the san juan islands, wa.

i spent the better part of last week working in the san juan islands (rough life, i know...but someone's gotta do it).  the san juan islands are a cluster of islands off the coast of washington state and victoria, canada.  these hidden gems are breath-takingly beautiful and without a doubt, are currently ranked top 5 among the places i've traveled.  if you ever have the opportunity to visit, go.

when it comes to explaining this place, i won't even come close to serving the dynamic and diverse nature and culture justice.  nor will my photos.  so i won't even try.  instead, i'll share where i went, what we saw, and my overall experience.

 ***disclaimer: this is a pretty lengthy post***

flying to seattle from san diego is a short flight.  it's only about 3 hours, and direct.  in airline lingo, that's a dream.  once i arrived to seattle, i rented a car and my co-worker and i headed to pikes place market.  i had been there before but this was her first time experiencing seattle, so we walked around and took in the overwhelming sights, sounds and smells.  it was peony season in washington, and the scent of peonies and sweet peas wafted through the market stalls mixing with fresh fish, ripe peaches and freshly fried doughnuts.  we walked past flying fish and stopped to buy some peaches and rainier cherries for the ride north.  overwhelmed and not sure where to eat, we left the market and had a nice lunch at elliot's oyster house.

after an hour and a half drive, we arrived to anacortes, wa- our home for the next few days.  we stayed at the super-cute majestic inn & spa.  it's newly renovated and they can boast of a roof-top bar, freshly ground coffee grounds for the in-room french press, killer location and apparently, an amazing restaurant (we never had the chance to eat there...).  during our stay, we enjoyed meals at anthony's (unbelievable seafood), adrift, mary ann's kitchen (hands down, best breakfast) and a not-so-good option, secret cove (which was unfortunate since it came highly recommended from locals).

during our stay, we took the ferry over to friday harbor.  friday harbor is a quaint island that has the sweetest downtown, most gorgeous views, hikes and if you're patient, whale watching.  we basically did all of the above.  during our meetings, we were advised to drive out to roche harbor to see the beautiful celebrity homes and picturesque town.  we then drove west side road down to lime kiln point state park (it's considered one of the best places in the world to whale watch) and stopped to whale watch.  while sitting there, we wished we had packed a picnic lunch but then we were so excited to see whales that we probably wouldn't have eaten anyways!

after an hour of whale watching we drove south to the san juan island national historical park and went on a couple hikes through the beaches and meadows.  it was absolutely gorgeous (and again, we saw whales, making the entire experience so much more magical).

on our second day, we drove to coupeville, wa.  our day began with meetings at a local coffee shop and a drive south to fort casey state park.  then in the afternoon we headed up to deception pass state park- a mecca for hiking and stunning views.  we spent the remainder of the day lost in nature, hiking in the forest, along the coast and collecting photos along the way.  you guys, this place.  this place is a must do.

it was a whirlwind couple of days to say the least, but man-oh-man, was it worth it.  i'll be heading back in august and i seriously can't wait.  if you make it to the islands, i hope this helps you plan your travels and if not, i hope this inspires you to put this place on your travel bucket list.