Having friends and family visit over the holidays is one of the great joys of the season, but playing host adds a lot of stress at an already-busy time. Like too much leftover turkey, even the most beloved guests become unpalatable after the third day.
Happily, Sonoma Valley is rife with places that would welcome your out-of-towners for a night or two. Some locals find a compromise – guests stay the first night or two with their hosts, then move into an inn or hotel for the next couple of nights.
There are too many choices to list them all here, so we have edited the options down to a handful of recommended establishments, each with special features such as room service, swimming pool, spa, restaurant, landscaping for lounging outdoors, convenient location and/or affordable rates.
Several places lower their weeknight (Sun.- or Mon.-Thurs.) rates during the upcoming slow season; a 10 percent city tax applies to all in-town rates.
1 – El Pueblo Inn
Two new wings were added to this hideaway about eight blocks west of the Plaza. Fifty attractive rooms on two floors face the landscaped pool courtyard. Standard rooms can be had for as little as $114 weeknights and $139 weekends, while suites can cost up to $209 Fri.-Sat.
Amenities: Swimming pool; complimentary continental breakfast; in-room television, hair dryer, coffee maker, iron
896 W. Napa St., Sonoma
707.996.3651
800.900.8844
www.elpuebloinn.com.
2 – Sonoma Creek Inn
Visitors who would rather spend their money on wine and food than on swank digs at a chic address should love the Sonoma Creek Inn. Especially now through March 27, 2008, when a package deal, Carpe Diem in Sonoma, includes a stylish queen guest room, a complimentary bottle of wine and complimentary wine-tasting passes, priced at $75 for one night and $145 for two nights, Sunday through Thursday. (See Web site for restrictions.)
All 16 upstairs and downstairs rooms are charmingly decorated with original art work and hand-crafted accessories such as lamp shades created from antique postcards of local scenes by Julie Atwood. Many feature outdoor patios with fountains.
Amenities: Cable TV, refrigerator, air-conditioning, telephone with data port, Wi-Fi Internet access, a desk and chair.
239 Boyes Blvd., Boyes Hot Springs;
707. 939.9463, 888.712.1289;
www.sonomacreekinn.com.
3 – Brickhouse Bungalows
This delightful half-acre complex half-a-block north of the Plaza has as its centerpiece a charming 1906 building, where second-story accommodations include two full bedrooms, a bath and a dining room plus two verandas.
Also known as Bungalows 313, the property is styled after an Italian country-style boutique inn; palm, fig and other fruit trees grace the grounds, which are partitioned by boxwood shrubs into several outdoor sitting areas. Like those in the main house, accommodations in six bungalows have chic (but not precious) décor; most have a private hot tub.
Amenities: Italian robes and linens; full-service health club privileges, private telephone, cable TV, Wi-Fi Internet access; coffee maker, hair dryer and ironing board. Rates start at $209 for a bungalow on weeknights through November and drop to a minimum of $175 Dec. 1-Mar. 15. Bella Luna, the main house, rents for $850 a night. See Web site for more details and package information.
313 First St. E., Sonoma
707.996.8091
www.bungalows313.com.
4 – El Dorado Hotel
The best location for visitors who want the real flavor of old Sonoma is the El Dorado Hotel. All 23 rooms upstairs in the main hotel have French doors leading to a private balcony overlooking either the Plaza or a garden courtyard. There are also four bungalows (two wheelchair-accessible) separate from the main building to the west of the pool courtyard.
Recently refurbished and simply but tastefully designed, each accommodation has a four-poster bed, flat-screen TV, CD & DVD player, cordless telephone and mini-refrigerator.
Amenities: El Dorado Kitchen, El Dorado Kitchenette (a café).
Rates Nov.-Dec.:
$155 Sunday-Thursday
$175 Friday, Saturday and holidays
Bungalows
$175 per night Sunday-Thursday
$195 per night Friday, Saturday and holidays
405 First St. W., Sonoma
707.996.3220
www.eldoradosonoma.com.
5 – MacArthur Place
One of Sonoma’s top-of-the-line hostelries, this complex sprawls on a beautifully landscaped historic property. All 64 rooms and suites are individually appointed with designer furnishings, down comforters and custom linens. The inn’s top-of-the-line accommodations are the Spa Garden Suites, which have private gardens, an outdoor rain shower and teak soaking tub overlooking a waterfall. See the Web site for packages and specials.
Amenities: Spa; swimming pool; Saddles restaurant; in-room TV, CD and DVD players, luxury bath amenities, terry robes, hair dryers, ironing boards, two-line phones with dataport and voice mail, refrigerators and coffee makers.
Rates start at $349 for a queen room Mon.-Thurs. and go up to $699 for a spa suite Fri.-Sat.
29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma
707.938-2929, 800.722.1866
www.macarthurplace.com.
