Duffer Kinney

Solitude with a view

The pictures for this home really don't do the place justice, and the views really are amazing! Now, a few things to keep in mind are that all the moisture in the air means there's a dehumidifier on the bottom floor that would run for hours every day, which quickly became white noise to me. The location is also about 15-20 mins from Olympia, and I can imagine how inconvenient that might be for some, though as a writer, I personally found the quiet and solitude amazing. To sum up, this property is a little gem, and assuming my plans work out, I'll look to stay there again next year.

best FF I've stayed at.

This is a rare gem in the PNW. I loved this place so much that I'm actually staying again this winter for a couple of months. Very quiet, nice neighbors, and only 20 min from downtown Olympia. It is literally located on one of the inlets of the southern Puget Sound, so if you are a kayaker/paddler like me, you aren't going to get anything better than this. You can also often see little seals pop up out of the water, or an eagle flying by. I even saw some racoons walking on the inlet when the tide went out! Waking up each day to views of the water from the large open windows on both floors was truly something magical. I really loved the basement with the fireplace which was so nice in the winter. The owner (Duffer) and property manager (Marilyn) were very easy to communicate with and made my stay feel like home. Duffer keeps her place immaculately clean and uses all nature cleaner products, which for someone who is sensitive to chemicals, I very much appreciated. Any time there was an issue (e.g. a rare power outage during a winter storm), Marilyn was very responsive and helped to get it resolved. I worked remotely a lot of the time I was there and the internet (video teletherapy) and the service was really good. Beds were pretty firm (great if that is your preference), just something to note for anyone who needs a softer or plush bed. This is also not the place to stay at if you want a bustling city vibe nearby - this is if you want country, quiet, peaceful and wildlife nearby - which I did :) Would highly recommend this spot, I've stayed at a lot of FFs and this was easily the best one just for the specialness and solitude of it.