When Your Airport Hotel Feels Like a Secret Forest Retreat

How Cedarbrook Lodge Redefined Everything I Thought I Knew About Convenience

As a travel content creator, I’ve stayed in my share of airport hotels. You book them for proximity, not pleasure. You endure them for efficiency, not enjoyment. They’re utilitarian pit stops between real destinations – places where you catch a few hours of sleep before rushing off to whatever adventure actually brought you to a city.

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But as Heide, my co-host on the Untethered & Wanderwise podcast, and I drove down the tree-lined entrance to Cedarbrook Lodge, watching fall colors blur past our rental car windows just five minutes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, I realized I was about to completely reconsider everything I thought I knew about convenience accommodations. The property unfolding before us reminded me of that stunning Coconut Bay resort in St. Lucia, where I’d once treated myself to a solo retreat, which was an unexpected oasis that transformed a practical stay into something memorable.

“This can’t be right,” I murmured, stepping into a lobby rich with warm wood and that unmistakable Pacific Northwest welcome that feels like a hug from a flannel-wearing friend. Heide, equally skeptical about what we’d find at this Seattle Southside location, stood beside me, taking in grounds that stretched like something out of a nature documentary with tranquil water features, a fish pond that practically begged for meditation, and mood lighting that made even the jetlag-weary look photogenic. It reminded guests that despite being minutes from one of the country’s busiest airports, we’d somehow landed in an oasis.

The Art of Exceeding Expectations

Cedarbrook Lodge has been quietly revolutionizing the concept of the airport hotel since 2008, when they transformed from a standard business property into something Byron, the general manager, calls “an experience-focused boutique hotel.” What that means in practice is that instead of feeling like you’re camping out before your early flight, you feel like you’ve discovered a secret that other travelers don’t know about yet.

My room embodied this philosophy perfectly. The large window framed a tree-filled canopy like living artwork, with mossy rock-lined walkways meandering below and a grassy area stretching beyond, offering what I can only describe as visual therapy after hours of staring at computer screens and city traffic.

The space felt designed for actual relaxation, not just unconsciousness between flights. And when you’re planning a girls’ trip that’s supposed to recharge your soul, not just your phone, that distinction matters enormously.

When Dinner Becomes an Event

The monthly dining experiences at Copperleaf Restaurant represent everything I love about Pacific Northwest hospitality: they’re sophisticated without being stuffy, educational without being preachy, and absolutely delicious without trying too hard to impress. Our Finnriver Cider Dinner exemplified this balance perfectly.

Walking downstairs to Copperleaf felt like descending into a culinary adventure. Chef Joshua Hart had crafted a menu that didn’t just pair food with cider. It told the story of Washington’s apple heritage through each course.

The venison carpaccio with foie vinaigrette started things elegantly, but it was the braised oxtail stuffed conchiglioni that made my taste buds sing.

I’m not exaggerating when I say this dish was transformative. The oxtail was so perfectly braised it practically melted at first touch, while the house-made conchiglioni pasta created the ideal vehicle for sauce amatriciana, guanciale, pecorino Romano, and baked onion that had been elevated from comfort food to art. Paired with Finnriver’s Fire Barrel Traditional Wood Aged Cider, it became one of those bites you remember months later when you’re eating sad lunches at home.

“We need to do more trips like this,” Heide said between bites, and I knew exactly what she meant. As podcast hosts, we’re always talking about travel experiences, but it has been too long since we’d prioritized creating them together. The cider dinner reminded us why shared meals in beautiful places feed more than just hunger.  They feed friendship.

The Spa That Thinks of Everything

The next morning brought another delightful surprise: Cedarbrook’s spa doesn’t just offer treatments, it offers experiences that extend into your personal space. I discovered they invite guests to create their own bath sachets using Epsom salts and dried herbs.

Standing at the DIY station, scooping lavender and eucalyptus into small muslin bags, I felt that particular kind of joy that comes from slowing down enough to engage your senses. It’s a small touch, but it perfectly encapsulates Cedarbrook’s approach: they’re not just providing accommodation, they’re curating moments of wellness that guests can carry forward.

That evening, sinking into my jetted tub with my custom-blended sachet, listening to the gentle sounds of the rain through my window, I understood why this place consistently ranks among the top resorts in the Pacific Northwest. It’s not just the amenities or the location, it’s the intention behind every detail.

Supporting Community, One Partnership at a Time

What impressed me most about Cedarbrook wasn’t just what they offered guests, but how they wove community support into their operations. Their coffee partnership with Cafe Diarte connects guests with a family-owned business started by Italian immigrants, ensuring beans are never more than three months from roasting. Their collaboration with local florist Iris and Peony, the women-owned Quarter Deck restaurant, and their on-site beehives producing 100 pounds of honey annually. These aren’t just business relationships, they’re community investments.

Learning that they source from sustainable partners and create signature products with local wineries made every meal feel like a small act of regional support. In an era when travel can feel disconnected from place, Cedarbrook grounds you literally and figuratively in the Pacific Northwest.

The Unexpected Oasis

By our final morning, as we reluctantly packed our bags, I realized Cedarbrook had redefined my understanding of convenience travel. Yes, proximity to the light rail connection to downtown Seattle (1.5 miles away) was perfect. Yes, the shuttle service eliminated airport stress. But more importantly, this place proved that proximity doesn’t have to mean compromise.

Sometimes the best discoveries happen when you release your expectations and let a place surprise you. Cedarbrook Lodge turned what should have been a practical stopover into a destination worth planning around. And for two women who needed to remember that taking care of ourselves isn’t selfish but essential, it provided exactly the retreat we didn’t know we were looking for.

The next time someone asks me about airport hotels, I’ll tell them about the place where you can hear planes overhead while soaking in a custom herb bath, where dinner becomes education and entertainment, and where falling asleep to the sound of rain is just five minutes from international departures.

Because sometimes, the best escapes are hiding in the most unexpected places.

Note: Heide and I collaborated with Seattle Southside for this article. We did a fall research trip so we could see for ourselves what unexpected places this area holds for families and women our age looking to getaway. Accommodations and meals were provided. All opinions are my own.

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