Gaige House in Sonoma Valley - opinions please
Feb 24th, 2003, 11:24 AM
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Gaige House in Sonoma Valley - opinions please
I've booked 3 nights in one of the Garden Rooms at this B&B in Glen Ellen. Would like to hear from anyone who has been here. What did you think of it? One earlier posting mentions that it's on a main road. I hope it's not noisy? The B&B's web site says that it's luxurious - is it?
Feb 24th, 2003, 01:33 PM
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Liz,
We stayed there a few months ago in Room 9 which is one of the rooms facing the road. The inn IS on a main road and you can kind of hear the cars whizzing by during the day, but it gets quiet at night. I also saw the earlier post about the noise and I can't say that it really bothered me much either during the day or at night.
The inn itself is nice, I wouldn't say ultra luxurious like a Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons would be, just because their situation doesn't allow for it. But, the interior is tastefully decorated, as are the rooms. Overall, nothing spectacular. Linens, furniture, etc seemed to be clean, fairly new and of excellent quality. The one thing that I didn't like was that the floors were covered in some sort of rough woven fiber like jute or sisal, not suitable to guest room use.
They offer very nice afternoon wine and cheese spreads and have snacks and drinks on hand at all times at a serve-yourself type station.
The service was adequate, less friendy than what i've encountered in Napa/Sonoma. I guess you'd call their staff aloof (at least when we were there). They are also a bit sticky about rules and having to accomodate special requests - nothing major, just small things like changing a breakfast time or allowing guests an extra 15 minutes to sit out on the deck after closing. I got the distinct impression that they don't like to alter their daily routine. This struck me as odd since they have a full staff and the inn is not large.
Overall, i'd say it was a pleasant place to stay and that everything promised on their website is pretty much provided. The rooms look bigger in the photos, but I think most places use creative photographers with innovative lighting techniques.
I remember someone once calling the place stuffy, but I didn't find it stuffy. I think the inn really tries to create an intimate atmosphere suitable for a romantic weekend away, and discourages groups or lively couples. This was what was probably misinterpreted as stuffy.
We stayed there a few months ago in Room 9 which is one of the rooms facing the road. The inn IS on a main road and you can kind of hear the cars whizzing by during the day, but it gets quiet at night. I also saw the earlier post about the noise and I can't say that it really bothered me much either during the day or at night.
The inn itself is nice, I wouldn't say ultra luxurious like a Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons would be, just because their situation doesn't allow for it. But, the interior is tastefully decorated, as are the rooms. Overall, nothing spectacular. Linens, furniture, etc seemed to be clean, fairly new and of excellent quality. The one thing that I didn't like was that the floors were covered in some sort of rough woven fiber like jute or sisal, not suitable to guest room use.
They offer very nice afternoon wine and cheese spreads and have snacks and drinks on hand at all times at a serve-yourself type station.
The service was adequate, less friendy than what i've encountered in Napa/Sonoma. I guess you'd call their staff aloof (at least when we were there). They are also a bit sticky about rules and having to accomodate special requests - nothing major, just small things like changing a breakfast time or allowing guests an extra 15 minutes to sit out on the deck after closing. I got the distinct impression that they don't like to alter their daily routine. This struck me as odd since they have a full staff and the inn is not large.
Overall, i'd say it was a pleasant place to stay and that everything promised on their website is pretty much provided. The rooms look bigger in the photos, but I think most places use creative photographers with innovative lighting techniques.
I remember someone once calling the place stuffy, but I didn't find it stuffy. I think the inn really tries to create an intimate atmosphere suitable for a romantic weekend away, and discourages groups or lively couples. This was what was probably misinterpreted as stuffy.
Feb 25th, 2003, 03:09 PM
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Liz,
After rereading my previous post, I will admit it sounded a bit negative.
My post wasn't meant to put you off of the inn, sorry about that. I did leave feeling like we had a truly pleasant stay, and I think I may have sounded negative in detailing what I didn't like rather than also giving you a good sense of what I did like.
The breakfasts I thought were excellent. The breakfast room is well sized for the number of guests being served so it wasn't noisy, and I thought the food was quite good. Breakfast is in no way the typical hearty, American, eat-all-you can type events, but provide well prepared dishes using gourmet ingredients that leave you feeling full but not stuffed. Enough to keep you going until lunch I think.
I really think the inn is a great place for a fun, romantic weekend. They have an absolutely beautiful pool out back with a jacuzzi. It's a small hotel that has a very intimate feel to it. The whole place is really very tastefully appointed and is a great place to come back to after your afternoon or evening activities. Truth be told, we really didn't spend a whole lot of time there because there was so much we wanted to do during the day. The day staff were helpful in suggesting wineries and restaurants for us to visit, and calling or giving directions to various places we wanted to go.
When you're inside of the inn, you kind of lose sense of the fact that it's on a main road because they've managed to decorate the interior so artfully. Perhaps also you can request one of the rooms that are facing the back of the inn? I think there may only be 2 rooms that face the street anyways.
The hotel provides a lot of little thoughtful touches - flashlights if you want to walk to Glen Ellen for dinner, Aveda bath and body products in the bathrooms, slippers and a robe, plus the wine, cheese and appetizers every afternoon in the main room. We opted to take our glasses outdoors or onto the deck to enjoy the weather. Check in and check out were smooth. If you're interested in TV while there, however, plan on sitting very close because you get a 13" I think.
I guess we're more used to staying at larger resorts where offerings are a bit more extravagent due to the size of the facility and the amount of staff and services on hand. As a B&B, I would definitely rate Gaige House as top notch.
I think you'll be very satisfied with your stay. We were happy at the end of the long weekend, and the problems I mentioned in my earlier posting were not dealbreakers - just bumps in an otherwise smooth road.
After rereading my previous post, I will admit it sounded a bit negative.
My post wasn't meant to put you off of the inn, sorry about that. I did leave feeling like we had a truly pleasant stay, and I think I may have sounded negative in detailing what I didn't like rather than also giving you a good sense of what I did like.
The breakfasts I thought were excellent. The breakfast room is well sized for the number of guests being served so it wasn't noisy, and I thought the food was quite good. Breakfast is in no way the typical hearty, American, eat-all-you can type events, but provide well prepared dishes using gourmet ingredients that leave you feeling full but not stuffed. Enough to keep you going until lunch I think.
I really think the inn is a great place for a fun, romantic weekend. They have an absolutely beautiful pool out back with a jacuzzi. It's a small hotel that has a very intimate feel to it. The whole place is really very tastefully appointed and is a great place to come back to after your afternoon or evening activities. Truth be told, we really didn't spend a whole lot of time there because there was so much we wanted to do during the day. The day staff were helpful in suggesting wineries and restaurants for us to visit, and calling or giving directions to various places we wanted to go.
When you're inside of the inn, you kind of lose sense of the fact that it's on a main road because they've managed to decorate the interior so artfully. Perhaps also you can request one of the rooms that are facing the back of the inn? I think there may only be 2 rooms that face the street anyways.
The hotel provides a lot of little thoughtful touches - flashlights if you want to walk to Glen Ellen for dinner, Aveda bath and body products in the bathrooms, slippers and a robe, plus the wine, cheese and appetizers every afternoon in the main room. We opted to take our glasses outdoors or onto the deck to enjoy the weather. Check in and check out were smooth. If you're interested in TV while there, however, plan on sitting very close because you get a 13" I think.
I guess we're more used to staying at larger resorts where offerings are a bit more extravagent due to the size of the facility and the amount of staff and services on hand. As a B&B, I would definitely rate Gaige House as top notch.
I think you'll be very satisfied with your stay. We were happy at the end of the long weekend, and the problems I mentioned in my earlier posting were not dealbreakers - just bumps in an otherwise smooth road.
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luckycloud
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Mar 20th, 2003 06:04 AM
