Where to stay in Sonoma County

We are planning a 7-day trip to Sonoma for the last week in September into October, 2008. We%26#39;ve been to the Napa area and stayed near St. Helena which was perfect as it was near many of the wineries we wanted to see.

Where would be the best place to stay in the Sonoma area? A friend mentioned Healdsburg as more centrally located than the town of Sonoma. Is this true?? We value all opinions. Thanks.

Where to stay in Sonoma County

The town of Sonoma is in the Sonoma Valley, which is 18 miles long and has over 44 wineries. The Town of Healdsburg is north of Santa Rosa and has access to the Russian River, Alexander Valley, and Dry Creek wineries.

I don%26#39;t think it is a matter of which is more centrally located, you can access all of these with some driving. The Sonoma location would be a little more compact. I would suggest you look at some maps of the county and decide which location suits you best.

Where to stay in Sonoma County

Puter gives sound advice--do a bit of research and decide what area holds the most attractions for you, and then you can easily drive to others areas since you will have a full week here. Healdsburg is generally more expensive to stay in than is the Sonoma Valley, but it%26#39;s also 20-30 min%26#39;s closer and more conveniently located to the redwoods and the coast should you be planning to spend more than a day in the western part of Sonoma County. Healdsburg is also right off of Hwy. 101.

In Sonoma, we love the Sonoma Mission Inn in Boyes Hot Springs, it is just a 5 minute drive from the resort to downtown Sonoma and the great restaurants. The resort offers a mineral water pool, a Watsu pool and separate pool for spa guests, very nice room, wine and cheese reception in their grand, spacious lobby, a very, very nice spa, an excellent concierge, 2 restaurants and a very friendly, accomodating staff including a Valet service. Any further questions on this property, feel free to ask, we have stayed here 3 times now and will stay again this coming March.

If you decide on Healdsburg, the Hotel Healdsburg is very pretty and contemporary, don%26#39;t miss a meal at Cyrus if you stay in this area. Cheers and have fun! :)

I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 day stay at Hotel Healdsburg last week.

The town is delightful and well located for exploring Sonoma County. There are many very good cafes and restaurants in town. The hotel is pricy but very nice. The Dry Creek Restaurant at the hotel is also excellent.

If you are looking for less expensive accomodations, I was very pleased with the Courtyard Marriott in Santa Rosa.

LS--glad to get your positive feedback on the Courtyard by Marriott in d/t Santa Rosa. It doesn%26#39;t get mentioned often, maybe because it caters to business travelers. It has gotten mixed reviews on TripAdvisor. They often have great rates available and I%26#39;ve thought it would be a good, basic place to stay if price is a big consideration and one wants to be centrally located.