Mariner's Dream Cottage Guestbook
Note from Richard and Nanae:
We agree completely with our guests that say that one of the best features of Mariner's Dream Cottage (and it is takes being here to realize this benefit) is its vicinity to the Orcas Village Store, the best grocery store anywhere. Owner Mary makes homemade deli items and her hard working husband Ron starts baking at 4:00 a.m. The store has one of everything--duck, sashimi grade ahi, fresh fish and fresh local goods.
We recommend that guests at Mariner's Dream take home a gourmet pizza, warm it up in the oven and eat on the deck. The sky, sea, ferry lights and a great bottle of wine. No better dining room on the island. We spend our off days here.
The cottage is comfortable, the views great and well, fresh baked scones (2 minutes away). Cottage Gift Store where locals shop as much as the tourists is also a treat. Owner Paula has a sense of humor and her greeting cards are the best. Then, there is Orcas Hotel across the way. Good Burgers. Great Chocolate Croissant!
Despite all this convenience, the Mariner's Dream Cottage nestled in its own hillside is private, quiet and surprisingly abundant in wildlife. It is fun to see "wild" two year olds "tamed" (mesmerized still) by the of sight of gulls and eagles in flight and the majestic ferries and laughing kayakers passing by.
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Our inter-island ferries are free for foot passengers. Mariner's is in a location where you can be impromtu. See the ferry coming in, walk down the hill to the ferry landing and jump on. Have lunch in Friday Harbor (the ferry lands in the middle of this town or rent a bike and bike on the relatively level Lopez Island or hike about Shaw Island.
Close to whale watch also. It is the cottage most designated by family and friends visiting. . . and, in fact, where Richard and I go to enjoy a few days away!
*we cede the remainder of the page to our equally enthused guests.
"You don't have to close your eyes to dream here. . ."
"The cabin is truly wonderful and we are looking forward to future stays there! Especially love the enchantment of the ferries passing, even though you don't hear a sound... and looking at the stars through the sunroof in bed, and hearing the song then seeing the eagles up on the tree; the design of the panoramic windows both in the living and bedrooms... so many wonderful things. Hooray."
""Saw a seal swimming about in the evening and a flock of seagulls flying toward the ferry landing as the sun was setting. The sight of ferry lights at night as we were having dinner was just breathtaking. . . .
We woke up to the sound of birds gently chirping and the sunray's reflection twinkling on the surface of the water. The resident seal was back again as we were savoring our breakfast on the bench below. What a beautiful day!!!"
"So what of Mariner's Dream? It was such a wonderful place. We have enjoyed staying here immensely. The peace/quiet has been such a pleasure, just the ferry in the background to keep us aware that life goes on around us.We were thrilled to wake up in the lovely bedroom with the sun trying to break through the rain clouds, but then to find an Osprey swooning down and landing in the tree at the end of the deck. . .we were amazed. "
"Better than the photos! The view is incredible. Its like you’re sitting on the water. This morning I woke at 7:20 and the water was still and smooth and the sky had cleared. Beautiful! Because this is not our first trip to the island, we spent 90% of our time hanging out here at Mariner’s Dream. . . .We can’t wait to return in June when we can hopefully enjoy the deck. .."
*guest booked her June stay prior to departure.
"The views were outstanding! We never got tired of watching the ferries come and go!"
". . .as I write this, a rabbit has hopped by and a group of seals play out in the water."
"Dark it was when we arrived--so I was like a child awaiting Christmas morning to awake and see our adventure awaiting us! From every special touch in your "Mariner's Dream" to the views of God's truly spectacular playground which we are blessed to play in--to "Matt" the cat at the corner store--this place is truly a Dream. . . Even in the rain! We look forward to returning soon and hope to meet you two and share our stories."
"I can't count the number of times I found myself saying 'wow, this place is so fabulous! I really love it here.' What a gorgeous, peaceful, interesting place to be. We got married on the deck and we will always have a very special place in our hearts for this wonderful cottage.
Thank you for sharing it with us! We will be back to enjoy it again."
"Wow! We had such an amazing week here. It was so peaceful and calming to our spirits. The views of the water from every window worked their magic on us, and the moon rising in the evenings was spectacular."
". . .we spotted the cottage from the ferry and knew we would love it before we got inside. Great place, great view. We were treated to 3 nights of seeing the full moon rise from our vantage point on the deck."
"Mariner's Dream" really is a dream cottage. Everything is so peaceful and serene. We enjoyed returning here after exploring the island. Who needs TV when nature is HD and 3D. Thank you for your hospitality!
"So many times I see the few photos on-line and then imagine a beautiful place and often am let down when we arrive. NOT THIS TIME!
This cottage is perfect! From the view, to the decorating touches to the beautiful deck, to the personal touches, to NO TV. to the location, and did I mention the view?
You have gone above and beyond making this place a place we don't want to leave.
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"I could feel the stress leaving as soon as we opened the door."
"WOWIE! First look and this place is clearly spectacular. The embodiment of "dream" house!"
". . . the fresh flowers and music were so welcoming when we arrived. Spectacular views from every vantage point!"
". . .Loved the location as I walked down every morning to get coffee and watch people get on the ferry."
I have to say this has been my destination of my lifetime. . .I have waited 31 years for this. To see where the trees meet the waters edge, the otters, eagles, the ferry boats and to experience the daily life of the "islanders." It's amazing to say the least.
I enjoyed meeting MATT, the cat. He is one cool kitty! The calm quietness of the island is soothing. . .the surprise of the late night sunset was odd at first but, most welcomed as we loved cooking late into the evening with our fresh halibut, salmon and clams from Buck Bay. We then rested outside on the deck hammock.
"Wow! We loved our stay here at Mariner's Dream. The views here are just incredible! Waking up to the view out of the bedroom was absolutely magical. BEST HONEYMOON EVER!
6 wonderful nights! Not enough. Just a magical cottage, spectacular views, hard to sleep at night and miss out on the stars!
Use the grill--steaks from down the street.
Grocery down the street precious . . . Triple ginger cookies. Easy to grab sandwiches for a hike or boat trip. . . so lovely to come back to such a beautiful home to relax and end the day.
Mariner's Dream Reviews
Because our Trip Advisor listing for All Dream Cottages where guests would review "their" Dream Cottage without specifying which Cottage they meant caused much confusion, we recently added Trip Advisor pages for our individual cottages. Sea Dream Cottage inherited the historic All Dream Cottage reviews. The others, including our stunning Mariner's Dream Cottage is lagging behind in Review count.
Please click on link and leave Mariner's Dream Cottage a review. We hope that there will be many more reviews n the days and years ahead to extoll the wonders of this cottage.
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A few reviews from our OLD All Dream Cottages Review Pages:
Reviewed November 1, 2020
Often times you book a private rental and then pray that it is just as good as the pictures make it out to be. This was quite the opposite. The cottage was much better than the pictures make it. What you can’t see in the pictures is how plush everything is. In many rentals, the owners go cheap with the decor. We stayed in the Mariners Dream cottage and you sunk into the couch, the throw pillows felt like heaven, the linens were great, plush towels, a mattress that made you sleep like a baby, knives that cut like butter, and pots and pans that were non stick!! We even woke up to fresh, island roasted coffee beans right next to the grinder. It isn’t a modern cottage but everything was very clean and well thought out. We had wonderful weather and had to convince ourselves each day that there was something better outside going on than just laying in bed staring at the amazing view!! Very private, no other house in site from any window. There is another neighboring home but it can only be seen as you are walking to the cottage from the parking space. Otherwise with the exception of the ferry making occasional announcements, it was peaceful and serene. Definitely Dreamy!! We can’t wait to visit again.
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Date of stay: October 2020