Sunshine and Wine Time: Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa Review

The rain storms and cold temperatures in Nanaimo seem never ending. I am cold, I am wet, I am sad. Hence: vacation planning! Not much brings more joy than knowing you have some time off coming up. Even better that time off includes sun and wine!

Disclosure: This stay was kindly provided by the hotel. All thoughts and opinions are always my own.

I wanted a sunny destination that would be relaxing. I considered Hawaii but then wanted to switch it up with something different. I did not want to fly far and wanted to just take a few days off work. While perusing options I thought of California. I had been to Sonoma back in 2018 and it was a very memorable trip. I had just written my Royal College Radiology exams and while waiting for my results to come out I went to San Francisco and Sonoma. I found out I passed my exam the morning we went to Sonoma so that trip has a special place in my heart. I have always wanted to go back and thought this was the perfect opportunity .

About Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa is located about an hour north of San Francisco. You can either rent a car and drive to the resort or easily get an Uber. The resort has free self parking if you decide to rent a car.

Address: 100 Boyes Blvd, Sonoma, CA 95476, United States 
Phone Number: +1 707-938-9000
Website: Fairmont Sonoma

Check-in Time: 4:00 PM
Check-out Time: 11:00 AM

Our room

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa is a gorgeous property. The Inn has a Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture. The Inn has a few different buildings that house the various rooms and suites.

We had a deluxe fireplace room. The room and bathroom were a great size for two girls with a lot of luggage. The temperate in Sonoma was cool at night so the fireplace was a nice feature to have. The room had a small deck with two chairs, the perfect spot for a cup of morning coffee or a glass of afternoon wine.

the spa

The Inn’s Spa is located on top of ancient thermal mineral spring. The spa has 5 thermal mineral pools ranging from 92 to 102 degrees. There is also a bathhouse which has a soaking pool, hot tub as well as a Halotherapy Sauna and an Aromatherapy Steam Room. Day access is given to those getting a treatment at the spa. You can also pay for day use.

The spa and its facilities is one of the highlights of the resort for me. The weather for us was warm but still chilly in the morning. The heated pools were the perfect way to start the day. If you want to indulge I suggest renting a day bed or cabana then you do not have to worry about finding good seating.

I decided to try a HydraFacial during our stay. It has been some time since I have had a facial and I thought the HydraFacial would be a nice treat given how dry my skin felt in Sonoma. This facial is a powerful, non-invasive skin resurfacing treatment. It combines cleansing, exfoliation, extraction, hydration and antioxidant protection to removes dead skin cells and impurities, while simultaneously delivering moisturizing serums into the skin. There is minimal to no discomfort with this treatment and no downtime. The Fairmont spa uses Caudalie products for the facial treatments.

dining

38° North Wine Bar

We did not eat at the wine bar but we tried some delicious cocktails. We enjoyed our cocktails outside at one of the various outdoor seating locations. My favourite place were the couches with the fire tables.

Santé

We had amazing breakfasts and a delicious dinner at Santé. The food at Santé is described as California fusion.

For breakfast there are so many amazing menu items. I loved the espresso peanut butter banana bread, I ended up having one almost every morning! The crab Benedict is a must try savoury item. It is loaded with crab and the slightly spicy poblano hollandaise was a great addition.

The lemon cottage cheese pancakes with marmalade were delicious. I love citrus and the lemon and orange flavours really came through. If you order room service the food comes in a cute picnic basket. We decided to enjoy our room service outside under the resort’s cherry blossom tree.

For dinner we had to start with oysters since they are one of my favourite foods. We decided to try the confit chicken wings. The confit process makes the chicken wings very tender and juicy. For my main I had to try the artichoke ravioli. Like a moth to a flame as soon as I see truffles in a dish I have to try it. I got the duck fat potatoes because I love a crisp potato but this is the only dish I would forgo. For dessert I had the goat cheese sponge which came with a blueberry and port mousse. Despite being full I devoured the entire thing. It may have been one of my favourite desserts I have tried in a while.

Activities

Lobby Wine Tasting

Everyday there is a complimentary wine tasting in the hotel's lobby from 4:30 - 5:30pm. This was a fun way to try something new and relax at the resort after a busy day.

Hiking

The resort offers free guided hikes on the weekends. We decided to do a few hikes on our own and the hotel was helpful in giving us some suggested routes.

Fitness Classes/Gym

The resort offers complimentary pilates, yoga and stretching classes in the morning. I did not try any of the classes out but used the gym regularly. The gym is well equipped and a good size. It never felt crowded or overly busy during our stay.

I hope you found this helpful and it inspires you to take a trip to Sonoma! Our stay the the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa was fantastic and I would definitely stay there again!

Photos: Paige Owen

xx Sam