2bd, 1ba-Sleeps 6 cozy cabin with 90’ of beachfront on beautiful Lake Samish. Only 1.5hrs to Seattle and 1hour to Vancouver BC (bring your passport). Bellingham is best known for its outdoor oasis. Everything from the best skiing (Mt Baker about an hour away), great whale watching (Bellingham Bay), epic mountain biking (over 700 trails!) and picturesque hiking (Larabee State Park, Whatcom Falls, Clayton Beach with 1000’s of sand dollars at low tide) are all in Bellingham. Family friendly for all ages.
CATCH: we have no air-conditioning! Plenty of fans though. But not the place for you if you like a constant cool temp.
The space
Our cozy cabin is a 600 sq ft A-Frame cottage with a flat outdoor grassy yard to play on or sunbathe as you take in the beautiful views.
Upstairs:
1st bedroom: One King bed
2nd bedroom: Two Twin (low to the ground) bunk beds (room for another twin mattress if needed or playpen).
There is a screened in deck also upstairs outside the master (king) bedroom. We have been known to take our sleeping bags/air mattresses (twin) and sleep on the deck during the summer nights.
Please note there are no doors to the bedrooms upstairs due to the unique architecture of the house. The staircase and walls divide the rooms providing privacy. The only interior door in the house is the bathroom door.
Downstairs/Main Level: Fold out full size couch
Lots of toys and kids books to entertain the littles.
The kitchen is stocked with all your needs including toaster, oven/stove, refrigerator, nutri bullet, water cooler, microwave and coffee maker.
Note: there is no dishwasher or washer/dryer but we can try to arrange laundry service for pick up and drop off if you wish at a nominal fee. We have had guests stay for 2 weeks and did their laundry near grocery/shopping.
There is a sandy beach right outside your door with amazing lake views.
Lots of parking space-including RV parking space (no hookups).
We have a playset (best for toddlers) and all guests are welcome to our water toys including a tandem kayak and single kayak.
Our Weber BBQ and gas table top is yours to use also.
Lake Samish is great for fishing and you can catch plenty of fish right from our bulkhead (we have our permit and should be done by end of spring 2024!).
Guest access
2 story house with a steeper/narrow staircase (with handles). We have a baby gate guests can use at the bottom of the stairs. We also have rails for the bunk room should you need them for littles.
Notes
*We are a no shoes home* - we ask respectfully that all shoes are removed before entering the house. This is also a no smoking home.
You’ll often find eagles, deer, fish, bunnies, frogs and other great wildlife on your visit. We spend countless hours outside whether it’d be swimming, kayaking, SUP’ing, looking for creatures, playing on the playset with the kids, taking bike rides around the lake or eagle watching-all our time is spent outside here...cloudy, rainy, snowy or sunny!
This is a great home if you want to stay outside the hustle and bustle of big cities, but right on I-5 for easy access to Vancouver and Seattle.
You’ll likely be exploring outside and visiting the great breweries and restaurants that Bellingham has to offer. Great place to relax and even book a schooner or whale watching tour. Bellingham offers a great Saturday farmers market (among the best in the state), a (free-donations welcome) marine life center (great for kids), tons of parks (many by the water including Boulevard Park-including walking on Taylor Dock-pictured) and a very quaint shopping/dining town-Fairhaven (only 15min away-also pictured). Skiing and hiking one of Washington’s snowiest (in the winter) mountains is also nearby-Mt Baker! Diablo Lake is also worth a visit to experience the amazing bright blue waters.
Don’t forget that the San Juan Islands are also a short drive/ferry ride away. The islands are world renowned for its peaceful beaches and quaint towns on Orcas Island and Friday Harbor.
Since this is our second home, we can’t get there in between guests. We ask that you Venmo $140 in advance for the cleaning crew.
We can help arrange the following also:
-laundry service (pick up and drop off) for longer exchanges at a nominal cost.
-car seats for kids
-we may be able to leave a car for you also (if flying into Seattle/Tacoma airport). Needs to be previously agreed upon/scheduled.
-If you are coming through the Seattle/Tacoma airport, we may be able to pick you up and drop off.
Due to my husbands allergies, we cannot take care of a cat or stay at a home with cats.
We are big dog lovers, however and have a hypoallergenic mini-golden doodle that often does not travel with us unless it’s driving distance (no more than 5 hours) from our home. She typically stays with my parents, but we may ask for her care (very rare).
Features
Washer
Dishwasher
Clothes dryer
Oven
Microwave
Coffee machine
Fridge
Iron
Hair dryer
Heating
Air conditioning
TV
WiFi
High Speed Internet
Bathtub
First aid kit
Wheelchair accessible
Smoke alarms
Fire extinguisher
Bed sheets
Towels
Workspace
Fireplace
Home cinema
Toys
Gym
Sauna
BBQ
Pool
Hot tub
Balcony
Garden / yard
Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace
Covered porch / verandah
Kosher home
Meat-free kitchen
Gated community
EV Home Charger
Bikes
Camping gear
Kayak
Tennis court
Standup paddleboard
Travel Styles
Long term
Weekend
Adventure
Budget
Family
Romantic
Sport and leisure
Foodie
Relaxing
City
Mountains
Beach
Water
Remote
Skiing
Culture
Hiking
Cycling
Last minute
Cross-country skiing
Ukraine support available
House rules
Suitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets welcome
No smoking
Allergens
Cat free
Smoke free
Dates of Availability
Click on availability periods to see exchange types and descriptions.
Available
Neighbourhood
Super quiet dead-end road. Kids can play easily outside. Biking or running around the lake is very common-about 45 minutes on bike with a couple minor hills-6.2 miles.
Getting to my home
Our house is 5 min from I-5. Very easily accessible from 3 nearby airports.
Nearest airport
Bellingham has an airport (only about 20 mins away) and the home is about 1.5 hours from SeaTac International airport. You can also fly into the Vancouver airport (only about an hour drive across the border, but the border wait times always vary).
Getting around
You will need a car to get in and out of town. The beach house is only a 15 minute drive from any shops/restaurants/grocery store.
There is a road circling the lake-about 6.2 miles. It is a perfect biking, running or walking loop!
We had a wonderful stay at Ghazal's cabin where we were able to enjoy the lake, swimming and kayaking, and relax on the deck ! Ghazal was easy to reach and communicate with, as well as very responsive and helpful. We definitly recommand her for an exchange.
Thanks a lot, Ghazal !
We enjoyed this delightful cottage. A very relaxing getaway. Lots of ducks, geese, herons, and an occasional eagle. We swam in the peaceful lake, and enjoyed the kayaks. Some easy walking trails nearby, as well as some charming towns. We’d love to come back!
Ghazal is simply amazing! She is super carrying, accommodating and pleasant to communicate with. We had an amazing stay at her cozy cabin in Bellingham. The cabin is tiny, but super cute and has everything you need for a comfortable stay. The view from the porch is simply breathtaking and the one we'll remember for years. While at the cabin we enjoyed sunbathing, fishing, kayaking and even swimming in the lake. We saw many bold eagles, tons of bunnies and two garden snakes. The area is so tranquil! There's lots to do near by, many parks, farms and other attractions. We are beyond thankful to Ghazal for allowing us to stay at her cabin, we made a ton of beautiful memories. Highly recommend this host!
Ghazal is the best! She is a wonderful communicator and a very thoughtful, respectful guest. They were a party of 9 and you would never had known anyone had stayed in our home! I look forward to many more connections throughout the years. If you are looking for a PLU connection in the Seattle area I highly recommend connecting with Ghazal:)
We were happy we could offer our home to Ghazal and lovely family and friends for their last minute request. They were easy to communicate with. We were glad we had the chance to meet them before we headed out. They left our house clean and tidy as they found it. They are very welcome should they come back to Victoria.
Ghazal and her friend showed up in my house with a big smile and hug. They are super active, animal loving fun ladies and we connected immediately. I truly felt that they are "people like us", we share similar values and sense of respect to each other's homes. I cannot wait to visit Ghazal's lake house, and I would love to join her girlfriends' getaway trip there!
We were delighted we could provide a last minute non sim swap for this lovely family. They were easy to communicate with, and we got things sorted very quickly. We had a quick visit with them on their arrival. Their two little boys were so sweet, they even signed the thank you note! They left us some thoughtful gifts, left the house spotless, and were kind enough to water some of our outdoor plants. Thank you! We would certainly welcome them back anytime, and we are excited to be going to their holiday cottage sometime in the near future.
Emma and her family were the first to stay at our primary home. My husband, more than me, was a bit skeptical, but Emma left the house in great order. I would welcome her back anytime and highly recommend her for an exchange. She was wonderful in communicating with also.
Leanne is simply amazing. To allow a large group into a home is not the easiest. She did not hesitate to help host us for a "mini" family reunion. We had an amazing time in her cozy home with an amazing park in the backyard essentially. Her daughter also delighted both the kids and adults with a plane tour! We are beyond grateful for the memories made. Hope we are able to host them soon! Thank you!
Shan couldn’t make it on the exchange due to a last minute sickness in the family, but had communicated so well throughout as we were going to host a non-reciprocal exchange. Hopefully we can do it again sometime.
Christelle was a great guest! She was highly communicative and helpful in tending to our home. We would exchange with her again any day!
We absolutely loved having Heather and Keith at our lake house. We were fortunate to stay at their beautiful Victoria (Canada) home a year prior as our first PLU exchange and almost a year later, host them at our place. Heather is wonderful with communication and left our home in amazing condition. Thanks for being our guests-come back anytime!
We absolutely loved having Heather and Keith at our lake house. We were fortunate to stay at their beautiful Victoria (Canada) home a year prior as our first PLU exchange and almost a year later, host them at our place. Heather is wonderful with communication and left our home in amazing condition. Thanks for being our guests-come back anytime!
We had Marta (Halyna’s daughter) book our place. We had 6 guests and really had great response and communication leading up to, during and after the stay. They were our first PLU guests-we were thrilled to have them and would highly recommend them as guests!
Tomoko was an amazing host! We had a girls long weekend in NYC. Her apartment is tidy, clean and in a perfect location in Long Island City-just across the water from the hustle and bustle of NYC.
I’m not much of a cat person (much prefer dogs), but her cat was awesome…and I confirm that she does indeed act more like a dog as Tomoko states.
We can’t wait to welcome Tomoko to our lakehouse in Bellingham when she’s ready to visit the Pacific Northwest for some swimming or skiing!
We loved everything about Heather and Keith’s home. The convenient location close to downtown Victoria and backed to a park was perfect.
We were greeted by Keith and Heather, toured the home and left to a clean, cozy home. The generous thought of fresh cut flowers in each room, welcome basket full of yummy treats and toys/games for the kids were so unexpected. This was our first PLU exchange that all happened in 6 days as another exchange cancelled last minute. Heather and Keith had no plans and decided to take us on and rescue us since we were already booked for the visit.
What a way to start on this PLU journey-highly recommend this charming home with wonderful hosts!
Premium
Ghazal
We are a family of 4 from Edmonds, Washington USA and love to travel and meet people from around the world. I've traveled Europe and the Caribbean a bit and trying to get my husband and boys to travel more. Our kids will be in a 100% Spanish immersion program through 2029, so we would love to go to Spain (and surrounding countries - Croatia, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal are high on our list) every summer for 4-8 weeks. We'd love to share our lakefront beach house in Bellingham or our "walk to the beach" house in Edmonds, Washington with those that want to spend time splashing around and outside in nature.
We’re most interested in sim, non-sim and globe exchanges in the following locations:
Croatia, Spain (prefer "Coastal" Spain since summers are hot!), Switzerland, Hawaii (Maui 2025), Italy, Iceland, Turks and Caicos, Japan, Vancouver and San Diego, CA. Pools are a major plus!
Open to New Zealand and Australia for 3 weeks in mid December-early January also (2025!)
We are open to hospitality stays also!
"Looking for a sim exchange for November 1-11 or November 22-December 1 2024. Would love a heated pool :-)"
Dates flexible
"Looking for Australia mid December 2026-January 15th. Multiple (3-4)locations including Melbourne for about 3 weeks."
Dates flexible
"Looking for New Zealand mid December 2026-mid January 2027 for about 3-4 weeks."
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