Six Unique Unforgettable Souvenirs from San Juan Island

Updated May 2017

Are you a fellow traveler who spoils their friends and family with small and sometimes not so small gifties from the places you visit? Are you taking pride in avoiding the plush toys made in China and the same old funny T-shirt with just the name of a different town on it? Us too! Read on for the coolest gift ideas from San Juan Island. You might want to keep one or two yourself.

1) Sea Salt from the Island

San Juan Sea Salt is a small, family owned operation, making salt from the waters of the Salish Sea since 2008. They don’t take short cuts. They take the time and make luscious salt, rich in minerals, rivaling traditional Atlantic sea salts in flavor and texture. Pick up a jar at the San Juan Food Coop or the Farmers Market for your foodie friends back home.

2) Pelindaba Lavender Plant

The certified organic Pelindaba Lavender Farm makes the Wold Road Valley on San Juan look like Southern France. Their farm is open to visitors year round and the lavender festival in July is a must see summer high light. We at the Earthbox Inn & Spa offer Pelindba’s body care products, free of endocrine disrupting toxins, in all of our guest rooms. Pick up a lavender plant for Mom’s garden to keep deer and aphids away and to remind her of you with this beautifully fragrant plant.

3) Paula West Pottery

Local Potter Paula West makes handmade functional ceramics, so beautiful, you might not want to gift them after all. Her studio is open to visitors most days (when the sign is out on the street), her mugs are for sale at Café Demeter down the street from the Earthbox Inn & Spa and Paula has an art booth in Roche Harbor all summer long.

4) Chris Teren Photography

You’ve seen the photography in the Earthbox Lobby. Local photographer and pilot Chris Teren takes pictures of our island archipelago, which will blow your mind. Whether it’s a time lapse of the Northern Lights, three rainbows over the islands or the harvest moon over Mt Baker, you will find just the right image to go over your friend’s fire place.

5) Adopt an Orca

Adopt one of the Southern Resident Killer Whales for the kids or the kids’ classroom. Get an adoption certificate, bumper sticker, and monthly updates on how your big black fish is doing. Enjoy a year-long Whale Museum membership and be part of these majestic, endangered creatures’ lives in the wild. And when you come visit, go whale watching to look for “your” whale.

6) Gift Certificate to the Earthbox Inn  & Spa

Treat your sister to a baby moon with a gift certificate to the Earthbox Inn & Spa and a yummy facial; or your friends for a happening summer weekend with festivals and kayaking, finished with a massage to ease your well-paddled muscles; or your partner for a decadent winter getaway with storm watching and a side-by-side massage. A San Juan Island experience is truly the best gifts of all.