Lucky Duck enjoys Washington wine country in Woodinville.
Every once in awhile, we like to pick a local spot to enjoy a staycation. For this Memorial Day, we got in the Mercedes and drove out to Woodinville, WA to stay at Willow’s Lodge, attend a car show, enjoy the outdoors, and taste some yummy wine & food.
I highly recommend the Willow’s Lodge stay
- The location is fantastic. You can park for free and walk to Chateau Ste Michelle, many tasting rooms, and the Red Hook Brewery. We walked to Chateau Ste Michelle and enjoyed a picnic out on the grass. Because we didn’t plan ahead, we just purchased all of our picnic needs right there. But you can bring in whatever you want.
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- You can rent a bike for $5.00/hour and pedal along the Sammamish River Trail.
- Bathtubs fit for two occupy each room; ours had jets. They also offer the best mini bar I’ve ever seen at a hotel.
- There’s a spa onsite, as well as absolutely amazing dining options. You can cross over to The Herb Farm or Barking Frog. We ate at Barking Frog, and I had the best Sea Scallops I’ve ever had in my life.
- Fireside Cellars, in the lobby, is very romantic, yet a bit casual. The drinks are unreal, and you can order from a special menu created by Barking Frog. We enjoyed the Tiny Bubbles Flight before our dinner reservation at 9:00 pm.
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Apparently My Posse’s in Woodinville!
Sir Mix-a-Lot was in attendance at the car show at Chateau Ste Michelle, and he was great. When I asked him for a picture, he said, “I was just about to ask you for one!” Ha!
I don’t know if I had more fun eyeing Sir Mix-a-Lot, the $2 Million Bugatti, the beautiful Ferraris (actually, they let me sit in the new white one!), the black Bentley, or the Lucky Duck themed Lamborghini.
Noon checkout is pretty sweet
We woke up at 9 am this morning, threw on some clothes, and walked over to the Tully’s to read the paper and have a leisurely coffee. You can grab free coffee in the lobby, if you’d like, but we felt like getting out for a walk. With a noon check out – we had time!
After showering and packing it up, we sat at the bar at Village Wines for a light lunch and wine tasting. What a welcoming, wonderful environment. Can’t wait to go back there! Your wine tasting is $10 for 6 pours, but if you buy a bottle, you get $5 off. So we picked the Washington Sauvignon Blanc.
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And then we did an outdoor tasting across the street at DeLILLE Cellars Carriage House. You grab a barrel, and friendly servers pour you five different wines for $15. (And if you check in on Facebook, which I totally did, you get an extra pour for free!)
If you buy two bottles of wine, you get the $15 back. So of course we did that and took home two of the new Rose that just launched yesterday.
It’s fascinating to me that we could have so much fun, having only driven about 25 minutes from Seattle and only stayed for one night. Not to mention the fact that we only planned this one day in advance.
I highly recommend a Woodinville stay. Personally, I can’t wait to go back to Willow’s and have another amazing weekend.
Posted by jeanofalltrades on May 28, 2012 at 7:44 pm
That white Ferrari looks good on ya! This is a great write-up. You’ve given me good ideas for my own getaway close to home. Thanks!
Posted by Lucky Duck on May 28, 2012 at 7:52 pm
Thrilled you dig the write-up! Thanks, Jean! This is an awesome getaway. Don’t forget to ask Willow’s Lodge for the Microsoft rate. And, I have to admit, I thought the Ferrari fit pretty well when I tried it on.
Posted by Katrina Stahl on June 5, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Have you been to the Herb farm? I almost worked there for my externship while I was in culinary school : )
Posted by Cinco de Mayo picnic style | The Adventures of Lucky Duck on May 5, 2013 at 7:45 pm
[...] you again, Adele!) and hit the road. To complete my picnic basket (last used a year ago during our Memorial Day weekend trip when we met Sir Mix-A-Lot), I stopped at Subway on the way through Meatpacking to get a bag [...]