Captain Whidbey Inn

A historic 1907 lodge on Whidbey Island's Penn Cove, crafted from madrona logs and restored with curated Pacific Northwest design.

Captain Whidbey Inn, standing on the shores of Penn Cove since 1907, was originally constructed as the Whid-Isle Inn by Chris Fisher and his son Edward for Judge Lester Still. Built as the centerpiece of a planned resort called Still Park, the structure was crafted from local stone and hand-peeled madrona logs, whose smooth, reddish bark and twisting shapes still define the building's structural bones. Over more than a century, the property served variously as a boarding house, a post office, and a girls' school before cementing its legacy as a classic Pacific Northwest lodge. In 2018, brothers Mike and Matt French, along with designer Eric Cheong (a veteran of the Ace Hotel group), purchased the six-acre waterfront property. After spending a summer living on-site to understand the rhythms of the local community, they closed the inn for a comprehensive five-month renovation, reopening the doors in April 2019 with a design-forward restoration that honors the lodge's maritime soul while introducing modern comforts.

The property offers 30 distinct guest accommodations divided into three styles, each providing a different relationship to the island landscape. Upstairs in the historic main lodge, 12 cozy, European-style rooms feature wood-paneled walls, historic photographs, and shared bathrooms, evoking the communal spirit of a historic boarding house. Across the bridge, the Lagoon Building houses 14 rooms with private baths that look out over the property's quiet, spring-fed lagoon. For those seeking more privacy, the inn features four stand-alone cabins along the cove. These cabins were redesigned in collaboration with prominent Pacific Northwest brands, including Seattle's Glasswing, Portland's Beam & Anchor, and the heritage outfitter Filson, resulting in custom-furnished spaces that blend rustic cabin architecture with elevated, contemporary design elements.

The heart of the guest experience remains the main lodge's common spaces, where the original stone fireplace warms a lobby that has been opened up into a singular, living-room-style gathering area. This space flows into the restaurant and bar, where the culinary program focuses on the bounty of Whidbey Island and the waters immediately beyond the deck. Penn Cove mussels, harvested from the visible rafts floating in the cove, are served alongside house-made sourdough, local oysters, and seasonal produce from the inn's own raised garden beds. The beverage program features Pacific Northwest wines and cocktails originally crafted by celebrated Seattle bartender Erik Hakkinen. Outside, gravel paths wind past old-growth Douglas firs to a private dock where guests can watch the tide shift, launch rowboats, or warm up in the barrel sauna and wellness studio, fully immersing themselves in the slow, deliberate rhythm of coastal island life.

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