Wine & Food Lovers’ Hideaway
Location: Forestville, Sonoma, California
Style: Deluxe country chic
Budget: £££
Deep in the heart of Sonoma’s Russian River Valley lies a tranquil retreat with the agricultural history of the area and its winemaking prowess entrenched entirely in its philosophy. Boasting a Michelin-starred restaurant, alongside a boutique complex of luxury rooms, the Farmhouse Inn is highly regarded across Sonoma and the world as a defining leader of luxury wine country hotels.
Staying at The Farmhouse Inn
When siblings Catherine and Joe Bartolomei, fifth generation of Sonoma winemakers, took over the run down Farmhouse Inn, it was a shadow of the place it is now. Their dream of turning the inn, just a few miles down the road from their great-grandparents ranch, into somewhere special has come to fruition in the inn that stands before you today.
Starting with only a small number of rooms above a well-regarded restaurant, the pair have expanded the Farmhouse Inn into 25 luxury rooms. Housed within various farmhouse style buildings dotted across the property each room has been designed to exude luxury, country chic. Purposefully avoiding traditional cluttered country décor, they are presented in a more minimal fashion with an emphasis on clean lines and sumptuous textures.
Farmhouse Inn offers five different types of room, from the entry level Farmhouse King, located within the original 1873 farmhouse building, all the way up to the ultimate King Luxury Suites. All rooms come with jetted baths and a sauna or steam shower to relax in, as well as oversized fireplaces. Some of the top rooms have private terraces, with a double-sided fireplace, so you can snuggle up under the stars before turning in for the night.
When you arrive at the Farmhouse Inn, you‘ll be welcomed with a chilled glass of wine and shown where to help yourself to a selection of exquisite, locally made bath bars, bubble baths and body scrubs to enjoy in your tub. Just behind the spa bath selection lies another treat, a complimentary s’mores bar stocked with Valrhona chocolate, huge vanilla marshmallows and graham crackers ready and waiting for an evening beside the fire. What’s more, you’ll find yet more delights delivered to your room at turn down every evening in the form of freshly baked cookies and milk – don’t miss out, they’re to die for!
After settling in take a wander around the hotel grounds meandering past fragrant blooming flower beds, and relax upon discreetly placed sofas and swing chairs beside bubbling fountains, perhaps with a glass of wine in hand. You may also meet Charlotte, the resident black bombay cat, who can often be found basking in the sun.
The centrepiece of the Farmhouse Inn is the pool area, with a full size heated pool and bubbling jacuzzi, alongside two firepits, where you can cook your own s’mores. The team are on hand 24 hours a day to assist you, just in case that s’more urge comes in the early hours!
Just behind the pool, shaded under a flower-draped pergola, sit a few tables where you can enjoy a drink or spot of lunch, but more excitingly where the daily wine hour takes place. In co-operation with their winery partners, Farmhouse Inn hosts a daily wine tasting giving guests the opportunity to come together and try one of their partner’s wines. Coming from a large and sociable family, this time of day was important to the Bartolomeis to recreate the same sense of community, where guests can share some of the highlights of their day.
Dining at The Farmhouse Inn
As part of the Farmhouse dream, Catherine and Joe wanted to create a one Michelin star restaurant, which they’ve achieved and retained for many years. Although the restaurant was already pretty well regarded when the family took over, the result nowadays is a wonderful experience of delicious food, wine and fabulous service that has made the Farmhouse Inn Restaurant a destination in its own right.
Starting with breakfast, you can choose to enjoy ‘The Farmhouse Breakfast Experience’ – and believe us the hyperbole is not unjustified; this is quite a feast to behold! Alongside freshly squeezed juice and coffee, you can enjoy a two-course breakfast starting with the pastry of the day. Don’t arrive expecting just any old croissant, hand crafted daily by the pastry chefs, look forward to a delicacy such as mascarpone-filled crepe with strawberries, a biscuit crumb and raspberry coulis – yum. There’s then a choice of divine entrees, including s’more french toast and a mushroom and gruyere quiche. It’s certainly the best way to get your day started ready for a day out in wine country.
If you’re spending a relaxing day around the pool soaking up the Californian sunshine, even after such a breakfast feast, you’ll certainly be getting peckish by mid-afternoon. Whilst the main restaurant doesn’t serve lunch, the pop-up Farmstand offers light bites throughout the day including crudites, salads and tacos to keep your hunger at bay before the main event commences in the evening.
Dinner at the restaurant is the cornerstone of the Farmhouse Inn experience and this is evident in the pride that the staff take in it. Focussing on farm to fork dining, with the use of fresh local produce, some from the Bartolomeis’ own ranches, dishes change seasonally relying on ingredients that are at their absolute peak in terms of flavour.
The evening menu includes four courses, with two starters, a main and dessert, and the choice of adding a fifth course. You can request the sommeliers put together a wine pairing, or juice pairing (must be ordered in advance) carefully chosen to match your selected dishes; or choose a bottle from their extensive cellar of wines from Sonoma, California and other premium wine regions.
Fish and shellfish play a naturally dominant role in starters at the Farmhouse Inn with both the Hokkaido scallop, cooked perfectly with eggplant and roasted garlic, and the grilled octopus, with lemon chickpea and ramp aioli, being signature starters and ones not to miss.
Another of their signature dishes, the Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit, is a must try main course. Cooked three ways with a creamy mustard sauce, it’ll convince any rabbit virgin that this alternative meat is one to take notice of. To finish off your meal opt for either the aromatic stone fruit tart with honey-lavender ice cream, or the decadent chocolate hazelnut mousse, its richness cut through with a zingy blackberry sorbet.
Activities at The Farmhouse Inn
If you’ve come to visit Sonoma there’s a fairly high likelihood that you’re keen to try some wine during your stay. By staying at The Farmhouse Inn, you’ve definitely come to the right place! Before your stay, a member of the fabulous concierge team will be in touch to discuss any arrangements that they can help you with in planning your days in the area, and will put together a bespoke itinerary to make your travels all the simpler.
The Farmhouse Inn have curated a fantastic partnership programme across the area, with 25 different wineries across the Russian River Valley, the Alexander Valley and the Sonoma Coast that guests can visit and enjoy complimentary or discounted tastings at. You can browse through their partner wineries on the Farmhouse Inn website, and let your concierge team know which ones you’d like to visit and they’ll put a suggested itinerary together factoring in timings of your appointments and travel in-between each.
With so many amazing wineries to choose from it can be daunting to know where to start, but the concierge team are more than happy to help guide your decision based on the style of wine, grape or region that you’re most interested in. One of their current special experiences, Williamson Wines hosts Farmhouse Inn guests for an Icon Tasting, comprising of a selection of white and red wines, served with a chef-curated food-pairing menu.
If you’re looking for some fantastic views, head to Macrostie where their slick tasting room and terraces have magnificent views across Sonoma and towards the hills of Napa. Soak up the view and try their excellent wines from across the Russian River Valley as well as other spots in Sonoma.
Seghesio, one of the more unique winery partners, built with an Italian heritage, showcases a range of wines reflecting this, with a focus on Zinfandel as well as Vermentino and Sangiovese. Finally, you can’t miss a trip to Iron Horse, whose bottles of bubbly you can find in the wine fridge in your room. Specialising in sparkling wine, you can head to their relaxed outdoor tasting room to enjoy a flight of the different bubbles they offer overlooking the vines.
Away from wine, there’s so much more to explore in Sonoma. Whilst the redwoods are better known in the counties further north of Sonoma, such as Mendocino or Humbolt, you can check out some of these incredible towering trees in Sonoma. Sonoma Canopy Tours offer an exhilarating way to do this, with seven ziplines reaching up to 30 miles per hour; it’s a great way to get up close and personal with these ancient redwoods.
The Farmhouse Inn also operates a full service spa on site, looking to bring a ‘farm to table’ experience into their spa treatments, utilising seasonal produce from the hotel gardens. With a number of individual massages, wraps and scrubs to choose from, as well as an array of dedicated couples treatments designed to inflame your sensuality, you can be sure to find your bliss and let your stresses melt away.
Key Information about The Farmhouse Inn
What are the Farmhouse Inn rates?
The entry level Farmhouse King Rooms start at US $545 per night, whilst the top King Luxury Suite is US $1,095 per night. The Farmhouse Inn does not charge for parking, or resort fee on top on this, usual taxes do apply.
Breakfast is not typically included in the basic room rate and costs US $35 per person, although a discounted bed and breakfast rate can be purchased for an additional US $50 per night (per room). The four-course dinner menu is priced at US $119 with a wine pairing available at US $89, excluding service.
The complimentary spa bath bar and s’mores selection are free for you to use as much as you like during your stay and you’re encouraged to do so, testing out the various bath goodies and indulging in after dinner s’mores. As part of the winery partner program, in addition to the numerous complimentary tastings at the wineries, a daily wine tasting is also available on site for guests to taste some of Sonoma’s wines without even having to leave!
What’s the best way to get to the Farmhouse Inn?
With its tranquil setting in the heart of Sonoma, there isn’t a huge amount of public transport around to get you to the Farmhouse Inn, so a rental car would be recommended, particularly if you want to explore the area. That being said, it is only ten minutes from Sonoma County Airport, for regional connections. For international flights, San Francisco is the best connected, around 90 minutes drive away.
What’s the best time of year to visit the Farmhouse Inn?
Sonoma benefits from long, warm summer months, so visiting between April – October is your best bet, avoiding much of the rain. This is also the part of the year during which the pool is heated, if you’re looking to take a dip (although the jacuzzi is heated all year round). Outside of this, the weather does get a bit cooler and damper, but never too miserable to enjoy this beautiful place.
Harvest in Sonoma usually takes place around early-mid September, depending on the year and ripeness of the grapes. During this time of year there’s a real buzz around the wineries as excitement for the harvest grows. The colours on the vines explode into burnt oranges and brown hues in the fall after the harvest, making this another beautiful time to visit the vineyards.
What’s the dress code at dinner at the Farmhouse Inn?
The team operate what they call a ‘Wine Country Casual’ dress code, which means no shorts or flip flops, but gentlemen are not required to wear a jacket and tie.
Our final thoughts on... The Farmhouse Inn
Our stay at the Farmhouse Inn was absolutely heavenly. Where else can you luxuriate in excellent food and amazing wines all day long and not feel guilty? Catherine and Joe have done an excellent job at balancing the feeling of coming home with a truly luxury hotel, where every touch has been carefully curated to optimise your experience – we didn’t ever want to leave!
Find Out More…
Farmhouse Inn – https://www.farmhouseinn.com
Explore more from Sonoma and California.
Many thanks to the Farmhouse Inn for hosting us during our time in Sonoma. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely our own, we wouldn’t recommend something if we didn’t love it!
