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A Few Words from the Doe Bay Proprietor

Dear Friends of Doe Bay,

I hope your resolutions include more time at Doe Bay in 2009. Remembering that resolutions sometime don't last too long. (See Mark Twain quote above.) I suggest that you make a reservation today! I promise you, the winter is the best time to be on Orcas Island. Soaking in the spa while the stream roars next to you or while watching the white caps in Otter Cove is surreal.

When Maureen and I were thinking about buying a place in the islands, we considered some of the more established places for Seattleites to have summer homes. Our holidays would have involved playing tennis and then comparing notes with lawyers and investment bankers about the latest deals. The Doe Bay alternative included doing something I liked, such as taking a hike up Constitution or playing music and then I would hang out at the cafe with some 20 year old kid who just spent 6 months in the Himalayas. An easy decision!

Doe Bay is one of the most beautiful pieces of property in the world, but the people of Doe Bay are what make the place truly unique. We have met, and in many cases employed, some of the most interesting people you could describe and our lives are enriched by the experience. So this newsletter will feature just a few of the people of Doe Bay. Good luck with the quiz in the right hand column!

Thank you and enjoy the rest of the newsletter.
- Joe
The Proprietor
Joe@DoeBay.com

Woodstock happened 40 years ago! Doe Bay Fest Celebrates Again this Year!

Plan Now for the 40th anniversary of Woodstock…. August 14, 15 & 16! Celebrate it appropriately at DBFest 09. If you would like to volunteer to assist with DB Fest or would like your band to perform, please write Joe@DoeBay.com.

Watch for our '09 logo soon!

There has never been a better winter to stay at Doe Bay. In the next few weeks, you'll be seeing more music, movies, and café specials popping up on the calendar than you could possibly imagine. You'll still be able to come to Doe Bay and have a personal retreat and some introspection, but you can also come and make like-minded friends, enjoy on-island hikes, and take part in on-site activities as never before. Watch our Events page for details, but

Every Thursday is open mic, beer and pizza from 5 to 10 with the music starting at about 7; and

Every Saturday is live music at the café starting at 8:30; and

Every Sunday is family food night and a movie in the café. Call for details. 360 376-2291

If you're thinking about organizing an Event between now and 2010, we'd love to talk to you. Yoga Retreats, Family Reunions, Weddings, Writer's Workshops, Spiritual Retreats, Film Workshops, Dance Intensives, and more have been hosted at Doe Bay with great success. Let us know when you're interested in making an event happen and we'll help make it the success you want it to be.

We can't wait to see you here again, or for the first time.

Be well. Be on the island,
~Harreld, Jami, and the entire Doe Bay Staff
office@doebay.com

The Sweet Spot yurt at Doe Bay. The yurt is a simple portable structure most often used by nomads in Central Asia. Photo by Kathryn Brady

It is easier to let others write the newsletter for us. We don't believe in traditional advertising. That said, we know that we have an unbelievable product and that our property is underutilized. We are always thrilled when guests enjoy Doe Bay, and even more so when they share their impressions with others. We have spent 6 years polishing the apple and we are proud of the result. Please read what others are saying:

1.) ABC News featured Doe Bay in a story on November 13, 2008 by Jonann Brady - Excerpts follow:

"Where to Stay:

Doe Bay Resort and Retreat: If you're ready to mellow out in hippie paradise, Doe Bay Resort and Retreat is the place for you. Doe Bay offers a range of accommodations for all budgets, from well-equipped three-bedroom cabins to rustic yurts - a circular, one-room dwelling that's a step up from a tent but with no water or electricity.

The Sweet Spot yurt at Doe Bay. The yurt is a simple portable structure most often used by nomads in Central Asia. Photo by Kathryn Brady

You can join an early-morning yoga session and then make your way to the clothing-optional hot tub. There's a communal kitchen, reading room, bathrooms and fire pit, so there are plenty of opportunities to get to know your neighbors, if that's your thing. The Doe Bay Café, which gets most of its produce from the on-site organic garden, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as wine and beer.

This is the kind of place visitors return to again and again -- many weddings are performed on the bluff overlooking the bay, and the current owner, who bought the property in 2003 and has done a great deal of work getting the resort back into shape, used to visit with his family in the 1970s." READ MORE > >

2.) A yelper speaks out about Doe Bay Resort:

Christen M., Portland, OR
4 star rating
2/27/2007

"My boyfriend and I decided we needed a break from persistent Pacific Northwest winter blahs. Since we weren't really budgeted to fly someplace sunny and warm, I suggested we get ourselves outdoors, and into some hot water, instead. A few searches for "hot springs" turned up Doe Bay.

Note that peak visiting times for Doe Bay are in the summer time, so it's not only easier to get accommodations here in the winter, it's also much less expensive. We were able to rent a cabin with a "kitchenette" (this turned out to be a microwave and dorm fridge), a full bath (no hiking in the middle of the night just to pee!), a dining table (a welcome addition, but it took up a lot of room) and a double bed (with a very saggy mattress). Because of the latter, I will likely be tent camping if I come to Doe Bay again amid more hospitable weather. Only other reason the place merits four stars instead of five is that service in the cafe, while friendly, was a bit slow, even when the place wasn't especially busy.

Still, there are few wintertime activities I find more delicious than sitting outdoors, immersed in hot water and in the buff, while cold winds and rain howl around me. The soaking tubs at Doe Bay are situated under a clear awning, and on a deck overlooking the creek and the bay itself, making for a beautiful view and a warm, rejuvenating mid-winter excursion."

3.) An old E-pinion from Arazim which is now true!

"There are going to be many people that will be very angry with me for spilling the beans on what has been a "best kept secret" for years and years, and I've been reluctant to write reviews of my favorite places for fear of having them spoiled by the masses. But then I realized that the people I hope would be reading this are the kind of people that I would want to spend time with in a place as spiritually refreshing and relaxing as is the Doe Bay Village Resort located on Orcas Island in the San Juans. Roughly 65 miles north of Seattle, this is a 50 acre (or so) retreat that promises to leave you feeling renewed and invigorated." READ MORE > > .

We not only guaranty a great place for a ceremony, a great experience for you and your guests and great food drink and atmosphere, we guaranty that you will stay married longer if you get married at Doe Bay Resort & Retreat!

Contact Maureen@DoeBay.com. There are still weekends left this coming season.

The Doe Bay Café Welcomed the New Year in Style

New Year's Eve was a Feast and a great party. As usual it ended at the Bonfire with cowboy poetry and campfire songs from Pink Floyd! Sandman entertained and Auld Lang Syne was sung by all with champagne and a dessert buffet to destroy your resolutions!

The Rappin Cowboy pledged to not wear his cowboy hat any more (or at least in this tour), having replaced it with a Doe Bay hat with high beams included.

There were impromptu fireworks over Doe Bay. Click here to watch and listen to the display. The enthusiasm of the pyrotechnicians is inspirational.

Other Café News

We are looking forward to the Doe Bay Cafe being reviewed, so tell your restaurant critic friends. However, in this age of citizen journalism, everyone is a critic. Again, let us share with you a review which mentioned the Doe Bay Café:

Pragmatique E., Seattle, WA just gave us this review on Yelp:
5 star rating
12/12/2008

"While I love the reviews of Julia Z. and others for the space, I felt obligated to point out that I have visited several times in the last few years for the food. While I think that past years' chefs have done a respectable job with occasional outbreaks of excellence, the current team in the space is in another class altogether. At this point, I think the cafe here has some of the best food I've had in my life and perhaps the "greenest".

With their own small organic on-site garden, relationships with a good number of purveyors nearby on the island, and a commitment to stay organic and local whenever possible, the cafe blows the doors off other "local" and "green" restaurants on the island and in the region. They are one of the only businesses in the county to NOT have an account with corporate distribution behemoths FSA or SYSCO. The entire space has a commitment to avoid buying incandescent bulbs unless needed for safety. Add to it the fact that it has perhaps the best view for my tastes anywhere in the area and you can begin to get the vibe.

I currently live in Seattle after recently transplanting from Portland (and Seattle before that too). I'd happily still drive from Portland to get to this food. Though some serious carnivores may despair at the lack of red flesh on the menu, I've brought dozens of confirmed burgerheads and steakmavens here and they've been so blissed out at the seafood that they've not missed things. Strangely, I've done the same with about a dozen full vegan friends. It is worth mentioning that the cafe seems to do better with advance notice of vegan needs - if you do that, you'll be amazed.

Currently, this space has the best dessert I've had in my life with pannacotta, the best breakfast with the vegetarian biscuits and gravy off the hook, and consistently serves the best entrees available on Orcas Island. Oh, and if you go for Thursday nights, ask if Abigail is cooking. She makes the best pizzas you'll ever have, which is a notable improvement over previous pies.

Go to the Doe Bay Cafe. You won't want to leave. Conveniently, they have rooms and cabins!"

Doe Bay in the wintertime? YES! The winter is the quiet time on the islands. You'll find much more space on the island's trails, more time to get the local scoop on things to do, you'll glory in the rugged beauty of storm-watching or can take advantage of a placid sunny day in the rainshadow. Winter in the San Juans are a perfect time to curl up with a project to complete on our wifi network or to be able to recharge with a soak in our much quieter tubs.

We're currently in the process of booking music, workshops, and events for our wintertime season. Please check our Events calendar to see what's in store for your stay.

Note: you MUST CALL Doe Bay directly TO BOOK THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL (360) 376-2291.

Getting to Doe Bay can be half the fun… Consider the foot ferry to our beach. Call us for details.

Another option is flying on Kenmore Air out of Seattle.

If you want to take the ferry, but don't want to drive, we can pick you up. Parties of 4 or more are just $8 a person!