8 Best Hotels in Napa and Sonoma, California

A stay at this downtown boutique hotel may leave you cooing Je l'adore ("I adore it") for its colorful palette, French-quirky style, and individually decorated standard-sized rooms, larger suites, four Airstream trailers, and two-bedroom cottage. Every morning, the beyond-cordial owners lay out coffee and all-you-can-eat self-serve crepes (included in the rate) in a cafélike breakfast space. Deep pastels reign in all the guest rooms, which have 65" 4K Smart TVs and air-conditioning (a boon in summer, as inland Petaluma often heats up).

The exterior of this property between Sonoma and Glen Ellen says "motel," but the design sensibility and customer service are more quaint country inn, with the rates splitting the difference. Many patrons return year after year, so book well ahead in summer and early fall, especially on weekends. A few blocks west of Highway 12 in a residential neighborhood, the inn is popular with pro bicyclists and serious amateurs. The small but cheerful rooms, a handful pet-friendly and most with patios or balconies, are individually decorated with painted wooden armoires and brightly colored contemporary artwork. All rooms have air-conditioning, Keurig coffeemakers, small refrigerators, and 32-inch flat-screen TVs with cable. Free rollaway beds are available for kids.

About half the rooms here, decorated in mid-century modern style, date to this property's 1947 origins as a roadside motel, with the newer remaining ones edging this Hyatt–JdV Collection quasi-resort into budget-boutique territory. With the MoonAcre Spa, Fleetwood Calistoga restaurant, and multiple geothermal pools (one adults-only), the hotel provides decent value with its lower-end accommodations and a touch of class at the upper end. Amenities include comfortable beds, free Wi-Fi, and flat-screen HDTVs.

A giant pepper tree and a few palms tower over the garden courtyard of this updated 1959 motel whose landscaping, festive pool area, and thoughtful service make a stay here worth considering. Rooms, which come in three classes—Adobe, Sonoma, and California—are furnished with refrigerators, coffee/tea makers, safes, and flat-screen TVs. Adobe rooms, the least expensive, aren't quite as spiffy, but they face the interior garden courtyard, making them among the quietest. Sonoma rooms include down comforters, recliners or sofa beds, and patios or balconies. Some Sonoma and California rooms have a fireplace; all California rooms have a patio.

The former Carlson-Currier Silk Mill, its oldest section dating to 1892, houses this atypical Hampton Inn, some of whose guest rooms have 14-foot ceilings and exposed-brick walls. Historical maps and vintage and recent Petaluma photographs decorate the rooms, done in rich gray tones that complement the red brick. Some standard queen rooms feel small, but the suites are spacious. Business travelers enjoy access to photocopying and a few other amenities. A plentiful buffet is laid out each morning in the mill's former dye room, a contender for the chain's classiest breakfast venue.

Two hoteliers with an eye for low-budget panache teamed up to rejuvenate the decades-old cabins at this redwood-studded hillside (TV-free) adult property near downtown and the main Russian River beach. One of the proprietors, Crista Luedtke, also operates the nearby Boon Hotel + Spa and Boon Eat + Drink restaurants. Retro touches like burlwood coffee tables, redwood paneling, Formica tables, and floral curtains evoke Guerneville's mid-century casual-resort era, while the LGBTQ-friendly atmosphere recalls the area's 1970s and 1980s heyday. Two accommodations are small (but good for solo travelers), and pets are only permitted in three rooms. The room rate includes a continental breakfast.

Reasonable rates and vintage allure make this 1923 art deco property worth considering for budget travelers, especially those without a car (parking’s a pain) seeking a downtown location and a touch of style. The high-ceilinged, tile-floor lobby, decked out with contemporary sofas and chairs, has boutique-hotel appeal, but the rooms, furnished with less flair, are on the small side. The ground-floor Costeaux Bakery and The Shuckery seafood restaurant are excellent.

Bay Area weekenders and tourists dabbling at the outdoor life but needing a floor, a queen bed with linens, and clean communal restrooms and showers head to this well-run “glamping” hideaway. All 40 tents have the same dimensions, and each site offers nearly the same amenities: a raised platform, covered porch, electricity, a heated mattress pad, Wi-Fi, a heater, and a fan inside, and a picnic table, firepit, and patio furniture outside. The view and proximity to the river determine the pricing. Regulars covet the row of Riverside tents (and the only four cabins, whose air-conditioning can be a godsend in summer), which have no forward views of cars or other tents. Farther from the river, the following two rows, Premium and Standard, look at the backs of other tents, though many are closer to the restrooms, showers, and communal grilling facilities. A market operates at the entrance, and the property hosts live music and wine events on some weekends.