It's ok. Very dated. The house smells a little odd. Clean. A little creepy. Love the included coffee bag 16oz) to brew while staying or bring home to enjoy. Sadly we won't be returning. read more

Fort Worden - Engineer's Cottage #245 - Hotels Near Me - Port Townsend, Washington

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Came up because the hubs was taking a woodcarving course offered @ Fort Worden. We decided to stay there as well, since he could walk to the building. We stayed in the engineers cottage. 2 bedrooms upstairs, bathroom downstairs. For starters, all the windows were painted shut (thickly!), except 2 on the ground floor & 1 in each bedroom, upper level. This was difficult as the week was 75-80. No air movement. The house got HOT and was only furnished with one tiny fan! Next was the faulty Wi-Fi. With no TV, internet is paramount! And Fort Worden's kept going out every 5-10 minutes and would stay off for about 20. Yes this was constant! So frustrating! Yeah we walked around, but gimme a break... Sometimes you want to watch a program, or the news without it stalling or buffering endlessly. Then there's the divot in the bed, The constant dripping water in the tub, The screen door almost hanging by the hinges in the laundryroom. Stained carpet (don't blame my dog! he didn't do that). Paint cracked & peeling various places. 90% of the windowshades were difficult to open/manipulate. Hand rail doesn't come all the way down, and one should be placed onto opposite wall (as an amputee, single banisters are dangerous). There was a Fiddle festival here when we first arrived, people with big dogs, were not picking up after their dogs! Poop everywhere. Giant poop all around the cottage. You want to maintain historical value? Why remove the fireplace? Definitely staying somewhere else next time in Port Townsend. read more

We reserved the JFK building for my daughter and son-in-law's After-Wedding party in June 2023. Even with a few staff changes during the months we were arranging things with Fort Worden Hospitality, and a few reiterations, the staff was very accommodating and pleasant. On the day of the party, we arrived at the JFK to set up flowers and a photo booth, and the room looked splendid. The sitting and standing tables were nicely arranged with white tablecloths, the food tables off to the side, bar set up on the other side. Clean and pleasant. Our DJ had the perfect spot up on the stage with provided speakers and a table (with a table skirt) for his mixer, turntables, etc. For our afternoon reception, we picked hors d'oeuvres that were served at the perfect time, tasted delicious, and everyone loved Eddy the bartender! The standing tables were easy to move aside for dancing on the wood floor, and we did dance! I love the charm of this old building. It has been nicely restored inside with a soft green paint on the walls, new but historically appropriate light fixtures, modern bathroom fixtures...not overly done. The setting overlooks a large grassy field with an iconic madrone tree, and a view of Puget Sound beyond the Fort. Thank you FWH for a wonderful party! read more

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We've been wanting to stay at Fort Worden, in one of the officers' houses, for a very long time...and we were finally able to do it!! We stayed in a 'Corporals' house on NCO Row, and it did not disappoint! For those of you expecting a 5 star hotel experience, this is not that, and it is not intended to be....these are historic buildings, a piece of Washington State's early history, part of an old military defense fortification to protect from enemy ships entering Puget Sound from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. From what I could tell, it was no easy task to get these buildings up to today's standards with plumbing, electrical and such, and it was done very well, including extensive remodeling and furnishings to make it comfortable, and yet still retain its old-world charm...WELL DONE!! We happened to be there around the time of various musical workshops and performances, including fiddling....so we were surround by people carrying banjos, fiddles, guitars, mandolin's, etc...and hearing music wafting through the air that made me feel like, either Leprechauns or Hobbits would come dancing out of the forest at any moment! haha! I'm a guitar player and had brought my instrument with me, so I felt right at home! In addition to the above, exploring the old military bunkers & gun artillery batteries that housed the large cannons was fascinating! It is a fairly vast complex, but within walking/biking distance and well worth the effort. A bit further walk takes you to the large beach bunker complex, plus the beach itself which is very nice. We enjoyed walking, biking and exploring the Fort Worden complex and nearby beaches, and used our location as a hub for venturing further out on day trips as well! And I must not forget to mention the movie 'An Officer and a Gentleman' which was filmed at Fort Worden in the early 1980's...we made a point to watch the movie while we stayed there!! Thank you Fort Worden and Washington State Parks for preserving this gem of the Pacific Northwest! read more

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**TRAVELING DURING COVID-19** PLEASE TRAVEL SAFELY, MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING, WEAR YOUR MASKS. We decided to end summer with a quick trip out to Fort Worden. We've never been to the peninsula, but the pictures looked promising. We chose to stay in the Bliss Vista cottage which is on its own private lot. Tons of privacy and beautiful views of the beach, Puget sound + both mountains (Baker & Rainier). Hikers do tend to pass through the yard, but it wasn't a not a ton of people & no one ever tried to peak thru the cottage or do anything sketchy, so that was nice. hehe Definitely distanced from others which is important during the pandemic. The cottage does not have AC so we packed our own fans which worked out well. We were traveling during the beginning of Sept so it cooled down quite nicely at night so we kept some of the windows open. Lots of breezes since we were on a bluff. The cottage has 1 bed which is not in a separate bedroom. It's towards the side/back of the living room. We packed another queen size airbed because there were 2 adults and 2 young kiddos. Space wasn't an issue. The cottage was very well maintained compared to another busy resort-type of hotel we recently stayed at. We are clean freaks so we brought our own cleaning equipment and wiped down all surfaces b/c kids tend to touch EVERYTHING. Shoes were kept on because let's be real, Americans (non asian) tend to wear their shoes inside the house *eye rolls* which makes for very dirty floors especially when they're carpeted. Sigh - why are shoes worn INSIDE the house??? Legit serious question for those who do this. Overall, the stay was nice and my family enjoyed themselves here. We did not do any dining out and brought all of our own food to cook. The cottage has a full kitchen. I did bring my own pan and pot. The kitchen has maybe 1-3 cooking pots/pans. There is no plastic wrap or aluminum foil. They do provide 1 bag of coffee and 3 packs of organic teas. No dishwasher so bring your own dishwashing gloves! Plenty of toilet paper for our 3 day stay (3 rolls). Plenty of hand towels provided which was much appreciated. We stayed from Sunday-Tuesday. Sunday was bumping and Monday + Tuesday was a ghost town. Most of the restaurants/eating places were not open in Fort WOrden. The grounds is pretty massive. We didn't do much exploring, but we did go down to the beaches and lighthouse (which is closed). Check out the photos for more views of the cottage. Booking at a cottage is probably your best bet unless your group is large. It's perfect for 4 people. read more

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My wife and I stayed in Alexander's Castle for a night so that we could explore Fort Worden State Park. Reservations were easy to make via the phone. Visa and Mastercard are accepted forms of payment. Cancellations must be made 30 days in advance or else the deposit is forfeited (deposit = 1 nights stay). Check in is at 4:00pm and check out is at 11:00am. A Discover Pass is required in order to explore this park. Giving three stars for a few reasons: 1. When making my reservation I should have been advised that my parking pass also serves as a Discover day pass for each night we stayed in the Castle. Had I been advised of this, I would not have went out and purchased a Discover Pass. 2. The cost of one night is the Castle was $363.66. For this price I feel that the Castle should have been stocked with basic toiletries. The only toiletry offered were bars of soap. The Castle should have also offered coffee and/or tea. A complimentary breakfast would also have been nice. 3. All kitchenware used must be washed and dried before checking out. 4. There is no TV offered in the Castle. This wasn't a huge concern to me but it may be to some, especially with the nightly price tag. Pros: 1. We arrived a bit earlier than the 4pm check-in and were allowed to check-in early. 2. Free Wi-Fi Password is provided at check-in. 3. The gas stove is propane so wood is not required. 4. Discover Pass is part of the rental. 5. Kitchen is fully stocked with plate-ware, silverware, stemware, pots/pans, coffee pot, microwave, salt and pepper. 6. Recycling is encouraged. 7. Staff members are friendly. My wife and I had a great time exploring Fort Worden. Just know, that if you stay in the Castle, you will need to bring everything with you (toiletries, coffee, spices, aluminum foil etc...) read more

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5 stars for the park's open green space, hiking, and adventure. 2 stars for accommodations. I've stayed in many historical hotels and homes and this by far is the worst service, cleanliness, and quality for the price. I have stayed in both the lowest grade (Corporal Quarters) and higher grade (Colonels) and I will say the lack of comfortablility is equal opportunity across the board. The homes smell horrible, feel dirty, and the furnishings are sparse, damaged and may have been acquired from dumpster diving or the Goodwill (so it seems). I feel bamboozled from the sparkling/filtered pictures online. When I called to voice my concerns after checking in, I was met with a clerk that felt "so sad" about my complaints but actually did nothing to remedy the situation. If you are hell bent on spending the night at Fort Worden for the novelty, stick with the lower priced accommodations, the higher prices of the larger quarters do not mean higher quality or cleanliness. read more

Stayed at the Quartermasters home this past weekend with some friends and loved it. I have been to the Fort on many occasions for hiking but hadn't stayed overnight. I was expecting basic state part accommodations and was pleasantly surprised that the house was so clean and well appointed. Bed linens, towels, soaps, coffee and kitchen amenities. Very clean and nicely furnished. While the outside of the building looks like it could use some fresh paint, the interior was lovely and comfortable. Our stay just happened to coincide with the Modest Mouse concerts and I was concerned that the park would be over run with concert goers and we'd not be able to sleep. Park staff did an amazing job of keeping the concert running well and we barely heard a thing - show ended at 10 as promised. Would highly recommend and look forward to another stay. read more

Apparently they put the last-minute reservations in the non-renovated units at the Fort. Paint peeling on every surface, strange musty smell, crumbling walls, stained carpets. Smoke detector in unit next door was beeping all night long. ABSOLUTELY NO ONE ON STAFF to ask for help and NO AFTER-HOURS EMERGENCY NUMBER to call. Sleeping through the death knell of next door's smoke alarm battery isn't exactly high on my Port Townsend to-do list. Horrible experience. Will never, ever be staying here again. read more

We got a good deal last minute at expedia and I read some really good and some really bad reviews. So, I was hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. It ended up we got one of the remodeled two bedroom old army barrack, not too bad. Yes, the place is very old but since it was remodeled, we had a new-ish bathtub, new carpet, and new paint. We happened to come on some very hot days and that was a problem. The windows have no net and we worried about mosquitoes and hesitated to open the window. Besides, the windows were so old that some didn't open, yet others couldn't be closed! The kitchen facility is bare minimum. Lucky that we were not planning to cook here. The bathroom has no cabinet space, or hook, therefore no space to put out your toiletry or towels. And worst of all, it has no supply in the bathroom other than a few pieces of bar soap. Yes, no shampoo, no lotion and even no hair dryer. On the other hand, the bed is clean and comfortable. Unfortunately, we had very noisy drunk neighbor. The wall is very thin and their noises kept us up late. And get this! We had no choice not opened the window at night, it was hot. And a bat flew into the room in the middle of the night! A BAT! The ground is very empty and yet very open. There are deers grazing the ground freely and they are not afraid of human. The best are the rocking chairs on the porch. We really enjoyed the evening rocking on the porch. We never tried the Taps on site but please, don't listen to the people at the front desk. He made it sounded like nothing would be opened in town after 7pm, which is so not true. I'm so glad that we wanted to explore instead of staying to eat at the Taps. Most of the restaurants open till 8pm or 9pm in uptown. You don't need to stay and eat at the Fort. Overall, this is a very different experience and not too bad. But if we visit the peninsula again, this probably will not be my choice again. read more

My family loves historical places and especially military history. We have visited many of the old forts in WA and OR and have always talked about how cool it would be to stay in one of the old buildings on a fort. My boys (9 & 11) have never been to Fort Worden, Fort Flagler or Fort Townsend so we decided we would take a few days to explore them. I made reservations online to stay in the Bandmaster's House because it allowed pets. The reservation process was easy. We arrived and were so excited because it is such a neat fort with many buildings and a few restaurants. The check in process was fine. We were given the keys and we made our way to the house. When first entering I instantly thought I smelt urine. I thought maybe it was just the smell of the old house. As we walked through I ended up find a bag with 3 dirty diapers sitting behind the bathroom door. I immediately called the front desk and explain what I found. She sounded surprised but was not apologetic at all. I told her we had open as many windows as we could (some are painted shut) and the smell was still lingering. Plus, we were there when it was very smokey so we got the smell of smoke with the open windows as well. I requested a fan to help clear the urine smell. She said maintenance would bring us one. A maintenance guy brought us a box fan. He was very apologetic and talked to us about it. We gave him the bag of dirty diapers and I spent the next couple of hours trying to get the smell to finally dissipate. When we went to make dinner that night we found dirty dishes in the cupboard. One of the rules is you must wash all dishes and put them away when you leave or you get charged so I am assuming the previous renters just put dirty dishes back in the cupboard instead of washing and the house keeping did not check to make sure they were clean. The next morning I found coffee cups with dried coffee left in the bottom. There was also two trays of ice and a ziplock bag with what I'm assuming was water that had been frozen in the freezer. (Ice trays should always be emptied and clean for a new guest.) The first morning we awoke to either maintenance or an outside electrical company banging on buildings all around us then they actually started banging on pipes under the house we were renting. We were definitely up and awake by that point as our dogs were also riled up because of the noise. It seemed like they were trying to figure out where the pipes ran because there were guys banging around and other guys at other buildings trying to listen...? The next afternoon maintenance came and told us an electrical company needed to come into the house and do some work. I wasn't feeling well and was actually in bed most of that day. My husband told him that would not work because I was sleeping. A couple hours later maintenance again came by and said that the electrical company would be at the house at 9am the next morning to do work. My husband again said no and told him we would be checking out at 11am and they could come once we were out. They can't seriously expect paying customers to accommodate an electrical company they had contracted, right? Of course, at check out the front desk girl did not ask how our stay was because I'm assuming she didn't want to hear. We gave her our customer survey that listed the issues we had. She didn't respond and I'm sure it probably ended up in the shredder because we never received any other communication from them since. We paid $199 per night with the "last minute" promo deal. There is also a charge of $30 per night, per pet so with taxes taking our dogs cost us an extra $196.20. We paid $877.47 total for 3 nights. It's irritating that we had to pay an extra $200 to bring our pets as they left no trace of themselves there when we left. The place was cleaner after we left then when we got there including cleaning the previous renters dishes so we could use them ourselves. You may also want to know that if you are staying during warm months there is no air circulation. We had the box fan because of the smell from the dirty diapers and it was still warm. Maybe because this is a state park they aren't really concerned with customer service? We were pretty disappointed with our first experience staying on a fort. My suggestion is to definitely check out the fort and even a restaurant but don't rent a house! I should have read more reviews before booking. read more

Be very careful when you make your reservation! I just had to cancel a reservation 20 days from today and was told that my stay has already been charged to my credit card and no refund is available. I am very disappointed in their customer service. read more

Although the location is beautiful and the accommodations are comfortable, the customer service (especially in booking and billing) was horrible. After having a family reunion here a few years ago, we came again, but the lack of communication and organization from the Fort Worden staff was frustrating. Our account was passed to multiple people, emails and phone calls were not returned, and it took over a week and a half to close out our final bill. This lack of customer service, coupled with the fruit bats that found their way into our houses at night, soured our experience for Fort Worden. read more