Sonoma Hotel Review: the New Holiday Inn Windsor Wine Country
On my most recent trip to Sonoma I decided to stay at the brand new Holiday Inn Windsor Wine Country that had opened only a few weeks previously. Because of the fires and the popular time of year, Airbnb picks were scarce and the Hyatt Santa Rosa was going for $300+ with no award availability.
The Holiday Inn Windsor should not be confused (though many Yelp, Google, and Tripadvisor reviews do) with the Holiday Inn Express Windsor which is just across the 101.
For early November the prices and award redemptions were roughly the same for the two hotels so I opted for “the only full service hotel in Windsor†guessing brand new construction would be worth the potential for hiccups and the lack of free breakfast.
The Holiday Inn Windsor Wine Country is a modern looking building right off Hwy 101. There’s plenty of parking with a small covered area right off the lobby and a larger covered garage on the floor below.
The hotel looked shiny and fresh but not quite finished, with unplugged vending machines in the lobby and a sparsely stocked snack room.
When asking the clerk about charging stations for electric vehicles, I got a better sense of how much might still be left to do as he mentioned there were plans for EV charging stations but they were waiting for the contractors to come back, the fires having taken priority.
It also made me wonder if that’s why I’d received a call at 1PM about my no-longer-refundable reservation that day. I had seen they were sold out, but were they overbooked because of unfinished rooms? I didn’t ask.
Anyway, back to the shiny newness. The overall color scheme for the rug was shades of grey interspersed with vibrant orange. I wouldn’t have thought it, but it worked.
My assigned room was quite spacious, though only on the second floor with not much of a view. The windows were double paned though which did block much of the road noise from the 101. Unfortunately you could still hear people walking above and out in the hall.
Very comfy beds, the right amount of soft with a firm base. Convenient power outlets between the beds. Even a safe that worked (I’ve not had much luck of late.)
The refreshment center featured a fridge, microwave, and Kuerig.
The bathroom was spacious, everything sparkling clean. Good water pressure and plenty of hot water.
A few minor criticisms:
- I wish there was a way to mute or turn down the volume on the microwave. Not conducive for a quiet cup of tea early in the morning if the beeping noise will wake everyone in the room.
- Also not sure what was up with all the tea and coffee options but one being decaf. Almost defeats the point? Especially since there was no complimentary coffee in the lobby.
- The bathroom door was nice and heavy, which provided privacy from the bedroom, but it also swung shut (hard) on its own which wasn’t always convenient.
I didn’t go in, but the indoor pool looked nice.
I did get a chance to try the gym which still had the new smell and was still waiting on the water to be installed. I was impressed at the number of machines and workout options for a hotel I assume will mostly by for events and weekend getaways.
I didn’t eat at the restaurant, Tsika, but noted it was getting great reviews on Yelp. And it offers all day room service.
If you don’t want to eat in the hotel, there are several good option nearby, including a Cuban restaurant right across the street and two great breakfast options – the Skillet Café and KC American Kitchen — just a mile or two away.
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