Tourist Information for Leavenworth, WA

Our recent trip to Leavenworth was filled with many first-time experiences. Our first Christmas in Leavenworth; first time eating at King Ludwig’s, Viscontis Italian Restaurant, or Sleeping Lady Resort; and first time staying at a bed and breakfast inn.

UPDATE: The Wenatchee River Lodge was recently purchased, updated and shined up (it was looking pretty good before!) and relaunched as The Grand River Lodge.

We met Don and Mary Morse earlier this year at a Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce meeting. We sat at their table and they welcomed us to our first meeting, asking all about our website. In the months that followed they told us about the lodge that they were converting to a bed and breakfast inn and asked us to come stay with them on our next visit to Leavenworth. When we decided to spend our Christmas weekend in our favorite place, it was natural to ask if the offer to visit was still in effect, and it was. The Morses offered us a discounted price, allowing us to stay more nights than we otherwise might have been able to afford.

The Wenatchee River Lodge is so beautiful! It’s a full log home sitting right above the river. It’s on a bend and the lodge is situated so that it feels really isolated. It’s also at the end of a long gravel lane, so traffic noises never reached us.

Don greeted us on our arrival and proudly showed us all around the lodge. From the largest suite, The Ponderosa, to the smaller suites, dining area, great room and game room, the lodge is elegantly rustic. There is a hot tub on the deck and jetted baths in several rooms. Our room, the Aspen Room, had a gas fireplace, a jetted tub, walk-in closet/dressing area, a king-sized bed and french doors opening onto the deck which looks out on the river.

We arrived pretty early in the day on Friday so we unpacked and headed just 2 miles to Leavenworth. We were eager to see the Christmas decorations and have lunch. After some shopping and saying high to some of our friends in town we went back to the lodge to relax for the evening. We brought a new game with us, Scotte shot a few tables of pool and threw some darts, then it was back to the room to enjoy a fabulous whirlpool bath.

The next morning Mary and Don greeted us with a breakfast of quiche, waffles, fruit and bacon. We also observed an interesting phenomenon on the river. Don and Mary said they’d never seen it before. We all called them ice lily pads. In the river a whirlpool eddy seemed to be capturing pieces of ice and the circling action was forming them into circular ice shapes with raised edges, just like lily pads. They were fascinating to watch. I’m including some of the still photos I took of them along with some video which gives a better account than I can describe. After two mornings there the weather warmed and they were gone. I’m so glad we were there to see them.

We really enjoyed getting to know Don and Mary and the guests that came and went while we visited. The lodge was beautifully decorated for Christmas throughout and than made our romantic Christmas getaway even better (imagine if you will an elegantly appointed Christmas tree that YOU don’t have to put up, or put away!) We had tasty breakfasts each day served where we could look out at the river. The lodge is quiet and away from everything. My descriptions can’t do it justice, so take a look at the slide show below.

I can’t imagine a better way for us to celebrate a romantic Christmas (and our 31st anniversary) than this stay at Wenatchee River Lodge. It’s perfectly situated on the river and a little way out of the hustle and bustle of the village. If it had been warmer, we would have been tempted to sleep with our door to the deck ajar and gone to sleep lulled by the music of the river, just steps away.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 31st, 2011 at 12:33 pm and is filed under Stay. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.