WHERE TO STAY IN FAIRHAVEN VILLAGE IN BELLINGHAM, WA - THE CUTEST COASTAL HOTEL
Why you should stay at this comfy hotel while visiting Fairhaven Village in Bellingham, WA
Fairhaven Village Inn is definitely THE hotel to stay at in downtown Fairhaven. It’s situated in the perfect location, right across from Village Books and Paper Dreams and next door to Övn and truly within walking distance of just about everything in historic Fairhaven. Staying at this beautiful hotel has been on my local bucket list since moving to Washington because of its ocean-view rooms, walkability to pretty much everything in Fairhaven, the connected cocktail bar, and overall cozy vibes. In this article, you’ll find details about the hotel and how we felt about staying at the Fairhaven Village Inn for a night.
Enjoy the cozy library lounge near the check-in desk
Once you check in, you’ll see a room right next to the front desk, and that’s the cozy library. The library is such a great little spot to grab a book off the shelf or bust out your Kindle. They have comfy chairs right in front of a fireplace where we sat and enjoyed some evening tea with a book. It was such a vibe that I wished I had brought a cozy read with me. I’ll certainly be doing that next time we stay. In the library lounge, they have a full tea and coffee bar for guests, which we took advantage of numerous times. This is also the room where you’ll find coffee and muffins in the morning for guests.
What are the rooms like at Fairhaven Village Inn?
We were in a harborside king guestroom with, you guessed it, beautiful views of the harbor from our balcony. The rooms gave off an older coastal vibe with the rich browns, but were elevated by the elegant headboard and the bright whites of the curtains and the tones in the paintings. It definitely gave a coastal feel with the boat paintings, wicker bench, and light colored houndstooth pattern on the chairs. I really liked the design of the rooms; they felt cozy while incorporating some basics you see in most hotel rooms. The rooms were also very spacious. We certainly didn’t feel cramped or crowded at all, which I always notice in rooms when we travel. Do I have to crab walk in front of the bed to get to my side or a closet? If the answer is yes, then the room is very small and cramped haha! There was no crab walking in this room, let me tell ya. We probably could have done cartwheels, actually! There was a big armoire next to the bed with robes and plenty of space to hang any clothing you brought with you. In addition to that, there was a little desk to work at if you needed to, as well as an in-room coffee maker and TV in the big wooden entertainment center. The coffee maker, cups, and tea were under where the TV is, so don’t miss those. I didn’t see them at first and was looking everywhere for them to make tea. In the evening, we changed into our cozy pajamas, made some tea, turned on the fireplace because, yes, we had a fireplace in our room, and grabbed a book to read.
How are the beds and comfort level of the rooms?
Overall, the room's comfort level was great. The beds were comfortable to sleep in, and the pillows were between squishy and firm. I didn’t want to get out of bed when my alarm went off the next morning. So, that’s typically a sign of a good bed in a hotel room, don’t you agree? After our full day of exploring Fairhaven, we were so excited to crawl into bed and watch some TV. We never watch actual TV anymore, only streaming, so it was fun to see what was on. I think we ended up watching some Friends reruns, which I LOVE! The blend of light and dark woods in the armoire and nightstands was nice, especially paired with the whites of the bedding. Can you tell I’m into interior design? I love seeing the vibe of where the hotel is located shine through in the design choices, and I think they did a great job elevating this hotel.
What are the bathrooms like?
The bathrooms at Fairhaven Village Inn were very spacious with a HUGE mirror above the sink. I love it when hotels have a giant mirror in the bathroom as well as a full-body mirror in the room. I must have both for the room to get a great review from me. There were plenty of towels in the bathroom, as well as a black makeup towel, which I very much want in my hotel rooms. Even when I think I’ve taken off all my makeup and washed my face, there might end up being a smudge on a white towel. The makeup remover wipes were fine. I never have good luck with any of the ones provided at hotels, but I appreciate them being there at all. They at least get me started on removing my makeup; that’s for sure. The shower had good water pressure, and the shampoo and soap in the dispensers were good. Nothing out of the ordinary, but a nice experience overall.
What are the amenities at Fairhaven Village Inn?
Grab a cocktail at the attached bar, Galloway’s Cocktail Bar
Galloway’s Cocktail Bar is a lovely Art Deco themed cocktail bar connected to Fairhaven Village Inn and a must-visit while in Fairhaven because of its unique and delicious cocktails and light bites. The inside is perfect for conversations with friends and family, or even for a solo date with a book, thanks to its dim lighting and comfortable atmosphere. They have various little corners to escape to with a delicious cocktail in hand. When you first walk in, you gotta take a peek at their special board with their bartender’s choice cocktail for that evening. They’re usually what I end up ordering because they’re unique and sound delicious. Once, they had a mole (traditional Mexican sauce made from a blend of chiles, spices, nuts, seeds, and fruits) margarita that was SO freaking delicious. I still think about that drink years later. This time, we had one of their drinks from the specials board along with a drink from their Fairhaven Village Guest menu. Each hotel guest gets a complimentary cocktail or mocktail at Galloway’s, which is a nice little perk.
Regarding food, we love getting some light bites when we’re at a cocktail lounge, and this particular place has some good options. We’ve tried the baked Brie, charcuterie plate, stuffed jalapeños, and the olives, and I would absolutely get them all again - especially the charcuterie board that comes with salami, prosciutto, pistachios, olives, apples, pepper jelly, and some crackers. They also have a happy hour menu with discounted food items as well, and that’s the baked brie we love, with, I believe, pesto on top and served with apples and bread. I will mention that the food items on the happy hour menu are smaller than the normal menu food items, but honestly, we love it because we end up ordering two to three things to snack on and try, versus just one entree or shareable. In addition to their main inside area, they also have a patio space outside that’s great for sunny days when you can enjoy the gorgeous Washington weather.
What are the breakfast options at the hotel?
Fairhaven Village Inn has a small little tea and coffee bar with muffins for their guests to enjoy. Their gluten-free muffins were from a local bakery, but their other muffins are from Costco, which I love! Their chocolate muffins are my favorite, so I had to have one of them with my cup of coffee. We sat in the lounge and enjoyed our drinks, then headed over to Iron Rooster Bakery for more breakfast, which is literally around the corner.
Grab some fresh pastries from Iron Rooster Bakery for second breakfast
We had heard so many good things about Iron Rooster Bakery, so when we knew we would be staying quite literally next door at Fairhaven Village Inn, we put going for breakfast on our itinerary. The Iron Rooster Bakery is an artisanal bakery producing the finest hand-made pastries, croissants, cakes, and French-inspired fare. The owners of the Iron Rooster are Miran and Fred Schang. They’re originally from the East Coast and decided to leave in 2016 for Washington State. Miran was classically trained by the French Culinary Institute in New York and has experience working in fine restaurants, bakeries, and catering kitchens. Their hand-shaped croissants are of the highest quality and are the foundation from which everything else springs at Iron Rooster. They use the best chocolates from Europe to create their pain au chocolat, cakes, and ganache.
I’m such a sucker for a good croissant and cheese danish, so I was beyond excited to try their pastries. The thing you need to know about Iron Rooster is that you’ve gotta be there early because they do sell out of a lot later in the day. They’re only open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, and before 8:00 am, there will absolutely be a line forming. We asked one of the lovely front desk workers at Fairhaven Village Inn what they like to get, and they suggested the chocolate croissant and the rooster roll. We ended up getting a butter croissant, pain au chocolat, rooster roll, a blueberry danish, and a chocolate cinnamon snail. They were all delicious, especially the danish and croissants, but the rooster roll was extra unique, with it being sweet and savory. I don’t even know how to explain it, but it was good, and I recommend grabbing one when you visit. I will say that the pastries are fairly expensive, ranging from around $5 to $8, but if you’re willing to splurge, it’s worth it. I ordered a small latte, and it was fine, but it took a long time to receive. We ended up getting our pastry order very quickly and then had to wait about 15 minutes for just my small coffee. Next time we visit, I will probably just grab coffee from somewhere else more quickly and stick to pastries only at Iron Rooster.
The bakery is a grab-and-go where you order at a window, then they call your name when your order is ready, so keep that in mind. It is located right across the street from the Fairhaven Green, which has numerous benches to sit on and enjoy your pastries, or you can bring them back to the hotel, which is what we did. The hotel has a great little outside patio area where you can enjoy your pastries and coffee, or go back to their little library where the coffee and muffins are served.
As I mentioned before, our room had gorgeous views of the bay, which ended up being a favorite spot of ours to crack open a book while enjoying our morning coffee. The balcony had a little table with two chairs, and we ended up sitting out here on numerous occasions to just take it all in. I’m such a sucker for a balcony, so if there is one, you can bet I’m going to take advantage of it whenever I can. I will say that the balconies are fairly close to one another, so if there is another guest out on theirs next to you, you do kind of feel like you’re right beside them. It didn’t ever happen for us, but it’s just something to be aware of.
Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves at the Fairhaven Village Inn and would absolutely stay again. There aren’t a ton of amenities such as a full-service restaurant, pool, or hot tub, but that was totally okay with us for this specific trip. We wanted to relax a little and then explore as much as possible in and around Fairhaven. Be sure to check out my two Fairhaven specific itineraries below, where I share where to go, shop, eat, you name it!
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