Gaige House — Hotel in Sonoma

My wife and I stayed here for one night on Sunday, July 14th for a special occasion. At first we thought the place was very nice, peaceful, clean and quite. The grounds looked to be in good shape. Are only complaint during the day was at the pool. The surface of the water was noticeably dirty with hundreds of bugs floating on the surface of the water. It appeared not to have been clean in some time and was quite off putting. Enough so that once we got into the pool water and realized this, we got out and didn't go back in.

We stayed in room number 16. For the most part, the room seemed very nice, spacious and zen like with their spa music playing. It wasn't until we were going to bed and turned the lights off and the music that we realized the front entry light was still on. The light was so bright from the entry, you could read a book in the room, it's that bright. If you're a light sleeper affected by ambient light, like we are, you would not be able to sleep in this room.

My wife and I spent a good 30-40 minutes looking for the switch that turned off the light. We about lost our minds thinking we're just being stupid and can't find it. We finally gave up and called the only number for the hotel after-hours hotline. It's basically an answering service that then calls someone from the hotel. We told them about the light of which they of course had no answers for. They tried calling the emergency number/contact for the hotel and NO ONE answered. She tried calling them several times while we waited. It was 11:50pm by this point and wasn't able to get a hold of anyone in order to see if there was a specific switch. The answering service person we spoke with said she'd call us back if she got ahold of anyone. She never called back. We spent another 15 minutes, this time looking outside as well to see if there was a switch to turn off the light that we may have missed somehow. We didn't find any, gave up and tried to go to sleep despite the glaring light coming into the room. While we're laying in bed, we then become aware of the loud noise coming from the hot water heater area next to the sink. This thing comes on automatically about every 40 minutes or so, very loudly and to keep the heat up for boiling water spout. It sounds like you're in the pot while the water's boiling against metal, hissing and banging. It's horribly loud. Even when we covered our heads with towels to block out the light from the entrance (which is not comfortable obviously), every 40 minutes or so this water heater would pop on and kept us from falling asleep. It actually made me anxious knowing it would be coming on again. We ended up not sleeping at all that night or morning. We were completely wrecked and miserable from this experience. The next morning, we went to the reception desk first thing to speak to someone this experience. The receptionist didn't know what to say about the emergency call we placed trying to get a hold of someone representing the hotel. The guy only said he was sorry and that he'd have to speak to his boss to see if there was anything they could do. I clearly indicated our dissatisfaction with our stay and he didn't seem to really get how bad it was.

When we checked out, this same guy after speaking with his manager offered us half-off our stay. I told him that for a night like we had where we weren't able to sleep at all didn't seem right or fair enough. Were were there for a special occasion and it was ultimately ruined by this experience that was completely out of our control. I reiterated how we tried in vein to contact someone at the hotel and NO ONE was available to help. Didn't seem to matter so we just left.

I truly hope this hotel can fix this problem for other guest so they don't have to experience what we went through. It is not worth the money to stay at this hotel in my opinion. I do not recommend it at all and I suggest not staying here if you have any issues with not being able to sleep in a bright room or are sensitive to reoccurring sounds at night. You will have a horrible night...

A Truly Wonderful Stay at Gage House in Sonoma

Back on the West Coast after two years on the East Coast, I was eager to rediscover some of my favorite spots, and Napa and Sonoma are always high on that list. For Mother’s Day, I wanted to treat my incredibly special mom (“Wabasabur”) to a memorable getaway. While searching for new hotels, I came across Gage House in Glen Ellen. It looked fresh, welcoming, and had glowing reviews, and I hadn’t stayed there before.

I booked a king room at a great rate (around $300), and was already impressed by the included perks: a complimentary breakfast, wine, cookies, and a daily happy hour with a beautiful charcuterie spread.

From the moment we checked in, the service was warm and attentive. The property itself is stunning, with peaceful grounds, a lovely pool, and serene ambiance. While my mom took a quick nap, I enjoyed some solo pool time, and to top it all off, we were surprised with a complimentary upgrade to their Japanese suite, a luxurious room that normally costs a few hundred more per night. Totally unexpected and so appreciated.

The happy hour charcuterie board was culinary perfection, beautifully arranged, flavorful, and generous. The cookies were big, crisp, and indulgent (yes, a little calorie-heavy, but worth every bite). And the breakfast? Simply delightful, fresh, satisfying, and definitely beyond what you’d expect for an included meal.

This stay absolutely exceeded my expectations. The value, the service, and the little touches made for a perfect Mother’s Day weekend. I’ve already been telling friends and family about this gem, and I’m already dreaming of my next stay.

Thank you, Gage House, for a truly special experience. This is the...

This is a really beautiful hotel on a unique property. But, given the price, it needs quite a bit of TLC. Truly, I hope they listen to the feedback here. ||I think the age and underinvestment in the hotel is hidden behind the gorgeous Ryokan rooms, cute wine and cheese hour, and gorgeous common areas. ||But I felt that my experience just fell short of my expectations. I stayed in the Gaige House Suite.||What I loved:|- Even though our room was in the main house, it was very spacious and quiet|- We loved our private patio and fire pit. Great for stargazing and bird watching|- The fireplace in the room was cozy, we put it on in the mornings |- Huge, spacious bathroom with shower and tub||What I didn’t love:|- Breakfast is painfully mediocre|- Pool doesn’t seem to get cleaned as frequently as it should with the foliage and bugs falling in |- Super limited room service menu|- The cabanas at the pool were also dirty and uninviting. Lots of bugs|- TV only offered cable |- Our bathroom was stinky, maybe a standing water issue, but 100% there is no way housekeeping cleaned the bathroom prior to our check-in and didn’t notice they odor. It was strong|- The room was dusty and dated, needed a deep clean (especially around the windows)||For the price and advertised experience, you expect a certain level of detail to be considered. With a small, quaint inn like this, you have an opportunity to add those personal touches that make the guest feel really cared for. And I don’t mean cookies out on the hallway table, I mean a chilled bottle of wine and a hand written note in your room when you check in, or breakfast that showcases local organic fruit, home made bread, and local eggs with a...