Image
Text Editor
Built in 1891 as the Tourist Hotel, Bird Rock is one of the oldest hotels on San Juan Island and holds official historic status. If you look up from First Street, you can still spot the original name inlaid in brick at the top of the bottom brick portion of the building.
The Tourist Hotel was ahead of its time—the first hotel on the island with indoor plumbing, a rare luxury then. It featured a restaurant, a bar, a pool hall, and even a dedicated reception room for ladies (who weren’t allowed in the bar). Legend has it a dentist occasionally set up shop in the lobby—likely with a little help from the bar’s anesthetic selection.
Over the decades, the building has worn many hats: hostel, private residence, house of ill repute, a beloved pizzeria, and even a hot tub rental spot in the basement. And through every reinvention, it remained a fixture of Friday Harbor.
Image
Image
Text Editor
In 2001, Laura Saccio and her family bought the building, fulfilling a dream born one quiet evening in Portland, Oregon. With a new baby, a Master’s in International Management, and a longing for a life that balanced family, adventure, and meaningful work, Laura began the search for a hotel in the Pacific Northwest. After eight months of scouting, number-crunching, and big dreaming, they landed here—on this beautiful island, in this beautiful building.
Since then, the hotel has been lovingly restored and reimagined as Bird Rock Hotel—a place where history, hospitality, and a little bit of fun all come together. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
