Thirty-one rooms on Fisherman Bay on Lopez Island, the quietest of the three principal San Juans, with a marina, a heated pool, a hot tub, and the only sit-down dinner restaurant on the bay.
"Lopez is the cycling island of the San Juans, flat enough for a long weekend on a borrowed bike, and the Islander is the hotel waiting at the end of the ride. Not glamorous. Quietly correct."
Lopez Islander Resort sits on Fisherman Bay on the southwest side of Lopez Island, twenty minutes by car from the Lopez ferry landing and a quarter-mile from the unincorporated cluster of buildings that locals call Lopez Village. The property is the only full-service hotel and marina on the island, and the only restaurant on Fisherman Bay with a sit-down dinner service. Lopez itself is the third and quietest of the three principal San Juans, the one without the tourist economy of Friday Harbor or the artist scene of Orcas, and the Islander runs as the local hub at a deliberately island pace. The hotel feels lived-in rather than polished, the staff are largely full-year residents, and the audience is split between island regulars, cyclists touring the chain, and weekenders escaping Seattle.
The thirty-one rooms are arranged in a two-storey lodge wing along the water and a small ground-floor cluster near the marina. Rooms run from standard queen and king doubles to deluxe waterfront kings with private patios. Furnishings are unfussy contemporary; a recent refresh updated the bath finishes and bedding, kept the original modest footprint, and added microwave and mini-fridge to every category. The waterfront kings are the booking to ask for; the side-facing standard rooms are smaller and quieter, and read well as a solo traveller's room. The property also operates a separate vacation-rental programme of nearby Lopez homes for parties looking for a multi-bedroom format.
The on-site restaurant, Islander Bar and Grill, runs a Pacific Northwest tavern menu through lunch and dinner with a porch that opens to Fisherman Bay; the porch is one of the better sunset bookings on the island. A heated outdoor pool and an adjacent hot tub sit between the lodge wings and operate seasonally from late May into early October. The marina holds roughly fifty slips, runs a fuel dock, and partners with the island's kayak operator for short bay trips and longer San Juan circumnavigation paddles. Bicycles are the island's signature; the front desk arranges rentals through the village-based shop a third of a mile away.
Lopez is the cycling island of the San Juans, flat enough for a beginner and small enough that the full perimeter is roughly thirty road miles. The Islander positions itself precisely for that audience. The hotel is also the practical answer for a guest who wants the Lopez quiet without committing to a self-catered cottage rental, and for travelling parents who want a pool, a hot tub, a restaurant, and a marina inside the same compound. Pricing is by some distance the most accessible of the San Juan island hotels, and the unpretentious character of the property is part of the charm rather than a compromise.
For a family week on the quietest San Juan, the Islander solves a chain of small problems: pool for the children, hot tub for the adults, restaurant on site for the night nobody wants to drive, marina to launch kayaks, flat island roads to introduce a child to a real bike ride. Book a waterfront king with the adjoining standard room for a family of four; book two waterfront kings for a multi-generational format. The Lopez ferry runs reliably and the island is small enough that the children can be unsupervised at the village ice-cream shop within a day or two.
Lopez is the right San Juan island for a solo retreat and the Islander is the right base. The waterside porch off the restaurant runs as a desk in the morning; the bicycle loop around the island is the structured activity for the middle of the day; the village has a single, excellent, independent bookshop and a small library with a sea view. A standard king for four to seven nights mid-week shoulder season is the booking; expect a quiet hotel, low rates, and the longest reliable WiFi signal on the island.
An anniversary on Lopez is a softer brief than the Friday Harbor or Roche Harbor alternatives, and the Islander suits a quieter milestone year. Book a waterfront king on the upper floor for the bay sunset, arrange a private hour on the marina kayak fleet, and book a corner table for dinner on the porch. The hotel does not stage a celebration; the celebration is the island, and that is exactly the right tone for couples returning to mark a tenth, fifteenth, or twentieth year.
2864 Fisherman Bay Rd
Lopez Island, WA 98261
United States
Southwest side of Lopez Island, 20 minutes by car from Lopez ferry landing
31 rooms across two lodge wings
Standard kings from $175/night
Waterfront kings from $245/night
Deluxe waterfront suite to $395/night
Check-in: 4:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Two-night minimum in summer
Marina and Islander Bar & Grill on site
Heated outdoor pool (seasonal)
Hot tub (seasonal)
Islander Bar & Grill restaurant
50-slip marina with fuel dock
Bicycle rental partner in village
Complimentary WiFi
From $175/night. Waterfront kings and the deluxe suite book three to four months ahead for July and August. Mid-week off-season rates drop sharply and the room product remains the same; the pool, however, is closed October through May.
See Current Rates →The 1886 lime-kiln-village resort on the north end of San Juan Island, the headline booking of the chain.
A 23-room contemporary boutique on the bluff above the Friday Harbor ferry terminal.
The Robert Moran mansion on Orcas Island, the historic crown of the San Juans.
Twenty waterfront cabins on Mitchell Bay on the west side of San Juan Island.
Off peak pricing, suite upgrades, and subscriber only offers, flagged only when the value is real.