TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATIONS
We are so excited for you to join us at the historic Roche Harbor Resort on San Juan Island in Washington State! The resort is located 100 miles north of Seattle, close to the Canadian border.
There are numerous ways to arrive and a lot of places to stay, so please see below for an overview of how to get on the island and where to stay. We have attempted to gather as many resources as possible, but this list is not exhaustive.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Roche Harbor Resort’s Hotel De Haro was built in 1886 and is the oldest operating hotel in Washington State. Over time, additional accommodations and vacation rentals have been built on the property giving our room block a unique identity. Our welcome party, the ceremony, and the reception will be hosted here.
For those staying outside Roche Harbor, transportation within San Juan Island is provided for Friday and Saturday events. Please provide the name of your accommodation when you RSVP.
Note: Roche Harbor has limited availability remaining but there are plenty accommodation options on the island!
Roche Harbor
E-mail: groupsales@rocheharbor.com
Phone: (360) 370-7742 or (360) 378-9820
There are amazing properties to stay around the island! If you prefer hotels, we recommend looking into the following:
Friday Harbor House | Island Inn at 123 West | Lakedale Resort | Earthbox Inn
Additionally, the island is full of vacation rentals. AirBNB and VRBO both offer beautiful houses for rent for the weekend or longer.
VRBO - Vacation Rentals Near Roche Harbor
AirBNB - Vacation Rentals Near Roche Harbor
We will provide transportation to and from Friday Harbor on Saturday. Please provide the name of our offsite accommodation when you RSVP
TRAVEL & FLIGHT INFO
Traveling to San Juan Island can be a daunting task, so we’ve gathered all the information for you in one guide. For our out of state guests, the best places to travel from are Seattle, Vancouver, Canada or Victoria. From Seattle and Vancouver, the best options are to arrive by ferry, airplane, or seaplane. From Victoria, airplanes or seaplanes are your best option. Below is more information about each.
ARRIVING BY AIR
Traveling from Sea-Tac Airport (Seattle)
The best way to travel from Sea-Tac International Airport is by air. Once in Seattle, there are several airlines that have regularly scheduled flights from the Seattle area. Additionally, they all have charter options. Below are the recommended companies:
By far the most well-known regional travel option, Kenmore air offers both regularly scheduled flights and seaplane flights out of Seattle.
By land plane, they offer a $25 shuttle from Seattle-Tacoma to Boeing Field, and you land at Friday Harbor Airport
By seaplane, you can taxi or take an Uber to one of their departure locations and the plane lands at Friday Harbor Marina or Roche Harbor Marina
Friday Harbor Sea Planes offer round trip seaplane flights from the Seattle Area (Renton) to both Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor.
They also offer a $15 airport transfer from Sea-Tac to Renton
Traveling from Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Bellingham, or Skagit Regional Airport
In addition to Kenmore Air and Friday Harbor Sea Planes, there are more charter flight operators that service these areas. Below are the companies:
San Juan Airlines - preferred charter service
ARRIVING BY LAND AND SEA
Traveling from Sea-Tac Airport (Seattle) & Vancouver
Washington State Ferries - Anacortes Ferry Terminal
There are multiple daily sailings from the Anacortes Ferry Terminal, which is about a 2.5 hour drive from both Sea-Tac and Vancouver airports. You can ride the ferry as foot passenger (walk-on) or as a car passenger.
How to reach Anacortes Ferry Terminal:
Rent a car
If you are walking on the ferry, you can park your rental car in Anacortes
Bellair Charters & Airporters has multiple daily drop offs and pick ups in Anacortes and at SeaTac
Hire a Town Car to Drop you off at the Ferry
Island Airporters - will drive you directly to your hotel on San Juan Island
Driving on the ferry
The summer ferry schedule is now available for booking, but are almost completely “sold out.” The ferry schedule can be tricky to understand as they release vehicle reservations in batches as the sailing date gets closer.
We highly recommend that if you plan to drive onto the ferry, to set a calendar notice or alarm to log into the WSDOT ferry website at 9 AM CT two weeks before the wedding (7/17-7/20) for when they release more space. You will need a reservation to and from the island and they will release exactly two weeks before the sailing date (i.e. Friday 7/17 for Friday 8/1). Times will fill out quickly. There will be a final option to book 48 hours before the travel date.
Please note that if you plan to drive onto the ferry you must arrive at the terminal at least 30 minutes before your scheduled departure or your reservation will be forfeited. August is a busy time aboard the ferries; we do not recommend attempting to drive on without a reservation.
Walking on the ferry
Walking on the ferry provides the most flexibility as you don’t need an advance reservation to walk-on. However, if you are staying at Roche Harbor, you will need to secure transportation to bring you from the ferry terminal to the hotel. If you are staying in Friday Harbor, most hotels are within walking distance – but we have more options for getting around below!
Private Boat Charter
Finally, if you want to charter a boat to San Juan Island, we have found a few options:
From Anacortes (Skyline Marina):
Island Express Charters (Matthew and Jayme have used this company before)
From Victoria (Sidney, BC):
After Arriving on San Juan Island
Once you get to Friday Harbor either by air, ferry, or boat, there are several ways to get around without a car.
Rent a car with Turo.com
Rent a car with M&W Auto
The Jolly Trolly is a hop on hop off tourist trolly that goes around the whole island
LOCAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Friday Harbor:
wHALE WATCHING TOURS | sea kayaking | PADDLE BOARDING | BOATING/FISHING |
Lime Kiln Point State Park & Lighthouse
WESTCOTT BAY SHELLFISH CO. | DOWN RIGGERS RESTAURANT | DUCK SOUP RESTAURANT
San Juan island distillery | San Juan Island Brewing | San Juan Vineyards
Most activities REQUIRING reservations can be booked directly through the resort with more information on offerings and schedules here.
In addition to San Juan Island, we recommend these locations as beautiful options to add to your trip, all within a short drive, flight or sail: