Everything fabulous in California: restaurants, spas, things to do, resorts and more!
Bricoleur Vineyards’ signature varietal is called “Flying by the Seat of Our Pants.” The Brut sparkling wine, a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with a clear nose of citrus blossom and bubbly effervescence, is aptly named given the Sonoma Valley family-owned winery opened its expansive tasting room in 2020, just in time for the pandemic.
Santé is not only located in a mission – the award-winning Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, to be exact – the restaurant is on a mission to fuse the ample bounty of all of California with the culinary artistry of Sonoma County.
If you love big, bold red wines whose aromatics burst from the bottle and dance across your nose and then whose layers of flavors come in waves on your palate…then Hamel Family Wines in Sonoma is for you.
Among Sonoma County’s best accommodations, The Lodge at Sonoma Resort, Autograph Collection seamlessly blends the region’s distinctive beauty with California-inspired gastronomy and extraordinary amenities. And, thanks to a recent $17 million renovation, it checks even more “wow” boxes than before.
A luxury resort by all accounts, lauded by the likes of Conde Nast Traveler, Kenwood Inn & Spa is sprawled across two-and-a-half acres of lush gardens with views of nearby vineyards in all directions. Yet, it is small by hotel standards, featuring just 29 guestrooms and suites, each tucked away into its own enclave to make its guests feel like they are the only people on earth.
Sonoma boasts some of the highest-rated restaurants in the world. And yet, in my dozen times visiting over the past several years, there is only one I’ve returned to again and again: The Bubble Room.
Somehow, The Farmhouse Inn manages to be rustic and romantic, grand and intimate, luxe and laid-back all at the same time. Voted both the 2017 “Best Hotel in Northern California by Conde Nast Traveler and 2018 “Best Hotel in California” by Travel & Leisure – not to mention named to the Forbes Travel Guide Verified Luxury List, the Inn actually got its start thanks to hops (a k a the key ingredient in beer), neither grapes nor wine, as one might expect given it is in Sonoma County.