Curley's Resort & Dive Center

Curleys was a lovely base for exploring the northwest Washington coast and Olympic National Forest, away from the usual tourist routine. Seiku is a tiny, charming fishing village, about 30 minutes from Cape Flattery and near Highway 101 toward either Forks or Port Angeles. Things open and close early, so the waves and seabirds are what you hear in the quiet. The hotel sits right on the bay, with a bedside view of gorgeous sunrises over the water. The owner was so friendly, and the staff were welcoming too. Check-in and checkout were easy, and our room was very clean.

I got in late, but they texted me the room number and where to find it. The keys and Wi-Fi details were waiting inside, so the whole thing was smooth and convenient. It’s an older building, though it was clean and cozy. The view in the photo is from my room window.

The location was great, and the beds were really comfortable, but the problems during our stay add up. The room wasn’t clean: the floor left our feet brown, and one towel had crusty makeup smeared over it despite being folded with the others. They wouldn’t provide fresh towels, so ours stayed wet the whole time. The hot water ran out after about 10 minutes, leaving most of us with cold showers each day, and the bathroom door wouldn’t stay closed. That led to awkward moments since we were traveling with teens. Before we even arrived, they charged my card. When I called, the woman was incredibly rude and curt. Then, around 2 a.m. on our last night, I heard what sounded like something large knocking around in the kitchen. I didn’t think much of it at first, but in the morning I asked the kids. Three had been asleep, and the fourth had heard it too. I still don’t know what it was, and the thought of it freaks me out. We won’t stay here again. I’ve been to cleaner, friendlier, nicer places in rural Russia in the 90s.

After a day of hiking, I was glad the room was clean. It was quiet too, apart from a car alarm at 3 a.m. and again at 5. We left before sunrise. The bed seemed like it should have been replaced three years ago, and the shower went dark when I pulled the curtain because of the bathroom layout. Hot water didn’t last through a 10-minute morning shower, and even the water for washing up never warmed. Check-in was the bigger hassle. Nobody was there, the door had a closed sign, and a folded note with my first name and last initial was taped up. A business card attached to it showed a room number, but nothing else. When I pulled the card off, I could see it was just a business card. The number on the door rang until it disconnected. Sekiu is tiny, and tourist season is almost over in October, when we were there hiking. We eventually found the upstairs room, unlocked, with the key inside, and decided to make do. The operators arrived an hour or two later and asked how check-in went. They said there had been instructions, but his wife said they’d run out and apparently couldn’t be bothered to write them out. They’d called Century Link because their phone was down, then left during check-in hours with no way for us to reach them.