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.
Facilities
Rooms
Twenty-three, including 10 suites.
Checkout
11am, check-in from 3pm, but both are flexible, subject to availability.
More Details
Rates include a daily wine-and-cheese hour and a buffet breakfast loaded with banana pancakes, artichoke quiche and freshly baked blueberry muffins alongside a spread of cereals, fruit and juices.
Also
The Creekside rooms are wheelchair accessible.
Free Internet Access
Pool
Spa
At the Hotel
Free WiFi. In rooms: TV, sound system, air-conditioning, tea- and coffee-making kit.
Our Favourite Rooms
Book a ryokan suite with a deep granite soaking tub – they come with Japanese accessories such as yukata robes, zori slippers and cast-iron tea-ceremony sets. Rooms in the main house have a more American lean – we like the Gaige Suite, which benefits from its lofty position on the top floor, with sweeping hillside views from the private terrace.
Poolside
The secluded pool is in landscaped gardens, flanked by lanterns, sunloungers and swinging chairs. There’s a hot tub and firepit, too, for cooler evenings, and a Japanese-style meditation barn to one side.
Spa
The spa loft is tucked away at the top of the Edwardian house – choose from a selection of massages and facials, enjoyed in sweet solitude or as a couple. Please note, the Spa is currently closed until further notice.
Packing Tips
Yoga kit – not only do Californians largely exist in leggings, but the creekside Meditation Room is open for guests to use at leisure.
Children
All ages welcome (under-5s stay free), but there aren’t many options for playtime – the hotel is very much designed for grown-ups.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
On a nice day, there’s no beating breakfast on the terrace.
Dress Code
Get in the Japanese spirit – rock some traditional geta slippers and a yukata robe tied with an obi belt around the middle.
Hotel Restaurant
The guests-only Dining Room is the setting for American breakfast each morning – expect fresh-squeezed orange juice and warm continental pastries alongside daily specials such as goat’s cheese omelette, artichoke quiche and apple-spice cake.
Hotel Bar
There isn’t a bar as such, but there’s no harm in pretending – each evening after dinner, guests are invited to the Gathering Room for sake, port and sherry.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served from 8am to 10am; wine and cheese hour is from 5pm to 6pm daily.
Room Service
None, but each room has a minibar well-stocked with snacks and drinks.
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 at 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.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
