I was somehow lucky enough to be the winner of an MK & Rosé giveaway. Through which I was gifted an overnight stay, a gift card to an amazing brewery and treated to a cooking class for two. I decided that the best time to take this trip, would be on my favorite holiday - Valentine's day! Fortunately all of the stars aligned and we were able to book all of our activities on the day for celebrating love.
Naturally, I was incredibly excited for the trip to Vashon. Though I am a Washington native and it is so close in proximity, I have never been to the island. For us, it is an easy drive from Allyn to Port Orchard to catch the very short ferry ride to the Island of Vashon. It is so close to us, yet it feels like a world away.
I am happy to say that we had an amazing time on our mini family vacation. I had high expectations for our adventure and all of the aspects of the trip delivered. Unlike our Gig Harbor Wine Adventure featured in January's blog post, I can confidently say that all of the portions of our trip were beyond satisfactory in atmosphere, service and wine/beer selection.
As such, I encourage you all to check out these spots in the near future. Take a look at my recap of our adventure and why you need to visit Vashon Island.
Camp Colvos Brewing: This was the first part of our Vashon Island adventure and it is seemingly the only place on the island that is open in the early afternoon. While I am a huge wine fanatic, I do enjoy a good beer from time to time. Not much can beat a perfect, refreshing beer in the early afternoon...
Camp Colvos beers are pretty unique. Don't worry, they of course have the delicious IPA staples that the majority of PNW beer drinkers crave. But they also have beer made from hops that are grown on the Island of Vashon. The taste is so different and requires at least a sampling while you are there. They also have German style beers on tap that are incredibly refreshing and well made.
Beyond the beers, they have great food, including meat pies, sandwiches served on delicious pretzel buns and artichoke dip to warm your heart on a chilly day. I know this that is pretty cheesey...(get it) but I am in love with this place. Check out the photo below for a look a few of the items from their menu that we devoured.
Put good food, great beer, and phenomenal presentation together and I am hooked! Then add a dog friendly atmosphere and you can count me in as a lifetime customer. I thoroughly enjoyed our lengthy time spent at the brewery on Friday. The dogs also really enjoyed their time sun bathing on the patio and drooling over the food.
We were also lucky enough to meet the brewer's wife. She was so lovely and was able to handle the busy taproom flawlessly. If we lived on the island there is no doubt that we would become regulars.
Earlier this week I found out that Camp Colvos will be coming to Tacoma! I cannot wait to have their beer in another location, I believe this beer location will be paired with pizza...
Vashon Island Baking Co: If you know me, you know that I am not that into sweets. Unless it is my mother-in-law's famous chocolate chip cookies, which have become my YUMM standard for sweets. But while we were traipsing down the main road in town, I saw the cutest little bakery leaving me with no choice but to make Blake stop and explore. Afterall, it was Valentine's day and there is no better day on the calendar to indulge in delicious treats.
Fortunately, it ended up being a good decision because the baked goods were in large supply and were delightfully delicious. I am grateful that the staff was incredibly friendly and did not shame my husband and I for our painful level of indecisiveness. After several minutes of arguing with our cravings and letting people go ahead of us in line while we worked through our decision making crisis, we finally made our selections.
We ended up leaving with three treats: a brownie with cream cheese frosting, a caramel fudge bar, and a cinnamon pudding muffin of sorts.
My favorite was the brownie, but all of them were tasty and paired well with the sparkling rosé we brought from home. This made for the perfect, pre-dinner snack to be enjoyed outside by the fire in the communal space at The Lodges on Vashon.
Yes, all of the treats did get eaten. We attempted to save the muffin for the morning, but upon our return from dinner it was missing. We asked the boys what happened to our treat, but neither had an answer. We found the muffin wrapper under the couch, which called for an inspection of crumbs in their whiskers. Unfortunately, the investigation was doomed from the start. Chance would never leave behind a rogue crumb.
Lodges on Vashon: This place is what my father's dreams are made of! My dad has the dream of having a big property where he can have multiple individual cabins to host reunions for his family or to use as AirBnB, when not in town. This is exactly what he has been looking for!
The Lodges on Vashon is made up of several fully equipped cabins that resemble shipping containers. Each of the rooms have a small kitchenette, a full bathroom of course, the ability to sleep 4, and they are dog friendly! The Lodges on Vashon told Glamping to Glow Up! And this was the result.
My favorite part of this property beyond the amazing modern style room, is the communal space. They have a gorgeous covered outdoor seating area perfect for entertaining large groups. Just off of this area is an indoor kitchen with all of the accouterments you may need for entertaining.
I am sure we will find ourselves back here. It would be a great place to bring a group of friends or family, because you have the opportunity to escape the communal space and hide in your cabin alone in peace. Only if needed of course.
Relish Cooking Class: We ended our Valentine's Day evening with the Cooking Class at Relish. Over the past few years I have been getting really into cooking, so I was beyond excited for the class. As Blake and I entered the class, we met the chef/instructor, the Sommelier from the neighboring restaurant and a few of our class mates.
As more classmates piled in, the group that sat down next to us looked familiar- turns out they were a couple I had gotten to know while pouring at Mosquito Fleet Winery. It was so lovely to see them again and it began to feel like we had been invited to a dinner party with friends we have known forever.
I wish I got more photos of the cooking process and of the space, but unfortunately I was living in the moment. Which is not conducive for the gram. You will just have to picture the space and the food creations in your mind. Trust me, it was beautiful and delicious.
Throughout the evening we participated in creating several delicious courses of the meal. It was like we were cooking at our best friend's house, but one of those friends happened to be a professional chef.
The atmosphere was great and the wine was better. We began the meal with a Reisling, transitioned to a Albariño paired with oysters, and finished the evening with a wine from Beaujolais paired with duck. It was so tasty and I picked up some new skills for working in the kitchen - like a new and more efficient way to cut a grapefruit. I did not perfect my oyster shucking skills, but I don't think I ever will.
I recommend this class to everyone! If you do not live on the island, it would be wise to make plans to stay over night. The class is walking distance from The Lodges on Vashon and if you know you are staying, you will not have to deal with the anxiety of having a boat to catch. Our class was scheduled from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM, but we were all staying on the island and having too much fun. Ultimately, causing the class to run until nearly 10 PM. No one seemed to care.
In short, I had the best time on my trip to Vashon Island. It made for the perfect Valentine's Day and mini family vacation. I am so fortunate to have won the trip that prompted such an amazing exploration. If you have not been to the island, you should go. Even if you do not spend the night, it can make for a perfect day trip. I cannot wait to go back.
If you have any questions about my trip or recommendations on where to go next, comment below, send me a direct message through Instagram or leave a note on The Wine Tails Facebook page. I hope to hear from you soon, cheers!