Vacation Rentals in Washington - Historic Balch Retreat Waterfront Home Hood Canal I just spent three days trying to find vacation rentals in Washington or Oregon for a getaway with my husband next weekend. I literally spent 3 days online trying to find a home on, or overlooking, a beach and one that allows dogs. It was the most exhausting exercise…I need a vacation!

Why was it so hard? Pictures people! Yes, back in the day we made hotel reservations by phone from nothing more than a phone book ad. And yes, many times we showed up to what was a dump with bugs. But we now carry more computing power around in our pockets in the form of smart phones than many of us had in the 90’s. So please, if you want me to pay $250+ a night for a house, SHOW me what I’m going to be staying in and if you’re trying to sell me your view – SHOW ME THE VIEW!

Finding Vacation Rentals in Washington and Oregon

I did find three homes, two here in Washington and one in Oregon that fit our needs. I was really rooting for my favorite, a romantic house just 1-1/2 hours from our home in Seattle overlooking Hood Canal that was AMAZING! It’s named the Historic Balch Waterfront Retreat.

Kitchen Balch Waterfront Retreat Vacation Rental WA State

Historic Balch Waterfront Retreat

What drew me to this home is the enormous master suite with a soaking tub that overlooks the water. The furnishings are new and trendy when so many others are shabby and definitely not shabby chic which I’m actually a fan of. The kitchen is stunning and I can see myself in there making dinner something special. With open shelving and painted a sunny yellow, it’s an inspiring place to create some great food.

The other reason I loved this home was all of the areas to curl up with a book or crochet. So many beach houses are crammed full of beds – they look like dorm rooms and they’re no longer comfortable for anything but sleeping. We want to enjoy the house, to really live in it for three days, to relax and unwind and watch the tide. We don’t want to be 2 people in a house of 20 beds.

The folks who own the Historic Balch Waterfront Retreat on Hood Canal couldn’t have been more accommodating in answering my questions. Their attentiveness and the beauty of their home made it my hands down my favorite. Sadly though, since we’re taking the trip on the behest of a car company that wants us to really drive the car; we opted for the Oregon location simply because of the driving distance. The house we’ll be staying in is cute, but nowhere near the updated stylishness of the Balch Retreat.

I wanted to share this jewel and while I haven’t stayed there yet, I’ve got this home on my bucket list. Maybe I’ll do a girls weekend here or schedule the hubby for a romantic getaway in the future.

Balch Waterfront Retreat Vacation Rental WA State

We’ll be staying in Oregon from Saturday until Wednesday of next week. We’ll be home for 3 days and then we head to Las Vegas. It’s a great month for travel!

Find out more about the Historic Balch Waterfront Retreat:


Photo Credit: Kim Wise, Cascade West Photography (edited by us and used with permission)

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