In a town like Port Townsend, that can make it tricky to find a place to stay.
On this trip, we were invited to stay at the Clam Cannery, in historic "downtown" Port Townsend. The Clam Cannery is, in fact, a historic Clam Canning building. It sat vacant for 40 years before it was carefully restored by the current owners. The property is built out over the water, and all of the rooms have lovely views of the Cascades, the Olympic Mountains, Whidbey Island and the Strait of Juan DeFuca. At night, our room was completely quiet, making for a very restful night of sleep.
The historic brick building has been restored using one-of-a-kind artist created details you wouldn't normally see in a hotel. Our room (we stayed in the one bedroom "Sand Dollar Suite") had a full kitchen, a living room, a separate bedroom, and a full-sized washer and dryer. The kitchen was luxurious - with a subzero refrigerator, a pot-filler on the stove, and a complete set of pots, dishes, silverware and even spices, olive oil and other cooking essentials. The bathroom had details like hammered copper sinks, and some rooms had hand-crafted lighting and counter-tops.
Our suite had two beds, one in a bedroom and the other in the living area. Both were very comfortable with high thread count sheets and down pillows, but were also very high off of the ground. Poor Darya needed help to get in and out of bed.
If you like to relax with a movie when you're on vacation, you will enjoy the huge flat-screen TVs in the bedroom and living area. Instead of a traditional pay-per-view system, the hotel has made both Netflix streaming and Netflix Streaming and Amazon Video on Demand.
The hotel has concrete floors throughout, and those unforgiving floors made this a difficult place to stay with very young children. I worried all night about the kids rolling out of bed (we padded the floor with extra pillows), and poor Eilan clearly didn't want to crawl on the cold, hard floors. Parents of babies and very young children should be aware that the studio apartments have Murphy beds.
The Clam Cannery wasn't quite completed when we visited, a few odds and ends were missing (things like towel hooks and shower curtain liners). When the downstairs renovation is completed by fall 2010 a new boiler system will provide more hot water for longer showers (we had trouble squeezing in two warm showers, and a family of four would really have to rush). The boiler will also provide radiant heat for the concrete floors. The owners plan to do more to make the hotel family friendly as well, including providing a portable crib and a dish set for kids.
If you would like to stay at the Clam Cannery, the Seattle Tour Saver has a coupon you can use to get your 2nd night for free (The Tour Saver is an advertiser on DeliciousBaby, but even if they weren't I'd recommend investigating the this coupon book if you plan to visit the area. It's a great resource for saving money.)
Related LinksCity Guide: Port Townsend With Kids
5 comments |
Posted on March 23, 2010 |
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jessiev on March 23, 2010 at 1:18 p.m.
this looks like such a fantastic place! great views, wonderful room - we'll HAVE to stay there sometime! thanks for the review.
Randy @thelollipoproad on March 24, 2010 at 8:22 a.m.
Wow, this really does look like a nice place. I love the views!
CascadiaKIds on March 26, 2010 at 7:37 a.m.
Wow, that is a different place for PT. Looks like a pleasant place to stay, but yes, we'd have problems with the lack of hot water. Is the hotel shower-only or does it also offer a bathtub?
Debbie on March 26, 2010 at 12:11 p.m.
Our room had a bathtub. I didn't think to check the configuration of the other rooms, but that is definitely something you could ask about before booking.
rome combo pass on March 28, 2010 at 1:31 p.m.
wow what a hotel. looking like a palace thanks for posting