Beware of Renting Blakely Hall in the Issaquah Highlands…read more On Saturday October 12, 2024, my wife and I rented Blakely Hall in the Issaquah Highlands (operated by the Highlands Council) to host a baby shower for our son and daughter-in-law with about 30 friends and family in attendance. We reserved the hall for 4 hours from 10 AM to 2 PM at an hourly rate of $150, or $600 total for the event. The guests of honor were late arriving at the shower (they had a couple of errands to run), and so we stayed a bit beyond 2 PM to finish cleaning up. A few days later we received an e-mail from the manager of the facility saying that we had stayed an extra 38 minutes. Per their policy, they rounded that up to 1 hour and charged us twice the normal hourly rate for being tardy vacating the facility, or an extra $300. We tried calling them twice to discuss what happened, but they never returned our calls. We then e-mailed them to explain what happened and to see if we could get the overage charge reduced (per their website we could have simply added an extra hour for $150 when we made our reservation). We agreed that an extra $150 was warranted for not leaving by 2 PM but that doubling the charge to $300 seemed punitive and unfair. They replied that doubling the hourly rate as a penalty was their policy and they would not work with us to lower the charge. We never heard from them again. I would caution anyone thinking about using this facility either to look for an alternative venue or at the very least be aware of the onerous way that the facility is managed and plan accordingly. We will certainly never use this facility again or recommend it to anyone.

I come to Blakely Hall once a month for the Issaquah Poker Club monthly tournament. It's a great…read morevenue space and it's always so clean and well kept. This is a feat when 50-60 men and women bring their own beers and bar snacks all gather together and leave crumbs and debris on the floor. The cleaning staff here do a great job here. The open space in Blakely Hall is a great spot if you want to host a shower, birthday party, auction, or a charity event. It's spacious and we're able to fit 8 full size poker tables with room to spare. There's also a large kitchen with two french door refrigerators and ovens, so if you're planning on catering a party, you can do that as well. Blakely Hall is located in the Issaquah Highlands near residential area. It's tucked in a place with lots of houses and townhomes. The positive is that there's plenty of street parking and you're in a safe area with plenty of foot traffic. I love coming here once a month to play poker. It absolutely beats playing in a garage or an old hall built in the 1950's with no heat or air conditioning. It's not like I'm playing in a players-only club from the movie Rounders, but I enjoy a nice clean modern venue. If you're looking for a spot to host an event, check out Blakely Hall.

We just returned from a visit at Treehouse Point, completing a bucket list item. To say it was an…read moreoutstanding experience is putting it mildly! It was the highlight of our road trip! When we arrived at Treehouse Point, everybody was so professional and kind! We were given a quick tour of all of the amenities in the lodge and other community areas. Then, we were directed to our tree house, Ananda. Just wow! It was cozy as well as spacious, and it was very well appointed with everything we could possibly need! Even though there were other tree houses around ours, we ALL enjoyed total privacy. A great deal of attention has been made in creating personal experiences while still tending to developing a very unique community. All building materials in our treehouse were the best quality available, and the workmanship is second to none! We walked around the grounds, being respectful of others' privacy. Every tree house was unique and beautiful! We then took the trail down to the Raging River. It was beautiful, but our spring has been unusually dry, and the river a little thirsty. Overnight, a rainstorm came through the area. The sound coming from a refreshed river the next morning was breathtaking! I wanted to wake up so I could experience it all, but instead I slept through it. I guess I slept comfortably! (And I am not young.) The bath houses were beautiful and felt like individual spa rooms. They were supplied with wonderful bath products, and the shower offered a pampering experience. Similarly, special products and amenities were provided in our private unit, including coffee and tea. We were going to wash our few dishes, but no dish soap was found, further demonstrating Treehouse Point's intent to pamper their guests. After waking up in the trees, we prepared our own mugs of coffee, tea, and nibbles. After a peaceful start to the day, we made our way to the lodge for breakfast (feeding the fish along the way). Our own breakfast was absolutely wonderful! The chef and souz chef prepared several wonderful dishes. The selections and quality of preparation were both outstanding! Our visit was so wonderful that we truly didn't want to leave! We made the visit to fulfill a bucket list item, but we are already talking about returning again, this time with friends. I could go on and share more, but I want you to delight in your own experience, just as we had. If you've been considering a visit to Treehouse Point, wait no longer. You will never regret it!

I truly can't say enough wonderful things about TreeHouse Point. Our first stay felt like stepping…read moreinto a storybook. Sleeping in a beautifully crafted treehouse, surrounded by towering evergreens and the peaceful sounds of nature, was pure magic. It's such a cool and unique experience -- cozy, serene, and unlike any traditional hotel stay. One of my favorite memories is making s'mores by the fire and enjoying them beside the running river. We loved it so much that we booked another visit -- but unfortunately, we ran into an unexpected childcare situation that meant we had to cancel. It was incredibly disappointing and honestly very inconvenient. We had been so excited to return, and having to change plans at the last minute was stressful. That's where Abbey Rodriguez truly shined. She was so gracious, kind, and understanding throughout the entire situation. Instead of making us feel like we were causing a problem, she stepped in immediately, handled everything with compassion and professionalism, and made what could have been a frustrating experience feel manageable and supported. Her warmth and willingness to help turned a difficult moment into one that actually deepened our appreciation for TreeHouse Point. Exceptional places are special -- but exceptional people make them unforgettable. Abbey's graciousness and care showed us that TreeHouse Point isn't just magical because of the treehouses and the forest (though those are amazing!) -- it's magical because of the heart behind it. We are so happy with TreeHouse Point and so grateful for the way we were treated. We absolutely plan to visit again soon -- and next time, we can't wait to be back in the trees where the magic began.

The primary venue coordinators are great for the most part, they are quick to respond, detailed in…read moreensuring you understand all their guidelines and are quite flexible outside of their guidelines. To be fair we had a great wedding day, primarily thanks to the bulk of vendors we hired and large amount of family+friends who helped us. Be aware that if you think booking this venue will help you save money, I assure you it might not be the case. Before you book, be aware that... - The venue no longer provides help in the set up of tables and chairs (they did previously) - You must do the set up, tear down and clean-up for your whole event (for full service caterers, they may clean up their portion of the venue use, but otherwise everything else is on you and who you delegate) - Their decor allowances are quite strict (no tape anywhere, no blowing bubbles down the aisle, no fog machines or anything of the like inside and more strict on what you can do outside, etc.) - They made lots of structural changes to their courtyard area, make sure you visit before your wedding as this may change your decor plans (and there are no updates on this type of info) - If you book a Saturday event during wedding season, be warned you will not be able to enter their dressing rooms until after their farmers market has ended--which means you'll need to stay close to the venue or get a hotel/airbnb for you, friends, guests as needed (hair/makeup or showers for folks helping you set up) - During our event, all the mics they made available to us died (once in the middle of the ceremony, once during our thank you speech, once during a toast...) - They also did not set up a projector screen after multiple confirmations with us (only they are allowed to set this up) If I were to do it again, I'd recommend just investing that time and money you'd be spending here on a venue that does more of it all-inclusively. You'll be able to spend more time with family, friends and enjoy yourself more on your wedding day. This is a great venue for smaller parties, keeping decor very simple or larger parties with buffet style dinners.

The perfect spot for our wedding! We loved our experience with Pickering. Their staff had great…read morecommunication throughout our 1.5 year engagement, and were extremely responsive at all points. They communicated their policies well and notified us promptly of any changes. It's a great space, our guests particularly enjoyed the indoor/outdoor reception in the Dairy Barn with doors open to the patio. Highly recommend!

After visiting here, now I want to get invited to an event here because what a gorgeous space! Came…read morefor a yoga and wine class and it was a beautiful setting for it, the wine was great and I would love to return for another event.

This winery is truly so gorgeous! And it's not just the setting, it's the people and the whole…read moreexperience. We recently held my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary here and I could not have hoped for it to turn out any better than it did. Samantha was a rockstar in helping us with the details ahead of time, and Amy and Tiffany went above and beyond the night of to get it set up for us and move tables/chairs around as the evening evolved. They were also so personable and friendly and professional to all of our guests. It was such a wonderful evening and I could not have imagined having it anywhere else.

Tiny little museum with a very friendly docent who had great stories to share about how Issaquah…read morehas changed since the 1800s. I just popped in because I happened to walk by while they were open and entrance is free - I'll have to try to stop by again because I didn't get to read all the exhibits in the three small rooms during the 10 minutes I was there. I think I'm about an average speed when I walk through museums (I'm a very very fast reader but I want to read every sign) and I'd personally plan on 30-60 minutes.

How rich of history our little Issaquah has! Our historical society has been hard at work with…read moreeducation and restoration of precious sites in town. The train deport is another fine example of their dedication and hard work. It's a joy to visit. Great for kids and adults!

We had reservation at 10a and was greeted warmly by one of the staff. Once seated, she went over…read morethe menu for afternoon tea and it made me want to try everything. I went with the vanilla coconut (oh did I mention it's bottom-less). The sandwiches were delicious but the scone with the clotted cream and lemon tart curd was AMAZING! The decor of the shop was so cute! Overall, highly recommend! I forgot to mention; I also ordered a Strawberry Matcha latte and Grandma Elizabeth sandwich to-go. Definitely got to try it! It's so delicious!

A delightful time! Charming old fashioned place. Very friendly servers. A delicious array of teas…read moreto choose from, from no caffeine to high caffeine. The tower of treats was just that - a tower, filled with tasty finger food. Everything, even those things I'm not usually a fan of, were great. We started with scones, clotted cream, and lemon curd. So good, tender with a crunchy top. And a savory scone with a little cheese and crispy bacon nuggets. The fruit was all at peak. Where did they get such good tasting strawberries?!? Then the sandwiches. All were very good. Surprisingly, my fav may have been the turkey, cheese, jam and arugula. We finished with the sweets. Not usually a fan of shortbread, this was buttery and moist. Not crumbly and dry (not a big fan of the thyme though). The little phyllo cup filled with pastry cream is a treasure. And the very moist cupcake was a perfect finisher. We really enjoyed our visit, and may have to make it a new tradition!