Wayfarer’s Rest

This was a very clean and quiet hostel. I would definitely stay again. The reviews I read left me feeling a little skeptical about my choice but in the end I was very happy.
We rented one of the outdoor cabins, ours happened to be the one with the boat sticking out of it. I thought this would be the best for three people but it turns out that the boat section only contains a very small air mattress that is definitely only suitable for children. 2 of us slept in the bed and on one the floor. The cabin was very clean and well maintained. The cabin would be great for a couple with a child.
The common areas (2 kitchens) were comfortable, bright, and clean. All the supplies you need for cooking can be found.
The bathrooms were incredibly clean. I was really impressed with that.
The location was really good too. If you walk on the ferry I think you can easily walk to the hotel. It’s really close to downtown.
The only thing I didn’t really like is that the owners/​employees are not there to check you in. I think the staff are also an important part of the hostel experience, especially when you have questions about the area you are staying in. When checking in you can find an envelope with your name and instructions. There is a phone number in case you have any problems checking in.
There is plenty of (free) parking.
I would highly recommend this place is you are a budget traveler.

One of the interesting places we ever stayed at. At first, it was quite hard to find the place. We followed the GPS, but that did not help much.
Price ranges in San Juan island are fairly expensive. This place was almost the cheapest.
When we got there, it was at night that we could not see much. We woke up to a good view, and we realized we stayed in a boat shaped room. That was a really cute, relaxing little place. It includes two beds, but it can take four people.
The place was very clean, the kitchen, the bathrooms, and the rooms are all well maintained.
If we ever come back to this island again, this is the place we are staying at.

This hostel was nicely laid out, and as someone into nautical themed places, I liked how it looked on the inside and the fact that a lot of their wooden furniture seemed to come from old ships. They were also nice when I had to move my reservation to a week later. Since I came in the off season, it was quiet and peaceful.
However, I paid $ 65 for room #2 and my partner and I arrived from the ferry at around 10 PM. When we arrived there, two people were in room #2. I had picked that room because there was a full bed. I called the hostel numbers a few times and left a voicemail explaining the situation. When we approached the people who had taken our room, they claimed that they had just walked in and the «lady had given them that room.» I’m still not sure what exactly happened, but since they leave the keys in the door, it seems easy for dishonest people to just choose the room they want. My partner and I ended up in the room with two small bunk beds, which even though it cost the same, was far less quality.
I had rated this hostel as much lower; however, a few days after my stay, the manager called me and gave me a half refund. She apologized, and this definitely enhanced my opinion of the hostel’s professionalism. Nevertheless, I think measures should be taken so that this does not happen again.

This is the first and last time I will stay in a hostel. If you are really in abind and don’t mind if the bed smells of stale sweat and pee, then it is a place to lay to lay your head. Be aware that you must provide your own towels and soap. Bring your own dishes and utisels if you plan to use the kitchen. There were some items available but no dishpan or stoppers for the sink and a couple of soiled rags and asour sponge to clean up with.
I came away pretty much sleepless and with a nasty spider bite on my hand. I would sleep in the car before doing this again!

NOT a gem.
If you’re used to backpacking Europe and staying in the most disgusting of bedbug infested hostels, you’ll probably like Wayfarer’s a lot.
I, on the other hand, was grossed out and disappointed. FIVE STARS, PEOPLE!!! PLEASE RESERVE YOUR FIVE STARS FOR PLACES THAT GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO MAKE THINGS REALLY NICE FOR YOU!!!
You’re on vacation — you should be comfortable. Do yourself a favor and cough up the insignificant difference that it would cost you to stay someplace else on the island. Juniper Lane, Harrison House, Discovery Inn, are a few of the affordable ones I wish I’d looked into. They’re only about $ 40 a night more, and — let’s be honest — that’s not probably going to break your bank.
There are something like 8 places to stay on this property. By my calculations, they are making up to $ 800 a night having people stay there. They operate calling themselves a hostel instead of a B&B so that they don’t have to DO anything. It’s actually pretty lazy. If this were my business, I would take so much more pride in making this a really nice experience for my guests.
At Wayfarer’s, you check yourself in, so this faceless experience leaves you pretty much left to your own devices if you have any questions about the town. Check in is at 4pm… if it were ready earlier we wouldn’t have the option of checking in early, because the house is locked before that time.
Wifi? They advertised that they had it — but it didn’t work for me. When I called the manager, she was pretty rude to me on the phone, saying that I should just go into town and find some at a bar. Listen, if you advertise that you have wifi, and then you don’t, you should at least be able to suggest a few places in town that DO have it, so it seems like you care. When I asked her to provide a few specific places that she knew of, she listed two places. One was closed, the other doesn’t offer wifi at all.
We stayed in the musty, cold cabin outside that looks like a boat. The one with the burnt out porch light. We didn’t spend any time in the boat end of it, because the lightbulbs were out, and there wasn’t adequate bedding in the «reading nook» to render it at all comfortable. It was just dark, hard and stinky over there.
The bed was not much better. It was like the bare minimum a hostel owner could get away with providing. We actually spent as little time as possible in the cabin.
Chickens in the coop? Fresh eggs for breakfast? hahaha. Not on our visit. The coop was empty. Don’t get your hopes up.
Oh and herb garden? Is that a selling point? Because the only herb I saw was mint, and the symbolism here is perfect, because mint is a weed that grows on its own out of control and takes absolutely no loving care to grow it.
Sharing the bathrooms with other people proved to be an annoying experience as it wasn’t clear which bathrooms were for what areas of the property, and some people staying in the house decided it was their own private wing, and locked us out of the closer bathrooms. The bathrooms are also the bare minimum passable for cleanliness and comfort.
There are two kitchens, but neither are adequately stocked. We picked up some fish at the market and tried to utilize the kitchen but the oven is not calibrated and doesn’t heat well, and the entire kitchen was lacking in terms of basic condiments (salt, pepper, oil), utensils and cookware. Couldn’t find a wine opener so we bought champagne (celebrating our one year wedding anniversary on this trip)… I have stayed in a LOT of places through AirBnB that have many travelers in and out constantly, like a hostel, but they always make sure to have drawers and cabinets stocked completely with essentials like paper towels.
Speaking of towels, you can rent one for $ 2 (?!?), but only if the manager has done the laundry and restocked the cabinet, which sadly didn’t happen around the time we were showering! Can’t the manager put a couple towels on each bed with a note that says «additional towels at a $ 2 charge?» That seems entirely more generous than charging from the get-​go and then failing to have any available.
They close the hostel (ie ask you not be present) for several hours in the middle of the day. This is so that they can «make things nice for you.» But the thing is, they didn’t make it nice. It’s not like we walked in and were like, «ohhh now there’s paper towels in the kitchen.» We walked in and were like, «this… this isn’t nice. Still feels like they don’t care.»

Wayfarer’s a hidden gem on San Juan Island!
As much as I don’t want to write to review to help keep them a secret I have to share our experience with others.
Not to far from Friday Harbor, Wayfarer’s is a great hostel that is great for singles, couples or even large groups! The price is very reasonable especially with it being on the island. My gf and I went with our two friends, they got a room inside the hostel and we stayed in one of the two private cabins they have in the back. The room they had was very clean and had a queen bed. Each room has a lock on the door. Our cabin was nice and clean I was expecting cobwebs in the corners and bugs and thought this was not going to be a good situation for my gf but we showed up and I took a look all over the cabin with my flashlight to make sure nothing was going to sneak up on us and they literally clean the whole cabin all the nooks and crannies didn’t see any spider webs. There was a heater inside the cabin in case we were cold. The cabin we stayed in could sleep three with the bunk bed they had. The bottom bunk was a full and the top bunk was a single. Bathrooms were really clean as well, they have two full bathrooms and two full kitchens with two large living room areas.
Lots of fun and good company. Highly recommend staying here if you are looking for a place to stay.

cool, chill place.

I have to admit that I had my doubts about staying here. I had visited the hostel’s website and had emailed for availability information, but never heard back from anyone. It also took several phone calls and couple of messages before I was able to get a live person on the phone for reservations, but I’m so happy that I finally did.
Nestled away just a couple blocks from town, Wayfarer’s Rest is one of the best hostels I’ve ever stayed at. Although I only spent one night, I could’ve easily spent more time at the hostel, even if it was just to sit in the back yard and read. I would definitely stay here again next time I visit Friday Harbor.

There are, as of mid-​2010, two places to stay for under $ 100 in Friday Harbor: the Orca Inn or the Wayfarer’s Rest. We stayed at both this month, and I’m writing a compare-​and-​contrast review. Both are minimalist, giving you a place to sleep and not much extra space. Both are clean, tolerably quiet, and ten minutes’ walk from «downtown».
Advantages of the Orca Inn:
— Bigger; you’re more likely to get a room on short notice (as we did).
— A little more «hotel-​like»; you get a guaranteed in-​room shower, a private mini fridge, a personal microwave, and towels for free (charged $ 2 at Wayfarer’s).
— Television in your room; Wayfarer’s has no TV.
— Slightly closer to «services»; there’s an espresso hut, a supermarket, and a bakery all within a block.
Advantages of Wayfarer’s Rest:
— More social, with an actual common area, puzzles, lending library, etc.
— Two full-​size kitchens (with complimentary eggs from the backyard chickens and complimentary coffee) that you can use as you please.
— More character; rooms are individualized, including some very cute cabins out back.
— Feels a little «closer in» than the Orca Inn.
We were very happy with both and would stay again.

This place is a favorite! I was here last summer when I was traveling alone and needed an affordable place to stay on the islands. I spent 3 nights in the dorm room and it was clean, comfy and very reasonably priced. The community living and cooking space are great to meet other travelers and feel the friendly, slower paced island atmosphere. I will be back!

How is it possible that no other Unilocalers have discovered this wonderful little place on San Juan Island?
It’s a hostel with bunk beds and shared baths, with a few little private cabins in the back. They have a boat-​house! It’s half cabin, half old-​ship! The main bed is in the cabin part but you can crawl back and play under and above deck. Little kids could even sleep on the little bed under the deck. (It’s all connected inside). Sooo cool. We were like giddy 5-​year-​olds.
If you go in the summer, you can load up on the thousands of fresh sweet juicy blackberries that grow EVERYWHERE, and then make yourself some amazing blackberry cobbler in the big communal kitchen. It is perfect, cheap summer fun.