Short Trips: Swanky remodel is unveiled with a bang

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Thursday, July 1, 2004

Short Trips: Swanky remodel is unveiled with a bang

By JEFF LARSEN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER PHOTOGRAPHER

UNION -- The first salvo of fireworks over Hood Canal Sunday night will mark the official opening of the new Alderbrook Resort and Spa after a nearly two-year, multimillion-dollar renovation. The Fourth of July pyrotechnics will be launched by the new owners just after dark from the resort's recently rebuilt dock.


	JEFF LARSEN / P-I
The 18th hole at Alderbrook Resort and Spa's golf course. The Olympics are the background.

See more photos from Alderbrook Resort and Spa

The landmark resort, about two hours west of Seattle, actually reopened in mid-June, but most of the hoopla has been reserved for this weekend. All the resort's facilities are expected to be fully operational by next week, including the spa. The resort is booked solid for the long holiday weekend.

The tired, old Alderbrook Inn, which had chugged along on the canal since 1913 with frequent ownership changes, especially in recent years, was shuttered in September 2002 by its new owner and developer, North Forty Lodging LLC.

An aggressive renovation plan included bulldozing state Route 106 and rerouting it to make way for an expanded, upscale four-diamond resort. Thousands of cubic yards of dirt were moved and, in a matter of months, the highway was positioned farther south. The old Alderbrook Inn structures were demolished and new construction forged ahead.

At first blush, the newly remodeled resort is an extraordinary expression of how a quintessential Pacific Northwest resort should look. From the outset, the new owner figured most of the original resort buildings weren't worth saving, so when the wreckers arrived they had a field day. The 16 cottages on the property have been left intact and are being upgraded and remodeled to keep in step with the overall design of the new resort.

Back in 2002, I wrote about the significant changes in store for the resort. I was told that the only thing expected to remain would be the magnificent views of Hood Canal and the Olympic Mountains. They were right.


		Jeff Larsen / P-I
	A view of the new wing of the Alderbrook Resort and Spa in Union on Hood Canal.

The covered drive-up entrance, officially called the porte-cochere, is the signature for the overall look of the resort. It's a bold design statement and attention-getter. Four stone-covered footings help support huge wooden rafters that jut out from the main building. Fashionable yet practical, the roof helps protect arriving guests from the much-too-common rain. The dominant structure is a good heads-up for what to expect inside.

Large, shaved logs support the expansive wood beams that loom 30 feet overhead in the lobby. The high ceilings and use of natural woods all around make it feel as if you're standing in the middle of an old-growth forest. Most of the interior woodwork throughout the resort was milled from the trees that were harvested last year to make room for the grading of the new highway.

Visitors this fall and winter can expect a warm greeting when management cranks up the giant, two-sided, floor-to-ceiling, gas-fired rock fireplace just inside the entryway doors. The firewood stored in the little alcove next to the fireplace is real. The fireplace is one of three around the property.

In a bold move, designers struck a different, much funkier chord in the restaurant and lounge area. The low-profile, modern-looking furniture is very un-resortlike. It looks great but feels a bit too fragile for the kind of use it will get.

The bold, spokelike ceiling over the bar and restaurant helps set the dining area apart from the rest of the resort. The circular bar was carefully crafted to provide maximum exposure to the restaurant on one side and the lounge area on the other. The restaurant and lounge also were situated to take maximum advantage of the view. There isn't a bad seat in the house.


		JEFF LARSEN / P-I
	From the lobby, guests can move to a deck that overlooks Hood Canal and the grounds of Alderbrook Resort and Spa.

Executive chef Tom Black, formerly the head chef at the Barking Frog at the Willows Lodge in Woodinville, plies his craft in the fully remodeled state-of-the-art kitchen.

His menu is reminiscent of the many food successes he had in Woodinville. The king salmon entree ($28) was superb. The wildlife viewing during dinner was almost as good. A bald eagle flew by, a pair of osprey dove at the canal looking for fish, a pair of kingfishers cavorted around the dock, and a harbor seal poked its head out of the canal to see what was for dinner -- all that before dessert.

The price of the food definitely is at the level guests might expect from a quality resort. I heard a few gasps in the bar from some of the locals when they looked at the liquor and food prices. The prices are not reminiscent of the old Alderbrook Inn, which was like an old friend to a lot of folks in the nearby small town of Union over the past 90 years.

Union is about 18 miles west of Belfair in Mason County on state Route 106 on the southern arm of Hood Canal. The nearest major town is Shelton, about 10 miles to the south.

A variety of different views are available from the 77 guest rooms and two-bedroom cottages. The new guest-room building was situated on the property to provide a maximum of uncluttered views facing the canal.

A number of the original guest rooms were refitted and redesigned in the existing framework of the main guest-room building that was saved from the wrecking ball. The only thing that stayed the same about the redesigned rooms is the location.

Former guests won't recognize the cost either. Depending on the room and time of year, rates range from from $160 to $310 per night. A one-bedroom cottage is $180 to $310. The two-bedroom waterfront cottages run $260 to $450. Non-waterfront cottages are $230 to $340. Expect the higher rate this time of year.

Cost is one thing, but the rooms do make a bold statement that Alderbrook Resort and Spa wants to be a prominent Pacific Northwest destination resort. All rooms feature luxurious deep-soaking tubs, down comforters, French-press coffee service, minirefrigerators, 27-inch televisions, cable and DVD, and complimentary high-speed Internet.

Two features I especially like -- besides the comfortable, easy-on-the-eye, pastel paint scheme -- are the couch at the foot of the bed and the window seat. The high-tech air conditioner looked good but was so noisy I had to turn it off after about 10 minutes.

The two streams that run through the property have been significantly enhanced to help promote a healthy salmon population in Hood Canal and Puget Sound.

Other resort features include advance tee-time reservations at the 18-hole Alderbrook Golf Club, which is about three-fourths of a mile up the hill from the resort.

The new, luxury, full-service spa, adjacent to the waterfront indoor pool, includes steam and sauna facilities.

The 1,500-foot marina dock also can provide service for as many as three floatplanes. (Negotiations are under way with Kenmore Air to get direct service from Seattle.) The flight would take about 20 minutes.

The nearest airport is Bremerton National, about 40 minutes by car from the resort on state Route 3, between Bremerton and Belfair.