october 07 travel

7/31/2019 October 07 Travel

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GREAT GETAWAYS

Over the topSalish Lodge offers spectacular views and world-class relaxing

BY SARAH EDEN WALLACE


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Whatcom Magazine 51

t seems apropos that a recent visit toSalish Lodge & Spa began with fol-lowing a Maserati into town and

ended with tagging behind a loaded log-ging truck on the way out.

After all, the renowned Snoqualmieresort combines a heady mix of close-to-nature comfort and a full range of out-door pursuits with utterly urbane polish

as in magnificent food, bend-over-back-ward service (including a staff horticul-turalist) and an award-winning spa.

It makes for a glorious getaway withina three-hour drive from WhatcomCounty. Even better, an off-season visitfrom October to April means reasonable

rates for its rare pleasures.

Subtle luxury is the hallmark of the89-room resort. It started in the late 19thcentury as a way stop for travelers makingthe then-treacherous crossing to Seattle

through Snoqualmie Pass. (The lodgesfour-course country breakfast harkensback to those adventurers need to stokeup for the arduous trek.) Today, visitors

step in the entrys French doors and relaxinto a rustic-luxe ambiance of hardwoodfloors, beamed ceilings, regional art and

cushy upholstered chairs.Even though a glance at a lobby sign

shows many high-powered corporateretreats are held here, most people wearjeans to dinner and youll invariably spota few folks who are clearly fresh from dis-

mounting mountain bikes or snowshoes.Surely no Ritz-Carlton features a large

gauge in the dining room foyer thatmeasures the nearby Snoqualmie Riversflow, up to a mighty 10,000 cubic feet persecond. But its most fitting here, as thedefining feature of the resort is its setting

hovering over the stupendous Snoqual-mie Falls.

The tallest waterfall

As soon as you arrive its tempting totoss your suitcases in the room and rush

to see the falls in full bore.After all, its thestates second most visited site, afterMount Rainier.

Its the tallest waterfall I ever saw in

Salish Lodges Executive ChefRoy Brieman crafts seasonalmenus that draw on local abun-

dance.

Opposite: Salish Lodge perchesjust above the Snoqualmie Riversmassive falls. Photos courtesySalish Lodge

I


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52 Whatcom Magazine

They take peace and quiet seriously here: Instructions are whisperedand visitors are asked to refrain from conversing.

IF YOU GO

Salish Lodge & Spa6501 Railroad Ave. S.E.,

Snoqualmie, (800) 2-SALISH,

(425) 888-2556,

www.salishlodge.com.

Rates: Depending on season,view and whether its a holiday,daily rates range from $309to $459 for rooms and from$699 to $999 for suites.

Hesselgrave International Tours

Offers day trips to Salish Lodge

Info: 734-3570,

www.HesselgraveTours.com

Above: Spa treatment options includeGinkgo biloba facials, earth cocoon body

wraps and heated river-rock massages.

Right: The spas massive two-tieredhydrotherapy pool with cascading watermimics the natural waterfalls outside.Photos courtesy Salish Lodge


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Whatcom Magazine 53

my whole life, pronounced a small boywalking down the stairs with his family ona spring visit. Indeed, at 268 feet tall, thefalls are 100 feet higher than Niagara Falls.

Even from the covered observationdeck, their power is dizzying.Blasting outof the overflow chutes of the 1898 dam,

they slam into the river,sending up cloudsof mist.

Theres an easy hike to another obser-vation point at the bottom of the falls,which passes by another power plant,built in 1910.

Generating 40,000 kilowatts of energy,the two power stations provide power for16,000 homes in the Seattle area. Not tomention mighty nice views for 1.5 millionvisitors annually.

Seasonal abundance

It may be hard to tear yourself away

from the water, but the lodges cuisine iswell worth it. Besides, thanks to banks ofhuge windows in the three dining areas,

you seem to be seated right next to thefalls.

At breakfast or lunch, swallows flitabout, heedless of the long plunge to theriver below. Its literally a birds eye view ofospreys, hawks and the occasional pere-grine falcon flying close by.

The food (and the 62-page wine list) is

fabulous. Breakfast options range frompancakes, fruit and pastries to shrimp-and crab-stuffed omelets and inventivebrioche and salmon combinations.

Chocolate service ($15 per pot) fea-tures Schauffenberger chocolate, wholemilk and cream infused with vanilla bean,

heated tableside in a copper pan, thenpoured into a special coffee pot andstirred with a perforated wooden stickthat aerates and adds volume.

If eating like royalty isnt enough, amischievous mini-rainbow often flashesin the shifting spray as the sun breaks

through.It only gets better.Sales Manager Kim Carlson notes that

many a proposal is popped in two privatedining alcoves that seem to hover over thefalls, with long views to the Cascade

Mountains unfolding beyond.The seasonal menus draw heavily on

local abundance. For example, a lunchsampler of oysters includes Dabobs from


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Health . . . from head to toe!You eat healthy

You exercise daily

You see your physician routinely

Have you seen yourdentist lately?

Additional information on the body/mouth relationship:

www.drfaithbult.com/news.asp

Sehome Professional Center

405 32nd Street, Suite 100

Bellingham, WA 98225

www.drfaithbult.com 360.715.3333Keeping in shape is so much easier when shared with friends.

Dr. Bult & her runningpartners - Mambo & Punch

54 Whatcom Magazine

The rustic setting at Salish Lodge, above,belies the luxe treatment that awaits guestsinside. Photos courtesy Salish Lodge

Youll invariablyspot a few folkswho are clearlyfresh fromdismountingmountain bikesor snowshoes.


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Whatcom Magazine 55

Whatcom Countys Taylor ShellfishFarms. This can be followed with soups,sandwiches or entrees such as venison orscallops with lentils and celery root.

Seemingly no detail is too small. For aspectacular hot-rocks dinner appetizer($24), cooked tableside, Executive Chef

Roy Breiman goes to the rock beds at thebase of the falls and hand-selects stones,

which are sliced and polished. The slabsare heated to sizzling on a bed of salt,thensmall amuse bouche-size tastes of seasonalfish such as scallop, turbot and ahi tuna

are seared on the rocks, then served with aselection of three dipping sauces. Entreeoptions include butterflied breast ofpheasant stuffed with Fuji apples andbrioche in a Calvados reduction, orintensely flavored Kobe beef cheeks mari-nated for 48 hours in burgundy. Its sim-

ply sublime.

Pleasurable pursuits

As tempting as it is to linger overlunch, heading to the on-site spa is defi-nitely in order.

They take peace and quiet seriously

here: Instructions are whispered and visi-tors are asked to refrain from conversing.

The monasterial mood extends to theinterior design. Low lighting, wood wallsand shoji-like frosted windows impart anAsian atmosphere. Though small, its wellarranged with huge windows that maxi-

mize the view of nearby nature. Theresplenty of space for the soul to expand.

Free from chatty salon static, treat-ments range from a Ginkgo biloba facial($109) and earth cocoon body wrap($119) to heated river-rock massage ($99)

and treatments for two such as theRekindle Ritual ($199 per person).

Afterward, you can mosey from steamroom to sauna to lounge chairs, but mostpeople gravitate to a massive two-tieredhydrotherapy pool with cascading waterthat mimics the falls outside.

But as sumptuous as the spa is, if youridea of heaven is a pile of books to read,

the Asahel Curtis Library, named for theSeattle photographer,offers its own temp-tations.

With deep leather chairs, slightly wornred velvet chairs and herringbone tweed-

upholstered sofas, it echoes the hunting

Salish Lodge offers couple-size Sanijet pipe-less whirlpool spa baths in every room. Photocourtesy Salish Lodge


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56 Whatcom Magazine

Each room at Salish Lodge has its own wood-burning fireplace. Several feature private balconies. Photo courtesy Salish Lodge

You know youre relaxed when you start telling time by whether youneed to throw another log on the fire.


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Whatcom Magazine 57

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lodge feel. While the huge stone fireplaceand copper chandelier are striking, the funis in the browsing. Its a working library

(complete with Wi-Fi) whose ceiling-highbookshelves were obviously filled by a bib-liophile: topics include Boeing, Seattle,antiques, mountains (Everest), basketry,a complete Encyclopaedia Britannica,The Age of Napoleon by Will and Ariel

Durant, travel, Thomas Aquinas, AnselAdams, art, wine. You h alf expectHemingway to stomp in, drop his fishingcreel by the travertine hearth and grab abook on casting.

It would be tempting to settle in frontof the immense flagstone fireplace with abook, but there are other delights to taste

at Salish.

Fanning the fires

The resort takes full advantage of its

site near rivers, lakes and mountains.Hiking, biking, float trips, fly fishing,kayaking, golf and whitewater rafting are

just some of the options for outdoorenthusiasts.

Or you could be perfectly content

relaxing in your room. About half therooms overlook the river and the watersroar makes a most pleasant backdrop.

After all, theres nothing like loungingby a wood-burning fireplace. Salish fea-tures 99 of them,one in every guest room,the five meeting rooms, the couples treat-ment rooms and the dining areas.

That you have to tend the fire only

enhances the experience. Maybe its awak-ening your inner Boy Scout or an irre-sistible opportunity to play with fire,but itredefines luxury as a near-camping expe-rience. You know youre relaxed when youstart telling time by whether you need tothrow another log on the fire.

Carlson notes even in the height of

summer, people beeline for the matches.People start a fire even in the summer because its so romantic, says Carlson.Ive seen where they have the doors andwindows wide open and a fire going.

Large frosted windows between thebedroom and bathroom open so you canloll in the tub and enjoy the fire or watchTV.

While its the only hotel in the worldwith couple-sized Sanijet pipeless

whirlpool spa baths in every room,according to Carlson, understatement isthe order of the day here.

Crown molding, a matelass bedspreadand textured wallpaper add subtle ele-gance while a large rag rug in front of thefireplace and its massive wood mantel adda homey touch. Decorated with a fewwood and leather artifacts and black-and-

white photos of the falls and mountains,each room has large windows or its owntiny balcony.

In the unlikely event youre not relaxedenough, you can pile on the pillows,choosing from a menu of seven options,from a buckwheat-filled silk eye mask to adown body pillow.

Thanks to the whirlpools snoozebutton, you may be astounded to find

youve spent two hours in the tub.But then, time seems to slow down

here.If any place will teach you to go with

the flow, its Salish Lodge.

Sarah Eden Wallace is the editor of Whatcom

Magazine. She has written about travel for America

West magazine, Arizona Highways, Newsday and

Phoenix Magazine.

october 07 travel

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