Room with a Review - McMilin Suite
No contest, the McMillin suites are the best accommodations at Roche Harbor if not the best room Chris and I have ever stayed in. We loved it so much so that we’re going to stay in this room for our honeymoon instead of the official honeymoon suite.
This room has been on my mind since we first booked the venue. We were told in the very beginning we get to stay in the honeymoon suite for the night of our wedding but only for one night. Chris and I are required to be at the resort the day before our wedding so that means we need to book a separate room before checking into the honeymoon suite. I expressed my concerns to the staff when I realized that Chris and I would need to check out at 11am on our wedding day and we can’t check in to our new room until 3pm…so where go during that time? I knew at that moment that we’re probably not going to be staying in the honeymoon suite considering we would be ‘roomless’ for four hours on the busiest day of our life. Honestly, even if we were could get the honeymoon suite for two nights – after seeing pictures of the room, I wasn’t impressed. The room was similar to any suite you can book at Hotel De Haro and I was looking for something really special.
The McMillin Suites are four private rooms located on top of a small hill overlooking the entire resort. Each room features a fireplace, claw-foot tub, spacious living room, king size bed and a patio or deck (depending on what level you stay on). I made sure to confirm in advance with the resort that I wanted a specific suite in the McMillin house – room #261. To get to the suites, you’ll need to climb up a semi steep slope that sits between the chapel the resort reception venue. Inside, we were greeted to a long hallway decorated with trinkets from the past and framed photos of what the house looked like in the early 1900s. The first room is a spacious bathroom on the right with heated floor tiles, large vanity, a separate shower and claw foot tub. I rarely take baths but I had to try out this bathtub and was a little disappointed. Aesthetically the tub looks gorgeous however it’s not perfectly balanced and at times I felt like I was on top of a wobbly cafe table that needed a coaster under one of its legs. The bathroom also boast a large vanity but only one sink and multiple built in magnify mirrors. Chris wasn’t a particular fan of the shower since it was an open air shower but I personally liked it.
Further down is the ‘bedroom’ that is more of an alcove with a king size bed and a small nook with a fridge, microwave and a coffee machine. The king size bed I felt overtook the room just a bit so you have to awkwardly walk around to get to the living room but Chris and I didn’t mind it. I had mixed feelings about the bedroom overall, I personally would prefer a separate bedroom but I love how I could see the harbor from the bed so it’s a toss up.
Past the bedroom, there is an intimate living room with a fireplace, TV and desk leading to the outdoor deck. Without a doubt, the deck is the best part considering it wraps around the entire suite and overlooks everything (and I mean, everything). On the deck, I have an eagle eye view of the venue, gardens, restaurant, marina, chapel and the townhouses. I realized the room is so perfectly placed for our wedding that, while we were there we got to watch another wedding take place from the comfort of our suite.
Another added bonus is the gardens surrounding the house. Not the sunken gardens near the restaurants but a secret garden that leads to a long staircase to our suite. When exploring the area, we also found that there is a hidden path that connects our room directly to the chapel. This path might come in handy if it happens to rain during our wedding and we have to use the chapel instead. Not to mention the secret gardens could be great to use as first look photos during our wedding as well. The only bummer is the possibility that none of the vegetation will be in full bloom by late April but we're willing to roll the dice and see what happens.
Overall, I loved this suite so much I want to buy it so I could live my retirement years in this room. The McMillin Suite is perfectly sized for one or two people that has a good balance of luxury goods and historic decor touches. No question about it, this room will serve as wedding headquarters on April 27th 2019.
