Why you should stay at the beautiful and historic Outlook Inn Hotel on Orcas Island

I’ve dreamed of staying at the Outlook Inn since I first saw this beautiful hotel when I was 13, visiting Orcas Island and Washington for the first time. It feels like such a full-circle moment to be staying at this hotel and even living in Washington State because when I first came to Orcas, I swore I would live in Washington one day, and now I’ve lived here for 4 years, have visited Orcas Island numerous times, and am finally staying at this hotel. So, you might say that Orcas has a very special place in my heart, and staying at this incredible hotel means a lot to me.

The Outlook Inn Hotel was built in 1888 and still holds a ton of its historic charm, making it a long-standing landmark on Orcas Island. This year it’s getting a full facelift with white paint to make it look just as it did way back when - incredible, of course. The hotel is located in Eastsound, right off Main Street, in the most perfect location near the water and within walking distance of the best shops and restaurants. You name it, it’s close to the Outlook Inn.

Guests have numerous spaces to gather on the property, but Starr’s Lawn might be my personal favorite. It is a waterfront greenspace perched above the rocky shoreline for guests to enjoy, offering 180-degree views of Fishing Bay. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy coffee or tea, hang out, birdwatch, or read a book from the local bookstore, Darvill's, down the street.

When you walk into the hotel, you’re greeted by beautiful art, chic Outlook Inn merchandise, and some candy and snacks for guests to grab and take with them to their room, which we definitely did. However, I’m still kicking myself for not buying one of those Outlook Inn hats. They’re so cute!

What are the rooms like at Outlook Inn Hotel?

The property has four different types of rooms to meet every type of traveler’s needs and budget.

Water’s Edge Suites

These suites are located in the Water’s Edge Building, and the Water’s Edge Suites are the most luxurious rooms for the ultimate Outlook Inn experience. If you’ve ever walked by the hotel, these are the rooms you can see that are quite literally overlooking the water across the street from the main building.

Bay View Studio Suites

These suites are located in the Bay View Building, and the Bay View Studio Suites are a guest favorite at Outlook Inn. Perfect for those wanting a high-quality stay in a spacious suite with a water view.

Standard Guestrooms

These guestrooms are located in the East Wing Building, and the East Wing Standard Guestrooms offer the perfect balance of comfort and value when staying at Outlook Inn. These non-view rooms are available in a standard king and double queen layout.

Historic Rooms

Experience historic charm in guestrooms once occupied by storied characters lost to time but never to memory. Each room features serene interior décor, panoramic bayside views, and close proximity to New Leaf Café because these historic rooms are located in the Historic Main Building.

What room did you stay in?

We stayed in one of the Bay View Studio Suites, which are located in the Bay View building with water views and private balconies. The Bay View building is the second-newest building, which was built in 1995 and renovated three years ago. Two of these rooms have two queen beds, and the rest of the rooms have a king bed with a sofa pull-out.

When I say these suites are amazing… I mean it! From the moment we walked in, we were in awe of how chic and modern the suites are, with the most stunning views of the water. We immediately ran to hang out on the balcony, check out the views, birds, and people-watch.

Along with the gorgeous views and private balcony, these suites include a full living room area with a pullout couch, coffee table, and fireplace. These rooms felt so comfortable and spacious, so much so that I felt like I was coming back to an apartment or airbnb when we would come back to hang out a bit before dinner. Sometimes you just don’t want to sit on the bed you’re going to sleep in later when you’re in your hotel room during the day, so having this comfy couch and bench space is really nice.

What are the bathrooms like in the Outlook Inn Hotel?

One word: STUNNING. The tub is certainly the star of the show. I mean, I couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel after dinner to take a bath in this tub, and it was lovely. The other elements of the bathroom are great too! There’s a full walk-in shower if you’re not a bath type of girlie, and the bath products they have are L'Occitane, which are incredible. When I’m staying at hotels, I always take into account how much counter space is available. I mean, have you ever stayed in a hotel that has basically none? It’s the worst. Well, have no fear because the Bay View Studio Suites have a ton of counter space for all my skincare, makeup, haircare, toothbrush, and all of Andrew’s stuff too! In addition, right outside of the bathroom is a big closet with a ton of space for our bags, and they even had plush robes for us to wear, which is something I love. I just feel so fancy when I’m staying at a hotel and wearing a robe, don’t you?

Every suite in this building has private balconies that open up to bay and coastal views, complementing the coastal, clean feel of these rooms. I kept walking outside onto the balcony to people-watch and birdwatch because I was obsessed.

The suite also included a little kitchen area with a mini fridge, microwave, dishes and silverware, and a Nespresso machine! Now that was a great surprise to walk in on. I love when a room has a fancy pour-over coffee or a Nespresso machine. It really is about the little things sometimes, and the Nespresso machine was something I really liked to see in a room like this.

Does Outlook Inn have on-site dining?

New Leaf Cafe is the on-site restaurant at the Outlook Inn and is delicious. We actually ate at New Leaf Cafe for brunch this past June for my brother and Andrew’s birthday. We sat on the patio and enjoyed some Bloody Marys, mimosas, and Irish coffees to start. I highly recommend their brunch for the patio views alone, but the food was also great, making it a must while you’re visiting Eastsound.

For main dishes, I had the house bagel plate, which is mini house-made bagels served with heirloom tomatoes, pickled onions, capers, garden herb cream cheese, and house-smoked salmon, accompanied by black mustard seed marmalade and house salad. It was A LOT of food, but man, was it delicious. Andrew had the house-made buttermilk biscuits & gravy with a chicken-fried steak on top, and holy crap, was it good. This is coming from a southern girl who grew up on my Maimee’s biscuits and gravy too. It’s not better, but man, it was good. Finally, my brother got the crispy confit duck leg and waffle with pancetta lardon and arbol chili-infused maple syrup. I didn’t even get a chance to try some because it was gone before I could blink, so it’s safe to say it was good, haha!

Back to our fall trip…

We made dinner reservations at New Leaf Cafe for 5:45 pm so we could watch the sunset at 6:30 pm. Be sure you make reservations for dinner because the restaurant is fairly small, and if you want a window seat, then you absolutely need to make reservations and request a window seat.

They sat us at a table by the window, and the views from New Leaf Cafe are beautiful. For drinks, I had a French 75, and Andrew had a whiskey sour he said was the best he ever had, so keep that in mind if you like whiskey sours! We started with the truffle fries we heard a ton about from locals, and they came with an insanely delicious sriracha aioli I need to start making at home because yum. In addition to the truffle fries, we ordered the seared pork belly topped with apple butter and served with apple fennel slaw, which I will be dreaming about.

For main dishes, I had the confit duck and wild mushroom risotto, and hear me out: the risotto was fantastic. The dish included wild mushroom and butternut squash risotto with citrus confit duck leg, crispy sage, and a light truffle vinaigrette. The duck was good, but the star of the dish was the flavor explosion of the mushrooms and the squash mixed together with the sauces on the side. Gahh. Chef’s kiss! Andrew had the beef and lamb Bolognese, which was house-ground tenderloin and lamb Bolognese with Local Goods Tripolini pasta, topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano and served with a baguette. He said it was delicious and highly recommended it! He ate it so fast I didn’t even get a bite before I looked up and it was gone! For dessert, we went with the vegan coconut panna cotta, which is a creamy coconut milk panna cotta, topped with seasonal fruit, and this time it was strawberry, which we probably should have asked what the fruit was first because I loved the panna cotta and loved the strawberry separately but wasn’t the biggest fan of it together. I would have liked maybe more of a tropical fruit pairing, but again, that’s on us for not asking first, and it was good, just not my personal favorite. Overall, we had the most amazing dinner and will absolutely be back for more.

The next morning, we woke up early to watch the sunrise over the water, enjoy some Nespresso coffee, and read a little. Oh man, after this slow morning and the view, I couldn’t stop talking about how I wanted to move in. I mean, can you blame me?! Again, I really enjoyed having a little living room space to drink my coffee at that was separate from being in bed.

What amenities does Outlook Inn offer?

There are numerous gathering spaces on the property for guests to enjoy or even rent out for meetings, events, or weddings. The Victorian Room is an elegant gathering space where guests can meet with colleagues, clients, friends, or relatives. Whether you're conducting business, brainstorming innovative ideas, or gathering to celebrate a big milestone, the formal Victorian-style event space provides the perfect ambiance for a productive and memorable event. We received a tour of the space, and one thing that stuck out to me, and I just loved, was that there’s an old historic table they named Woody, that you can see in one of the photos below, that’s been included in numerous weddings and events in some way or another. I just thought that was so special and sweet.

Sara’s Garden is almost like a Secret Garden space you wouldn’t know was around if you didn’t KNOW it was around. Nestled within lush greenery and tucked behind the Inn, Sara’s Garden is an idyllic space designed for unforgettable garden weddings, where guests can grab a picnic blanket, relax on the lawn, maybe even play lawn games like croquet or cornhole, and take in its beauty. Now you might be asking yourself, who the heck is Sara? Well, Sara was a previous owner and had the garden created in the early 2000s, and thank goodness for that because it’s stunning.

Tucked in the heart of Sara’s Garden is a quaint wooden chapel with stained-glass windows, adorned with delicately painted angelic artwork. We were told this historic cabin was brought from Bellingham, WA because individuals in the area wanted a place to worship. In 2005, a couple wanted to get married in the chapel and negotiated adding a roof to the cabin, plus gorgeous stained-glass windows and pews for seating. Outlook Inn truly has a space for every visitor tucked away somewhere on the property.

In addition to these spaces, guests of Outlook Inn receive exclusive discounts on whale watching, kayak tours, and e-bike rentals with Outer Island Excursions, which is pretty cool.

What is there to do near Outlook Inn?

Because of Outlook Inn’s prime location, it’s within walking distance of some of the best shops and restaurants. I will be sharing a full itinerary on the island, but these are some of my favorites.

Walk through the magical Darvill’s Bookstore

Darvill’s Bookstore is situated right on the water and only a three-minute walk from Outlook Inn. It’s the perfect bookstore to get lost in, take in the views of the water, or grab a coffee and snack. Sara and Duke, the owners, have created something special in this bookstore, and you’re sure to feel it as soon as you walk in. I might even say this is one of my all-time favorite bookstores I’ve ever been into. Now, you might notice a familiar name… Sara is actually the Sara who used to own Outlook Inn and created Sara’s Garden! How cool is that? Sara spent 25 years owning and operating the Outlook Inn and New Leaf Café with her family. After selling the business in 2022, she spent a year exploring what was next: mentoring with a master ceramicist, taking classes to see if she wanted to become a therapist, and listening for what would feel right. In 2023, Jenny Peterson (who had built and nurtured Darvill’s for forty years) approached Sara about the possibility of carrying the bookstore forward. Today, Darvill’s Bookstore carries on forty years of history on Orcas Island while writing the next chapter that honors Jenny’s legacy and the community that has made this bookstore home. The community of the island truly makes Orcas and this bookstore so special.

Grab a delicious pastry and coffee at Brown Bear Baking

Brown Bear Baking is only about a three-minute walk from Outlook Inn and is directly across the street from Darvill’s Bookstore. This bakery is certainly popular for a reason, because of its incredible French pastries. My goodness, they are delicious, but that means you will have to arrive earlier in the morning if you want your pick of the litter. They open at 8:00 am and we arrived at 8:15 am so we had a good selection to choose from. Brown Bear Baking has truly become a staple on Orcas Island, serving up a handcrafted menu, baked in small batches throughout the day, of flaky croissants, fresh-brewed Victrola Coffee, savory lunch sandwiches on hearth-baked bread, and French pastries. We’ve never tried their sandwiches, but there’s always next time! What we did try was a peach pastry and a basic croissant, and both were baked to perfection. The peach flavor in mine was subtle but not so much that it took away from the bread and made it soggy, and Andrew’s croissant was flaky and made that perfect croissant sound when you take a bite. For drinks, I went with a basic vanilla latte, and it was great! You could really taste the quality of the coffee. Andrew went with an iced chai and said it was really good too. Overall, I highly recommend going to Brown Bear Baking to grab some things to go or to sit and relax while people-watching around town.

Learn more about the island at the Orcas Island Historical Museum

Whether I'm visiting new places or places I’ve been to many times before, I love checking out museums to learn more about the area's past, present, and future. In addition, it’s a great way to connect with the local community because there’s likely a lovely local volunteer at the front desk of the museum who couldn’t be happier to share details about where you’re visiting. They might even give you some local food recommendations, which are absolutely my favorite kind of recommendation. The Orcas Island Historical Museum is only about a five-minute walk from Outlook Inn and super worth the visit. Their mission is to educate, inspire, connect, and involve the community and visitors in the stewardship of Orcas Island’s unique island history. Admission to the museum is always free, with donations gratefully appreciated and accepted. We loved walking through the museum and learning more about Orcas Island and the San Juan Islands as a whole. Be sure to check out their gift shop on your way out too, because they have some really cool and unique gifts and souvenirs.