Vancouverscape, a Vancouver based blog covering travel, tech, and lifestyle

Twin Peaks, the cult TV series from the early 90’s, may be a distant memory for many David Lynch fans, but it’s fresh as a slice of cherry pie in ours, having just returned from the original filming site, the Salish Lodge and Spa, aka The Great Northern Hotel.

The iconic hotel is offering a Great Northern Escape package in honour of the recent news of the series hopefully returning next year for a nine-episode run on Showtime. And much like the tangled web that the series wove, there’s now speculation that the series may not return due to “complications”. I sourced a couple of quotes below from the Welcome to Twin Peaks website.

[A walk to the best vantage point of the Snoqualmie Falls]

The show’s co-creator and director added it’s not a funding issue, but a trusted source told Welcome to Twin Peaks that while the scripts are finished after nearly four years in the making, contract negotiations aren’t going as expected.

[Twin Peaks: Packard sawmill]

“For those unfamiliar, Lynch’s Between Two Worlds art exhibit opened in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and the director took to the stage for a Q&A shortly beforehand at QPAC. When asked about whether or not PEAKS was definitely coming back, Lynch responded, “I don’t know. There are complications.” Obviously, the quote started circulating around social media, and while there hasn’t been an official statement elsewhere, fans of the series are beginning to worry, even though some believe it was merely Lynch being his cryptic self.”

[Site of Welcome to Twin Peaks sign]

The following actors are due to start shooting (if all goes as planned) this year: Kyle MacLachlan (Dale Cooper), Catherine E. Coulson (Log Lady), Ray Wise (Leland Palmer), Mädchen Amick (Shelly Johnson), Richard Beymer (Ben Horne), Michael Ontkean (Sheriff Truman), Peggy Lipton (Norma Jennings), Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), Grace Zabriskie (Sarah Palmer) and Michael Horse (Tommy ‘Hawk’ Hill).

[Twin Peaks: Ronette’s bridge, sheriff’s station]

Snoqualmie Falls is Washington state’s second-most visited tourist attraction (1.5 million visitors a year) following Mt. Rainier.

[Inside Twin Peaks‘ sheriff station: Lucy Moran’s desk]

Up until the 1960’s, there were eight small cottages on the property. In 1988, the Salish Hotel and Spa was built around the the original dining room and surrounding cottages. When Twin Peaks came out, the hotel had just opened, which likely explains why only the exterior was used in the opening shots of the series.

Massage

Don’t miss out on the chance to really indulge here. Elana worked her magic for my 50-minute Wildflower Hill massage, with a few deep breaths of lavender (grown in the hotel’s herb garden) combined with filtered jojoba oil to envelop my senses. Once my body had nearly melted into the massage table, it was time to turn over to have a thorough working of my neck, shoulders, and legs.

[Photo courtesy of Salish Spa]

Post-treatment, you’re invited to soak in the two hot pools (one with waterfall), sauna, steam room and then relax with a cup of tea in front of the fireplace in the lounge. Spa day complete!

[Photo courtesy of Salish Spa]

The Salish Spa offers a wide range of treatments from Institut Esthederm services to facials and body therapy treatments. Java fans take note: Ethiopian Fair-Trade Coffee Arabica and Dead Sea salt essential oils are used in the signature Northwest Coffee Exfoliation body therapy session.

Speaking of scents, throughout the hotel we whiffed a beautiful woodlands scent that combines crisp pine needles, sage, and thyme, adding to the rustic, yet sophisticated atmosphere of the 84-roomed lodge. The hotel’s bathroom amenities include this lovely scent in their collection. Another service worth trying is the Bath Butler.

[Salish Signature Bath: The Bath Butler arrives at our room]

Our room’s TV screen listed several bath treatments including Salish Signature Bath, Milk and Honey, Intimate Escape, Sweet Dreams Surrender and Touch of Romance; all can either be brought to your room for you to add to the large jetted tub in the bathroom or the staff will prepare your bath when requested. Soothing bath salts, body scrub, and scented body moisturizer made for a sublime experience before bedtime.

Enhance your visit here with a room on the fourth (and top) floor. The Spa Club level ($65 per day) allows day access to the hot pools, sauna, steam room and lounge, as well as a wine and cheese hour in the late afternoon and light continental breakfast in the morning.

The hotel also has a complimentary pillow menu: choose from lavender, memory foam, body pillow, pregnancy pillow, 100% synthetic, or go with the room’s standard choice of 50% goose down, 50% goose feather pillows.

From our fourth floor picture window, we were able to see the top of the 268-foot falls, offering up a unique chance to fall asleep each night with the sound of the rushing falls below.

[Country Breakfast: Fourth course!]

Dining

After one of the best sleeps ever (we selected lavender pillows), we headed to the Dining Room for the Salish ultimate breakfast experience aka the Country Breakfast. This four-course meal includes the Honey From Heaven service, started in 1916 when the original lodge opened.

From 12 hives across the street, Salish’s apiary keeps bees that pollinate in a 20-mile radius, resulting in a sweeter citrus/floral taste and aroma. Our server poured honey from way up high onto our homemade biscuits, adding a final swizzle at the end.

[My husband mimicking an abbreviated version of Honey From Heaven]

This is one tradition that likely won’t die anytime soon as it’s not only entertaining to watch but the result is a tasteful combination of buttermilk and local honey!

[Behold the Dale Cooper cocktail]

As we were at the hotel for the Great Northern Escape, we continued our day with a visit to The Attic, where we had a Dale Cooper cocktail made with cardamon, clove and honey, using gin from Batch 206, a Seattle-based single-batch distillery that happens to have been voted the best in Washington.

And then we were left to explore the area and visit many of the settings used during Twin Peaks’ two-season run (mostly in North Bend). The hotel provides a map with the key landmarks.

We made room for not one, but two servings of cherry pie. The Salish offers cherry pie and damn fine coffee (in our case with a view of the falls!). The lattice-topped rounded pie marries a slight citrus flavour with cherries, alongside a large parfait-style glass of coffee.

Delicious and rewarding after a day out touring the town of “Twin Peaks”. We couldn’t pass up the chance however to head to Twede’s Cafe, the very café where Agent Cooper fell in love with their damn fine coffee and cherry pie.

[Twedes Café aka Double R Diner, home of damn fine coffee and cherry pie]

The slices served here are more classic, and the coffee drip-style from old-school glass carafes. Best part of the small diner that’s seen its share of Twin Peaks fans: the back area, where a wall filled with photos, film stills, and other memorabilia really sent us back to the series.

[Kale salad, goat cheese, apple, nuts, flavourful sherry vinegar reduction]

We also enjoyed dinner at Salish Lodge and Spa’s Dining Room, another chance to enjoy the views of the falls and Snoqualmie River. Here, Executive Chef Steven Snook prepares dishes with a Northwest focus, using locally-sourced ingredients and Salish’s honey in many of the dishes.

Since graduating culinary school in his native England, Chef Snook has worked continuously in Michelin Star kitchens including six years with esteemed British chef Gordon Ramsay.

Craft beer lovers will enjoy the Pike Hive Five, an unfiltered, hopped honey ale produced with honey from the Salish bees. There’s also several Northwest craft beers on tap as well as local spirits and West coast and international wines.

We started off with pan-seared scallops, roasted cauliflower, and toasted almonds in a sweet vinegar reduction. Plump and gorgeous, enjoyed with a glass of that honey ale. Finely-chopped kale featured in a salad along with goat cheese, thin apple slices and nuts, all lightly toasted in a smooth, flavourful sherry vinegar reduction.

[Beef tenderloin, smoked bacon and potato rösti, Trumpet Royale mushrooms, Terra Blanca red wine jus]

My husband chose the beef tenderloin ($46) with smoked bacon and potato rösti, Trumpet Royale mushrooms in a Terra Blanca red wine jus, perfectly complimented with a glass of Oregon’s Iris Pinot noir with its lingering vanilla finish on the palate.

[Pan-roasted organic salmon, shellfish bisque, sautéed kale, roasted root vegetables]

The pan-roasted organic salmon ($38) is prepared in a delightful, softly-flavoured shellfish bisque served with sautéed kale, simple and beautifully presented. Don’t miss the restaurant’s honey-roasted root vegetables ($10). We later shared a warm banana cake with caramel sauce, homemade banana ice cream, and oatmeal streusel ($12), the perfect way to end this lovely, relaxed meal.

The Great Northern Escape package includes:
– One-night stay
– Two Dale Cooper cocktails (the perfect start to your “Twin Peaks” adventure)
– Copy of hotel’s Twin Peaks map (so you can visit all the must-see locations from the show)
– Cherry Pie & Damn Fine Coffee for two in The Attic
– $15 Amazon gift card (stream season one at your convenience)

As my husband and I are fans of the show, this was the perfect opportunity to relive the series through exploring the hotel’s surroundings, the iconic Snoqualmie Falls, and Ben Horne’s former hotel!

The hotel staff are very friendly and attentive, right down to the valet team who offered up directions into town and back home again. The Salish Lodge and Spa is located 30 minutes from Seattle at 6501 Railroad Avenue SE in Snoqualmie, Washington.

[Cherry pie filling from the Salish Lodge and Spa’s Country Store]

We were guests of the Salish Lodge and Spa for the purpose of this feature. We’d also like to extend a shout-out to Roam Mobility, whose talk, text, and data plan worked flawlessly throughout our adventures in Washington. Opinions, as always, are my own.