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Hotel Elements
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$$$
6 reviews for Hotel Elements
While I understand some of the other commenters, who took away stars for the high cost of a room, my feeling is that NOTHING on Friday Harbor is cheap, so to think that your hotel/motel room is going to be any different is just wishful.
E&I stayed here during our anniversary weekend, and had a wonderful stay! The staff could not have been friendlier, and graciously held our luggage while we wandered the island before & after check in/out.
The room itself was very comfortable, relaxing & clean, which in my book, are the three cornerstones of a good hotel. (We got what we paid for.)
It was also easily accessible from the ferry (on foot), quiet & well-kept.
The spa next door, Lavendara is charming and DEFINITELY worth a visit! We treated ourselves to a couples massage, and were in total ecstasy.
I don't think we'll stay anywhere else when we venture to the Harbor again, and we both recommend that you check it out for yourself!
I love staying in hotels and motels and just about anywhere they're going to pick up after me. I'd like to give Hotel Elements a 3 1/2, but I can't, so I'm sorry, I can't give them more.
Don't get me wrong, I liked Hotel Elements just fine. The place is attractive from the outside (nice landscaping, nice signage, lots of flower baskets, a row of colorful bikes that you can rent, etc.) and our room was nice inside. We stayed in an "earth place" and they go to great lengths to let you know that is it NOT A HUGE ROOM NOT, but in fact it was plenty spacious for us. They've amended the low-showerhead situation with a gooseneck and the colors were nice and it was fine. The pool area was clean and decently kept up.
Maybe I've been spoiled, though, but for $200 a night I kind of expected a little more. I've stayed in 40 gazillion hotels and while Hotel Elements was nice and certainly a darn sight better than the Days Inn in Ogden, Utah, it felt like I was staying in a room that someone's handy brother-in-law repainted and fashioned some kooky bar out of extra wood and strips of metal (and he forgot to put the molding back on in the bathroom).
We slept well, it was quiet, and for that it gets three stars.
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I joined Yelp and promised to be objective in my reviews. This one may have tried my creed, however! My girlfriend and I planned a romantic weekend around the area as I am just getting back from a three month project in Washington, DC. My expectations were running high since we had just come from a 23rd floor corner room at the W and the website of Hotel Elements has some pretty pictures....
I'll start with the positives. The motel (we'll get there later) is a short (four block) walking distance to the ferry, which is probably one of the biggest positives on the property. It has a very pleasant lobby, the staff were very friendly, and the garden the faces the road is just beautiful. I sat in the garden for quite awhile enjoying the lavender, the lilies, and the other interesting and beautiful flowers. The room (I think it was a "Sun" room we were staying in) was spacious, smelled and looked clean, and comfortable.
Negatives: It's a motel disguised as a hotel. No matter how pretty the pictures are on the website and no matter how trendy their logo looks... it's still a motel. I opened up my back door onto the deck and I overlooked a beautiful BARBED WIRE FENCE. Yes, there was one of those high security barbed wire fences covering what looked like to be a run down lumber yard. It was the most horrible view I have ever had from a hotel room in my entire life... and I've stayed in a lot of hotels. The walls were paper thin, and I heard everything that was being said on either side of me. The shower water was only lukewarm no matter how far I cranked up the faucet.
Overall: The Hotel Elements has tried to put some nice touches on an old motel, but it's still a motel. Imagine a city bus billing itself as a limousine.. a nice paint job and some fancy lights still doesn't change the fact that it's a bus. I think the old biblical expression was a gold ring in the nose of a pig.... anyway. If on a strict budget, I'd consider staying at the Hotel Elements again... this time, with an adjusted set of expectations.
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Formerly the Friday Harbor Inn, the Hotel Elements is an old motel that has recently remodeled all its accommodations and is now a relatively affordable, stylish, and conveniently located place to stay on San Juan Island. It was my turn to book for our vacation, and my boyfriend warned that I may have been sucked in by the impressive ikea-like decor that can be found in photos of rooms on their website, and he probably wasn't too impressed when we arrived and the building arrangements were motel-style. However, the interior of our "Earth Places" room (see: 2 queen beds earth tones) was very comfortable and modern, plus a table and barstools along the wall, not seen in pictures. This particular setup also provided plenty of counter space, despite the microwave and sink, and under-sink shelving. There's also a pool, spa, sauna, and exercise room, and the reception staff were very helpful and friendly on advice from where to find tide pools, to what to bring on a kayak. They also provide bikes, and can help with whale watching and dinner reservations. The most convenient part was that there were plenty of restaurants, diners, and ice cream shops within easy walking distance, so after a day of dinking about the island, we could just saunter out for a bite. If you check Tripadvisor it says that parking is scarce, but in mid-May, right before high tourist season, we didn't have too much trouble finding a spot at the Hotel lot.
A few caveats:
-Shower head was placed pretty low.
-Our room was convertible to a double suite (locked doors to next door's room) and on the last night, we discovered that the wall turned out to be too thin. I have plenty of details now on the late-night/early-morning musings of a couple wedding party guests and their drunken lack-of-conquests.
-No breakfast, but there's plenty of diners down the street. The office does have tea, coffee, and hot cocoa.
-If you love hard wood floors, those are only on the ground floor rooms. Second floor has carpet (equally tasteful).
-If you think you'll be arriving after 6pm, call ahead to let them know.
-Also, they've got a few pet-friendly rooms, for those of you out there who are kind enough to bring your pets on vacation with you.
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I've started this Yelp a few times already now, and then deleting what I've typed. I need to be honest with myself, and you the Yelp reader, and tell you this place is way over priced. A one-night stay on a Saturday night in late March will cost you $157 w/tax. That's not a mis-type.
It's very centrally located in Friday Harbor, but heck Friday Harbor is as big as my head, so a lot of it is closer to town then you think. The shower was awesome! The shower-head was wide and bulbous and situated high up on the wall so even Ian's 6ft. 3in. frame had no trouble using it. There was a little microwave, fridge, coffee and tea set up, and the beds were quite comfy and cozy loaded with pillows (from super-firm to uber-squishy). The TV was inside a big armoire and the furniture was well taken care of, and all of it had this avant garde earthiness going on. All of it except for the pseudo wood-beams on the ceiling and the floor tiles that look like hardwood floor boards. The adjoining doors from our room to the one next door were hollow as we were able to hear every nuiance of the late night conversation that roiled up into a full on argument. A good example of where and when NOT to have a heated discussion on religion.
There was free wi-fi in the rooms, but it was slow as fuck and we think the hotel had some sort of firewall up. I couldn't even access Disneyland, which is my rub with where I work, it shouldn't bother me when I'm not at work. But there it was!
For the cost there should have been some kind of continental breakfast available. You're on an island and they know you don't have too many options on where to stay so they blatantly and unabashedly screw you on the cost. It's the same crap I mentioned in one of my Maui Yelps (probably the one about the hotel I stayed in, weird coincidence!). Next trip to the island, I'm sleeping in my car.
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I can't rave enough about this place!
On a whim, I booked a two night stay in an Earth Places room for a July 4th family getaway. When we arrived and found the retro-cool facade of this 60's era hotel still in tact we were impressed, but moreso once we stepped inside our comfy and elegantly understated room.
Also, the check-in process was actually enjoyable. Not only were the front desk staff knowledgeable and helpful, they were HAPPY. Given some of my recent lodging experiences, mostly at much larger, far pricier hotels, it was a breath of fresh air.
We were on ground level in what was most likely the last room available and, although for quality time purposes we usually request two rooms when traveling with the wee one, we found enough space to stretch out, unpack, and get comfy.
When we came back from having dinner at Front Street Ale House (an easy walk from the hotel, even with 5 year old in tow) to change into our suits for swimming in the well-heated indoor pool, we were shocked to find water streaming from the ceiling. My theory, based on frantic yelling and running above us, is that a faucet was left running upstairs.
Concerned that our stay would be at best less comfy, we called the front desk, and were promptly moved to THE WIND PLACES GUEST HOUSE where we enjoyed two-story accommodations, two suite-sized bedrooms (one up, one down,) a lovely bathroom with soaking tub, a modern and fully stocked kitchen, and our own yard - AND our entire stay was discounted by 20%!
SO, yeah. I kind of recommend the Hotel Elements. In fact, I'm gonna book my next stay like right now.
p.s. Have guest services book a whale watching tour out of Roche Harbor for you. We were literally surrounded by orcas on our expedition. Very cool.
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