This May, a group of five friends and I took a mom’s trip to Woodinville, Washington, AKA, Washington’s wine country.
I’ll be honest. There were moments where I considered whether or not I wanted to go. I don’t leave my son home alone very often, and it’s always hard for me to be away from him for too long.
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But the moment I walked into the cozy, woodsy lobby of Willows Lodge, I became VERY okay with being away.
The gorgeous resort (and my friends’ company, of course) made me start to look forward to a long weekend of luxurious amenities, great views, and proximity to Woodinville’s best wineries and restaurants.
We all quickly realized we were desperately in need of a long weekend away and trading responsibility for sipping wine on patios.
If you’re a mom planning a long overdue trip without kids, or just looking for the perfect wine country escape, Willows Lodge in Woodinville, Washington should definitely be your home base.
In this review I’m covering the rooms, the spa, the on-site restaurants, Barking Frog and The Herbfarm, and why the location makes it the perfect place to stay for a Woodinville wine weekend.
Ready to book your stay? Check current rates for Willows Lodge.
Amenities at Willows Lodge
When we arrived at Willows Lodge, I was actually surprised how many amenities and thoughtful touches there were for a relatively small property.
Spa
The on-site spa was one of the reasons we chose this hotel. Five moms who rarely get away alone knew we’d want to spend one day getting pampered!
The spa offers massages, facials and body wrap treatments. They range in time and price – and some options are ultra luxurious!
Pro tip: I’d recommend booking spa appointments in advance. We booked ours a day ahead and had some difficulty getting the exact services we wanted.
The spa’s waiting room has the same cozy luxe vibe as the rest of the hotel, but I’d recommend waiting for your treatment in the hydrotherapy pool.
Our spa day was cool and rainy, so the 103 degree pool water and relaxing water feature were the perfect way to prepare for our services.
The hydrotherapy pool is open to all hotel guests, not just those with spa appointments. This is good because you’ll want to come back!
There’s also a dry sauna which is a convenient place to release toxins from spending too much time at the wineries (speaking from experience!).
Other Amenities
The Willows Lodge lobby is a great spot to chill before wine tastings.
Each morning, they set out complimentary coffee, tea and an assortment of granola bars and fruit.
There’s not a coffee shop on-site, but if you prefer something other than standard coffee or tea, each guest room has a Nespresso machine.
We stayed over a weekend, which meant we got to experience one of the most unique amenities on Friday morning – MiMowsa Friday.
From 8-9 a.m., the hotel offers complimentary mimosas while the gardening team mows the lawn. It was a really memorable way to get our girls trip weekend started!
The grounds throughout the property are equal parts relaxing and beautiful to stroll through.
There’s a perfectly landscaped walking trail behind the hotel with water features and sculptures. And don’t miss the pet pigs and garden that belong to on-site restaurant, The Herbfarm.
Willows Lodge offers courtesy shuttle service throughout Woodinville. The location of the hotel is extremely convenient, so we walked almost everywhere and used the shuttle when it was rainy.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, Willows Lodge also offers bike and helmet rentals as a method to get around town.
There’s an on-site lounge with full food and drink menus. I’ll share more on that later!
Rooms
For our group of five, we booked two of the resort’s “nicer” rooms. These rooms have a better view than the “nice” rooms, but the same overall amenities.
Since we were on a girls trip, we did two queen beds, but the rooms also offer a one king option.
Our favorite parts were definitely the in-room fireplace, sipping our morning coffee on the patio, and the spa-like bathroom with a soaking tub and large shower with digital temperature controls.
Every room also has a Nespresso machine and carafes to fill from the on-floor still/sparking water stations (trust me, this is very helpful after a day of wineries!).
Dining at Willows Lodge
Willows Lodge has some of Woodinville’s best dining options right on site.
Barking Frog
We had dinner reservations one night of our stay at Barking Frog.
I’ll just start by saying it was so good, we ordered a few of the items to our room again the following night for a room service dinner.
They’re open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and everything on the menu is fresh, seasonal and many of the ingredients are locally sourced.
For dinner, I have one mandate. Order the dungeness crab cakes as a starter. I’m not exaggerating when I say this is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten.
Other items we loved were sea scallops, yellowtail crudo and the king salmon. The menu offers non-seafood options too like chicken and ribeye.
Make sure to save room for dessert – we ordered a few of them – they’re perfect for sharing!
The menu rotates seasonally, so some of our favorites may not be on the menu for your visit, but based on how many things we tried, I can confirm anything you order will be amazing.
The Herbfarm
The Herbfarm is a 5-diamond award winning restaurant, also right on site.
Their format is a 9-course food and wine pairing with a rotating menu chosen every day. We didn’t eat here, so I can’t give a full review, but I’d love to try it one day!
Ingredients are sourced from the Herbfarm’s garden on the Willows Lodge property.
We stumbled on it one morning during a walk and loved getting to say hi to The Herbfarm’s two pet pigs, Lily and Daisy Mae.
Fireside Lounge
The Fireside Lounge inside the Willows Lodge is a casual spot with a full food and drink menu.
It’s open daily from 3-10 p.m. and has both indoor and outdoor seating in the Willows Lodge courtyard space.
Some nights, they offer live music, and despite our best intentions to check it out one night, we didn’t.
Location
If you’re searching for hotels in Woodinville, Washington, location should be high on your checklist, and Willows Lodge delivers.
I didn’t do a lot of research into where everything was located in Woodinville, and was so pleasantly surprised when we arrived at how centrally located the Willows Lodge was to dining and wineries.
On our first full day in Woodinville, we walked to a handful of wineries that are literally next door to Willows Lodge.
We started with lunch at DeLille Cellars (do the food and wine flight!), then a tasting at Mark Ryan Winery, before heading to dinner at Barking Frog. All of these are within a 5 minute walk radius from the hotel!
On our second day, we visited the downtown wineries and restaurants. This area was also extremely walkable – 15 minutes max! We could have also leveraged the hotel’s shuttle if needed.
Willows Lodge is also very close to one of the more well-known wineries in Woodinville – Chateau Ste. Michelle. It’s about a 5 minute walk, and time your visit right and you’ll pass through some gorgeous lavender fields on your way!
Would we book it again?
I’d definitely book a stay at Willows Lodge again. I even started trying to convince my husband that we needed a trip back immediately after I returned!
For a group of five busy moms, Willows Lodge was the perfect place to pamper ourselves, relax and avoid the responsibilities of home for a few days.
If you’re comparing Woodinville, Washington hotels for a wine country weekend, Willows Lodge is the one I’d put at the top of your list. Whether you’re visiting for a girls trip or trip with your spouse, it’s the perfect quiet getaway in Washington’s wine country.
