To celebrate our one year wedding anniversary this past July, we booked a 2 night stay at the newly renovated MacARTHUR Place in Sonoma, CA. After our honeymoon, we were skeptical that we could ever take a relaxing vacation again but boy, were we proven wrong. Not only were the rooms and grounds at the MacArthur Hotel serene and beautiful, but the town of Sonoma and the wineries in Sonoma Valley also blew us away.
We arrived in the early afternoon before our check in time. Thankfully, the hotel had ways to keep us busy. We grabbed a cup of coffee at The Porch, and rented the hotel’s Blix electric bikes* to head to the Sonoma town center for lunch. Biking takes on a whole new meaning when your gear is cute & there’s a motor doing all the work for you. I’m a convert!! We circled Sonoma Square a few times before deciding to eat at Basque Boulangerie Cafe.
*Bikes are available on a first come, first serve basis at no cost.
Within the hour, we were able to check into our room. The rooms are separated into little cottages, with each cottage housing a few residences. It felt like we had entered into a cute townhouse neighborhood with it’s own outdoor pool, spa, gym and outdoor lounging areas. We were smitten!
Our hotel room was bright and cozy - complete with a desk nook, an outdoor patio and fireplace. (Can’t wait to visit in the winter to use it.) Also, this bed… the king size bed was so comfy that I didn’t even hear Jon snoring!
The staff was also super attentive, helping us with our luggage, providing us extra blankets to sit outdoors and arranging our dinner reservation at the hotel restaurant Layla. If we weren’t committed to visiting wineries in Sonoma, we could have easily spent our whole trip just relaxing at the hotel.
It’s rare for us to plan vacations where we just relax & spend time enjoying each other’s company but our stay at the MacARTHUR Place Hotel changed our travel theory. We are such city people that we usually seek to visit cities that have a hustle & bustle, packing our itineraries by the hour. Now, we can’t wait to find the next place to go, curl up in bed & do nothing.
Hope this inspires you to travel differently than you’re used to. Let me know your favorite travel/hotel destinations in the comments below!
Love, MH