This post is sponsored by Princess Cruises.

You know that I never want to forget this moment feeling? Imagine feeling it for six hours straight, and you’ll come close to the immersive experience I had in Kotor, Montenegro. It was my favorite port on our 5-day Mediterranean cruise!

Princess Cruises is the only cruise line I’ve traveled on that fully immerses you in the destinations—and not just while you’re in port. OceanView™ brings exclusive travel shows like Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin, Good Spirits, and The Voyager with Josh Garcia from your stateroom to your iPhone—even to your living room (Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV) . The shows present the ports on a Princess voyage in such a unique way, drumming up a ton of excitement around port days during your vacation. It’s always exciting to hear the first officer’s voice come over the intercom in the mornings: “Good morning and welcome to beautiful, Kotor, Montenegro!”

I’ll be honest—the amenities on the ship are so enticing, there have been a couple times I wanted to hang back on the ship over exploring the port town…but that wasn’t the case the day we docked at Kotor. Kotor had already been such a buzzword since we got on board—Alexander, our savvy and sassy cruise director on board Sky Princess, insisted that Kotor is his favorite port in the entire world. Talking with the crew is truly one of the best ways to learn about what the top activities are in a port town. Most of them have been to each destination multiple times, and it’s always exciting to hear their unique perspectives and experiences.

My photographer, Alex, and I were blown away by this seaside city in the mountains. On our shore excursion we booked through Princess, we were so lucky to be paired with an extremely knowledgeable guide. He took us and one other passenger on a perfectly paced, intimate tour of both Kotor and Perast, a nearby seaside village. Not only did we get a personal history of Montenegro (there was a photo of his great grandfather in the history museum!), but he also took us out for coffee when we were convinced we couldn’t walk another step without caffeine. Getting to know our guide, Krsto, on a personal level and learning about his day-to-day life as a local was a truly special connection…one I can’t imagine finding outside of Princess Cruises! Experiencing life as a local is such an important way to travel, and the fact that it matters to Princess as well is the reason I keep sailing with them.

Plus, when we arrived back onboard Sky Princess, our shipmates and all the crew members we encountered were eager to hear all about what we did in port! Trust me, it was a long list:

• Explored the beautiful streets and alleys of old town Kotor

• Received a fascinating mini history lesson on Montenegro

• Enjoyed local cuisine—a fresh seafood platter and fish soup—right on the water

• Drank espresso on a cobblestone patio enjoying the last of summer’s warm breezes

• Strolled the streets of Perast, learning about the art & culture of the seaside town

• Sailed to a manmade island in the inlet housing a beautiful abandoned church

There’s really no end to the draw of this charming country, and I still have such a long bucket list for the next time I return to Montenegro! To think, I may never have known about this gem of a Mediterranean destination if it wasn’t for Princess. It never fails to surprise me how much of an impact one cruise have on the rest of my life.

Photography by Alex Ry

Thanks to Lakedale Resort and Visit San Juans for hosting our trip.

Although you can make your way around San Juan Island in probably two hours or less, just because it’s small doesn’t mean it isn’t one of the more spectacular destinations in the Pacific Northwest. Located inside the rain shadow between the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges, it’s about 80% sunnier than most of the Seattle area making it a great way to get away in the spring and summer. It pours on the charm in its small port towns of Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor, but the adventure really begins before you even arrive.

Sailing on Washington State Ferries

If you’re not flying in, you’ll most likely be taking the ferry from Anacortes, which follows a stunning route through the island passages. To give yourself a smooth start to your weekend, make sure you book your ferry reservation well in advance—but do keep in mind that open reservations are released in waves, so keep tabs on the Washington State Ferries website.

Best Restaurant on San Juan Island

Floating in just in time for happy hour, Michele and I headed to Downriggers for drinks and appetizers on the pier. It became our favorite restaurant on the island—we went a total of three times in three days. Sorry, not sorry! Their spicy margaritas, crab tots, and tacos were absolutely worth it. We had a lot of great food during our weekend, but you can’t beat the views and the vibes at Downriggers.

FROM Friday Harbor to Roche Harbor

My dad happened to be working on nearby Henry Island the same night we arrived. Driving from Friday Harbor to Roche Harbor to meet him, we got to enjoy a full overview of the two main towns on our very first night! Having been a few times in my life, I was pretty familiar with Friday Harbor, but Roche Harbor was new to me, and I was blown away by its charm.

As we learned later at the San Juan Museum of History, Roche Harbor was dominated by lumber and lime mining until it was privately purchased and turned into tourism paradise. The marinas are breathtaking, and all of the businesses and buildings dotting the shoreline are a beautiful weathered white. Getting to meet it for the first time at twilight just as the twinkle lights were switching on was absolutely magical.

Stopping at the go-to Roche Harbor hangout, Madrona, we enjoyed a few more snacks and drinks while catching up with my dad, who then took us on a quick harbor cruise just before the sun went down.

RELAX AND EXPLORE AT Lakedale RESORT

After our busy afternoon and evening, we finally checked into our home for the next two nights—Lakedale Resort. I detailed our yurt glamping stay in this post, but there is so much more to the resort I want to share! They have such beautiful grounds and so many options of places to stay. One of my favorites were their glamping tents, located right on one of their three lakes.

They have activities for every age level all throughout the summer and plenty of places to tuck yourself away with a good book or just to sit with the sun. Roast marshmallows, make tie-dye t-shirts, play giant chess…Lakedale really is a summer paradise!

If you’re more interested in staying in town, there are a ton of adorable hotels and B&Bs both in Roche and Friday Harbors. Visit San Juans has made it super easy to find available accommodations on their website no matter what you’re looking for.

Now that we’ve got all the basics down—where to stay and where to eat—I can’t wait to share Part II of our trip next week! I couldn’t fit the bazillion photos we took in one blog post, so next up I’ll be highlighting a few of my favorite things to do on the island and more. Stay tuned!

This post is sponsored by Lakedale Resort.

Photography by Michele Equitz

Welcome to Lakedale Resort

Every summer, my family and I camped at least once, but it looked quite a bit different than this. We had a massive blue 8-person nylon tent that would always take longer to take down than it did to put up—mostly because the bag it came in seemed to get smaller after every trip. I spent every day wearing no make-up and messy braids, and every night wearing the same mess of layers whose sole purpose was to keep me warm in the Pacific Northwest’s year-round evening chill. While there’s certainly some charm to that scenario, staying in Lakedale Resort on San Juan Island’s newest offering, the yurt village, was a delightful and comfortable five-star retreat—something I wouldn’t expect to say about a campsite.

Lakedale is situated just a few minutes away from Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, which is where you’ll arrive by ferry or float plane. Situated on eighty-two acres, it’s home to three picturesque lakes and limitless activities from tie-dying t-shirts to paddle-boating to fishing. All of the buildings and amenities are clearly well-kept by a staff who, you can tell, loves spending time at Lakedale. We stayed in early May and got lucky with beautiful weather and a pretty empty campground, but come summer, Lakedale is a popular place for people from all over the region, so make sure to book in advance.

What Is Glamping?

Glamping is a pretty common slang term these days for “glamorous camping.” I’ve run into dozens of people over the years that love nature, but camping just isn’t for them. Whether it’s back pain, hygiene (or lack of), age, or simply inconvenience, there are lots of reasons your standard sleeping bag experience doesn’t work for certain groups. Yurt glamping takes all the comforts of a hotel and puts them within a round canvas hut—all the conveniences of heat, luxury, plumbing, and entertainment with the first-hand benefits of being surrounded by nature. Win-win!

Why You Should Stay In a Yurt

The yurts are just one option for accommodations at the resort (canvas cottages, log cabins, RV sites, a lodge, bring-your-own-nylon-blue tents…), but they’re definitely one of a kind. Between the private hot tub on the secluded balcony, king-size bed, fireplace, and flatscreen TV, there’s nothing more I could ask for when it comes to a relaxing getaway.

The tasteful, Scandinavian design complements our Pacific Northwest evergreens magnificently—the yurt feels remote but not out of place. It was warm and welcoming with a homey, lived-in touch; never stiff or unattainable like some hotels can be. In fact, it was so cozy that the first thing Michele and I did after entering was flop on the bed (after photos were done, of course). The kitchen offers a microwave and mini-fridge as well as plenty of mugs, glasses, and tableware, and a four-person dining table. But the best part? As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by the lovely, piney smell of freshly-cut wood. The exposed beams provide the best natural perfume!

Although we spent some time offsite exploring the two seaside towns San Juan Island has to offer, coming home every night to Lakedale Resort was the icing on the cake. One particularly memorable evening, we were treated to a light rain that sounded positively magical as it dotted the roof above us. You bet this rain-lover threw on her swimming suit and went out to enjoy it from the hot tub.

Our stay in the yurt village at Lakedale Resort was truly a unique treat, and I’d place it at the top of your list if you’re looking for fun ways to spend an anniversary trip or a weekend away with a few friends. It’s one of those places you’ll want to return to year after year—and dozens of families do. Thank you to Lakedale for letting us share this incredible experience!