8 Best Hotels in Napa and Sonoma, California

An upscale-casual ultracontemporary adults-only resort formerly known as Las Alcobas Napa Valley but now in the Hyatt Alila brand's fold, this hillside gem sits adjacent to Beringer Vineyards six blocks north of Main Street shopping and dining. The full-service resort has rooms fashioned in soft browns and crisp whites that contrast pleasingly with the lighter greens of surrounding vineyards—visible from many of the accommodations through floor-to-ceiling windows—and the darker hillside forest hues farther east and west. Pillow-top beds, plush furnishings and linens, state-of-the-art electronics, and spacious bathrooms stocked with superior products contribute to the aura of intentional yet offhand elegance.

A classic 1950s-style neon sign marks the driveway to this roadside motel that during the off-season offers solid value to budget-minded travelers. Being in the Wine Country you'll pay a premium for the convenient location along Highway 29 a mile south of downtown St. Helena, but the rooms are tidy, and the landscaped grounds and picnic tables elevate the property over similar accommodations. Family-friendly pluses include rollaway beds and cribs for a modest charge. To avoid highway noise, ask for a room farthest from the road.

Although this inn sits just off Highway 29, its patrons remain mostly above the fray, strolling 8 acres of gardens, enjoying views of the vineyards adjoining the property, and drifting to sleep in beds adorned with fancy linens and down pillows. Inside several two-story Tudor-style shake-shingled structures, the guest rooms fall into two categories distinguished by whether the views are of garden courtyards or vineyards. Worth the extra cost are the accommodations in the property's rear, with outdoor hot tubs nearly within reach of vines farmed by nearby Whitehall Lane Winery. Most rooms have a clubby feel, with dark-wood furniture and leather chairs set off by white bedding and walls, and many rooms have brick wood-burning fireplaces. Choice wineries, dining spots, and shops are steps or a short drive away.

Two of the lavish ultracontemporary rooms of this 1885 Italianate pay homage to its most famous residents, Theron H. Ink, the 19th-century vintner, businessman, and local politician who commissioned the home, and Elvis Presley, who holed up here a few months while filming a movie. With rooms individually decorated by Sarahliz Lawson, a Bay Area designer of international renown—the firm of the celebrated Howard Backen handled the architectural remodel—there's plenty to ooh and aah about even before you take in the panoramic views from the cupola. All the guest rooms have 11-foot ceilings and vineyard views out tall windows. Custom-made furniture, chandeliers, and other accessories decorate each room, and handmade linens adorn the comfortable beds. Simple pleasures abound, too, among them the 1¼-acre property's mix of mature and recently planted trees, the wide porch that wraps around the entire house, and the century-old barn with still-intact livestock stalls.

A large room at this spiffed-up downtown St. Helena inn is named for author Ambrose Bierce (The Devil's Dictionary), who lived in the main Victorian structure in the early 1900s, but sensitive hospitality and modern amenities are what make a stay worth writing home about. The main home, built in 1872, contains four rooms, a cottage house nearby holds three, and there's a large loft studio with a kitchen. Some rooms are painted in soft gray tones, others in rich yellow pastels. The decor acknowledges the period but with contemporary flair, and the owner and staff aim to please.

This elite 250-acre resort's celebrated restaurant and more than half its accommodations were destroyed in the 2020 Glass Fire, but the spa, pools, tennis courts, fitness center, and a fair number of cottages in one part survived, with continuing reconstruction in other areas not expected to affect the guest experience. The scrupulously maintained rooms have vaulted, white, open-beam ceilings, designer furniture in shades of brown, and gas or wood fireplaces. The supremely comfortable king beds, all with down bedding, are situated to take advantage of most rooms' close-up views of the property's oaks, firs, redwoods, and other trees. Under chef Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood won high praise from critics and patrons and three Michelin stars. Until the restaurant returns in a few years, Forum, in a temporary (if semi-fancy) structure between the pool and the tennis courts, provides meal service.

Vineyards flank the three buildings, containing 24 rooms and five cottages, of this pastoral retreat where blue oaks, maytens, and olive trees provide shade and gardens feature lantana (small butterflies love it) and lavender. All the accommodations are done in muted grays and soft browns, with headboards and other furnishings from Restoration Hardware and similar sources. In-room amenities include refrigerators, safes, Keurig coffeemakers, plush robes, and slippers. The inn's smallest rooms are about 350 square feet; the cottages are more than double that size. The most popular accommodations have east-facing vineyard views and patios or balconies.

This smart boutique hotel near downtown shopping and dining delivers comfort with a heavy dose of style: the storefront lobby's high ceiling and earth tones, punctuated by rich-hued splashes of color, hint at the relaxed grandeur owner-hotelier Mark Hoffmeister and his design team achieved in the rooms upstairs. In an older building retrofitted to suit 21st-century tastes, the hotel has rooms furnished with plush king beds and contemporary art; bathrooms, stocked with deluxe bath products, have tile floors and marble counters. Other perks include Nespresso coffeemakers, complimentary sodas, flat-screen TVs, and quality sound systems in guest rooms, plus free on-site parking and passes to the gym at a local spa. The three largest rooms occupy corners; those facing Main Street pick up some street noise, so if that's an issue, ask for an atrium room—they're smaller, but quieter and almost cocoonlike.