Theresa and I decided to head up to Sonoma for mini road trip to celebrate her birthday. We had a gift certificate from bedandbreakfast.com that we had been meaning to use for the longest time, so it was the perfect way to try out one of the properties. I initially wanted to stay in Napa, but after reading the reviews for the B&Bs that would take our certificate, they were either way highly priced, already booked, or did not get very good reviews. Shifting over to Sonoma, this inn got consistently good reviews, so I booked it. Was not intending on writing a blog about this, but I was impressed with the Inn, so here are my notes.
The Location:
The Inn at Sonoma is located about a block from the main Sonoma town square, where the city hall is. Around the plaza are a bunch of shops and restaurants. The actual Inn is tucked away from the street making it pretty quiet and a bit isolated from the noise of the main street. This would be a great home base to explore the area. The proximity to downtown means you don’t need to drive to grab dinner after a long day of hitting the vineyards, spas, etc. The front desk is not staffed after 9pm, and you will need a room key to get into the lobby, else you have to call a number to have someone let you in. There are about 20 rooms or so at the Inn, so constant in and out traffic shouldn’t be much of an issue.
The Room:
The room was nicely appointed, with a king bed, in-room fireplace, two sitting chairs. The bathroom was decoratedin a mission style with Kohler fixtures and boutique toiletries. Our room (and I believe all the other 2nd floor rooms) had a balcony with small seating area where you can enjoy the night breeze, chat, and perhaps open that bottle of wine you got at the local vineyard. There is a fridge in the room to store or chill that wine as well. Walls seemed pretty thick as we did not hear any of our neighbors, so noise was not an issue.
The Service:
The staff was efficient and friendly. I had mentioned in my online booking that we were celebrating a birthday, and in our room, the staff left a happy birthday note with a couple of happy birthday balloons. We were guided to our room upon check-in and the lady at reception gave us a run down of the room’s amenities as well as mentioned some of the hotel’s other amenities, including the hot tub and tea time (see below).
The Food:
Cookies available round the clock –
The Inn provides home baked cookies at all times in a tin in the lobby. The days we were there they had peanut butter and oatmeal raisin almond cookies. Great for a snack or after dinner treat.
Tea Time –
From 5pm to 6:30pm, the hotel hosts tea time, with wine, cheese, and snacks for guest to enjoy. We sat on the patio to enjoy the weather, sipping some chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.
Breakfast-
Every room comes with breakfast included, and there is a small breakfast buffet with a variety of foods. Hot foods include a homemade egg fratatta and hashed brown potatoes. Toast, English muffins, cereal, yogurt, fresh squeezed OJ, seasonal fruits, homemade coffee cake, coffee, tea, and milk are some of the offerings. A great way to fuel up before a long day of exploring wine country.
Bears in the Lobby-
Inside the lobby are a few Gund stuffed bears. We were curious if there was a story behind it, or if it was just a choice some interior decorator made. Turns out, when the Four Sisters were running the Inn (and yes it was actually owned by 4 sisters), they used to put a stuffed bear on all the beds in the guest rooms as sort of their signature touch. Evidently, due to a complaint or two about the bears being unsanitary or something or another, the management that runs the Inns today decided to remove the bears from the rooms. So they keep stuffed bears in the lobby to commemorate the tradition started by the four sisters.
Verdict:
Would highly recommend Inn at Sonoma if you are looking for a quaint, 4 star hotel experience in Sonoma.
