Rosario
Rosario Resort is a beautiful place for family vacations. A relaxed and casual atmosphere makes for comfort and a calm discovery of the facility. The food is excellent too.
Sailors, boaters and scuba divers flock to Rosario Resort for nonpareil water experiences. The intricate and expansive waterways around Puget Sound’s Orcas Island are completely rewarding. Sailboats and motorboats may be rented to self propel or chartered to leave the driving to the captain. Rosario’s full service marina has moorage (power, water, showers, laundry, general store and 32 slips) or buoys. There are also kayaks, skiffs and canoes, so if floating is in the cards, this is the place. It is incredibly beautiful. (www.rockresorts.com)
Rosario’s Island Dive & Water Sports (
www.divesanjuan.com) facility has been recognized in Rodale’s Scuba Diving Magazine among the top three in North America. The instructors are attentive and thorough. Island Dive operator Don Kenny explains the intent."We give scuba customers the best experience they can have," Kenny says. "We rent and take care of all the gear—carry it, rinse it, dry it, whatever is needed. The dive sites are close to the dock, 300 yards away, so we’re out and back in less than three hours for a two-tank boat trip."
Official Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) courses are offered too. One program trains guests to become fully certified in a weekend. Non-divers, however, can enjoy snorkeling or sightseeing on boats. Kenny says there’s plenty to see: king crab, wolf eels, sea cucumbers, scallops, anemones, ling cod and giant Pacific octopus—some of the largest in the world.
Jacques Coustou said, "There is more life here in the water per square foot than anywhere else in the world." Now there’s a recommendation.
Rosario’s concierge also will arrange activities, including shopping in Eastsound, Orcas Island’s major town. There’s surprising individuality in several shops for those seeking something different. Monkey Puzzle (
www.monkeypuzzle.com) owner Sallie Bell designs one-of-a-kind jewelry and elaborately decorated vests. She offers designer clothing, Asian artifacts, Tibetan art and hand-dyed silks. Très Fabu! is the fun creation of Nikki—a milliner exclusively before she opened her shop two years ago. It’s an upscale boutique for the young and young at heart, featuring articles designed by Flax, Arianne, EQD, Babette, Giraudon and others, as well as hats. Roz Van Maren sits at her sewing machine in RozWear (www.rozwear.com) creating her very innovative, functional and wearable art. Roses, Bread and Specialties has homemade breads that must be enjoyed, specialty cheeses, a deli and fine wines. All these places are within a few blocks of each of each other in the very walkable Eastsound. Important note: The float planes that fly guests from Seattle to Orcas Island must limit total weight to fly safely, so ideally, pack two small, soft-sided bags that weight 24 pounds.