h2hotel in Healdsburg, Sonoma County California
In June, we treated ourselves to a little Sonoma wine country getaway between two other vacations — namely, a road trip down the Oregon coast and a family reunion in San Jose, California — “A vacation in the middle of a vacation,” you could say. (ha!)
I found h2hotel online and booked a "Healdsburg for 2" package. For $444++ a night, we got a "king studio" plus dinner for two (i.e., a $100 credit) at Spoonbar, the hip little restaurant downstairs.
The hotel has valet service, but it's not guaranteed that someone from the hotel will be waiting at the curb (it's a very small hotel). Nbd. Just pull into the loading zone in front and walk into the lobby (it will be on your left). The hotel lobby desk shares a space with Spoonbar restaurant, so if you pass a tinkling sculpture made of spoons you will know you're in the right place. Check-in was quick and easy staff was consistently really nice throughout our stay.
We had been to Spoonbar before a few years ago for dinner with friends, and I was excited to return. When we went with friends it was after a day of wine tasting so I don't remember specifically what we had, but I remember that the shared plates were good and that I laughed really hard. And isn't that what really matters?
Our floor (and I assume all others) had water refill stations for water bottles. Smart! Hydration is super important when you’re drinking wine all day.
The room was spacious and airy for the three of us, and the staff had the pack-n-play already set up. It's always nice when you don't have to call and remind them that you had requested a crib.
Because we were doing a lot of driving on this trip, we brought along our BabyBjorn travel crib (affiliate link), which is smaller and lighter than our Nuna Sena playard, but we were happy to leave it in the car when a hotel had a suitable alternative.
Our room had a nice sized sitting area, a fridge that was empty (aside from gratis bottled water), snacks, and a bottle of wine. When traveling with a baby it is sooo vital to have an empty fridge. Her milk, yogurt, snacks, and fruits all need refrigeration, so it is so annoying in 2018 to arrive to a hotel with a fridge full of move-it-and-get-charged-for-it crap. Rant over! Did I mention that I love empty fridges in hotels?
A hotel always scores a few extra points with me when there's a Nespresso machine in the room.
They gave us an upgrade when we checked in-- to an "eco king" room with a soaking tub. I think the rooms are the same, but I was excited for our daughter, who loves bath-time.
To the left of this frame (not pictured) is the water closet. (Yay for separate water closets!) I was not as enthusiastic at first glance about the large / "eco friendly" pump bottles of shampoo, soap, and conditioner -- but I totally get the reason, and I am all for using less plastic. It's the future of hotels anyway, so I might as well start getting used to it.
Room rates at h2hotel include a really good made-to-order breakfast, tasting passes to various wineries around town, and the use of of bikes. We didn’t do the bikes (partially because we have a toddler and partially because it was hot AF and biking around wine country sounded like a really terrible idea . . . like biking in Mendoza, Argentina — worst experience ever, ask me later.
Breakfast spread included assorted types of bread, bagels, muffins, scones, fruit, and DIY mimosas. You were also given your choice of prepared-to-order dishes, like pancakes, chilaques, or scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms, spinach, and pecorino cheese. It was so good, and the sweet staff offered to make my daughter scrambled eggs too, which she happily accepted. The coffee was also excellent.
One of the other great parts about the hotel is the location - it is just off of Healdsburg's main square, and you honestly could spent an entire weekend in a three-block radius and never have cause to leave. There are amazing restaurants, tasting rooms (La Crema is practically next door), and lots of little shops to browse and escape the heat if you're visiting in the summer.
Overall, yay! I highly recommend h2hotel (contact me if you want me to help you book!) and they get 5* from me for being an unexpectedly family-friendly hotel with wonderful staff and an unbeatable location.
This was our first time staying in downtown Sonoma, and we enjoyed being within walking/ strollering distance of so many fun shops, restaurants, and tasting rooms. When you’re in wine country with a baby, not having to drive somewhere for entertainment is a HUGE benefit.
On previous visits, we'd stayed at a very frilly b&b called Honor Mansion and at an absolutely gorgeous casita on a private golf course. Yes, I just typed the phrase "private golf course casita" and yes, I now believe I know what it's like to be the in the 1%. That and because I regularly watch Chrissy Teigen's instastories and because we watched Succession on HBO for the first time last night. I'm into it.