Unique Homes Blog

Unique Homes is on location in Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, this weekend to tour a variety of luxury developments.

The first thing I learned about Sandpoint this morning, as I strolled its picturesque city beach and compact downtown area, comprised of a town square and several blocks of small shops, restaurants, a winery, the flagship store of the Coldwater Creek women’s apparel franchise, and the historic Panida Theater, is that the readiness of the first one or two people I passed to smile and say hello was not a fluke. Nearly everyone offered me a “good morning,” and I quickly found myself thinking about how those of us from the Northeast, with our go-go-go attitudes, rarely look up from where we are headed, let alone make a true cheerful greeting to a stranger. A genuine small town, Sandpoint’s residents all seem to know each other, a sentiment I was to see repeated throughout the day.

Chris Chambers, Director of Sales for Seasons at Sandpoint and a realtor with Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby’s International Realty, greeted me at The Retreat at Season’s, apologizing for his jeans and cowboy boots, which, rather than appearing unprofessional, simply underscored Sandpoint’s laid-back vibe. The serenely quiet lakefront development, separated from downtown by Sand Creek, has residential offerings from $490,000 to $1.8 million, including condominiums as well as eight townhomes that will open by 2010. A spa, concierge, marina with dockmaster and a year-round heated pool and hot tub draw buyers all year long, especially to ski in the winter and to engage in a myriad of lake activities in the summer. “You can come use [your unit] 50 weeks out of the year,” says Chambers. “There’s always something to do.”

An afternoon drizzle put an end to my hiking plans and instead I set out to drive the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway , which follows the rocky shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille from Sandpoint to the Montana state line. Stunning, panoramic views of the lake, mountains and National Forest extend for the entire Byway and prompted me to stop for photos several times, though the most amusing part of the drive came when I approached signs for the town of Hope (population: 72, according to a highway sign) and continued looking around for Main Street. It wasn’t until I reached another road sign, for an RV park called “Beyond Hope,” that I realized I had already driven through the nearly non-existent town.

Upon my arrival at Sagle’s 41 South for dinner, I enjoyed a glass of Claudia Marie’s Chardonnay, a Pend d’Oreille Winery wine inspired by Claudia Dick, who, along with her husband Melvin, owns the lodge-style riverfront restaurant, as well as several other dining ventures in the area, including the 219 Lounge, which will celebrate its 75^th anniversary this year. After a cup of can’t-get-enough-of-it roasted red pepper bisque with goat cheese, an original recipe by the house chef, according to Melvin, the two of us settled into a lively conversation about the history of the area, Sandpoint’s vibrant arts and charity scenes and Melvin’s five-month bike ride across the United States in support of the Panhandle Alliance for Education. Chris told me to ask you about your bike ride, I told Melvin between bites of sage and sausage stuffed pork chop with habanero huckleberry and apricot glaze. Melvin applauded Chris as a great guy and my hosts, the Pedersens, as a wonderful addition to the Sandpoint community. Everyone knows everyone in Sandpoint.

Visit our blog tomorrow to read about The Idaho Club, a golf course community outside of Sandpoint, and read more about Sandpoint, Talus Rock and Seasons at Sandpoint in an upcoming issue of Unique Homes.

–Sarah Binder

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