The Best Hotels Near Farmstead, by the Record
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Heated floors in every bathroom is the kind of detail that makes a 15-room boutique hotel in Glen Ellen feel less like a weekend trip and more like borrowing a very well-appointed friend's house. Wraparound porches, oak shade, gas fireplaces in many rooms, and a low-key pool give it a residential quality that sits comfortably in the quieter, less-trafficked corner of Sonoma Valley. No restaurant, but the wineries are basically the backyard.
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Winters has been quietly assembling the pieces of a wine-country destination, and this 78-room boutique hotel sits at the center of that project. The style is classic and unshowy, which is the right call for a small town trying not to oversell itself. A full-service spa and an Italian restaurant with wood-fired pizzas give you reasons to stay on property, while Yolo County tasting rooms are a short walk from the front door.
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The lobby is stacked floor to ceiling with old National Geographic issues, which tells you most of what you need to know about this hotel's whole deal. A block from UC Berkeley's campus, the Graduate leans into an Indiana Jones fantasy, decor that looks collected on various digs rather than sourced from a catalog. Rooms are comfortable without trying too hard, and the public spaces draw a crowd well past checkout.
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Every room faces the water at this 33-room boutique hotel perched over the bay in Sausalito, a ferry ride from San Francisco for anyone who's decided downtown has enough concrete. Decks, fireplaces, and spa bathrooms fill the larger suites, and even the modest rooms get big windows framing the bay rather than a parking structure. Muir Woods and Stinson Beach are close enough to justify staying a few nights.