February 2006

Out & About: Mid-Winter Getaways for Couples

By Paula Rudberg Lowe

The old adage, “You have to work at marriage,” is true, but part of the “work” is having fun together. Once the children arrive, it becomes even more important to spend time with one another to continue to grow together as a couple.

As much as parents enjoy their children, taking some time off – for a few hours or an overnight – will cultivate the marriage partnership and give the kids a break, too. While parents are having fun, children can enjoy the company of their grandparents, cousins, friends or a babysitter. At the end of the stay, parents will be refreshed and will rejoin their children with a renewed spirit.

Kelly and Leanore Curran of Renton plan three to four getaways a year to spend some quiet time together away from their sweet-natured 5-year-old daughter. “An evening away can seem like a week!” says Leanore.

Here are five suggestions for mid-winter getaways to enjoy as a couple:

Langley Mystery Weekend

For an out-of-the-way day or weekend trip, take a ferry to Whidbey Island and drive to the village of Langley for its Mystery Weekend, Feb. 25 and 26. Pick up a clue map and the official annual newspaper of Mystery Weekend, The Langley Gazette, at Mystery Headquarters (Langley Visitor and Information Center) to learn about the players in the mystery.

Clues from the map lead amateur sleuths on a walking tour throughout the village. While you are picking up printed clue cards in shops, take a look at the locally made art, nautical decorations, antiques and kitchen supplies.

Outrageously dressed characters from the mystery amble through town telling visitors their version of their role in the crime. These suspects are not to be trusted! Any one of them may be the “real” criminal and may have reason to lead visitors in the wrong direction. Deciphering clues, talking to suspects and swapping puzzling pieces with other visiting detectives are all part of the fun.

While in town, stop at one of the bakeries for a treat and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Make it a day trip or stay overnight and try to solve the two-day mystery.

If one mystery isn’t enough, the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts presents an Agatha Christie play, A Murder is Announced, on Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Call to reserve tickets.

If You Go:
Location: Langley is located on South Whidbey Island, 25 miles north of Seattle. Ferries depart every 30 minutes from the Clinton-Mukilteo Ferry Terminal.
Lodging: About 2,000 guests enjoy this weekend, so be sure to get a reservation. Choose from country inns, bed and breakfasts, private cottages, cabins or hotels. Call the Lodging Referral Service, 360-221-6765, ext. 1.
Map/clue information: Pick up a clue map and The Langley Gazette at the Mystery Headquarters, 208 Anthes Ave., Langley, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: $2 for one or two days.
Contest information: Winners will be announced on Feb. 26 at 4:30 p.m. at the Langley Middle School Auditorium. Contestants need not be present to win or to find out the solution. After 7 p.m. on Feb. 26, the solution is available on the Chamber of Commerce voice mail system, 360-221-6765 or on the Web site, www.visitlangley.com.
Play Tickets: Contact the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, 800-638-7631; www.wicaonline.com.

Starlight Beach Walk in Edmonds

Enjoy some fresh air under the stars and learn about sea life. On Friday, Feb. 24, ranger-naturalists from Edmonds Parks and Recreation will lead a nighttime beach walk from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sea creatures will be exposed during this unusually low tide, so bring along a flashlight, as well as warm, waterproof clothing and footwear.

Meet at the Olympic Beach Visitor Station (foot of Dayton Street by the Public Fishing Pier) at 6:45 p.m. Following the walk, everyone can return to the Visitor Station to warm up with hot chocolate.

To spend more time together, consider eating dinner before the walk. The city boasts dozens of dining establishments from high-end waterfront restaurants, to a grill and wine bar, a brewery and several coffee shops and bakeries. Ethnic dining choices include Italian, Greek, Russian, Mexican, Pan-Asian, Indian and Thai. If you plan an overnight stay, you’ll find two bed and breakfast establishments and two hotels in town, plus several options in outlying areas.

If You Go:
Location: Olympic Beach Visitor Station, 200 West Dayton St., Edmonds. For a map and directions, visit www.ci.edmonds.wa.us/Discovery_Programs
%20Website/Maps_&_Directions.html.
Cost: Free. Registration is not necessary.
Information: 425-771-0227.
Lodging and Dining: Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, 425-670-1496; http://edmondswa.com/Shopping/Dining/Index.html.

Red Wine and Chocolate Hoodsport Winter Tour

For an afternoon or overnight getaway, head to the Olympic Peninsula. “Close enough to visit … far enough to escape,” is the motto of the South Hood Canal Business Association. It’s a place where two-lane country roads are lined with huge evergreen trees, and it’s the last place you expect to see a winery.

Hoodsport Winery, established in 1979, features a Red Wine and Chocolate Hoodsport Winter Tour from Feb. 10 through 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. This family-owned business makes wine, truffles and coffee. All are available for tasting and purchasing at the winery.

The complimentary winery tour takes 30 to 45 minutes, and then guests may sample raspberry wine or chardonnay wine chocolates (truffles), plus several kinds of red wine. There are four kinds of coffee to sample, too.

If You Go:
Location: Hoodsport Winery is located on U.S. Highway 101 on Hood Canal, one mile south of Hoodsport at N. 23501 Highway 101.
Travel time: 40 minutes from Olympia, 75 minutes from Bremerton, and about two hours from Tacoma; travel time from the Seattle area varies depending on ferry and road choices.
Case card program: After purchase of five cases of wine, the sixth case can be purchased at half price. From Feb. 10 through 20, it’s a double-punch event.
Winery information: 800-877-9894, www.hoodsport.com.
Lodging: For a listing of motels and resorts in the greater Hood Canal area, call 1-800-576-2021 or visit www.discoverhoodcanal.com.

Savi Day Spa

Savi Day Spa in the Tacoma area offers a relaxing retreat for a couple of hours or a day. The spa experience begins when you arrive. Sit in oversized chairs in front of the fireplace as the spa staff place a warm lavender and chamomile towel roll around your neck. Sip tea or water while soaking your tired feet in warm, sudsy water. Daily stress and worries fade when the friendly staff leads you to a room for two that features a waterfall.

Savi Day Spa offers services for couples: massages and lunch, body wraps, pedicures and more. Enjoy the pedicure while fully reclined in a chair, comforted with a neck roll, eye pillow and a warm lap blanket. Couples can be pampered side by side.

If You Go:
Location: 7326 27th St. W., University Place.
Packages for couples: lunch and massage, body wraps (for slimming, detoxification, moisturizing, moisture, etc.), pedicures and manicures. Some services are done in private or open rooms, rather than the two-person rooms. Request your preference when setting the appointment.
Information: 253-565-9800, ext. 3; www.savidayspa.com.

Habitude Spa, Salon and Gallery

For a unique spa experience in Seattle, head to Habitude, where their mission is “to love and amaze you.” When you arrive, you shed your street clothes and change into a robe and slippers. You are offered almonds, dried fruit, tea or water.

Habitude’s theme for the season is Grecian, and a spa guide leads guests on an optional four-corner sensory tour featuring Grecian products. At the first corner, Aphrodite (goddess of love) shares Aphrodite oil and gives a taste of chocolate. At the second corner, Diana (goddess of the chase) highlights essential oil sprays. Poseidon shares his power and creativity with guests, encouraging them to write an inspirational thought on a slate. Finally, Apollo, patron of poetry, gives inspirational notes to guests and asks them to ponder those during their treatments.

Following the tour, head to the complimentary sauna or wait for your service providers. Couples go to the Gathering Grove room where they can receive massages, river rock rubs or body treatments.

“We talk to our guests before we give them their treatment. We want to get to know them, learn what they want to achieve during their treatment – whether it’s to get their back scrubbed or to relax,” says owner Inez Gray. “Based on their response, we personalize their treatment.”

For manicures and pedicures, guests sit side-by-side on two “thrones” with their necks wrapped in warm pillows filled with herbs and their feet encased in herbal booties.

Guests may spend about two hours at Habitude for a massage, or choose to have more treatments done, such as a pedicure and manicure, plus their hair, which might take an afternoon or most of the day. Guests receive complimentary makeup by the salon staff, so they feel and look their best after their treatment.

On the second Saturday of the month, you can follow your treatments with the Habitude Gallery Second Saturday Art Walk. Enjoy the artwork, wine and cheese from 7 to 9 p.m., and then go out to dinner.

If You Go:
Locations and contact information: Habitude at the Locks in Ballard, Salon, Spa and Gallery, 2801 N.W. Market St., Seattle, 206-782-2898; Habitude Fremont Salon and Gallery, 513 N. 26th St., Seattle. 206-633-1339; www.habitude.com.

Paula Rudberg Lowe is an Olympia freelance writer and a proofreader for Northwest Parent Media.

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