Mary and Fred were wonderful hosts! Had a chance to spend time with them. Delightful people! Generous and unobtrusive! The cottage is very nice and the pictures are very true to how it looks live. Comfortable and well appointed! Nice views of Haro Strait and Vancouver Island. Easy 10 minute drive from Friday Harbor!

Mary’s cottage is lovely! We enjoyed our stay immensely. The view is gorgeous, the kitchen was well stocked with what we needed to eat in and the hot tub was clean and easy to use. I would highly recommend this for a couple who likes to explore the area during the day and end with a quiet evening enjoying sunset.

Warm and eclectic cottage with a sense of privacy created by abundant plantings. Well behaved horses, dogs, and cats were a delight to interact with. Excellent resources for exploring the island provided by the hosts with very helpful recommendations.

mary the cottage owner is an artist and the home and grounds are a work of art with flower gardens and sited on a hill overlooking the San Juan straight and olympic mountains . hope to visit again in the future James and susan

Mary and Fred’s Garden Cottage by the Sea was just as billed! Fantastic view of the water, peaceful and quiet. Out of town location, yet close to everything. Perfect spot to stay on San Juan Island. The cottage is beautifully finished, clean and has everything you would need. The 2 cats, and 2 dogs came by to visit. They were welcome whenever they happened by. Thank you for a wonderful stay. Steve and Rita

This cottage is beautiful and has so many thoughtful touches (heated bathroom floor, for example!) that make it very comfortable and cozy. We especially loved the little gas heater/fireplace. Comfortable beds. Mary and Fred are excellent and generous hosts and allowed us to store our bikes in their garage. Overall a lovely stay in the beautiful countryside.

Beautiful views, wonderful cottage, and friendly/helpful hosts. Exactly as the pictures look. We enjoyed our stay at the cottage and visit to the island.

This is an absolutely wonderful vacation rental. One of the best we have stayed in over the years. Mary is an artist and you can see her touch everywhere you look. We were there in the summer and the flowers were blooming all over the property. In the morning I would sit outside with my tea and the hummingbirds would surround me visiting the flowers. The cats and dog came to visit and they were wonderful. The horses on the ranch are beautiful to be seen but not to be touched. Everything was provided for us including notebooks with places to see, hikes to take, restaurants to visit, etc. We mostly ate out at the restaurants that were recommended but the few times we did use the kitchen, there was everything there that we needed. You do not usually see the care to detail of this rental. It is far enough away from traffic and people that you truly feel that you are in the country but you are still close enough to restaurants, grocery stores, whale watching tours, boating and all the tourist activities you might want. I love this place and hope one day to return. Oh, almost forgot the hot tub. It was great after a day of hiking, spotless and so relaxing. Hope you enjoy this jewel as much as we did!

We had a fantastic time in this beautiful and well-appointed home. Exquisite attention to detail, very well equipped with million dollar views. Thank you

This is our second year at the cottage - my husband and I can’t say enough great things. The location is perfect - view of the water, gorgeous gardens, and greatly appointed space. (Loved the bonus animals - dogs, cats, and horses - on property). We will be back again and again! Thank you for such an amazing place!

Thanks Mary and Fred for sharing your lovely cottage. It was outfitted with EVERYTHING we could have needed and more. You anticipated our every question in advance and provided us a plan to see the island and some of the out of the way stops as well as a restful place to recharge. The animals certainly added to the overall charm of the place. Good luck with the wedding event.

My husband and I visited San Juan Island and chose this property for the seclusion and area. Even though town was a short drive we didn’t mind at all. The guest house was just perfect! Loved the entire experience and all the suggestions of sight seeing. We did almost all of them and absolutely loved our stay. The house had everything we could ask for and more! The heated towel rack and floors were definitely a bonus. We always look for places with a homey feel and this didn’t disappoint. We enjoyed petting your cats and dogs and they were not a bother whatsoever. We found the bed to be very comfy and was nice to have a separate bathroom for the shower. We would have loved to spend more time on the island especially relaxing at the house and using the BBQ and kitchen more. Our 3-night stay was short and sweet! Thank you Mary and Fred for sharing your guest home and being incredible hosts.

This spacious, well-appointed cottage is the perfect place to stay on San Juan Island. The kitchen is well supplied. There is both a tub and shower. The bed is comfortable. And the view is unbelievable. Mary and Fred are gracious hosts.

If you are looking to stay in a clean, well-kept garden oasis with views of the Sound, this is the place for you. The host is very thoughtful, having left very detailed notes and information for every aspect of the stay (from kitchen operation to local hikes, even light switches are labeled). And the home is a perfect blend of comfort and simiplicity. I enjoyed sitting outside and watching eagles soar above the water, while eating a meal I cooked in the well-stocked kitchen. The hot tub was incredibly helpful after long days outdoors. The living space is small but not cramped. The bed was soft and well appointed, and clean spare items (such as pillows and extra bedding) were available. Windows throughout the house could be opened for fresh air, and when closed kept the home warm at night. The bathrooms were also clean, and they had enough towels and bathrobes for two people to use for several days. The towel warming rack was a nice touch. The kitchen was very well equipped. It is so small I kept thinking they wouldn't have what I needed, but I was always pleasantly surprised to find exactly the right pan or tool. For my stay I was out most of the time, so I did not interact much with the hosts. I felt like I was living in my own private space. I never heard the horses or the neighbors, just the wind and the lapping waves. I would love to visit again.

My husband and I absolutely adored our stay at this cottage! Mary and Fred are very kind, welcoming hosts. The cottage is well stocked with everything you need. The views of the ocean are stunning. The gardens surrounding the cottage are beautiful and impressive. We are animal lovers and enjoyed seeing the horses as well as the random visits from the resident dogs and cats. Do take advantage of both the hot tub and claw foot tub, they were very relaxing after our long days of exploring the island! I also liked that they provided a set of quality binoculars to watch for whales. This place is very special.

Not wanting to advertise too much because we want to come back and we want to our family to be able to make reservations here too!! Ideal spot for us to celebrate three Year anniversary in the cozy shoulder season. I know that my mom would enjoy the retreat. I’m thinking that my daughter and her finance come here for their honeymoon. Thank you so much Mary. We’ll be back!

My stay at the Garden Cottage by the Sea was absolutely lovely! Mary and Fred were such gracious hosts, taking time to offer suggestions for my trip and answer any questions I had while also respecting my privacy. Their recommendations for day trips and activities led to some of the best experiences I had on the island, and their cottage was the perfect home base to reflect and relax while taking in beautiful views of the sea. I would love to stay here again someday, and in the meantime, I highly recommend the Garden Cottage by the Sea to anyone looking for a wonderful getaway on San Juan Island!

Upon arrival we were greeted by Mary and given a quick tour during which Mary recommended a short walk to a rocky overlook where we could watch the sunset with a glass of wine. Follow that up with a soak in the hot tub and we were off to a great start on our stay. While the cottage is close to the main house we always felt we had privacy. Mary and Fred were warm and welcoming hosts, add to that the beautiful view and tranquil space and it makes for a place you are sad to leave!

We love this place and have been there many times to enjoy the view the wonderful cottage and the friendly owners Fred and Mary.

The cabin was perfect for my husband and me with size, location, and comfort. You can tell that the owners take good care of the cabin, have it well stocked, and have thought of everything you could need. We also loved how the cabin was decorated too. Hot tub was nice as well, as we could tell that owners do not use harsh chemicals. We also loved being greeted by the owners' dogs when we would come back to the cabin. They were very sweet and friendly. Thank you for a wonderful stay!

Absolutely spectacular!

The Garden Cottage by the Sea on San Juan Island is a lovely, well appointed place to stay. Our time there was amazing! Mary & Fred are wonderful hosts: they were very helpful during our stay yet protected our privacy. They were available if needed to answer questions or give advice about activities. And we loved it when their pets (2 cats & 2 dogs) came to visit us occasionally. It’s a very quiet, comfortable, and peaceful place to stay. We will return.

Beautiful serene setting. Absolutely wonderful!

This was everything and more - wife and I both said this was the best vrbo we have stayed in. The cottage is extremely well appointed, absolutely loved all the touches and artwork. We loved the garden to have coffee in the morning, and the patio to take afternoon nap. My wife was absolute with all the farm animals (2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 horses). The location is just out of town and so private. The most beautiful sunsets right off the ocean. We are already booking our return for next year.

We had a lovely week staying here. Cottage is very comfortable- hosts thought of everything. Beautiful views. Ideally there’d be a little more separation between the cottage and the host’s home but we knew this was the situation when we made the reservation- and the hosts were very good about respecting our privacy. Would definitely recommend.

We've stayed many times on the northern part of SJ Island. This was our first time on the southern end and it simply could not have been any nicer. The cottage is exceptional! Lovely furnishings, view of the sound and Olympic Mountains, fabulous yard with the most amazing gardens. Perfect both inside and out, both extremely comfortable and very artistic. Comfortable, quiet and our hosts were very friendly and provided us with a peaceful, quiet, private and restful 4 days. I could have stayed for 4 weeks!! Thank you and we hope to be able to return soon - Sarah and Tim

Everything was Wonderful!! This was one our best vacations the property and our hosts were everything we hoped for. We would definitely come back.

The cottage and our host were everything the other reviews documented. If we go back to the island we would surely stay at the cottage

When looking for a place to rent while on the island, well, as it's been said, "look no further". We've stayed in many VRBOs over the years and this one was the best by far. It was the cleanest in which we've EVER stayed. This alone is my wife's highest priority The host was very friendly and responsive. The cottage was very well decorated beginning with an excellent use of color Our host was an interior designer and it shows. It was a very relaxing stay. Thanks Mary.

This is the second time we have stayed at this cottage. It is really special. The beautiful gardens, the water views are stunning. The cottage is everything we look for on our getaways. Thank you Mary, Fred and your animal friends for welcoming us again. Pete & Marsha

We booked this captivating cottage as a getaway for our anniversary, and completely agree with every glowing review that has already been posted. However, we’d like to add the following… Over the past 7 years we have stayed in at least 50 different vacation rentals in 7 different countries for pleasure and for business. (Just double-checked to be sure). Without a doubt, our stay at Mary’s cottage fits into our top 3 favorite places of all time. The entire experience was fantastic. Thank you, Mary & Fred!

The cottage and surrounding grounds are absolutely beautiful. This is the perfect place to stay when looking for a place to relax.