Accommodations
We offer guests a wide choice of accommodations that range from modest inns to luxury resorts. We visit and revisit all of them and select only those that are exceptional in their class. Comfortable rooms and friendly and knowledgeable staff are a must, and we only use accommodations that repeatedly receive high praise from our guests.
To help you select, our accommodations fall into five price categories.
| $$$$$ | Simply, some of the best hotels and resorts in the world. Typically include full spa facilities, tennis courts and a Michelin starred restaurant. |
| $$$$ | Some of the nicest full-service, hotels in the area. Typically include spa facilities and a restaurant. |
| $$$ | Typically, smaller hotels or exceptionally luxurious B&Bs. Very personal service which often includes a hosted wine tasting in the evening. |
| $$ | Nice B&Bs and more modest inns or hotels. The B&Bs typically include welcome drinks and great breakfasts. |
| $ | Simple inns or nicer motels. More modest accommodation but always clean and friendly. Typically does not include breakfast. |
Example Properties
$$$$$
The 250-acre Meadowood Resort near St. Helena has an atmosphere reminiscent of its origin as a private club. The property features croquet lawns, tennis courts, a nine-hole golf course and private hiking trails, as well as a full-service health spa. The Meadowood is a place of rest and seclusion patronized by presidents and movie stars.
The Auberge du Soleil near Rutherford consists of a handful of luxury ‘maisons’ scattered across a 33-acre hillside olive grove. Setting high standards in informal elegance and with one of the area’s top restaurants, this hotel will delight even the most discerning guest. Tennis courts and a luxury spa are also available.$$$$
The Hotel Healdsburg is designed and decorated in the boutique hotel modern-minimalist style – SoHo Grand meets small-town America. The hotel has excellent spa treatment facilities. The restaurant, the Dry Creek Kitchen, has a Michelin star and is one of the best restaurants in town.
The Allison Inn is situated in the rolling, northern Willamette Valley hills. Set among the vineyards, orchards and rich farmland that provide much of the fare served at its signature restaurant, all guest rooms and suites have either a private terrace or balcony. The property includes a 15,000 square foot spa with 12 treatment rooms.$$$
Owned and run by Bill & Trudi Konrad, the Madrona Manor near Healdsburg is a lovely Victorian estate surrounded by eight acres of wooded and landscaped grounds with a sun terrace and pool. Travel & Leisure magazine listed the Madrona Manor in its ‘Top 100 Hotels in the Continental U.S. and Canada’. Our guests repeatedly give this hotel and its restaurant very high marks.
The Applewood Inn is an historic and “casually luxurious” hotel on the outskirts of Guerneville. The hotel has private massage rooms as well as many secluded places to relax. The Inn has an award-winning restaurant. The executive chef, Brian Anderson, heads Applewood’s cooking school “La Buona Forchetta”.$$
At the Haydon Street Inn in Healdsburg you stay as the guests of John and Keren in this lovely Queen Anne Victorian B&B. The property is set on tree-shaded grounds in a quiet residential neighborhood yet is an easy walk to the historic plaza. John was a professional chef in his previous career and has cooked for several U.S. presidents.
The Chelsea Garden Inn in Calistoga is a charming B&B with a secluded pool and jasmine-lined walkways, and is just a couple of blocks from the quaint main street. The rooms are spacious and nicely appointed. The location is quiet and tranquil and the breakfasts are both tasty and abundant.$
Stay as the guest of Margaret and Mike Kennett in one of their Fern Grove Cottages in Guerneville. The cottages are nestled among the redwoods and include both studios in the $ category and one- and two-bedroom cottages in the $$ category. Rooms are simple but comfortable and most have fireplaces. Margaret is extremely helpful, bakes great scones and goes out of her way to make all guests feel welcome.
The Hood River Inn in Hood River, Oregon, is a Best Western and the shoreline location makes it an interesting one. The rooms are clean and well-appointed. There’s a walkway along the river that goes over a bridge, past the marina and into the center of town.