Twin Treats : The Spring Delights of Two Idyllic Northwest Inns

Intrigue surrounds the Great Northern Hotel, the mist-kissed Northwestern lodge perched above a towering waterfall in television’s newest hit series, the David Lynch-directed “Twin Peaks.”

In the series, the Great Northern is a hotel shrouded in mystery, surrounded by thick Douglas fir forests and capped by dark, brooding skies and low-slung clouds. It is a place with many secrets to keep.

But for the real-life visitor to the real-life hotel called the Salish Lodge, about 30 miles east of Seattle, the rewards are sweet. The Salish is free of the fascinating but sometimes sinister undertones of “Twin Peaks.” Instead, it is lavish and modern, a country inn that is wildly popular for its daily breakfasts and as a weekend getaway for people from Seattle. Perhaps the best news of all: So far, the Salish has remained relatively undiscovered by people outside the Seattle area.

This cannot last long because the lodge is luxurious, romantic and offers some of the best service in the peaceful, pine-scented world of the Pacific Northwest.

Tucked against the edge of the 268-foot drop of magnificent Snoqualmie Falls, the Salish is near the towns of Snoqualmie and North Bend where much of “Twin Peaks” was filmed; a place where small-town cafes are golden and quaint and, as touted in the show, where the cherry pie really is sublime.

Last fall’s filming here caused a small stir in the community and a little confusion at the lodge. “The film crew covered up the Salish sign with one that said Great Northern Hotel,” said Richard Byrd, who was general manager during filming of the show. “So guests who had never been here before kept looking for a sign that said ‘Salish,’ and drove right by.”

The film crew spent about five days at the Salish, where they shot footage that included Snoqualmie Falls and an old trestle bridge tucked within the misty woods, Byrd said. But rather than remodel the lodge to make the interiors look more rustic, a “Twin Peaks” set was built in Los Angeles and interior scenes were shot there.

So far, business at the Salish, which opened in 1988, has not been dramatically affected by the show.

The 91-room lodge is filled with touches aimed at creating a homey atmosphere: a cozy library on the main floor, an antique bowl atop an old pine sideboard, a graceful old armoire, a glass-front antique cabinet filled with stuffed bears.

Guest rooms, which are modern by comparison to country-style “Twin Peaks” interiors, are furnished in elegant mix-and-match style, much like an old country home where pieces are assembled because they are well-loved, rather than coordinated. Ocean-size beds are shaker in design.

Rooms contain wood-burning fireplaces layed ready to light, there are deep goose down comforters on the beds, and room service is ready to accommodate every dining wish, from a seven-course breakfast, delivered course by course, to a full meal by candlelight.

Perhaps the most difficult decision to make is where to relax: on the deep, soft lounge chair, in the comfy rattan easy chairs or in the bathroom, which would more aptly be described as a walk-in whirlpool tub. Sensible people probably won’t want to do anything but relax by the light of a roaring fire and listen to the hypnotic roar of the falls tumbling past the window.

Though the lodge offers many spectacular vantage points for viewing the falls, one of the best is the Attic Lounge. With a roaring fire, it is pleasurable to settle in, listen to live jazz and order appetizers from the bar menu.

Worth noting are Dungeness crab cakes ($9.95), local shoal-water bay oysters baked with spinach and cream ($7.95), mussels or clams in a cream, herb and sherry sauce ($7.95), sauteed woodland and button mushrooms ($6.50) a salmon chowder ($5.95) and salads from $4.95-$7.50.

Some tables in the main floor dining room also offer excellent views. They can’t be reserved but are worth waiting for.

The dinner menu celebrates impeccably fresh seasonal foods from winter game to summer seafood: buffalo and elk loin, roast goose, grilled salmon. The chef can have a heavy hand with sauces, so it’s best to order the simplest dishes, and ask for the sauce on the side. The wine list is stocked with an excellent selection of Northwest wines.

The multi-course farm breakfast draws people from miles around. Main courses range from a thick smoked pork chop and eggs to country-style hash made with venison and elk. The meal also includes muffins, pancakes, fresh berries, melon, coffee and juice and the real highlight, a steaming bowl of oatmeal made with rolled oats.

The Salish is just outside Snoqualmie, the timber town in “Twin Peaks.” In the foothills of the Cascade Mountains just a half an hour from ski slopes and hiking trails, the town has the tidy charm of clapboard houses and thick green forests.

A pleasant day trip from the lodge takes you to the small town of Carnation and a breakfast of big, sweet cinnamon rolls at the Brown Bag Restaurant and Bakery. Then walk through the John McDonald Memorial County Park. Past the entrance and a handful of camping spots, a lacy suspension bridge crosses the Snoqualmie River where hip-wader-clad fisherman search for steelhead.

A trail leads up a grassy hill to a couple of three-sided shelters for rainy day picnicking or camping, and an expansive view of farms in the Snoqualmie Valley. It continues into the woods, up through a clear cut which offers an even more stunning valley view. The hike to the top takes about 45 minutes.

But if you really want a “Twin Peaks” experience, head for the Mar T Cafe and order a piece of cherry pie. Just don’t complain if the snack is delicious but uneventful and the experience serene but not mysterious. We warned you it would be.