Cozy island getaway short ferry ride away

By CARY ORDWAY

We wanted to find a cozy, romantic beach bungalow with its own beach on an island with thick forests and a lush natural landscape, so we headed for the San Juan Islands, right? Well not exactly. If you live in the Seattle area think a little closer - think Bainbridge Island.

There is a reason those people who live on Bainbridge Island pay through the nose for daily ferry commutes and put up with the relative inconvenience of timing any trip to Seattle so that there is a minimal wait at the ferry terminal. They do it because that sliver of Puget Sound that separates the island from Seattle also creates a huge divide in lifestyle. Island living is just different - it's slower, it's quieter, there are fewer people and, for many island residents, their homes are hidden in thick woods under a forest canopy that makes them feel like they're about the only people on earth. Others enjoy mesmerizing views of the sound from their waterfront homes.

Visitors can share some of that lifestyle by hopping the Bainbridge Island ferry, which runs at least every hour and sometimes more often that that. You drive onto the ferry down at the Seattle Waterfront and, just a half hour later, drive off in Eagle Harbor, which might just as well be a tiny town in the San Juans. The change in scenery is almost magical.

We had been searching for a beach hideaway someplace close to Seattle that was easy to get to, yet a total change from the Big City. We have fond memories of visits years ago we paid to a tiny beach house on the south side of Vashon just a 15-minute ferry ride from Point Defiance Park. We were looking for the same kind of solitude and access to the beach where we knew we would spend countless hours exploring the shoreline or reading good books as we sat atop a log or beach chair looking up from our pages every now and then to gaze at incredible Puget Sound.

A thorough search of the internet turned up some possibilities on Bainbridge Island and one that stood out was advertised as a "Bainbridge Island Beach Cottage." As we looked into it further, the description hit all the right buttons for us - it was a "classic 1930's cabin" and on Pleasant Beach just a few miles across the island from the ferry terminal. From the photos, there was no better word to describe the cabin than charming.

We called to make reservations a month or so ahead but we noticed right away that the booking calendar on this cabin was getting pretty full for the June time period we were seeking. Our schedule allowed us to slip in for a Wednesday night which was indeed open. Just the fact that the cottage was booked most weekends confirmed for us we were making the right choice.

Our ferry trip to Bainbridge was so fast we didn't even bother to get out of the car. Unlike the Anacortes-San Juan Islands run - where we always make a point to walk around the ferry and get amazing photos of the islands as well as enjoy a snack or drink - the Bainbridge ferry ride is over almost before it begins. Depending on when you arrive, however, you may need to add another 30 to 60 minutes wait time at the Seattle waterfront before boarding your ferry.

We were hungry getting off the late afternoon ferry and spotted a pizza place right on Winslow Way just a block or so from the ferry terminal. We ordered our pizza - which was ready in only 15 minutes - and drove another 10 minutes to the cottage. It was easy to find and, unlike some lodgings you see on the internet, this place was everything we thought it would be. We opened the door to a one-room cottage (plus bathroom and closet) that included a kitchen, table and dining area, a quasi-living room seating area, and a queen bed - everything decorated in beige or yellow or blue and white with a knotty pinewood floor. The kitchen was complete with coffeemaker, microwave, dishes and silverware, stove, refrigerator - everything we would need. ...