After a year stuck inside, these adults-only hotels offer a change of scenery and the chance to Get Out

BY CARA STRICKLAND

Sometimes you want to relax, get some peace and quiet, and sleep in. In many lodging establishments, this isn’t strictly possible. A quiet moment with a book beside the pool becomes a splash-fest with sound effects. The buffet breakfast is punctuated with negotiations over how many more bites must disappear from a small plate. The walls can be thin, and the hours different from the ones you’d like to keep.

Enter the adults-only hotel. While they can’t promise that some of their guests won’t be whiny and loud, most of these oasis-like environments request that their guests embrace the tranquility they find around them.

Often, these fun spots also offer little extras and attention to detail that will make you feel cared for, and even steeped in luxury. Read on for a look at three adults-only lodging destinations in Washington, each with its own unique spin.

The Posthotel • Leavenworth

Slip into your hotel-provided robe and slippers and prepare to enter an immersive experience. Start with the spa area, where you’ll find beautiful saltwater pools and hot tubs both inside and out. Walk slowly through the stepping pools to get some attention on your feet, or try out any of several saunas, steam rooms, and cool rooms, each with an aromatherapy component. Try out the cold plunge, or the experiential shower before stopping off in the nap room, equipped with single waterbeds.

When you get hungry, it’s likely time for complimentary breakfast, lunch, or dessert, featuring fresh food with an emphasis on whole ingredients, and a slightly Bavarian twist (yes, you can get an amazing pretzel). Current Covid precautions include ordering from a menu instead of the usual buffet, and the option to take your selections back to your room. Be sure to try out the house-made syrups in your coffee. Enjoy a full service spa, if you can tear yourself away from the other amenities.

The rooms are equipped with a giant marble soaking tub as well as a spacious shower. Relax in front of the gas fireplace, or lounge in the luxurious bed. You might not want to leave.

While in Leavenworth

Breakfast: Do yourself a favor and stop by Tumwater Bakery & Pizza for the best mini carrot cake of your life, marvelously butter pastries and delicious bread.

Lunch: Look no further than Yodelin Broth Company for delicious complex and nourishing soups made with bone broth, salads, rice bowls, burgers and sandwiches. And because you’re in Leavenworth, you know they also have a great beer menu. 

Dinner: A newcomer to the scene, Larch is all about house-made pasta and balanced cocktails. Elevated but not pretentious, the menu is nothing but delicious.

THE POSTHOTEL
posthotelleavenworth.com
509.548.7678
309 8th Street
Leavenworth WA 98826

TUMWATER BAKERY
tumwaterbakery.com
509.888.1933
219 9th Street
Leavenworth WA 99826

YODELIN BROTH COMPANY AND BEER GARDEN
yodelinbroth.com
509.888.4555
633 Front St 
Leavenworth WA 99826

LARCH HANDCRAFTED PASTA AND COCKTAILS
larchleavenworth.com
509.888.5252
214 8th Street
Leavenworth WA 99826

The Inn at Langley • Whidbey Island

A staple of Whidbey Island, The Inn at Langley adds to the escape already offered by retreating to Island County. Each guest room features a view of the water. Inside the luxurious bathroom, you’re invited to soak in a tub, opening the window for a view of the sound, or gazing at the fireplace inside the room, or both.

You’ll find thoughtfully curated snacks, and water in your room, and the systemic water filtration system means that you can pour a glass from any faucet.

Normally, the Inn features a tasting menu dinner and spa facilities, but they are currently waiting for mask restrictions to lift so that they can offer the experience they hope to provide. Be sure to put both on your bucket list.

One change that will likely stay around after Covid, is their sumptuous breakfast (chosen by you the night before) delivered right to your room, beverages included. They’ve also equipped every room with tables and have flatware and plates available, for breakfast or so you can eat your local takeout in style.

They can accommodate canine friends with advanced notice, and well-behaved children over twelve are welcome.

Beyond the guest rooms, there are cottages and suites offering a little more room to spread out, with the same island-living, relaxing feel.

While in Langley

Breakfast: Check out The Braeburn for a satisfying morning meal—or lunch, or dinner. You’ll find breakfast bread pudding as well as the restaurant’s eponymous dish, which includes fried chicken inside a buttermilk waffle with goat cheese, apple butter and Bourbon bacon jam with whipped maple butter on top.

Lunch: Known for the relaxed elegance and well-curated wine list, Prima Bistro serves up a French-inspired menu with a Pacific Northwest Twist. If you’re ready to taste everything the sea has to offer, maybe with a cocktail or two, drift down to its sister location Saltwater Fish House and Oyster Bar. 

Dinner: You’ll have to drive a little ways out of downtown Langley to experience Orchard Kitchen, but it’s worth it. Most of the food is grown or sourced very close by, much of it visible while dining outside. The food is fresh and the service is top-notch.

PRIMA BISTRO
primabistro.com
360.221.4060
201 1/2 1st St
Langley WA 98260

SALTWATER FISH HOUSE AND OYSTER BAR 
saltwaterlangley.com
360.221.5474
113 1st Street
Langley WA

ORCHARD KITCHEN
orchardkitchen.com
360.321.1517
5574 Bayview Rd
Langley WA 98260

THE INN AT LANGLEY
innatlangley.com 
360.221.3033
400 1st Street
Langley WA 98260

The Barn B&B • Walla Walla

When you’re exploring wine country, you need the perfect home base—The Barn B&B might just be your perfect Walla Walla stop. Your stay begins with a glass of wine, of course, and if you’re lucky, a chat with owners Naina and Anand, who have been in hospitality for many years and lived all over the world.

They’ll offer you a selection of local soaps for your stay and show you to a room with a wine-themed name (unless you opt for The Granary, which offers a little more room and a wine tour perk). They’ll already have your customizable bed dialed in to your specifications, with your choice of pillows and a complimentary bottle of wine waiting in your room.

Breakfast is complimentary every day, and several courses will sustain you for a day of wine tasting. On Thursday nights, all guests are invited to a complimentary dinner with a rotating, international menu. Currently, both breakfast and dinner times are staggered for safety.

Relax with the heated pool and hot tub, and then shower in your room or your own private outdoor shower.

From the décor to the welcome rituals, each part of the experience has been carefully crafted for relaxation and comfort.

While in Walla Walla

Breakfast Whatever time you roll into, Bacon & Eggs is the right time. They are serious about their coffee game, but they’ll serve you up a mean cocktail. Go savory with huevos con chorizo or sweet with brioche stuffed French toast.

Lunch: If you’ve spent time in Walla Walla, you might know about Andrae’s Kitchen, which served up the best food you’ll ever find in a gas station. Chef Andrae Bopp has moved operations to AK’s Mercado on Main Street, but he’s still offering up latin-inspired lick-your-fingers-good favorites perfect for any time of day.

Dinner: Go to Passatempo Taverna for its fabulous pasta, but stay for the service, the delightful cocktails and rustic Italian food with Northwest sensibilities.

BACON AND EGGS
baconandeggswallawalla.com
509.876.4553
57 E Main St 
Walla Walla WA 99362

AK’s MERCADO
andraeskitchen.com
509.572.0728
21 E Main St
Walla Walla WA 99362

PASSATEMPO TAVERNA
passatempowallawalla.com
509.876.8822
215 W Main St
Walla Walla WA 99362

The BARN B&B WALLA WALLA 
Wallabnbwallawalla.com
509.730.3662
1624 Stovall Road,
Walla Walla WA 99362