Kangaroo House B & B

My mother and I spent a lovely three days/​two nights girls’ retreat at Kangaroo House a few weeks ago. Jill and Charles are truly unparalleled hosts. Perhaps I’ve been living in the city too long, but I forgot what it was like to be surrounded by so many kind people. Orcas is an amazingly warm, friendly little island. Everyone seems glad you’re there. It’s incredible what simply feeling genuinely wanted does to the spirit.
Kangaroo House is a two-​minute drive from Eastsound, which serves as the main hub on Orcas Island. Charles and Jill have an incredible garden out front, surrounded by beautiful big old trees. We stayed in the Stellar’s Jay suite, which has two beds, a king in the bedroom and a Murphy bed in the sitting room. Despite my notable fear that I’d wind up folded into the wall Mickey Mouse-​style, the bed was super comfy and I remained parallel to the floor, which is generally how I like it. The linens are soft, warm, and fluffy, and the rooms are absolutely adorable. Lots of antiques and vintage touches without being an old timey cat lady’s abode, which is how plenty of bed and breakfasts turn out once you’re there in person. You can tell everything Jill and Charles do is truly a labor of love.
My favorite part of our trip was probably the simplest: all the quiet nature. There are deer everywhere. We saw a… 32 point buck? Just antlers on top of antlers, detouring into more antlers, and he was just casually doing his grocery shopping on some apples from the orchard across the street. At one point we saw a family of six deer outside the Inn at Ship Bay Restaurant. They all seemed to feel so safe and relaxed that they didn’t mind me starring at them like a creeper, and they didn’t even look up as cars were slamming their doors and people were walking to the restaurant. Everyone here is so chill, even the animals are like, «How can we make your trip better? Oh, you want to feed me berries from your hand? No prob, let’s nuzzle.» I mean my mom wouldn’t let me since she was convinced it would teach the deer to lose their healthy fear of humans (because while we were on a grown-​up girls’ retreat, she still tells me what to do), but if she’d left me alone long enough, those deer would’ve totally eaten the fruit plate I was luring them with.
Kangaroo House — while no longer home to its namesake marsupial — is about as serene as it gets. The birds literally sing all day long. I can’t explain how, but it’s just completely different than city birds. Probably because they’re chipper birds that just want to make your visit to Orcas Island a little happier. Which everyone accomplishes. The whole experience is restorative. I even got a hug from Charles on my departure — could these people and this place get any better?

Bed and breakfast in beautiful vintage house on Orcas Island. The room was nice, cozy and clean. Jill and Charles the hosts were very friendly and accommodating. They run a terrific B&B! Breakfast was a 3 course meal and a real treat made from the freshest ingredients that they grow in their garden. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice cozy place to stay. Plus they have an awesome hot tub that sits way back in a private spot in the back yard and it was lovely siting under the stars for a soak.

I have never stayed at a B and B before. This experience was truly wonderful!!! I would recommend this B and B to everyone. The food was exceptional. All fresh produce and much of it from from the owners, Charles and Jill’s, garden. Both are excellent chefs. The breakfast were creative and deliciously prepared. The house itself is absolutely beautiful, a wonderful arts and crafts bungalow with beams, stained glass, wood floors, antique furniture and the best front porch in the world. I hope to go back many times. Thanks Charles and Jill.
Trish from Fort Collins, Co.

This B&B was the most fun, beautiful, friendly, comfortable experience we have had. The breakfast was gourmet and an unbelievable experience for the tastebuds. The hosts were talented in cooking and caring for their guests. Rooms were beautiful, comfortable and exceptionally clean.

We just spent 5 nights at Kangaroo House and loved it. It is close to area restaurants, shops, attractions and has beautiful grounds, common areas and rooms. Charles and Jill are amazing hosts and clearly love having and visiting with guests. We thoroughly enjoyed the common breakfast time and chance to visit with some fascinating other guests. The food was very creative, gourmet and beautifully presented… not to mention absolutely delicious. It also has a fascinating history. We would definitely stay here again when returning to Orcas Island.
Jan and Ray

Lovely place. Charles and Jill were very helpful and friendly. My daughter and I went in October and stayed at the Nuthatch room, perfect for us. The breakfast was yummy. We would love to go back.

We had a wonderful experience here.
Our host, Charles was extraordinary; welcoming, knowledgeable, and an excellent cook.
It’s a beautiful old building with a lot of history. Really cozy open areas and plenty of deck and patio space, which is important to me.
They have a beautiful vegetable garden out front, which helped to make breakfast one of the highlights. They also have a hot tub in the back garden that’s nicely tucked away.
Our room was small but cozy and very adequately suited. We’ll definitely be back!

This was a wonderful place to stay for my wife and me. the home is beautiful, and decorated in the Arts and Crafts style. There is a large front porch and a back deck. We stayed. The Chickadee room, and it was he perfect size for two people for a short stay. There is a room with plenty of seating and a fireplace downstairs, and a hot tub which is discreetly placed in the backyard. Breakfast was fantastic, starting with a plate of local fruit. This was followed by some locally raised bacon which was baked and some delicious mexican style eggs. The third breakfast course (yes, there were three courses) was an almond torte with fresh blackberry purée. I only wish we cold have stayed longer.

Kangaroo House is essentially Orcas Island: quaint, clean, welcoming, and accessible. The rooms are sweet and comfortable and the gardens are beautiful. Two things really «made» our stay: our gracious hosts Charles and Jill, and they’re delicious breakfasts. Everything they made was perfect – scones, pancakes, a roastie that I’d crawl across a desert of broken glass to eat again (even one bite).
Furthermore, Charles and Jill are fabulous. They’re kind, generous, and made us feel like we were old friends having coffee.
We’ll be back in the near future, for sure!

Kangaroo House B and B made our Orcas Island weekend getaway incredible! We stayed in the Northern Flicker suite, complete with beautiful linens and a nice little sitting area with a TV and DVD’s. (although we had no time to watch TV!) The location is perfect, close enough to downtown Eastsound, easily walkable if you want to explore and very close if you want to drive. The breakfast, the hot tub, the hosts (Charles and Jill) all PERFECT! The food was gourmet 5 stars… each day I thought, it can’t be as good as yesterday, when are they going to get tired and serve us muffins from the supermarket. NEVER happened! Everything from scratch and perfectly presented with wonderful attention to detail! (I love that) Orcas Island proved to be a fabulous destination for mountain biking in Moran State park. Maybe not for everyone, but perfect for me! Lots of hiking trails too, and gorgeous vistas and lakes. We ate dinner at the Shipyard Inn — SUPER good and the Leaf Café, also wonderful. Lunch at Café Mia, crazy good fresh made food and then we went shopping at Olga’s and the book store. There were plenty of small shops to keep us occupied and entertained. I will return to Orcas and I will stay again at Kangaroo Inn, and recommend it to everyone without hesitation.

We adore this place! Charles and Jill are gracious hosts and give great suggestions for sightseeing and things to do on the island and surrounding islands. The breakfasts are simply amazing, they use such fresh ingredients, some from their own garden. Our breakfast included a beautiful fresh fruit plate, mango nut bread, and an Alsatian rosti with fresh herbs. I am on a gluten free diet and they have made wonderful accommodations for me. Do try the Kangaroo House if you stay on Orcas Island, it’s a gem.

We just spent two nights there and this b&b is a relaxing oasis that’s very comfy. We stayed in Jay’s Stellar Suite — and what a stellar suite it was — spacious, well appointed, and the most comfortable bed and linens we have ever experienced.
Charles and Jill are wonderful cooks. They use as much local, organic ingredients as they can find and come up with some top-​notch creations for breakfast. They even served us a little early one morning so we could get to our kayaking in time. We really appreciated their flexibility.
A sign up sheet for the hot tub gives everyone a chance to enjoy it — with fluffy terry cloth robes in every room. The hot tub is very private and surrounded by gardens.
Charles gave us great suggestions for things to do and we loved «Angus» the outdoor kitty that greeted us when we first arrived and said our good byes to when we left.
I could go on and on… I think I have. All I can say is that it was our most treasured b&b stay and look forward to coming back. Thank you Charles and Jill for sharing your beautiful home and creating such a welcoming and nurturing space.

Just call 1−888−371−2175… I took a last-​minute trip to the San Juan Island and called Charles and Jill from the ferry terminal Tuesday afternoon. Luckily they had a room — most of the others were filled and for good reason, this is one of the best B and B’s I have stayed in!
I love well preserved historical homes. My bed and room were cozy, quiet and dark at night. After using the jacuzzi in the back garden during my reserved time, I fell right to sleep.
In the morning I wandered down to breakfast and was pleasantly surprised by a three course breakfast — a fantastic fruit plate (everything was ripe), a piping hot berry cake in my own personal ramekin followed by a baked omelet in a cute oval dish. It was so good I stayed another night and was treated to potato pancakes the next day.
The table was set with flowers from the garden which resembles a mini arboretum full of specialty plants. The bird feeders attract everything from goldfinches to flickers, and the beach is within walking distance so one can easily see the sunset.
In the morning I kayaked to Yellow Island (owned by the Nature Conservancy) and returned just in time to join them on a fast boat to Sucia where I hiked around the island.
For shopping and dining Eastsound is within walking distance in the other direction (south). Prior to catching the ferry to San Juan Island I stopped and bought chocolates and a nice watercolor of one of my favorite birds, the Red Winged Blackbird.
I’m hoping to go next time as a couples retreat and bring a few of my friends!

Had a lovely stay here. All the previous reviews capture the best of this place, although Charles ranks right up there (Jill is away studying) as the highlight of our stay there. Not just his cooking, which is fabulous, but also his personality, friendliness and general knowledge about everything! We had only one complaint about our very nice room (Goldfinch) and bath — the shower was the world’s worst. I know we’re conserving water and doing all the right things, but wow — starting the day with a drizzle is not my favorite thing to do!

The Kangaroo House B&B was the highlight of our visit to Orcas Island. Charles and Jill were wonderful hosts and wonderful cooks. Breakfast at the B&B is delicious and a lovely experience. Charles and Jill also took into account my girlfriend’s dairy allergies and created lovely dairy free versions of the breakfast (I had informed them about the allergies when I made the reservation). Charles’ recommendations for restaurants and activities were all spot on. The B&B itself was charming with several places to read peacefully, play a boardgame or observe the beautiful flower garden and birdfeeders. Our room (Steller Jay) was lovely (art deco stain glass window) and spacious with a very comfortable Queen size bed. The room also had a nice selection of books and new and classic DVD’s. Eastsound, with it’s stores and restaurants, was only a 15 minute walk away. I wholeheartedly recommend the Kangaroo B&B to anyone visiting Orcas Island!

Everyone on the island knows about the Kangaroo House and their gracious hosts Jill and Charles. My husband and I really enjoyed our stay here and would recommend it highly to anyone! This cozy craftsman bungalow is a mile walk from downtown. The one thing that I enjoyed most about staying here is obviously the amazing breakfast that is served! This was my first time at a B&B and I was very surprised by the level of taste and refinement of each dish that we were served up each morning. Each bfast comes with 3 courses, 1 savory, 1 fruit, and 1 sweet. Perfection. The food is pulled from local markets, gardens, and even smoked salmon from local Indian tribes! I was amazed each morning and I am still thiking about the blackberry crumble and the almond bites. Divine. The other thing to mention is that no one is intrusive or in your face. Guests come and go as they please and everyone seems to have a good sense of respect for space and privacy. A great institution here on Orcas!

The Kangaroo House is a local institution, and if you are looking for a place to stay that is close to Eastsound (easy walking distance) and on the apex of the horseshoe, this is it. Comfortable rooms, a cool 1907 house, great flower gardens, a hot tub in the back, and good all around relaxation.

We stayed at the Kangaroo House (the husband is from Australia, hence the name) for two nights in ⁷⁄₉₈. Everything about it was perfect: the owners, the setting, the ambiance, the breakfasts… we had to share a bathroom with others, but it was worth it to stay at such a nice place.