Bellingham fit the bill with a short travel time (about 2 hours north by car), a dog-friendly waterfront hotel (with a spa!) and a quirky downtown area flush with charm, microbreweries and eateries that flaunt their use of locally sourced flour. We lucked out with some sun on our first afternoon in town, and our room at the Chrysalis Inn & Spa delivered sweeping views of Bellingham Bay as the sun set over the San Juan Islands. I knew we'd made the right call when I realized the window bench was big enough for me to sprawl out and read with a pup curled up beside me, which I highly recommend between baths and visits to the eucalyptus steam room.
