Candlewood Suites Oak Harbor by IHG

I really liked everything. I will stay there again

This is a very nice property that pretty much checks all the boxes and represents the Candlewood Suites brand, and by extension the IHG brand, very well . . . and at a very reasonable price. The location is convenient to many of the tourist attractions on Whidbey Island, including its many state parks.

To be clear, the 5-star rating is based on "compared to expectations implied by the hotel brand and the price". It's a very nice property, but it would never be confused for a Ritz Carlton.

The property seems designed for longer-term stays, but it works just fine for a short one- or two-night stay as well so long as you do not mind the fact that housekeeping is limited to once a week (though towels may be exchanged whenever needed). The hotel does tend to have an "adult vibe" to it, I might not recommend it for families with kids as there is no pool or other elements that would make it more fun for children.

It meets all "basic requirements": clean room and linens, quiet, comfortable mattress and bed linens, safe, spacious bathroom & shower, no issues with climate control or sink/ shower, well-maintained common areas, visually appealing exterior, and a sufficiently-sized parking lot. Bring your own bar soap if you desire it as soap and shampoo is provided in dispensers.

The spacious layouts with lots of closet and storage space and extra places to sit are a nice point of difference vis-a-vis a conventional hotel room. Kitchenettes with a small range and full-sized refrigerator-freezer provide a nice option for those who might want to have some of their meals in the room. Some basic cooking equipment is provided (pots, pans, cooking utensils), as are dishes.

Parties of 2 or more might really appreciate the one-bedroom suites (the incremental cost compared to a "studio suite" is trivial) to enable night owls and early birds a chance to enjoy their accommodation without disturbing or waking others, as the bedroom is completely enclosed (with a door) from the rest of the suite.

The fitness room was typical for a relatively small hotel like this, with a treadmill, exercise bike, elliptical machine, weight machine, dumbbells with a wide range of weights, and some yoga mats. The equipment was in working order and clean. Towels are provided in the fitness center, though the water dispenser in the fitness center was empty.

Notably, there is no on-site dining, not even breakfast. However, the hotel is located on the "main drag" through Oak Harbor and there are plenty of restaurant options nearby, ranging from fast food to table service, and including a McDonalds within easy walking distance. There is coffee in the lobby. There are also numerous grocery stores in town for those who may wish to prepare their own food.

The only glitch was our key suddenly stopped working (for me, I was returning from a workout in the fitness room, all sweaty and in need of a shower), and when I went to the front desk to deal with it, other guests were reporting the same thing and it took a while to sort it out for everybody affected. One assumes this is not a normal occurrence, but such things are mildly frustrating. A nitpicker might note that the doors on the refrigerator/ freezer opened "the wrong way" given the layout of the kitchenette.

Hotel staff were friendly and efficient. When I inquired about an ice machine, a desk attendant informed me they did not have an ice machine, but got me some ice out of what appeared to be the employees' "break room" refrigerator/ freezer.

In general, I have no hesitancy about recommending this property and would be happy to stay again if I needed lodging in the area.

Beautifully renovated suite! Very impressive. It was well stocked with kitchen and bathroom essentials. Very clean.

The location was good, I did not have breakfast there. The room was comfortable and quiet.

The stove in the room. The door to the room was solid. The room was neat and tidy.

The location, price and actual room were excellent.

We have stayed at literally 100s of ihg hotels over the past decades and are long time platinum members but I must say this is by far the worst ihg hotel we’ve ever encountered mostly because of the rude hostile staff we encountered. We had a last minute business trip in the area so decided to stay at this hotel in Oak Harbor because it was an Ihg hotel and when checking in the new clerk had some difficulty checking us in and spent 15 minutes or so trying to do so. Then a man came from some place down the hall into the front desk area and his badge read JoJo. He was extremely nasty and rude to us right from the start and I have no idea why as we were just trying to check in. He acted like he was a manager although I’m not sure if he was but he did take over completely from the clerk who was trying to check us in. He was so hostile we decided not to stay and instead went to another hotel in that town. Very disappointed in this Ihg hotel.

This is a great hotel, I kinda wish it had a little more "island charm" but we really enjoyed it. The room was clean, bed was comfortable and food was pretty good. Definitely would recommend if you are looking for a place to stay in Oak Harbor.

There was no breakfast

This place is old but clean. It seemed to be higher priced than what we were used to at other locations in Western Washington ( ie Holiday Inn Express in Bellingham).
There is no breakfast included here.
Also, there are no ice machines in the hallways. The desk clerk told me that I would need to make my own ice in the fridge top freezer that was in my room, but I was unable to turn it on.

Everything was good! Ceramic cups, glassware. Bed and room so comfy. But coffee was substandard. Can you get Nespresso? Or Keurig? We need a strong cup to get going!

Clean and quiet