The ride from Washington State's Seattle Tacoma Airport to Woodinville was not bad at all. The carpool lane is quite friendly, allowing one to move in and out at any time (in California, for example, you are confined within the carpool lane until an area that allows you to come in or go out). Once in the vicinity of this small town, I was reminded of California's Napa and Sonoma valleys. I was not too familiar with the Woodinville area and never got to check it out (I was only there for a wedding), but saw there was indeed information about wine tasting.
Upon checking in, I was greeted by a laid-back young fellow, leaning against the reception desk, and perhaps in a catatonic state: literally not moving, even after seeing me struggle with the luggage and the front door. I was informed that the room was not yet ready, and that I could wait either in the lobby, the lounge, or go to the resort's restaurant. He still has not offered to handle the luggage. It was not until I requested for a safe-keeping of the luggage that he said I could place them in their office behind the counter, and guess what? He just stood there, not offering to take my luggage to that safe room.
Spoiled I am not, but there is this thing called service and courtesy, neither of which he had displayed. If you are going to call yourself a resort, then act like one. If company policy prohibits certain staff members to deal with heavy items, then call someone who are allowed to handle them. Luckily, his laziness did not seem to be the rule. Later on I met the other staff who must have come back from their lunch break, and they were a bunch of very helpful people.
The lobby area was very airy and had an extremely high ceiling. It was a joy just to sit and read in this well-lit area. On the walls of the lobby area and throughout the resort's hallways, local artists and their works were featured. They took care in presenting the work well and in introducing the artists.
The room was set-up cabin-like with a fireplace, a table with two chairs, a balcony, and enough space to roam around inside. There was a large opening between the bedroom and the bathroom. If you were soaking in the huge bathtub directly behind this opening, you could view the balcony (or the television) from where you were. There was also an adjoining shower stall, which shower was operated electronically to regulate the temperature. There was no covering to this stall, so some amount of water would occasionally splash onto the adjoining commode area across it.
The view was rather lacking; I had one which oversaw a jogging trail in the distance. With regard to noise, the room insulation was poor. From the bed, one could hear clearly what was said by the people passing through the corridor outside the room. This could only mean that the people outside could listen to what was going on inside one's room. Honeymooners beware...
Spa service was available, but having looked at the facility, I decided not to give it a try. The setting was just not right: there was a jacuzzi outside that was enclosed within a fenced area, too close to the foot traffic of people shuffling from one building to another. The resort is blessed with a close proximity to a jogging trail across the creek. I spotted a lot of runners and bikers using this trail and made use of it during my stay for the weekend.
Willows Lodge
14580 NE 145 Street
Woodinville, WA 98072
Tel: (877) 424-3930
