Guerneville, The West Sonoma Secret!

Most people think of Napa and Sonoma when thinking of California’s wine region. But, Have you heard of Guerneville!? Or maybe you’ve heard of the Russian River? Guerneville is one of the adorable, quaint little towns that the Russian River runs along. It’s in West Sonoma County, so not only do you have the beautiful river, but the wine country up there is incredible as well! That’s why I consider this the West Sonoma Secret! In my opinion, this wine region is even prettier and has much more to do than wine tasting and spas (which are both incredible on their own), but I love having the option of other activities as well.

Where to Stay

I found the cutest little bed and breakfast called the West Sonoma Inn and Spa. This place is incredible!!! They’re currently offering a low season rate that’s UNREAL. They’re only charging $150 per night for most rooms, the weekend rates may vary. This includes the Vineyard View Suites (that we stayed in). Make sure to request one of these rooms when you call to book.

They also have spa suites, which have fireplaces and hot tubs, one even has a spa on the balcony with the view of the vineyard! There’s even a family suite with 2 rooms, a living room, a full kitchen, and a fireplace if you have a bigger group.

This is an awesome deal for anywhere in California, but especially in the wine country. California’s wine country is known to be extremely expensive, but if you look off the beaten path, you can find a few hidden gems like this. It’s located right on a stunning vineyard and across the street from the Russian River, with a beautiful creek on one side.

The West Sonoma Inn and Spa is located right in town, making it walkable to anything you may need! The grocery store and all the restaurants and bars are just steps away.

Another huge plus is they have a Tesla charger on the property, so if you have a Tesla, you can fully charge your car while just relaxing with some wine on your deck and taking in the view.

They also have breakfast in the morning and a wine happy hour on certain evenings. Due to Covid, these things are temporarily halted for now, but they’re hoping to start them up again soon. There’s a pool, which will be awesome in the summer, and their spa services sound amazing, so be sure to check those out as well!

They’re currently running a Valentine’s special package that has spa services included in the room rate. Make sure to inquire about those!

You can book directly through their site, or call Wendy or Sue and let them know I sent you!

Things to Do

Guerneville honestly has so much to do despite how little the town is. Not only are there tons of incredible wineries to explore and taste, but there’s a beautiful river that runs through the town, as well as the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve to explore, just to name a few.

Russian River

The Russian River is incredible! We floated in during the summer for the 4th of July and had the best time! You can also rent a house right on the river, which you may want to split with a larger group because they are pricy! There’re multiple different tube rental companies in Guerneville that provide shuttles to and from your car or accommodation to the drop-off and pick-up points on the river, as well as providing tubes for the ride. If you stay at the Inn, you can walk into town to Kings Sporting goods and rent kayaks, SUPs, and tubes as well!

Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reverve

This beautiful redwoods park can be explored by car or foot. It’s only a 2.3-mile walk from the West Sonoma Inn and Spa, so if you want to walk from the Inn to the park you can, and you can save the $10 park parking fee.

River Road

Make sure you take the drive down River Road to the coastal town of Jenner, where the Russian River lets out into the ocean. Not only is this a stunning drive through the canopy of trees down River Road, but the outlet to the ocean is beautiful and the Jenner coastline shouldn’t be missed!

Where to Eat

We didn’t get to check out any of the cute restaurants in town, but they look awesome and from what I saw, look like popular spots worth checking out. Boon Eat + Drink looks delicious and they have a cute outdoor area as well! Betty Spaghetti looks awesome if you like Italian food. Brot looks incredible if you like German food! El Bario looks like a super cute little bar with really good craft cocktails. If you like ice cream, Nimble and Finn’s ice cream looks delicious. We hear it’s incredible! It’s located in the old Guerneville Bank Club. The Coffee Bazaar is a great pre-winery coffee stop!

Wineries Nearby

There are countless incredible wineries and vineyards in and around Guerneville, so grab the very detailed wine trail map from the front desk at the Inn, (or use this small one I found below) and map out a route that works for you! There’re some very well-known wineries with stunning vineyards and buildings to tour. Korbel is a few mins down River Road from the West Sonoma Inn, and their grounds and buildings are gorgeous! It’s worth checking out! Their tastings are also super inexpensive running from $10-$15, which if you’ve been to Napa, you know this pricing is unreal.

Nearby Towns to Explore

There are so many nearby little wine towns to explore while you’re there as well! There’s Santa Rosa and Healdsburg, which are both 30 mins away. A little further, there’s Calistoga, St. Helena, and Napa which will take you roughly 45 minutes to an hour to get to. If you’re interested in Napa definitely check out my Napa blog!

Have a Blast When you Go

If you have any questions about Guerneville and the West Sonoma Inn and Spa, be sure to leave them in the comments below, and as always, have a blast when you go! Don’t forget to tell Sue and Wendy at the Inn, I said hello!

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