Langley — Whidbey Island, USA
A short flight of stairs down to Saratoga Passage, where the local open-water swimmers gather.
The inn sits above Saratoga Passage in the middle of Langley village, and the route to the water is a short flight of stairs down from the property. This is Puget Sound, so the water is cold the whole year and the shoreline is stone and driftwood rather than sand. It draws the kind of swimmer who goes in anyway: a guest who walked down to see whether swimming was possible found a group of regulars having coffee after their swim. Rooms come with fireplaces and deep soaking tubs, which after a swim here counts as equipment rather than luxury. They are also deliberately screen-free, and breakfast is included.
