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Life // Travel

Pacific Northwest wellness weekends, resorts for couples

by Lori A. May, Special to the SeattlePI

For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here.

After months at home and endless days spent logging virtual meetings with colleagues, the great outdoors may be calling you for some fresh air fun. As Washington state's phased reopenings ease travel restrictions, you just might be daydreaming about a wellness vacation to refresh and unwind.

Perhaps a romantic getaway is just what you need for a change of pace. Look no further than Washington's own backyard for mountains and valleys, lakes and rivers, all within reach for a weekend getaway.

Whether you want to stay under the stars while glamping on the islands or cuddle up by the fireplace at a luxury resort, consider our ideas below for wellness weekends that will recharge your spirit and kindle some romance.

Head to the Columbia River Gorge for a breezy weekend retreat surrounded by waterfalls and forests. Spend the weekend at a lodge tucked alongside the Cascades. Or take the ferry to San Juan Islands for a few days of tranquil beauty. The getaways shared below will make you feel like you're a world away from city life.

Skamania Lodge
Located in Stevenson, and alongside the Columbia River, Skamania Lodge offers a picturesque escape from city life. Choose from contemporary guestrooms in the lodge or go for a private tree house to relax with a bit of childhood nostalgia and whimsy. Tree houses come with a spacious outdoor deck for immersing yourself in nature and fireplaces to cozy up for evenings inside with your loved one. On the wellness front, the indoor pool, sauna and fitness center at Skamania Lodge are all open daily with reduced capacity and physical distancing in place. The onsite Waterleaf Spa is still temporarily suspended, but guests booking later in the year can look forward to massages and body treatments at this peaceful spa. The property is also in a great location for exploring evergreen forests and waterfalls and hiking onsite or nearby on a challenging trail. The Skamania Lodge zipline and aerial park is again open for guests seeking an adrenaline boost. Plus, with proximity to the Columbia River, there’s plenty of scenic outdoor recreation in the area.
Brent Watkins / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm

Located in Stevenson, and alongside the Columbia River, Skamania Lodge offers a picturesque escape from city life. Choose from contemporary guestrooms in the lodge or go for a private tree house to relax with a bit of childhood nostalgia and whimsy. Tree houses come with a spacious outdoor deck for immersing yourself in nature and fireplaces to cozy up for evenings inside with your loved one.

On the wellness front, the indoor pool, sauna and fitness center at Skamania Lodge are all open daily with reduced capacity and physical distancing in place. The onsite Waterleaf Spa is still temporarily suspended, but guests booking later in the year can look forward to massages and body treatments at this peaceful spa.

The property is also in a great location for exploring evergreen forests and waterfalls and hiking onsite or nearby on a challenging trail. The Skamania Lodge zipline and aerial park is again open for guests seeking an adrenaline boost. Plus, with proximity to the Columbia River, there’s plenty of scenic outdoor recreation in the area.

Skamania Lodge ceased operations for nine weeks during the initial coronavirus shutdown, but are now welcoming guests back with enhanced safety in mind. “We are confident that our long-term operational strategies which include elevated health, safety, and sanitation procedures, will allow our guests to enjoy Skamania Lodge with peace of mind during every moment of their stay.” Among the precautions at Skamania Lodge, visitors can expect distanced seating in common areas and at dining establishments. At on-site eateries, no more than five people may be seated at an indoor table and these guests must be from the same household. Digital menus are available, and masks must be worn at all times prior to and after their dining experience. While in the area, round out your wellness weekend with tastings and tours at 35 nearby wineries along the Columbia River Gorge.
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Skamania Lodge ceased operations for nine weeks during the initial coronavirus shutdown, but are now welcoming guests back with enhanced safety in mind. “We are confident that our long-term operational strategies which include elevated health, safety, and sanitation procedures, will allow our guests to enjoy Skamania Lodge with peace of mind during every moment of their stay.”

Among the precautions at Skamania Lodge, visitors can expect distanced seating in common areas and at dining establishments. At on-site eateries, no more than five people may be seated at an indoor table and these guests must be from the same household. Digital menus are available, and masks must be worn at all times prior to and after their dining experience.

While in the area, round out your wellness weekend with tastings and tours at 35 nearby wineries along the Columbia River Gorge.

Sun Mountain Lodge
Spend a revitalizing weekend within reach of the North Cascades with a wellness stay at Sun Mountain Lodge. Located in Winthrop, the lodge property provides views of Methow Valley and the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Area hikes among wildflowers and wildlife are equally possible, while autumn brings the addition of colorful leaves turning in season. Throughout summer, the lodge is an ideal home base for valley hikes and strolls in the foothills. Mountain biking or horseback riding along the lake trails is another great way to spend a day in this natural northern paradise. The onsite spa reopened in June with reduced capacity and advance reservations suggested. Treat yourself to a therapeutic massage or invigorating body treatment to reawaken your senses. Lodge pools and hot tubs are currently closed as the area remains in Phase 2 of Washington’s reopening stage, but guests are encouraged to verify amenity availability when booking in advance.
Savana Branford / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm

Spend a revitalizing weekend within reach of the North Cascades with a wellness stay at Sun Mountain Lodge. Located in Winthrop, the lodge property provides views of Methow Valley and the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

Area hikes among wildflowers and wildlife are equally possible, while autumn brings the addition of colorful leaves turning in season. Throughout summer, the lodge is an ideal home base for valley hikes and strolls in the foothills. Mountain biking or horseback riding along the lake trails is another great way to spend a day in this natural northern paradise.

The onsite spa reopened in June with reduced capacity and advance reservations suggested. Treat yourself to a therapeutic massage or invigorating body treatment to reawaken your senses.

Lodge pools and hot tubs are currently closed as the area remains in Phase 2 of Washington’s reopening stage, but guests are encouraged to verify amenity availability when booking in advance.

Main lodge suites are a cozy retreat with hand-crafted wood furniture and original artwork from the local arts community. Patterson Lake cabins offer a little more seclusion from the world, while providing a full kitchen, large front porch and gas fireplace. The onsite dining room is also open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so guests can choose between preparing their own in-suite meal or savoring regional tastes like Snake River Farm pork, Sunny Pine Farm goat cheese and Double R Ranch striploin. Add wine to your wellness weekend with an order from the Wine Cellar at Sun Mountain, home to one of the Pacific Northwest’s most extensive wine selections. Or pop by Lost River Winery in Winthrop for curbside pickup.
Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

Main lodge suites are a cozy retreat with hand-crafted wood furniture and original artwork from the local arts community. Patterson Lake cabins offer a little more seclusion from the world, while providing a full kitchen, large front porch and gas fireplace.

The onsite dining room is also open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so guests can choose between preparing their own in-suite meal or savoring regional tastes like Snake River Farm pork, Sunny Pine Farm goat cheese and Double R Ranch striploin.

Add wine to your wellness weekend with an order from the Wine Cellar at Sun Mountain, home to one of the Pacific Northwest’s most extensive wine selections. Or pop by Lost River Winery in Winthrop for curbside pickup.

Lakedale Resort
Discover 82 acres of fresh air at Lakedale Resort in the San Juan Islands. Guests may choose from cozy lodge accommodations or stay in a luxury yurt or canvas glamping cottage to get that much closer to nature. The lakefront lodge features a great room with fireplace and a large deck for sipping morning coffee outdoors. Guest rooms have private decks or balconies, a gas fireplace and a jetted tub. Private yurts offer  a spacious 450 square feet suitable for a couples retreat, while log cabins can house up to six guests. Or for a funky vintage retreat, book a stay in the property's 1978 Airstream trailer.  
Edmund Lowe / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm

Discover 82 acres of fresh air at Lakedale Resort in the San Juan Islands. Guests may choose from cozy lodge accommodations or stay in a luxury yurt or canvas glamping cottage to get that much closer to nature.

The lakefront lodge features a great room with fireplace and a large deck for sipping morning coffee outdoors. Guest rooms have private decks or balconies, a gas fireplace and a jetted tub.

Private yurts offer  a spacious 450 square feet suitable for a couples retreat, while log cabins can house up to six guests. Or for a funky vintage retreat, book a stay in the property's 1978 Airstream trailer.