Gig Harbor Vacation Rental cottage

This is a spacious, very comfortable house in a dramatic setting -- surrounded by tall Douglas fir trees and an arm of Puget Sound. The best thing about it, however, is its accessibility to everything that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. It's within easy driving distance of two of the nation's most spectacularly beautiful national parks -- Mount Rainier and Olympic. The mountain views and old growth forests alone are worth a stay here. The Sound is calm and picturesque, but open-ocean beaches on the Olympic Peninsula are relative close if you want to see pounding surf and wide sandy beaches. Gig Harbor itself is a cute village with an active fishing fleet, boat rentals, great views of Rainier and numerous restaurants. Nearby Tacoma is an underrated city with several good museums, seafood restaurants and Hello Cupcake, our favorite bakery. Seattle is also a convenient drive...it's the kind of vibrant city that has the best of everything in its region, including the best baguettes, seafood, pastry and produce at the public market. Seattle is a one-hour drive up the I-5, but we found it more relaxing to take the shorter trip north on Highway 16 to Southworth and then catch the ferry to West Seattle. We stayed there for several months and found everything we needed for longer-term housekeeping, including an adequately equipped kitchen. Owners Lynette and Steve were personable and helpful. In short, this is a great place for a weekend stay or longer.