Suncadia Resort – Destination Hotels by Hyatt Review
Suncadia Resort is a sprawling vacation community 80 miles east of Seattle built in the mid-2000’s. It is on the eastern side of the Cascade mountain range near the town of Cle Elum which sits at an elevation of 2000′. This means that it gets snow in the winter and is warmer and drier than Seattle in the summer. In the summer there is golf, biking, hiking, and some water sports. In the winter there is cross country skiing, snow shoeing, sledding, and ice skating. Note that there is no downhill skiing on the property; you would need to drive to Snoqualmie Pass, about 30 miles away.
Suncadia Resort is part of the Destination Hotels brand of Hyatt. This means you can earn/redeem points at the property and most elite benefits apply. Note that there is a resort fee of $33/night (as of 2021).
The main hotel at Suncadia is The Lodge, a five story building with 254 rooms. There is also a smaller hotel called The Inn which doesn’t have the amenities of The Lodge but is located on the golf course. There are also houses that you can rent located throughout the property.
Check In
I arrived a little early and was told my room wasn’t quite ready. I asked if there was any possibility of an upgrade as a Globalist, and the front desk agent seemed like she didn’t know much about the World of Hyatt program so the manager helped her figure it. They were able to get me upgraded to a suite that was ready. Definitely worth asking about upgrades at this property if you have elite status because it doesn’t seem to be done proactively. The website says that Suncadia doesn’t participate in room upgrades for elites so your mileage may vary.
I was also given four bottles of water by the manager. I asked about breakfast and was told it was available at the Portals restaurant either as pick up or room delivery as there was no seating during COVID. Breakfast was good for two adults and two children. I could call on my final day to ask about a late check out.
There is a nice lobby “great room” with views out over the river and to the mountains beyond.
Room
I was assigned room 4059, a Lodge One Bedroom with River View. The website has some cool graphics where you can really see the layout of the rooms. Each of the rooms in The Lodge is actually a condo owned by an individual but you wouldn’t know it as all the furnishings are uniform.
As you enter a full kitchen is on the right. The kitchen is stocked with cutlery, plates, bowls, glasses, etc. Just to the left of the entry is a washer and dryer.
The living room and dining room area has a table with seating for four.
The sleeper sofa faces the TV and fireplace.
The balcony has two chairs and has a nice view out over the river.
A small hallway leads to the bedroom and bathroom.
The bedroom has a king bed, desk and a juliet balcony.
The colors are neutral/natural shades with light raw wood and stone. The look brings in nature but looks a bit outdated by today’s standards.
Bathroom
The bathroom of the suite has a single vanity, large soaking tub and separate shower.
The bath products are Nest branded for Destination Hotels.
Pool & Activities
There is one heated pool at The Lodge open all year. In addition, there is a separate large swimming and fitness center a five minute walk away. The swim & fitness center is for all guests of Suncadia and has a large outdoor pool and indoor pool with waterslides.
On the walk to the swim & fitness complex is the Glade Spa.
There are tons of other activities on the grounds, including an ice skating rink and pond by the swim & fitness center, golf courses, driving range, hiking/snowshoeing, ax throwing, sledding and more.
Restaurants
The main restaurant at The Lodge is Portals. It is where Globalists have their breakfast (though during COVID it is only available for take out). I was told that breakfast for two adults and two children is included. Room delivery is included for Globalists during COVID.
There is also a bar, Fifty-6° Lounge, located next to Portals. A small coffee shop/gift shop (Coal House Caffe) is located on the opposite side of the lobby but only open in the morning.
I wasn’t overly impressed by the food (I had both breakfast and dinner at Portals), but they likely had a more full menu pre-COVID. The prices are reasonable; $15 for a burger and fries.
In addition there is the Swiftriver Cellars winery and The Stovehouse restaurants located in other parts of the property. You can walk to them or take the resort shuttle.
Overall
I was surprised by the large number of people staying at Suncadia over a weekend in January. I assume many were taking a weekend staycation from Seattle or surrounding areas, unable to fly some place warm because of COVID. Typically the property would host a large number of conferences in their convention space. I found the service to be excellent overall. The manager I talked with really wanted to go out of his way to help World of Hyatt members as the property is new to the program and seems to want to make a good impression.
Suncadia would make a nice place to visit for a few days if you are visiting Seattle but want to experience the amazing outdoors that the Pacific Northwest has to offer without roughing it. It is only an hour and 15 minutes from Seattle but an entirely different climate.
