Saturday, January 2, 2010

Spa Vacations in Sonoma, California

Sonoma, in Northern California, is located in the heart of one of the world's premier wine producing regions. Sonoma and Sonoma Valley offer a variety of attractions for visitors. Popular activities in Sonoma include wine tasting at the many wineries in the vicinity, shopping at the historic plaza, golf, healthful spa days, hiking and more. There are numerous dining choices with elegant restaurants, casual cuisine and ethnic food.

Historic Sonoma Plaza is an eight acre park that was designed 150 years ago by the Mexican Governor Mariano Vallejo. The park is filled with stately trees and walking paths. There are shops, restaurants and historical sites surrounding the plaza.

Sonoma, CA is in the heart of wine country, with regional wineries offering tours and tasting of their fine wines. Many vacations in Sonoma are centered around the enjoyment of wine tasting. Wineries in Sonoma include Ravenswood Winery, Castle Vineyards & Winery, Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards, Kamen Estate Wines, Larson Family Winery, Sebastiani Vineyards and Sonoma-Enoteca,

Spa VacationThe combination of a wine tasting vacation and spa vacation sounds like a perfect, leisurely, relaxing vacation. There are fine hotels in Sonoma with excellent spa facilities that provide pampering treatments. Following are hotels with spas in Sonoma.

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. Historic spa destination offers an elegant oasis with natural hot springs offers an idyllic location for a relaxing vacation getaway. The spa enjoys the thermal mineral waters that have graced the site for hundreds of years. According tot he Fairmont website, "Our spa pays homage to ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations" Spend some time visiting the local wineries and sampling the fine wines, then return to the hotel for some relaxing spa treatments. Enjoy the fitness center, spa, salon, bath house and spa mineral pool. Fine dining on site at Sante Restaurant, The Big 3 and the Water Tower. 707-938-9000.

The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort & Spa. Luxury boutique property offers accommodations in cottages, suites and lodge rooms. Relax at the Raindance Spa, which offers skincare treatments, massage therapies, body treatments, manicures and pedicures and hydrotherapy baths. Dine at the Carneros Bistro, which has garnered several awards for excellence. AAA Four Diamond. 707-935-6600.

Macarthur Place Country Inn. Located in the Sonoma Valley Wine Country just four blocks from historic Sonoma Plaza is this luxurious 64 room hotel and spa. This property was originally a prestigious 300 acre vineyard and ranch. The 19th century estate has been transformed into a romantic, luxurious inn and spa. The inn has 9 suites that feature individual fireplaces, artwork, king beds, hydrotherapy tubs or rain showers, wet bars, DVD players and flat panel televisions. There are seven acres of gardens filled with original sculpture, fountains and benches. The heated pool and whirlpool are located in the beautiful garden setting. The Spa is an oasis of calm offering a unique array of treatments based of specific fruit, flower and herbal elements. massage treatments, body treatments and facials using a single essential oil note, such as rose, ylang-ylang, lavender, citrus or jasmine. Dine at Saddles Steakhouse which is consistently rated the "Best Steakhouse in the Wine Country: The wine list featuring as outstanding selection of Sonoma and Napa wines has earned the Wine Spectator's "Best of Award of Excellence". Guests of the inn received a complimentary breakfast every morning. AAA Four Diamond. 707-938-2929.

Best Western Sonoma. This hotel is located near the historic Sonoma Plaza. Hotel features amenities including complimentary breakfast, free Internet, fitness facilities, Spa Gratitude. Most of the vintage rooms feature a fireplace, private balcony or patio and garden courtyard view. 767-938-9200.

Information subject to change. Contact the hotels for further information and to make reservations.

By Christine Bude Nyholm

About Author

With nearly 3 million pages view Christine is one of the top 100 AC Contributors and Won Best of AC for Winter Travel Guides in 2008 and Best of Alternative Health in 2009. Christine's article Shop Around for Prescriptions was featured on CBS Early Morning News. She recently was invited to the Red Carpet Premiere for the Jackson: A Family Dynasty on A&E.

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