6 Historic Sonoma Hotels to Check Into This Summer

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Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa: Inspired by the historic missions throughout California, this resort was built in 1927, but the property’s history reaches back well into the mid-1800s. Native Americans utilized the hot springs for spiritual and medicinal purposes. In the late 1800s, the Boyes Hot Springs Hotel was constructed. Immensely popular, it attracted thousands of vacationers before being destroyed by a fire in 1923. The new resort opened as Boyes Hot Springs Hotel, but changed its name six months later to Sonoma Mission Inn. 100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma, 707-938-9000, fairmont.com/sonoma (Courtesy of Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa)

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The Fairmont Mission Inn & Spa was built in 1927. (Courtesy of the Fairmont Mission Inn & Spa)

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The hot springs at The Fairmont Mission Inn & Spa have been a popular destination for centuries. (Courtesy of the Fairmont Mission Inn & Spa)

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The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa in Sonoma today. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

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MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa: Once a vineyard and working ranch, MacArthur Place dates back to the 1850s. When David Burris first established the property it was over 300 acres, boasting a primo view of the Sonoma square and city hall. The Burris House, the property’s original 10-room family residence, was built using wooden pegs and rectangular nails. The property was converted into a hotel in 1997. MacArthur Place, 29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma, 707-938-2929, macarthurplace.com (Courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)

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As part of a major renovation in 2019, historic structures were modernized and turned into bright and airy spaces. The property's historic barn now houses the lobby, The Porch coffee shop, and Layla restaurant (pictured). (Courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)

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The Burris House at MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa in Sonoma was constructed in the 1850s. (Courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)

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The Burris House at MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa in Sonoma today. (Courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)

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The Burris family was known for throwing Hawaiian‐style luaus by the property's swimming pool during the 50s and 60s. (Courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)

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The Madrona: This Healdsburg hotel — best known in recent years for its Michelin-star restaurant — was built as a private home in 1881. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it didn’t become an inn and restaurant until 1981. Shuttered during the pandemic, the hotel was purchased in 2021 by a group of investors, led by St. Helena-based designer Jay Jeffers, his brother, Kyle Jeffers, and general partner Cory Schisler, who renovated the historic property. 1001 Westside Road, Healdsburg, 707-395-6700, themadronahotel.com (Matthew Millman)

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Carefully modernized with a nod to the property's history, The Madrona includes some 30 pieces of furniture and art that date back to the early 19th century and belonged to the home’s original owners, the Paxton family. Among the many notable pieces in the collection is a piano believed to be nearly 200 years old. It’s been tuned, played and now calls the mansion’s Drawing Room home. (Matthew Millman)

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This table in the carriage house was the original dining room table for the Paxton family, which built The Madrona in 1881. (Matthew Millmann)

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The remodeled Madrona has a plush look that is comfortable yet elegant. (Matthew Millmann)

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The dramatic entry at The Madrona features an artist-crafted ceiling and rug. (Matthew Millmann)

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The Madrona was built as a private home in 1881. (Courtesy of The Madrona)

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The Madrona was built as a private home in 1881. (Courtesy of The Madrona)

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The Madrona was built as a private home in 1881. (Courtesy of The Madrona)

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Hotel La Rose: After the 1906 earthquake destroyed his renowned St. Rose Hotel, Bautista Bettini set out to build an even better property. Using stone from a quarry on the east side of Santa Rosa, Italian stonemasons built the four-story Hotel La Rose in 1907 in Railroad Square, an area of town that bustled with activity. The U.S. Department of the Interior listed Hotel La Rose on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. 308 Wilson St., Santa Rosa, 707-579-3200, hotellarose.com (Courtesy of Hotel La Rose)

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In August 1942, Alfred Hitchcock filmed Shadow of a Doubt on location in Santa Rosa, including scenes at the NWP Depot, now Railroad Square. Hotel La Rose appeared in the film. (The Press Democrat archive) 

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The Stavrand Russian River Valley: Dating back to the early 1920s, this Guerneville property was long known to Sonoma County locals as the Applewood Inn and Spa. The Stavrand includes local landmark, The Belden House, a Mission Revival home designed by architect John Carl Warnecke as a country retreat for Guerneville banker Ralph “Rooster” Belden and his family. It was converted into a bed and breakfast in the early 1980s. 13555 Highway 116, Guerneville, 707-869-9093, thestavrand.com (Emma K. Morris)

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The Stavrand Russian River Valley features 21 rooms set on nearly six acres studded with towering redwoods and an orchard of fruit trees, many of which were planted by Belden more than a century ago. The new owners, Emily Glick and Santiago Appleton Ripley, purchased the inn in late 2020 (during the height of the pandemic) and renovated the entire property. (Courtesy of The Stavrand)

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The Stavrand Russian River Valley in Guerneville was built as a private home in the early 1920s. (Courtesy of  The Stavrand)

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 The Stavrand in Guerneville was previously the Applewood Inn and Spa. (The Press Democrat archive)

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The restaurant at The Stavrand Russian River Valley. (Emma K Creative)

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Hotel Petaluma: Just a bit shy of the century mark, Hotel Petaluma opened in 1924. It’s actually the second hotel to be built on the Petaluma site. In the mid-1860s, the Brooklyn Hotel was the first to claim the Kentucky Street location as its home. Hotel Petaluma 205 Kentucky St., Petaluma, 707-559-3393, hotelpetaluma.com (Rebecca Gosselin)

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The lobby at Hotel Petaluma. (Rebecca Gosselin)

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Hotel Petaluma opened in 1924. (Courtesy of Hotel Petaluma)