On a whim over Labor Day weekend our family went on an adventure to the San Jauns. We ended up at Friday Harbor and the Lakedale Resort came highly recommended. We were very fortunate to have been able to rent a cabin (#4) as it was unreserved that weekend. We were pleasantly surprised by the attention to detail in the accomodations, the grounds and the attention to detail in regards to making us feel as though we were at a 5-star resort. The staff ensured we had everything we needed, as well as offered to deliver firewood for the backyard firepit. The cabin itself was extremely well kept; very clean, organized and felt very private- much like ones own home.

We ended up staying two nights! Drove into town for food, cooked it in the cabin and had a very unexpected and extremely enjoyable holiday weekend. The kids absolutely loved it - even had some luck fishing in the lake (my 3yr old caught his first fish.)

Would highly recommend - and intend on returning very soon! A new family favorite.

My husband, toddler and I just got back from 2 night stay at Lakedale Resort. We stayed in Cabin 5. I have mixed feelings about our stay and wouldn't recommend staying in the cabin for a family of 3. For the expense (pricey at $400/night), we were disappointed by the accomodations. The cabin is adequate but nothing spectacular. The provided breakfast is "make your own." The food was okay. The grounds are beautiful but crowded.

Pros
Great location. Convenient to everything.
Clean
Onsite activites (tie-dye, lakes, canoe rentals)

Cons
Extremely expensive for what you get
Fairly rustic cabin for $400/night
Breakfast which is advertised as included is actually make your own

Overall, it's ok. I'm curious about the lodge experience but it's not doable with a kid + dog. I don't think I'd stay in the cabin again.

Due to a cancellation, our family of four (boys 13 and 10) was able to have an overall great 2 night experience in canvas cabin #357.

We are occasional tent campers and the Lakedale canvas tent cabins are wonderful! And very clean. The queen bed was very comfortable, as was the futon sofa/bed. The linens and down comforters definitely beat sleeping bags and the hot water bottles were a nice touch as the temperature gets a little cooler in September. There is, indeed, no electricity and no plumbing within each canvas tent though they do provide one solar/crank lantern, so be sure to bring flashlights and lightweight jackets. Each site also has a firepit with 4 adirondack chairs and round table with umbrella. Note that pets are not allowed in the canvas tent cabins.

There is a "mess tent" for the other canvas tent guests providing breakfast from 8-10am, including cereal, fruit, cinnamin rolls, oatmeal, pancakes (a big hit and not yet advertised on the website), and a variety of cold/hot drinks.

We loved kayaking and canoeing on Neva Lake ($10/hour per boat) and also enjoyed short bike rides, walks and hikes around the grounds.

By the way, we did not bring a stove to cook so we made the short drive to Friday Harbor (~5 miles or 10 minutes) for lunches, dinners, snacks and sightseeeing. Navigating the island is not diffcult and we drove to Lime Kiln State Park for a few hours - beautiful scenery along the coast!

The Lakedale bathrooms are communal and available for all guests, thus depending on when one uses the bathrooms, the condition can vary from very clean to "better wait until early afternoon" after the 1-3pm cleanup.

Recommendations/considerations for management?
1. Expand your restaurant offerings to include a more generic breakfast/lunch/dinner/bar menu available for all guests.
2. Construct a separate bathroom/shower facility for your canvas tent guests. At $149-$259/night for the various canvas cabins, it would be a great selling point to have a separate facility.

Christina, our Lakedale breakfast coordinator, was super friendly and provided several insider tips on what to do, what to see around the island. For other Trip Advisor readers, be sure to ask Lakedale staff about tips!

We will definitely return to Lakedale Resort for more glamping!

Of course the 280+ San Juan Islands are like no other place in North America. They are stunningly beautiful, serene, and sunnier than the greater Seattle/Puget Sound area. In fact, the islands are often referred to as "the banana belt of the Northwest." The Lakedale Resort is THE place to stay when visiting San Juan Island and Friday Harbor. Our room was comfortable (very nice queen bed), came with a fireplace, a balcony overlooking the lake, and had an excellent lodge-style feel to it (see photos). The staff is excellent, the common area and large deck overlooking the lake is spectacular, there's wine tasting if you're so inclined as well as board games. The resort is serene (take a canoe out on the lake) and just first rate all the way around. I travel 250+ days a year, so this was a real treat. The resort, in itself, makes a trip to Friday Harbor worthwhile. The island, even in summer (we were there in August), has cool evenings, so we didn't miss the fact that the room didn't have air conditioning.