Rosario Resort And Spa

wouldn’t stay here again

Alex and I just got back from Jordana and Aaron’s wedding at Rosario Resort on Orcas Island. Everything was beautiful, every night was moonlit. It was amazing.

Alex and I went Kyaking with his half brother David and a whole bunch of other guests from the wedding. We saw a ton of harbor seals and some beautiful Kingfishers chasing each other.

I also spent quality time with Babette, Marshall, and Grandpa Jack and collected much of the Edelman family history so I’ve beefed up their family tree.

It’s a great place to have a wedding, and to take your older relatives to for, well, that type of a resort experience. Otherwise, I imagine kids would be incredibly bored here (unless they can be taken to Moran State Park to swim in the lake very often.) as well as young adults after a day or two. That said, that day or two would be really nice.

I wouldn’t call this place awful by any means, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to defend it as a must-see location on Orcas Island as well.

(I’ll add that I simply visited here. I did not stay at the location. My review would have probably been more negative otherwise, I gather.)

It’s an absolutely beautiful view, no question about it—you can see why Moran built his ultimate getaway here, and you understand its popularity perfectly. But as a resort it’s the type of place my grandma would have loved—suffocatingly elegant and aiming to please the sedentary and very well-off. Stop by briefly, check some sights, take some photos and move on!

I was shocked to discover how bad this Resort and Spa really is. Ever since my wife and I moved to Seattle back in 1999 we have heard about this remote destination resort located on Orcas Island within the San Juan chain of islands. I have known couples that select Rosario as a setting to exchange wedding vows and hey Kenmore Air flies there too.

The light bulb goes on!

Maybe plan a super secret get away weekend for my wife to celebrate her 30th birthday at Rosario. I have three words for you that describe this place, “What a turd”. I have stayed at nicer hotels on the I-5 corridor for 80 bucks a night. The Moran mansion portion of Rosario rates from ok to nice, the rest of the resort was likely built during the 1980’s and was never renovated or even giving an interior update. GGGGGGross. Dated vinyl floors in the bathrooms, unkept grounds and shotty building construction is a good starting and ending point. Don’t be let down, stay and eat dinner at the Inn at Ship Bay.

Have a good day!

This place was a huge dissapointment. I had previously heard good things bet when my wife and I arrived we found the resort in desperate need of updates. Don’t let the pictures fool you…that mansion you see is not where you will be staying. Instead you will be placed in these smelly, cracker box rooms with old, dingy, 70’s decor. We also noticed once we got into our bed that there was other people’s body hair in our sheets which obviously meant that they hadn’t been changed!!! We promptly had them changed and regreted the rest of our stay. Save your money!!!!

We’ve been many times, some trips much better than others. The rooms are average, the view is great, love Christopher Peacock’s concert/presentation in the mansion. They have improved many things lately (or so I’ve heard) so I would still want to go again.