5 Best Hotels in Napa and Sonoma, California

The 1960s are back and splashier than ever at this tastefully and whimsically restored motel next to a park and diagonally across from the Luther Burbank Home & Gardens. The owners of the popular Spinster Sisters restaurant around the corner, who've been collecting mid-century modern furniture for years, have put their collection to swell use furnishing the Astro, a design lover's delight, where something different catches the eye every few seconds. Each room is individually decorated, some with Sputnik chandeliers and vintage Eames chairs and accessories like pottery, old cameras, and wooden ice buckets. Built-in benches in some rooms are useful for storing luggage, and all rooms have flat-screen TVs and refrigerators but no microwaves or (except for two suites) coffeemakers. The two-building motel sits on the edge of the SOFA Santa Rosa Arts District, across Santa Rosa Avenue from two tattoo and piercing parlors that add further local color. Ask about discounts on tastings at wineries, a spa, and a bike-tour company.

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 classic 1950s-style neon sign marks the driveway to this roadside motel whose off-season rates appeal to budget-minded travelers. In high season, you'll pay a premium for the convenient location along Highway 29 a mile south of Main Street’s prime restaurants and shops, but the rooms are tidy, and the landscaped grounds and picnic tables elevate the property over similar accommodations. Family-friendly pluses include rollaway beds and cribs for a modest charge. To avoid highway noise, ask for a room farthest from the road.

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.