Where to stay in Sonoma County

Sonoma County covers 4,080 square kilometres, nearly ten times the Napa Valley, spread across 19 AVAs, more than 425 wineries and some 24,000 hectares of vines: where you stay depends on what you have come to drink. The town of Sonoma, in the south-east, is arranged around a square plaza bordered by the Mission San Francisco Solano, founded in 1823 and the last of the twenty-one Californian missions; it is the base closest to San Francisco and the most affordable. Highway 12 then runs up the Sonoma Valley towards Glen Ellen, some ten kilometres further on, the hamlet where the Jack London State Historic Park is, then on to Kenwood, more rural still. Healdsburg, an hour's drive north, sits at the junction of three appellations, Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley, and charges the highest rates in the county. To the west, the Russian River runs down towards Guerneville, about 25 kilometres from Healdsburg: redwoods, the feel of a river village, markedly lower prices. The coast, finally, at Bodega Bay, is an hour away on winding roads; the fog comes in during the afternoon in summer and the temperature is appreciably lower than inland. You stay there for the ocean, not for the vines.

Three caveats, with figures. The harvest, from late August to October, is high season: rates at their highest, restaurant tables booked several weeks ahead, and the window of greatest wildfire risk. The Tubbs Fire destroyed part of Santa Rosa in October 2017, 36,810 acres and at least 22 deaths; the Kincade Fire forced the evacuation of Geyserville, Healdsburg and Windsor in October 2019, 77,758 acres; the Glass Fire crossed the ridge from Napa in the autumn of 2020, 67,484 acres and 1,555 buildings destroyed; and the Point Fire burned 1,207 acres near Healdsburg in June 2024. On top of the fires come precautionary power shutoffs and the temporary closure of wineries: cancellation insurance is warranted. On the bill, Healdsburg applies a 14% occupancy tax plus a 2% tourism assessment, that is 16% added to the advertised price, the highest rate in the region; it falls to 15% in the town of Sonoma and to 14% in the unincorporated areas of the county. Finally, tastings have to be booked almost everywhere and cost 50 to 150 USD per person per winery; since the legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08% in California and the roads of Dry Creek Valley and Westside Road are narrow and unlit, you need a driver who does not drink or a chauffeur by the day.