Willows Lodge

Willows Lodge’s location, on the eastern edge of the Seattle suburbs (not far from Microsoft’s hometown of Redmond) makes it an obvious choice for tech-industry corporate retreats. Of course what’s good for the company is good for the independent leisure traveler as well — you don’t have to be on a trust-building exercise with your sales team to enjoy this modern-rustic spa resort.

The building, constructed from century-old salvaged timber, is worth admiring; more immediately satisfying, however, are the creature comforts, which include Frette linens, deep two-person whirlpool baths, and thermostat-controlled showers, which don’t sound like a big deal, but you’ll quickly find actually are.

Plush enough, then, that leaving the room will take some tempting. Should the weather hold out, the surrounding country is chock full of hiking and biking trails, as well as a number of local wineries. Closer to home there’s the full-service spa, offering the full complement of massages and beauty treatments. The excellent Barking Frog is probably Washington State’s best bistro, which in turn is practically fast food compared to the legendary Herbfarm, serving nine painstaking courses of locally sourced seasonal fare, accompanied by matched wines — book far in advance, as missing out on this meal would be unthinkable.