Gaige House
Matcha made in heaven
Sonoma serenity
Leave your worries at the door – Gaige House combines chilled-out Californian vibes with artful Japanese design to create a restful retreat in vineyard-laden Sonoma Valley. Choose to bed down in the main house, where the rooms toe a line between contemporary Californian and Asian design, or plump for a zen-inspired Ryokan Suite, inspired by traditional Japanese inns and featuring cast-iron tea sets, granite soaking tubs with hinoki-wood ladles, and yukata robes to slip into afterwards. Outside, the Calabazas Creek trickles past karesansui rock gardens; by the pool and yoga-ready meditation room, a canopy of bamboo, oak and maple trees rustles above.
Planes
The closest airport is in Santa Rosa, 20 miles away (35 minutes by taxi); flights arrive from several US cities including Los Angeles, Phoenix and Seattle. International flyers should use San Francisco International or Oakland International, which are two hours’ drive to the south; major airlines including British Airways and Norwegian fly from London.
Automobiles
If you’re planning on touring the region’s vineyards, a car is essential… arrange for a driver, too, if you’re extra enthusiastic on the wine-tasting front. You can hire from the airport in San Francisco and drive north to Sonoma around the east side of the bay, or via the Golden Gate Bridge and Route 101 for that classic-roadtrip vibe. There’s free parking at the hotel.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Slide into slippers and patter around the house, perhaps finding a nook by the fireplace to settle into with a book, or sampling the matcha cookies and sake in the lounge. Stroll the grounds at your own leisurely pace, pausing to admire the red maples, bristling bamboo and mighty oak trees. Unwind with yoga in the Meditation Room, near the Calabazas Creek – or book a spa treatment and while away the afternoon by the pool. And don’t forget Californian aperitivo – the wine and cheese hour every evening from 4pm to 5pm.
Go up, up and away with an early morning hot-air-balloon ride with Napa Valley Aloft (6525 Washington Street, Yountville) – and you won’t be too sad when you come back to earth, because there’ll be a champagne breakfast waiting for you. Take cooking and wine classes at Ramekins (450 West Spain Street, Sonoma) – you can hardly fail to make something tasty with fresh Golden State bounty at your disposal. Jack London Village (14301 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen) is a quirky historical mill converted into a collection of independent shops and restaurants; it’s named after the author who lived in Glen Ellen for 11 years before his death in 1916.
One look across the miles of verdant vineyards in Sonoma Valley, and you’ll realise why wine tasting is top of the tourist to-do list. Winery-hop in your own car, or avoid the dreaded designated-driver duty by booking a private or group trip; call Smith24 for options.
