Sandcastle At Birch Bay

I stayed here recently (early December 2015) — I’m a timeshare owner. From previous reviews I expected subpar accommodations but I thought it was great. It’s not brand spanking new but the carpets were and I think they recently painted. It was right across from the bay (Strait of Georgia which flows to the Puget Sounds and then out to Pacific Ocean).
I was pleasantly surprised. The front desk staff was helpful and courteous. They have a small gym on premises which I found convenient and even a restaurant/​bar (didn’t partake of it because there were too many other places fairly close to choose from). I did buy some groceries to have at my disposal in my room which was nice. There was also a washer /​dryer in my unit which I loved having — just for the convenience. Also, there was a gas fireplace which made it so cozy because the nights in December were quite cold. But, I loved it. Being from California, I was ready for some cool weather and rain!
I found the local area of Birch Bay to be quaint and I enjoyed the small town vibe. There are lots of cute little towns with driving distance — Bellingham/​Fairhaven which I loved, Anacortes which is even smaller but really cute, plus I took the ferry to Friday Harbor (one is the San Juan islands), also drove to Whidbey Island and visited the naval facility (being a Veteran I try to take advantage of all the great deals on base) and it’s a really nice area also. Finally drove to Vancouver which was SO close I was shocked. Vancouver is breathtakingly beautiful. Make sure to go. Easy drive from birch bay.
I enjoyed my stay and will definitely return. Although I liked my stay, I do NOT recommend buying a timeshare at least not with Raintree. It’s overpriced and you will never unload it. Borrow a friends and pay them for the week. I know too many people that have one or two and wish they didn’t. All the maintenance fees and SPECIAL (surprise!!) assessment fees make it exorbitant to own. Even charged fees for hurricane damage all some locations because their insurance didn’t cover it all??? What!!! How is that my responsibility?
If you do buy one, make sure to get documentation that shows the maintenance fee will STAY the same throughout your ownership. Mine has practically doubled in less than 10 years. I could easily pay for an extremely nice hotel for what I pay for my Maintenance fee. No deal there!!!
So, if you already own a timeshare — this is a nice place and I enjoyed it but if you don’t, don’t buy or be extremely wary of the terms. That’s my spiel and advice.

Luckily Birch Bay is only 2-​hour drive for us. I booked a 2-​bedroom suite using Priceline. It was a last minute booking so the price was HIGH! We got there about 30 minutes before checking and had to wait an Hour to check in (30 minutes later than promised). In return they gave us 2 days free wifi (really, who charges for wifi anymore! Apparently The Sandcastle does). It took us several hours then a call to Tech Support to get connected, the code they had given us did not work. Enough about that.
We knew going in that there was no air conditioning, and it was stifling. Ceiling fans and window fans helped a bit, but it was very hot and muggy in our room.
My main issue was with the horribly saggy king sized bed. It was so uncomfortable! We stayed one night, and went home early. Like I said, luckily we live close. You might have better luck with a different room, but 306 was not good!

Used our timeshare here for a 1 week stay. It is located in Blaine, Washington. This is about as far as you can go before hitting the Canadian border on Interstate 5.
We liked the location of the timeshare property. Just minutes away from Canada. We were there almost every day of our stay. Also close to Seattle which is about 2 hours South. Many other beautiful places are close by as well.
We did not use any of the facilities at the property. Too busy with activities and travelling around the area. The only time we were here regularly was in the evening for sleeping.
As for the room itself, it was quite nice. We had a two bedroom unit. The beds were comfortable. The kitchen was fully equipped. Everything was clean, and we had a good view from our unit.
My only complaint is that there was NO Air Conditioning in the room!!! I believe that none of the units have AC! It got really warm for two days of our stay. It made those evenings very very uncomfortable!!! We were very surprised to find out there was No AC! The property was older than most of the other properties we’ve stayed at, but we still found it hard to believe that there was nothing! Fortunately for us, we were not here during the Summer months!
I would not stay here again if we returned during warm months. Would only stay here again during the cool months.

Just returned from a wonderful 2 night stay. There is a little room for improvement & had I paid full rack rate I would not be very happy. But with the good deal I got through Expedia I am happy.
We had a spacious, well appointed 2 BDRM, 2 BATH unit with nice pool & Birch Bay views. We arrived a little early & luckily our room was ready. The parking area is shared with neighboring businesses so we had to park in a back lot that’s a little dark at night. I’d rather have my car parked in a well lit area.
The hot tub jets weren’t working during our stay but we still enjoyed a nice soak & quick dip in the pool. Did not visit the gym but saw it & it looked adequate. Visited the attached Shores restaurant for nachos & a beer and it was all right. Prefer Via Bistro across the street.
We found it to be quiet & the king bed in master bedroom very comfortable. As it was mid September it was a little warm during the day but cool enough at night with windows open.
Note: No conditioner provided in bathroom. Coffee only for 1^st day, otherwise $ 1.25 a small bag.
Will go back if I can get a good rate again.

I guess if you’ve bought into this property as a time share, it is nice as compared to other very local places. As a non-​member just hoping to book a nice place to stay for a couple of nites — I was less than impressed. Here is my brief Pro and Con list:
Pro — Room was clean, large and well appointed, view of open space from balcony was nice, bed was comfortable, staff was friendly.
Con — overpriced and they did not honor the first quote I received from Raintree (parent company for the property) which I had in writing in an e-​mail. They didn’t honor it to the tune of an extra $ 40 per nite for two nites. On top of that, once they set a price which was supposidly an internet discounted price, they then charged me full price per nite on my room bill upon check out and I had to take time both in person and later on the phone to get it straightened out. I was not happy. Felt like a bait and switch to me. Less importantly but still making an impression — for the amount they are charging per nite for non-​members, you would think they would have decent bathroom amenities (shampoo, conditioner, body lotion etc…) what they offered was crap that I was afraid to use — glad I brought my own but I shouldn’t have to at this per nite rate. TV in the bedroom was very outdated and I kept ending up on a screen that was white snow instead of a picture. They really need to put a decent TV in the bedroom with clear instructions to avoid this. It was frustrating. The TV in the living area seemed fine. There is a coffee pot in the kitchen but no coffee and the coffee in the lobby is so bad it’s undrinkable — This is the Pacific Northwest people — decent coffee shouldn’t be too difficult. The restaurant that is attached to this hotel/​timeshare apparently provides room service but when I went in to the bar after a full day of travel to get a beer, they told me I had to drink it there and couldn’t take it up to my room. What? How hard would it be for housekeeping to take the glass back down to the bar once I check out? Luckily, the weather was such that I didn’t need to turn on the crappy stand up fan they have in the bedroom that is supposed to take the place of central AC which would be a given at any other hotel of this size and cost. Seems like they are touting themselves as «luxury» with a luxury price and Motel 6 amenities (sorry Motel 6 :-)
I’ll be visiting the area again because I have relatives there but I’ll find other accommodations next time.

Part of our timeshare for Raintree Resorts.
It is close to Seattle so worth the drive to take my family over.
It’s small but clean and modern décor.
The restaurant was a local pool bar. so not so good, so took a star away for that.

For what’s available in the area which is the middle of nowhere… it’s decent. This place could use a face lift though. The rooms and lobby seemed a bit dated. I’ve never stayed at a hotel without central AC. Fortunately, the weekend we went the temp was only around 70s but it was a little muggy in the evening hours. I get it’s in the northwest where there are more colder days than hot days, but seriously I expect AC when I stay at any type of resort or hotel unless it’s a cheap $ 50 a night cockroach motel. Portable fans hidden in the closet is cheap, cheesy and tacky. They should at least install ceiling fans in the rooms.
Facing the bay & street at night can be noisy with a bar directly downstairs on the street level. We weren’t too bothered by that since we were having our own little party!
The pool and hot tub looked a little dingy. The water was clean but the tiles could use some scrubbing.
The beds weren’t all that comfortable. I was tossing and turning from the hard mattress. It’s no Westin or Hyatt that’s for sure.
The walls were thin as wallpaper. You could hear everything. Eeks.
Onto the positives… The 3 bedroom suite we stayed in was super spacious. The kitchen was fully equipped which was nice and convenient. It was also clean and we were able to find everything we needed in the drawers and cubbies (wine glasses, plates, dishes, pots & pans, even plastic pitcher & cups for the pool, etc.). Having an ice machine attached to the fridge was a total bonus. Loved not having to walk down the hall to look for an ice machine.
Waking up to the bay view with a cup of coffee on the patio was nice and relaxing. They even provide one pack of coffee to make a pot.
Pool is reserved for adults only from 9 PM — 11 PM.
Decent number of cable channels on the TV. TV in every bedroom and main room except the room with the two twins. See my picture.
They have a hose to rinse off before you enter the building if you happen to go down to the beach. They also have buckets & shovels you can borrow at the front desk.
Bonus: Liquor store right downstairs across the parking lot.
Tip: We didn’t dine at any nearby restaurants. We did all of our cooking in the kitchen. There’s a small store down the street and a larger market a few miles away near I-​5. It’s better to do all your shopping from home and get last minute items there if you plan to cook anything.

The looks had me sold and it smelled great as you walk in. We had a sleeps 6 with two rooms;AS shown in the pictures: one was a queen master with washer and dryer and one load worth of soap provided; the other room had two twin beds and the living room couch was convertible with a fireplace and plenty of room and a flat screen, and another bathroom. There was a kitchen with full size appliances, a full size dinning table and all the typical amenities of a condo. There was a wonderful view and a decent size pool just below the balcony so you could see the pool form your room and the bay view. There was a bar lounge down the hall from the lobby, and two elevators to get to the rooms. They also have a recreation area with an elliptical, treadmill, bike, ball, weights, yoga mats etc. There is a wonderful liquor store across the parking lot to make use of the blender provided in the room, with the best selection.
However, there is always room for improvement. There are only three bell hop carts which would be enough, except check out time is excessively early and since everyone must leave by 10am, but cant check in until 4pm even during their off season, there are not enough to get all of your things out in time. As for the showers the master barely had enough pressure while the other one had too much pressure to even face it or wash your hair with out getting knots.
Lastly by staying on the 4^th floor when they are hosting a party on the roof you can hear the music and party over your TV even late into the night, though it did not keep anyone from inevitably falling asleep.
Over all it was a wonderful stay and very comfortable. Given some improvement I would certainly return.