Wade ‘n Sea

We recently felt like a getaway, an opportunity to drive somewhere, not too far away, but to somewhere that would give us a few days to rest and recharge our batteries. We took a chance and rented Wade ‘n Sea, a 3-bedroom house in the tiny seaside town of Seabrook, on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. On this particular AdVINEture we were joined by good friends of ours and their beautiful border collie, Jack.

We all agreed that our gamble definitely paid off.

Seabrook is right on the Pacific Ocean, sitting on a bluff overlooking the surf pounded beach that stretches up and down the coast.

The pristine beach at Seabrook.

The view is as picturesque as can be. Think of Cannon Beach in Oregon or Tofino on Vancouver Island, and you will find a similar setting at Seabrook. Miles of pristine sandy beach, bordered by the ocean on one side and dense rainforest on the other.

The town of Seabrook is the creation of the husband-and-wife team of Casey and Laura Roloff, an Oregon couple who started their career together as house painters. This led naturally enough to building houses. But Casey had a bold ambition: he wanted to build a town in his own vision, from scratch.

New urbanism includes a giant Adirondack…

In 2004, they acquired a few hundred acres of land in Gray’s Harbour County and created a master plan for their town based upon the principles of New Urbanism. New Urbanism is an urban design movement that promotes walkability, proximity to amenities and a community focus.

Seabrook is clearly a part of that ethos. It’s currently a community of about 500 homes, all within a 10-minute walk of the beach. The town has a central commercial area that has all the amenities a town needs: a grocery store, town hall, school, pool, and fitness centre. Streets are intentionally narrow to encourage slow driving. Since everything is within a 10-minute walk, residents are encouraged to park their cars and walk to most places. For those who need to drive, everything is accessible by road.

The natural beauty is the main attraction.

Green spaces can be found everywhere in Seabrook. Parks of all sizes dot the landscape. The architecture in this planned community allows variation within a consistent theme. Most of the homes and other buildings possess a “Cape Cod” style of architecture: wooden shake roof and sidings, porches, steep rooflines and picket fences. Sidewalks are everywhere and roads tend to meander as opposed to the usual grid pattern, eliminating any sense of urban sprawl. The entire town is as neat as a pin. It looks like something off the set of The Truman Show. It is utterly charming.

On our trip we rented Wade ‘n Sea, a beautiful 3-bedroom home on a quiet street about a 5-minute walk from the beach.

Inside Wade ‘n Sea.

This 2-story detached home is beautifully clad with grey shingles, backs on to a greenbelt and is tastefully landscaped.

The main floor has a modern and fully equipped kitchen and dining area. Adjacent to that is the comfy and well-appointed living room. In the basement is a sitting area with TV that leads into a bedroom with queen size bed and ensuite bathroom. This area also has its own entrance.

On the upper floor are 2 separate bedrooms with queen beds and a shared full bathroom. In between the bedrooms is a sitting area, also with TV and a set of bunkbeds. All the rooms are very nicely appointed. Wade ‘n Sea is dog friendly and Jack instantly felt at home there!

The beach is Jack-approved.

During our 2-night stay at Wade ‘n Sea we had good weather, even though we were there in early February. That being the case, we wanted to take advantage of Seabrook’s main attraction: the miles of beachfront to take Jack on long walks. This is a dog-lover’s paradise as the beach and town are very dog-friendly.

After a long walk on the beach, nothing is better than stopping in at Seabrook’s local wine bar, The Stowaway. Sitting on a prime corner in the merchant’s section of town, The Stowaway is a bright open space with huge windows and a fabulous view of the beach and the ocean.

Inside the Stowaway Wine Bar.

Inside is a long bar with stools and in the rest of the space are 4-top tables that surround a central stone fireplace with sofas and chairs facing it.

Along one wall is their huge inventory of wines from all over the world. Our focus is always on the local wines and The Stowaway had a well-curated selection from both Washington and Oregon. You can purchase a bottle, and have it served to you there or you can try one of their many pours by the glass. The beach walk brought out our appetites, so we enjoyed a couple of their delicious flatbreads.

A worthy AdVINEture.

We slowly made our way home to Wade ‘n Sea, stopping in at several of the shops along the way and picked up some gifts and souvenirs.

The Market is a two-story building chock full of fresh produce, meats and other foods and was a great place to get groceries for dinner and breakfasts. They also had a terrific selection of wines for sale.

Our two day stay at Wade ‘n Sea was far too short. Seabrook offers so much to do and our wonderful accommodation was absolutely perfect. We will definitely be coming back!

A stay at Wade ‘n Sea is highly recommended.

Wade ‘n Sea: Wade N Sea SB180 (seabrookwa.com)

Seabrook: Washington Coast Vacation Rentals | Seabrook WA