We're Off To: Hong Kong!

We jumped on a pretty crazy airline fare back in December and booked a trip to Hong Kong for 9 days. We will be sampling a ton of food, hiking, swimming at some amazing beaches, and taking a day trip to Macau.

We're also hoping to get a fair bit of relaxation time in as we haven't had a longer vacation in about a year. We're definitely hoping to recharge on this trip!

If anyone has any recommendations, we're love to hear them! You can always follow along on instagram, but we will absolutely be posting recaps when we return.

Seattle, WA

After our last morning in Friday Harbor, we caught a ferry back to the mainland. The Pacific Northwest is my absolute favorite area in the US, so we took our time driving back to Seattle. We made a quick stop on Whidbey Island to see the Deception Point bridge and then grabbed some back roads in search of the Tulip Route.

Once we reached Roozengarde, we grabbed a quick lunch and wandered around the fields of daffodils! We were a bit sad we missed the tulips (I think we were only a week or so early), but the fields of yellow were pretty beautiful as well.

Jason had done some research into the best wineries in Washington State and it just so happened that a few were on our way back to Seattle in a city called Woodinville. We only had time for one that evening, so we picked Chateau Ste. Michelle. We really enjoyed all of the wine, but especially their rieslings.

Once we got back into Seattle, we walked around Gasworks Park and saw the Fremont Troll. That evening, we went to the local Kinokuniya store to pick up some Japanese goods and eat some amazing Korean BBQ! Honestly, we're both missing Japan SO much these days, so I'd bet that we'll be heading back there ASAP.

The next morning, we went to Portage Bay for some delicious pancakes and migas. And coffee. So much coffee. Ballard Locks were only a few blocks away, so we walked over there and even got to see the most insane yacht go through them.

We briefly walked through Pike Place Market before our wine cravings got the better of us! We headed back to Woodinville and visited Novelty Hill/Januik Winery and Delille Cellars. It was a perfect way to end our trip! We can't wait to go back to the San Juan Islands (as well as Olympic National Park) and explore new areas, like Mount Rainier and Walla Walla wine country.

Next Up: We're heading to Hong Kong! We can't wait to explore the city, try amazing new foods and decompress a little. We haven't been on a longer vacation in about a year. We can't wait to share that trip with you when we return.

San Juan Islands, WA

We just got back from the beautiful San Juan Islands. For those who have never heard of them, the islands are just a few hours north of Seattle - near Victoria and Vancouver Island. They came onto my radar because of the pictures I saw pop up on Pinterest of the moody shores, orca whales and tiny harbor towns - all with beautiful snow-capped mountains as a backdrop!

We arrived into SeaTac very late on Wednesday morning, so Thursday came very quickly. We made a quick drive to Anacortes (fueled by donuts and lattes), where the ferries to the San Juan Islands leave from. It was a breezy 1 hour ferry to Friday Harbor where we grabbed some picnic rations and drove to the British Camp on the northwest side of the island. 


There are a few great hiking trails here - we picked the Bell Point and Young Hill hikes. Bell Point was lovely, but Young Hill was STUNNING. It was basically straight up hill, but we were rewarded with views of Vancouver Island in the distance.

We made a quick drive to Lime Kiln point which has an amazing lighthouse. We were also able to grab a picnic table and watch for whales for an hour or so. Luckily we saw some minke whales - unluckily, no orcas!

Afterwards, we stopped in at the San Juan Vineyards for a tasting, and picked up a bottle of their newly (as in that day!) bottled Pinot Gris. We stayed at the Friday Harbor House Hotel where we were upgraded to their "Harbor View" room. After relaxing for a bit, we walked to dinner at Topsl Sushi. I seriously loved Friday Harbor because the town was so adorable and completely walkable.

The next morning, we had breakfast at our hotel and met up with our tour group for our morning kayak tour with Discovery Sea Kayaks. I didn't bring my phone, but grabbed these pictures from the tour guide afterwards!

We were starving after kayaking all morning, so we walked to the San Juan Island Cheese Co. which may have been my favorite meal on this trip! We chatted with the owner and I told him that I was an aspiring baker and that we loved the focaccia bread. Well I emailed him after the trip and he GAVE ME THE RECIPE!! Amazing!

We went to the Pelindba Lavender store and I loaded up on amazing lavender products. I would have to say that my favorite was the lavender lemonade, but I've also greatly enjoyed using my lavender eye mask! 

We went off to explore the south side of the island that afternoon - walking the Mount Finlayson and South Beach trails until it got dark out.

It was drizzling out, so we stayed in and ate an amazing meal at our hotel that evening. The next morning, we had time to drive back out to Lime Kiln for a brisk morning hike and wander around the farmer's market in town before we had to catch the ferry back to Anacortes. Luckily we still had a few days to enjoy the PNW! 

Up Next: Or few days near Seattle (aka wineries, daffodils and amazing bridges)!