Stately and historic, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa brings a European vibe to its 13 acres at the northern edge of Sonoma. It also brings thermal waters up from 1,100 feet below the surface to feed the resort’s pools, making it one of the few luxury spa resorts in America with its own source of thermal mineral water.
Formal touches grace the Spanish Mission-style inn, like the lobby’s exposed-beam ceiling and large fireplace, and extend to the accommodations, where you’ll find marble baths and Provence-style furnishings. Many of the rooms, renovated in 2017, include fireplaces, and some suites have four-poster beds, balconies, or sunken Jacuzzi tubs.
The resort’s dining experiences are helmed by chef de cuisine Andrew Cain, an alum of The French Laundry. His signature restaurant, Santé, has become a destination of its own by incorporating high-quality local ingredients into its haute cuisine. Savor your way through the always-changing seven-course tasting menu, or sample entrees that may include diver scallops in a bacon-scented coconut lobster or a ribeye of wagyu beef. Finish your night at 38º North, the hotel lounge pouring more than 50 wines by the glass.
Also flowing here are those ancient thermal waters—most strikingly at the highly rated Willow Stream Spa. The 40,000-square-foot space takes full advantage of the healing waters in five unique pools. It’s here you can experience the spa’s signature Watsu, or floating massage. You can also select treatments like a lavender bubble bath or a grape seed and rosehip body wrap.
Once refreshed, take on the 18-hole championship golf course at the adjacent Sonoma Golf Club (open only to members and hotel guests), play tennis, or join one of the daily complimentary hikes and fitness classes. Then wind down with the daily afternoon wine tasting—this is Sonoma, after all.