STAFF HOTEL REVIEWS

Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa

Fairmont Sonoma guest room

100 Boyles Boulevard
Sonoma, CA US 95416

By: Dave Grossman
HotelMagician.com
June 2009

Nestled in the heart of Sonoma, California – local to all Sonoma wine vineyards – the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa provided one of my more memorable hotel stays in quite some time.  Often times, I check into a hotel, note the amenities, perhaps a notable restaurant, whether the room is modern and comfortable or old and uncomfortable (or a mix of the two), but rarely do I find it to be an “experience.”

The Fairmont Sonoma got things off on the right foot when I phoned from San Francisco the day of my stay. I’d just checked out of the Westin St. Francis in downtown SF and was looking forward to the sun that awaited in Sonoma. The front desk noted that the guests had checked out of my room already and they’d have housekeeping get it ready for my arrival. And it was (it’s one thing to offer an accommodation, but another entirely to follow through). Inside the room was a nice bottle of local red wine – on the house. Unfortunately, I was in town for a weekend-long wedding and wouldn’t have time to drink it. Nevertheless, for a hotel in the heart of wine country, this was a really nice touch.

The room was a touch on the small side, with a queen bed, but I was traveling alone and this was more than sufficient. I don’t think it would have even been an issue for two people – unless perhaps you ordered room service. I’m not sure where you’d eat that except perhaps on the bed!

The decor, as you can see in the pictures, was both modern and classic at once. The room had been renovated 5 years ago, with the flat screen TV mounted on the wall probably a more recent addition. Reception did let me know that only the main house has been fully renovated – they are still getting to the rooms in other buildings – so you may wish to call them directly after booking if you have a preference so they can at least note the request.

Internet is complimentary in the room (Ethernet only) if you are a Fairmont President’s Club member and that membership is completely free – signup at fairmont.com. This is nice given that most luxury brands insist on charging top dollar for in-room Internet while the budget brands give it away gratis. There is also wireless access in the lobby but, sadly, not by the pool.

The pool was nothing extraordinary but sufficient for some sun, a poolside snack, and a dip.

The Spa, however, *was* extraordinary. I was short on time this weekend – again, I was at a wedding both days, for most of the days, so time to explore was short. The spa receptionist suggested a half-hour massage which would leave me 45-60 minutes for the Bathing Ritual. You see, everything you can bathe in, outside of the room, uses water from the underground springs – containing minerals good for your skin not normally found in a pool or spa bath. The Bathing Ritual consists of a dip in a warn pool, followed by a warmer (I believe around 98 degrees) pool, then a quick cold shower, a steam room, a sauna, and a final cleansing cool shower. Breaks for cold water are needed too, to avoid dehydration. The idea is for this to take 45 minutes with 15 minutes at the end in the relaxation room. You follow that with the massage (if you’ve booked one), which was wonderfully relaxing, and then I went outside to the two outdoor pools – both in the upper 90 degrees to get a bit more sun. The bath rituals and hot pools at the spa are $39 for hotel guests, but included if you have a same-day treatment. Now let’s see how my skin responds

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa also offers a complimentary health club (and free classes at the gym except Spinning) and they arrange wine tours for you (for the cost of the tour) via a tour operator – so you can hit several wineries without the worry of driving back.

The only minor annoyance was the self parking – of which there is not enough. Both nights I returned to find self parking, which is free, full – requiring a drive off to the restaurant parking lot just outside the gates. I don’t know what happens when that fills up but one would hope the valet would assist if that happened.

There’s no food served after 11pm, but if you’re adventurous there is a Mexican food truck setup on weekend nights at the (former?) gas station just out the entrance (quick left and then right). Hard to complain about $1.25 for an authentic taco although I realize not all of the Fairmont’s crowd will be that adventurous, or even up that late…

DG

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel – A Thompson Hotel

Jr. Suite

7000 Hollywood Boulevard

Hollywood, CA 90028 US

By: Dave Grossman, HotelMagician.com

October 2008

If you are looking to stay in the heart of Hollywood, California – and by “in the heart” I mean across the street from Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and steps from The Guinness World of Records Museum and the Hollywood Wax Museum, The Hollywood Roosevelt hotel is one of your two best bets (you would be just as well situated in the Renaissance Marriot Hollywood, located inside the Grumann’s complex).

If you are looking to add to that a huge “hip” factor and stay where Marilyn Monroe used to stay, that will narrow your selection down to the Hollywood Roosevelt which despite its age, underwent a $15 Million renovation after being bought by the Thompson Hotel Group (also known for hotels like 60 Thompson and 6 Columbus in New York City and the Thompson Beverly Hills).

The Pool

If you want to stay there when it is really “sceney” you will want to do a weekend in the summertime. But even at the “off season”, you will find a very hip hotel, nicely decorated, with a pool (complete with pool bar and food/beverage service poolside), a nice area to relax in the pool area, a cute little “Library Bar” that provides that small, quieter, more historic feel, and two dining options: 25 Degrees (a boutique-diner style restaurant specializing in various combinations of burgers) and Dakota’s (a steakhouse).

On the advice of staff, asking which to try if I was to try only one, I

Great burgers

dined at 25 Degrees. It lived up to expectations and then some. Both my dining companion and myself were more than satisfied with the burgers which were both tasty and juicy and served in a variety of styles. As well, the sides of fries and onion rings were both well above average.  The prices were reasonable and I would definitely recommend 25 Degrees whether or not you are staying at the hotel.

Modern bathroom

The room itself was very nice – upgraded to a type of Jr Suite, I had an extra sitting area, nightly turndown including complimentary Voss water, and upgraded Kiel’s bath amenities.  Despite feeling that the rooms were extremely tastefully done, I was told they will soon be renovating them all again.  Note that you have a choice of a Tower Room or a Cabana room when booking. I might go for the cabana room if it’s mid-summer and I want to live in the party but otherwise, the Tower has the more modern and elegant feeling rooms.

The service was overall very friendly, from the front desk, to the concierge and into the bars and restaurant. Nice to see a “hip” hotel that isn’t too hip to be polite.

I did have two negative experiences. One was that I requested wake up calls on both nights of my stay and did not receive them either morning. I was told there must have been something wrong with the phone yet when the front desk called me, it was working – so I don’t know what the deal was on that. The other was more of a pet peeve of mine – Valet Only parking. I like to be able to lock up my car and not worry about leaving something hidden inside and I also don’t like having to wait on it being brought around (although I’ll admit during my stay the valet was very quick – but it was also far from busy). And as of Oct. 2008, this added $28 to the nightly tab.  There was a parking garage across the street but without an agreement with the hotel, you would only want to consider that if you won’t be taking your car out at all – as you lose in/out privileges.

A couple of nice touches: Free WiFi throughout the hotel and little “pill bottles” filled with M&M’s left in each room.

All in all, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is an excellent choice for those looking to stay in the core Hollywood Blvd area.

-DG

(More hotel deals in Los Angeles)

The Sheraton Carlsbad Resort
5480 Grand Pacific Drive
Carlsbad, CA 92008 US

By: Dave Grossman, HotelMagician.com
September 2008

Book online at Sheraton.com or at Hotel Magician

The Sheraton Carlsbad resort is a new ( 2008 ) Sheraton that is very comfortable, very friendly, and, realistically, more of a convention hotel with a big pool, a spa, and a (single) tennis court than it is a “resort”.

I should clarify.  My overall impression of this hotel was a good one.
Really exceptional service was the norm and, being new, was of course in good condition.  But I didn’t feel like I was really at a “resort” like I typically would imagine the term “resort” to mean. And this hotel does charge a “resort fee” of $10 a night which, in my opinion, is just an extra room rate fee since they aren’t covering what you often see covered in a resort fee – such as beach access.

Still, in fairness, people aren’t likely to head to the Sheraton Carlsbad for a week long vacation. It serves two groups for the most part: business travelers – specifically those attending conventions there – and families in town for Legoland where they are staying 1-2 nights. The park has a direct entrance to Legoland so if that is your destination, it’s not a bad choice.

The club lounge (if you pay for the club floor or get upgraded via your Starwood status) is very nice with friendly attendants, though while it does offer food, the selection is limited. The only hot item at breakfast is eggs (no bacon or sausage, etc. – just two warmers with the same scrambled eggs.
There is also a variety of ceral and pastries with coffee, milk, and juice.

At night, they have complimentary wine and beer along with one appetizer (again, two warming stations, but just one “choice” of items. A second warm option would improve this lounge a lot, in my opinion.

There is a full service restaurant on the property but we did not have a chance to try it on this occasion.

In short, if you are in the area, you can hardly go wrong with the Sheraton.
While the architecture is nothing to write home about, it is a perfectly nice hotel if the Carlsbad, California surrounding area is your destination.
-DG