Farmhouse Inn, Sonoma County, California Hotel Review

I stuffed the large soaking tub and tipped in a ramekin of lavender-scented tub salts, then slipped into the steaming water. It was 6:30 a.m. on the Farmhouse Inn in Forestville, California.

The day earlier than, I had picked out tub accoutrements from the foyer’s lovely marble cart with physique scrubs and brightly coloured soaps. Now was my likelihood to make use of them whereas my son and husband had been sleeping. I grabbed the herb-scented bar of yellow-and-beige striped cleaning soap — made with mustard seeds for exfoliation — and scrubbed up. Then, I leaned again to soak beneath tall tub-to-ceiling home windows that seemed out onto my large non-public second-floor deck. By the point my husband and son woke, espresso and breakfast had arrived, and I used to be wrapped in a gown, consuming tacky scrambled eggs in entrance of our double-sided fire.

Of the seven Napa and Sonoma accommodations I’ve reported on, Farmhouse Inn stands out because the one which feels quintessentially Sonoma. There are wine lists hanging in every of the 25 rooms. Each afternoon at 4:30 p.m., a neighborhood winemaker hosts a complimentary wine tasting by the firepits. Once I went, I tasted Croix Property’s Ruxton Sands rosé subsequent to some who had come down of their robes and slippers. 

The lodge is based and managed by locals, who remodeled a dilapidated bed-and-breakfast right into a six-acre luxurious lodge in 2001. The spa serves post-treatment tea sourced from herbs grown on the lodge. The primary restaurant, although it now not has a Michelin star, is well-known for its decadent seven-course meals. There’s a rooster coop within the again backyard, which my six-month-old son beloved, probably as a result of it lastly contextualized Outdated MacDonald and his cluck-cluck-clucking brood. 

Past the quintessential Sonoma really feel — luxurious, however in an unfussy, Blundstone-and-Carhartt form of manner — Farmhouse provides guests entry to wineries that few different accommodations supply. Certain, Sonoma has a semi-crunchy, unpretentious high quality, however it’s nonetheless one of the vital coveted wine areas on the earth. You possibly can’t present up right here with out tasting room reservations — and with 19 American Viticultural Areas (or AVAs) in Sonoma County alone, choosing simply a few wineries is a tall order. The lodge has 25 vineyard companions, all of which supply complimentary tastings to lodge friends and might accommodate last-minute guests who’re staying at Farmhouse. Once I arrived, I requested to go to a associate vineyard — and 24 hours later, my husband, son, and I pulled as much as Chalk Hill Vineyards and Vineyard, the place our server, Raj, greeted us with a Chalk Hill AVA property chardonnay and a promise that Farmhouse friends had been amongst his favourite guests.

Right here, my full evaluation of Farmhouse Inn in Forestville, California.

The Rooms

Farmhouse Inn has 25 rooms, together with cozy 200-square-foot rooms, standalone cottage suites towards the entrance of the property, and the bigger barn suites, which stand up to 850 sq. toes. I stayed within the one-bedroom barn suite with a see-through wood-burning fire, a separate hallway, a large lavatory with a soaking tub and marble bathe, and an expansive balcony. The barn is on the very again of the property, which made our suite really feel non-public and out of the best way. It was greater than sufficient house for 2 adults and a child — and eating within the room didn’t really feel in any respect crowded.

The one draw back to the barn suites, which really feel like a world of their very own within the coronary heart of wine nation, is that they’re up a steep set of stairs, which meant my husband and I functioned as a human escalator for our son’s stroller.

Meals and Drink

The primary eating room serves day by day breakfast — fresh-squeezed orange juice by the roaring fire was a spotlight for me. It doubles because the property’s fantastic eating restaurant. Transparently, I didn’t have dinner on the major restaurant as a result of youngsters aren’t allowed within the night. Nonetheless, I attempted the tasting menu in 2021 and nonetheless keep in mind the meal fondly. Most locals I do know are large followers of the restaurant, the place the lodge typically hosts wine dinners with associate wineries that promote out.

My husband and I loved an abridged tasting menu on our first evening, although — in our bathrobes, no much less. Farmhouse serves an outstanding in-room three-course dinner, which friends can pre-order and have delivered (coursed out) at no matter time fits their schedule. I stumbled in from a wine occasion simply in time to affix my husband for our son’s bedtime routine. Then, with our son snoozing in his pack-and-play, we cracked a Banshee Wines brut and began in on a fragile pasta with mushrooms and radicchio, adopted by black cod in a sweet-and-sour sauce (or, aigre-douce, if we wish to get French about it) and lamb chops. For dessert in mattress, we shared a matcha and chamomile tart as our fire warmed the room.

One other on-site eating possibility, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, is the informal Farmstand. It has a wood-fired oven and a phenomenal outside patio with warmth lamps and a hearth. My son, husband, and I dined right here twice; it’s a really serviceable menu, with burgers, sandwiches, salad, and a very good potato and leek soup.

Experiences and Facilities

The associate vineyard program at Farmhouse Inn is an excellent cause to e-book a keep. The lodge grants friends entry to personal complimentary tastings at 25 Sonoma vineyards. Farmhouse additionally hosts day by day wine tastings — at 4:30 p.m. on the hearth pits — adopted by nightly s’mores at 6 p.m. with marshmallows made by the restaurant’s pastry chef.

The lodge has a big major pool and a steaming scorching tub, beautiful lawns the place friends can put their toes up and revel in a glass of wine, a gurgling fountain, and, in fact, a rooster coop. Amongst my favourite facilities had been the tub cart — the place I restocked twice on fragrant bubble tub, lavender tub salts, and brown sugar scrub — and the chocolate chip cookies dropped off each evening at turndown.

The Spa

Farmhouse Inn has a stunning wellness barn with a roaring hearth and a cart the place any visitor could make a crystal–infused oil to take dwelling. On supply: massages, facials, non-public yoga, and natural baths. After a 90-minute therapeutic massage the place my therapist, Lindsey, kneaded my again into submission, I curled up beneath a fleece blanket in a wicker chair by the hearth and sipped tea — an anti-inflammatory mixture of lavender, chamomile, lemon grass, and calendula — blended by the in-house pastry chef.

Household-friendly Choices

Sonoma isn’t your traditional bring-the-kids vacation spot, however with its abundance of out of doors actions, it must be. Farmhouse Inn is a few 15-minute drive from Armstrong Redwoods State Pure Reserve, which is a good place to hike and see Colonel Armstong, a towering redwood that’s greater than 1,400 years outdated. It’s additionally near the Russian River — the Farmhouse concierge will help households arrange actions like kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding — and downtown Healdsburg, which has loads of family-friendly eating places. One night, we popped into Roof 106, which is above The Matheson, for pizza and cocktails. 

The lodge was very welcoming to my son, and there have been different (well-behaved) youngsters visiting throughout our keep. The lodge offered a pack-and-play, and one in all our servers burst out in tune for my son at breakfast one morning, which made my weekend.

The Location

Farmhouse Inn is a 10-minute drive from Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, or an hour-and-a-half drive from San Francisco Worldwide Airport. You’ll want a automobile to get round; Farmhouse lets friends use their home Volvos when obtainable, although many friends select to lease their very own automobiles. 

The lodge is a 20-minute drive from Healdsburg: go to my favourite Northern California tasting room, Flowers Vineyard & Vineyards, in the event you’re a fan of coastal chardonnay and pinot noir; J Vineyards & Vineyard for winemaker Nicole Hitchcock’s phenomenal slate of glowing wines; Little Saint for vegan fare crafted by a Noma alum; The Matheson, the most recent idea from celebrated native chef Dustin Valette, who additionally owns fine-dining spot Valette; Dry Creek Kitchen on your Charlie Palmer steakhouse repair; Michelin three-starred SingleThread, which actually doesn’t want an introduction; and Aperture Cellars for luxurious, Bordeaux-style reds.

Downtown Sonoma is farther away – about an hour’s drive — however price a go to for the meals and tasting rooms on supply. Attempt Enclos, which simply opened in December 2024; chef Brian Limoges’ 10-course tasting menu, with elements sourced from Sonoma County’s Stone Edge Farm, is the very best meal I’ve had in years. 

Guerneville, additionally a 15-minute drive, is correct alongside the Russian River and residential to Armstrong Redwoods State Pure Reserve and a captivating downtown.

Accessibility and Sustainability

Farmhouse Inn has one ADA-compliant room. Past the anticipated sustainability options — restricted single-use plastics, recycling, composting, EV chargers on supply — the lodge companions with Sonoma County Open Area Conservation. The founding companions of the lodge donated a grove of native oak bushes in downtown Forestville “to be held untouched in perpetuity, by no means to be developed,” based on a lodge spokesperson. Additional, the waste produced from the kitchen goes to the flock of 80 hens who lay eggs for Farmhouse Inn. The culinary staff makes use of elements farmed on property and sources primarily from native, sustainable farms.

The way to Get the Most of Worth Out of Your Keep

Farmhouse Inn just isn’t a part of a lodge loyalty program, however it’s within the American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts portfolio. Vacationers who e-book with their Amex Platinum card get assured 4 p.m. checkout, complimentary day by day breakfast for 2, and a $100 credit score to make use of on the lodge.

Nightly charges on the Farmhouse Inn begin from $919, and you’ll e-book your keep at farmhouseinn.com.