Name: Deer Harbor Inn
Address: 33 Inn Lane, Crane Island, Crane Island, Crane Island, WA 98243, United States of America
Rating: 8

Smoke-free property

Heating

Garden

Terrace

Express check-out

Outdoor furniture

No elevators

General

Non-smoking rooms

Family room

Rooms

Restaurant

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Barbecue grill(s)

Hiking

Picnic area

Barbeque

Ping-Pong

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Spa tub

Pool and beach

Massage

Beauty and wellness

Family/Kid Friendly

Kids

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Skull Island State Park

Friday Harbor Airport

Victoria International Airport

Victoria Inner Harbour Airport

Bellingham International Airport

Boundary Bay Airport

VanDusen Botanical Garden

Queen Elizabeth Park

Deer Harbor Inn

Crane Island

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

After seeing the plethora of fees that this property was charging, I went elsewhere. It is abusive to show one price and then tack on about 30% for a destination fee & property service charge and daily water fee of just under $19 and a $68 cleaning fee. These fees would practically double the cost of the advertised stay. These kind of practices are deceptive, abusive, and misleading. Buyer beware.

Fees Gone Wild

I stayed at the Inn for two nights and it was quite memorable, albeit not for good reasons. Ferry dropped me off after 11 PM! It had also started snowing. Google Maps directed me past a fire station to a steep downhill that I didn’t dare going down because of the icy conditions. There were houses around, and I saw lights in the windows, but no one answered when I knocked on the doors for help with directions. Finally, someone came out and told me to get back on the main road and the Inn would be on my right.

Having arrived at the property, I was confused where my room was. From the pictures I had seen, it seemed like the room would be in the lodge but the front door was locked. I called Vacasa, and had the distinct displeasure of speaking with their dumbest and rudest CSR, who kept insisting that I put in the passcode I had received in email, although she couldn’t say where because there was no keypad in sight. I found the office at the center of the property, and there were numbered boxes with keypads on the exterior wall, but my code didn’t work on the one that had my room number. The Vacasa CSR gave me a “backup code” that opened the box, but when I tried the key at the door, it wasn’t the right key! At that time the Vacasa rep hung up saying her job was done. Never mind the key was useless.

I then went around and tried the key at every door of the property, at every cottage, and it didn’t open any doors. By this time, it was snowing heavily and past 1 AM. 2 hours had passed since my arrival. I had no cell phone reception except for the front (locked) door of the lodge. As a last-ditch attempt, I went into the office one more time and found a phone number for a Craig Carpenter on the bulletin board. Upon calling several times, Mr. Carpenter answered and identified himself as the owner of the property. As I explained to him the situation, he said he was going to call the local Vacasa manager, and call me back. After about 10 minutes, he did call me back and said that his son, who lives nearby, is arriving to help.

Once the junior Carpenter arrived, he was instructed to take a bunch of keys from the office and try them all at the door! Which he did as I shone a light, but none of the keys worked. He called his dad again and was told to try and get a window open. He was able to remove the screen from a window and force it open, then climb through it and open the main door! The room actually was on the 2nd floor and did have a lockbox beside the door, which opened when I put on my passcode and presented the room key.

The next morning, I received a call from the local Vacasa manager who told me that the main door wasn’t supposed to be locked. He apologized profusely and refunded me the room charge for the 1st night. He also said he would change the locks on the doors so that no one is locked out again.

Here are the things I see wrong with this experience:
1.	I understand there’s no resident manager/caretaker at the property but there *needs* to be an emergency phone number for someone who can assist quickly.
2.	There are sign boards for the inn, but those aren’t lit. If there were well-lit signs, I’d have spotted it from the road and avoided half the misery.
3.	I was given a room number but not told where this room was. A property map should be included with every reservation confirmation showing where the guest would be staying.

As for the room itself, it was decorated in a rustic fashion. The bed was made of logs, and so was the towel hanger.

Cleanliness: I found the coffee maker to be dusty and the pot had some leftover water with coffee flakes floating in it, ewe. The bed and the towels looked clean enough.

Overall, 3/5. I’d have given it a one if not for the helpful owner and the local Vacasa manager but they have to do much better.

Read this if you don't want be locked out in heavy snow

but not everything about the Inn is charming. First of all, you are on your own. No one is on property in charge and while you are invited to call the inn-keeper if you need anything, your cell phone will only work if you have the proper service provider (we did not.) We got lost finding the Inn because there is near universal confusion between Deer Harbor Inn and Deer Harbor Resort. That is not their fault, but not letting us know there was no place to get breakfast anywhere nearby kinda was. The "jacuzzi" was undersold, as well. It's just a smallish -- but very clean -- hot tub in a little enclosure in the parking lot. It had no power when we tried it, which was fixable with an adjustment to a breaker, but really this felt too much like being at home, not on vacation. The things we loved unreservedly beside the ubiquitous deer foraging for fallen fruit in the old orchard were the views, the proximity of the dock, and the restaurant. I've read all the varied reviews here, but we had a great salmon dinner with very nice service. Too bad the restaurant doesn't also do weekend breakfasts.

Deer under the apple trees charmed me, as did the cute room with a wooden bed

Nicely appointed upstairs room in the lodge, clean and in good repair. No elevator or ADA access. Extra towels,sheets, etc. in the communal area. Never saw a manager or caretaker. Fairly quiet except for some yapping dogs in one of the cabins that were let loose to chase the resident cat and the deer!  The restaurant didn't offer any vegan options so we had to drive to East Sound for food. Horseshoes and bocci ball area, picnic tables under the apple trees. Fairly secluded location, so if you want to go on any adventures, you'll need to go elsewhere on the island. There is a marina with a whale watching tour near the pizza place not too far away. Nice two day stay overall. 

Late August

Had a restful and comfortable stay at Deer Harbor Inn.  We had a room in the lodge--it looks rustic but nicely appointed rooms, with a comfortable bed. Cozy sitting area and patios in the 'lodge' part, with stock of extra supplies for room if needed.  (I'll note we were on bottom floor - noise from people above was noticeable, and they weren't being particularly loud. If noise at night/morning bothers you, might  want to request room on top floor or take a separate cabin. We didn't see inside any of the cabins but photos show them to be nice inside as well. Not a lot to do at the Inn-- small grounds, with boccie, horseshoes, and a hot tub. A walkway leads down to Deer Harbor marina and the Island Pie Pizza/Italian restaurant (check ahead for days open). Marina has various activities available. But not a lot of other activities around area, so expect to be driving to other parts of the Island. The on-site restaurant (dinner only) while pricey, offered a good experience. It has a large patio with view and tranquil setting. The menu is heavy on seafood and meat, which neither my wife or I like, but they had a Caesar salad, and a tasty vegetable fettuccine in pesto. Piano player was a nice touch, and wonderful conversation with our server who was from the island. Other than in the restaurant we never saw any Inn staff--at check-in there is a small bag with your  name+key. BTW, think ahead for breakfast--if you don't bring your own, you'll be driving 15+ minutes to get to EastSound.    

Relaxation in tranquil setting

Very cozy room, just off road. Great location, everything was very clean, access to extras (towels, soap, coffee...) easy, easy walk to dock and fishing, restaurant on premises was fantastic, serves family style.

Cute, fun, clean

We booked into thee resort through a special promotion in early May. We had a choice of rooms in the main log building allegedly with a view of Deer Harbor. The room was nice, comfortable with a on-suite bathroom and shower. The view of the harbour was a glimpse of water through trees and could have been anywhere.The TV did not work and the restaurant was closed. If you choose to book into Deer Harbour Inn during mid week, do not do it in early May if you expect to use their restaurant. It was open only on weekends. The room was comfortable enough but the Inn is located on one arm of the Island and a long way - 9 miles - from any place to eat. There is a marina nearby that does serve snacks during the day.

Okay Somewhat Uncared For

I read the cautions, all of them, but I failed to heed them.  Several previous reviews described situations that indicated the behavior of the owner.  Unfortunately, I quickly discovered what others had already experienced: the owner is abrupt, inconsiderate and greedy.

We had plans to meet friends at the dock in Deer Harbor to go sailing.  While I saw several more attractive listings in Eastsound, I chose the Deer Harbor Inn in spite of my hesitations.  Logistically, it was just considerably more convenient to stay in Deer harbor near the boat.  I requested a two night stay and my credit card was immediately charged the full amount.

Unfortunately, an unpredictable situation arose and we were not going to be able to meet our friend’s boat as planned.  I called to inform the Inn of our cancellation.  I was not expecting a full refund, but was not prepared for the reception I received.  It was immediately abrupt and rude. I was sternly informed I would not be getting any refund.  The tone and demeanor was very off-putting.  The conversation did not go well.

The owner boldly announced that cancellation rules are “on the website”.  While it is true the topic of cancellation is mentioned, none of the policies clearly addressed my exact situation.  The website begins with: “Cancellations are subject to a fee of 20%... “.  Whether intentional or not, the reader is left with the feeling that some refund is possible.

The most disturbing aspect of this encounter wasn’t being charged the full two day amount, but the attitude and total lack of any semblance of caring or hospitality.

In all, this was a totally unpleasant experience that was not called for and did not have to occur.

This establishment does not deserve my patronage.

Attitude

My husband and I ate dinner on the patio. It’s a very nice setting, very relaxing. Beyond the restaurant we saw  deer that were roaming the grounds. The service was good. My husbands fish was great. My pasta dish was a bit too salty. It’s close to Deer Harbor which makes it very convenient. 

Deer Harbor Inn

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