The Resort at Port Ludlow sits on a scenic expanse of waterfront property along the eastern Olympic Peninsula’s Ludlow Bay, facing its 300-slip marina of sailboats and yachts, a sliver of mountains visible on the horizon. It’s a quiet spot in Washington, one reminiscent of a small New England town, with the architecture of the upper East Coast’s summer homes.
The resort’s inn houses a cozy 37 rooms, each minimally decorated yet comfortable, with a jetted tub and separate, step-in shower, fireplace, comfortable armchairs and locally made Sweetlife bath salts, soaps and lotion. If you happen to score a room with a view, you can open the shutters separating the tub from the bedroom and soak while looking at the mountains and the marina. Most rooms also have private balconies.
Recreation opportunities include a round of golf at the resort’s championship 18-hole course; exploring the nearby hiking and biking trails, with maps available at the front desk; use of a full-service spa; partaking in a self-guided farm or cidery tour, with several nearby options; and using the resort as a jumping-off point for day trips to Port Townsend, Port Gamble, Sequim or the eastern edge of Olympic National Park. You can also rent stand-up paddle boards and kayaks from the front desk for touring the bay.
Splurge on a farm-focused meal at the inn’s The Fireside restaurant, where chef Dan Ratigan focuses on seasonal produce sourced from the region’s abundance of farms. The restaurant is open for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, with the menus changing frequently. At dinner, your meal might contain Dungeness crab cakes, local farm salads, Alaskan halibut and Neah Bay salmon. Impressively, the dinner menu changes daily.
The restaurant excels when it comes to wines, too, and the pairings are spot-on. The extensive list has been recognized by Wine Spectator, which awarded it with the 2015 Best of Award of Excellence, the Washington State Wine Awards, and several others.
The inn offers several packages tying in some of the area’s activities like a cider package which includes a room amenity of a split bottle of local cider and a cheese flight with local cheeses or a golf package that lumps in 18 holes, use of an electric cart. and unlimited range balls. The desirable farm package gives you “farm bucks” to spend at local stands, after which chef Ratigan creates a multi-course meal from the ingredients you’ve purchased.
