Holiday “Parent Time Out” Getaway at Willows Lodge & Woodinville, WA

Willows Lodge & Spa Emily Adams

My husband and I left our four sons back home with their grandparents and escaped to Willows Lodge in Woodinville, Washington for a much needed parent “timeout” and weekend to recharge going into the holiday season! We’re going to take you on a journey through Woodinville’s hot spots and best kept secrets in town. The newest places to sip, the best food around, where you can relax & unwind, play a round of golf, and the best lodging in town.

Here’s a sneak peek of what you can expect to find:

• Willows Lodge
• Barking Frog
• The Spa at Willows Lodge
• Maryhill Tasting Room at the Hollywood Schoolhouse
• DeLille Cellars Tasting Room at Hollywood Station
• Woodinville Wine Country
• Willows Run Golf Complex

The Heart of Woodinville

Willows Lodge sits on five acres bordering the Sammamish River in the heart of Woodinville wine country. Its grand two-story fireplace is always roaring and ready to welcome you to sit with a glass of wine, and kick your shoes off anytime of the day. The best part is, the Lodge is completely decorated for the holidays! The festive decorations, welcoming hospitality, and flowing wine as you check-in to your room, gets you in the holiday spirit right when you walk through the door.

Willows Lodge decorated for the Holidays Emily Adams

Willows Lodge has a long standing reputation of being an “intimate and award-winning Woodinville hotel and the Northwest’s greatest escape“. They have a handful of holiday happenings ready to share now with visitors through January of the new year. We were thrilled to experience their holiday “timeout” and Wrap Yourself In Luxury package. This is perfect for any couple needing a night or two of R&R. When we entered our room there was a bottle of champagne being chilled and warm robes by the fire (every guest room has their own fireplace.) The chilling silence and warm hospitality of the Lodge was music to our ears, because with four kids back home- silence is hard to come by!

Main lobby, Willows Lodge Emily Adams

In 2020 Willows Lodge will be turning 20! They have some exciting events moving into the new year, and some fun programs already running with their restaurant Barking Frog and The Spa at Willows on site. Willows Lodge looks forward to welcoming new or returning visitors for weekends of luxury or an escape any day of the week.

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Woodinville’s most widely desired restaurant

Barking Frog is a widely respected and award winning restaurant that sits right across from Willows Lodge. Barking Frog is known for its innovative seasonal menus and cellar of Northwest and global wines. The restaurant holds the same standards and level as hospitality as the Lodge does, which makes it easy company and desirable to visitors staying with Willows.

Barking Frog Emily Adams

But don’t give the Lodge all the credit! Barking Frog stands on its own with Chef Bobby Moore and his team creating insanely delicious dishes and is undeniably noticed as the best restaurant in town. Bobby and team consistently use local ingredients native to Woodinville and Washington State. The relationships they’ve built with local farmers is inspiring. It is impressive to see their partnership create such beautiful dishes sourced right from the valley.

Baby green salad – Egg yolk ravioli & house sausage Emily Adams

We wined and dined with Barking Frog over a delicious meal during our stay. Every time a new course was brought out, we continued to be impressed by the level of quality and passion behind each dish. If you’re considering visiting Barking Frog, we would highly recommend trying their 4-course tasting menu. Meals are most enjoyed when there is an experience to be had. Let their wait staff lead the way and pair for you the perfect wines for each of your dishes.

8 oz. r.r. ranch beef tenderloin – baby carrots/veal demi-glace/bone marrow aioli 65 Emily Adams

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Relax and unwind at The Spa at Willows Lodge

December is a great time for a day trip, or overnight escape to The Spa at Willows Lodge. Only a short drive from Seattle and right on site with Willows, The Spa welcomes visitors to treat themselves to relax, refresh, and leave feeling rejuvenated. You don’t have to be an overnight guest to enjoy the spa. Treatments are welcome to day visitors stopping through town as well.

Julie did my Hydrafacial & was wonderful! It is included in the “12 Days of Blissmas!” Emily Adams

Counting down to the 12 days to Christmas, The Spa at Willows is highlighting their “12 Days of Blissmas.” Which basically means counting down to Christmas you can get discounted treatments and complimentary gifts heading into the holiday. Each day The Spa at Willows offers a different deal, which means if your’e looking to try a new treatment, the “12 Days of Blissmas” would be the perfect time to splurge and treat yourself, or the loved ones in your life.

The Spa at Willows Lodge Emily Adams

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Woodinville is Washington’s Wine Country

Woodinville is home to over 130 wineries, wine bars & tasting rooms. Many of these are clustered in the Hollywood School District and in the Warehouse District. We had the opportunity to tour two of Woodinville’s newest tasting rooms led by Woodinville Wine Country to show us the best spots in town and fill us in on the big things coming for Woodinville Wine Country in the new year.

Maryhill Tasting Room & Bistro – Hollywood Schoolhouse Emily Adams

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Maryhill Tasting Room & the Hollywood Schoolhouse

Our first stop of the tour was the Maryhill Tasting Room & Bistro. Maryhill’s newest tasting room just recently opened at the iconic historic Hollywood Schoolhouse right down the road from Willows Lodge. The building is stunning! It has been a beloved landmark in Woodinville since 1912, and has now been newly restored as the home and tasting room for Maryhill Wines in Woodinville right in the center of town.

Downstairs Tasting Room & retail – Hollywood Schoolhouse Emily Adams

Maryhill is a family owned business and one of the largest wineries in Washington State. Their wines and family owned establishment originally came from the Columbia Valley region. Maryhill is commonly known for their “approachable lighter wines” but we were pleasantly surprised by the whole tasting fleet they had ready to share with us. My favorite was their Chardonnay that boosted with flavors like candied apple, butterscotch and toasted almond. It felt like a white wine speaking right to the holiday season!

Upstairs private tasting room available for smaller parties or groups. Emily Adams

Between Maryhill’s warm hospitality and charming newly renovated (and gorgeous- many weddings have been held here before) Hollywood Schoolhouse, the family owned business is a well loved and respected brand across Washington State.

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DeLille Cellars Tasting Room at Hollywood Station

Woodinville’s newest tasting room is the home of DeLille Cellars at Hollywood Station. Previously, the location of the newly built three-story tower at Woodinville’s Hollywood Station was home to Redhook Brewery. DeLille’s branding showcases that they are “Bordeaux Inspired, Distinctly Washington, and Uniquely DeLille,” which couldn’t be more true!

DeLille Cellars Tasting Room – Hollywood Station Emily Adams

DeLille’s attention to detail and creativity was inspiring! The style and furnishings of the new tower reflect the urban, chic, and comfortable feel that their wines also share. One of the greatest things about their event to showcase their new tasting room to the public, was that you could feel how excited their staff was about welcoming and sharing their wines with everyone. They believed in their brand and were bold about their knowledge and belief in DeLille Cellars wines! That more than anything, had us believing we were walking into luxury and dedication right when we walked through the door.

DeLille wines on display Emily Adams

If you’re looking to be inspired by Washington wine, design, or unique and welcoming hospitality add DeLille Cellars’ new tasting room at Hollywood Station to your Woodinville bucket list.

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Woodinville Wine Country has big plans for 2020

Woodinville Wine Country is already digging into big plans for the new year. With Woodinville booming and developing faster than anyone anticipated, Wine Country continues to think one step ahead and find a way to share Woodinville’s wineries and tasting rooms with folks traveling into town.

Woodinville Wine Country Emily Adams

Passport to Taste 2020

This is your annual digital ticket to enjoy 40+ wineries, breweries and distilleries in WWC’s tasting program. If you’re like us and like to explore new tasting rooms and plan for a fun day, you can enjoy a crisp glass of wine, freshly poured beer, or chilled cocktails in a single weekend, or month-after-month at participating locations throughout 2020.

I believe the best part about the Passport is that you only have to purchase once to get an entire year of tastings to enjoy and discover Woodinville’s best kept secrets. Tickets include an “After Hours Wine Walk” that includes Passport holders to further taste at wineries that may not be already participating in the annual program. You can learn more about their exciting new Passport to Taste and see a list of the participating businesses for the new year here!

Tasting flights of white wine Emily Adams

Woodinville Wine Country Digital Passes

These are different than the Passports because they are digital tickets to custom tours and discounted tastings throughout wine country. There are nine passes or “tours” featuring four different wineries each. You can choose from one of their two categories: weekday or weekend. These digital tickets are fun because each package is themed. And who doesn’t love walking into an event and having everything pre-planned for you so you can sit back and enjoy? I do.

You can learn more on their Digital Passes here. Both the Passport to Taste and Digital Passes have both been re-vamped and launch leading into the new year after the holidays! Merry (early) Christmas to you!

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Get some fresh air at Willows Run Golf Complex

One of our favorite things to do while traveling together on a date weekend or getaway is to find a new golf course and get some fresh air. He loves to hit balls, and I love to ride along and read a book, or swing away at the driving range. Everybody wins when you can find an activity worth sharing and enjoying together.

Willows Run Golf Complex Emily Adams

Willows Run Golf Complex is less then ten minutes from town and is a full service public golf facility. Willows Run has two 18-hole links-style courses, driving range, practice putting green, and bunker. They also offer a 9-hole, par 3, family friendly course and a 18-hole “themed putting course.”

Willows Run Emily Adams

If golf isn’t your forte, let the kids take a swing at it. Willows Run Golf Complex welcomes kids to golf for only $5 a round on weekdays and scheduled time on weekends. If you’re not up to enduring a full round, you can take a shot at their 9-hole course, or hit balls in the driving range. (Kids under 15 years hit balls in the range for free!)

Kick back and enjoy Woodinville

Woodinville is only 30 minutes from Seattle, but feels like a world away. Lovers of the small town boast that it is a town of “personality fused with passion.” We felt that passion and personality in every location that we visited, and were thrilled to escape together to recharge and connect in a place we can both say we will happily return. When you’re ready to book your stay or blaze into town for a fun day, Woodinville will be ready!

Willows Lodge decorated for the Holidays! Emily Adams

About the Author

Emily Adams

Emily (a.k.a. Teeter Totter Mom) is a busy mama of four boys, and a wife to her very playful and loving husband. Their busy life is based just south of Seattle, Washington in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She is a dedicated coffee drinker, puppy wrangler, design enthusiast, adventure junkie, amateur photographer, and passionate mom.

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