Today I want to tell you all about how I spent my 50th birthday, celebrating at Farmhouse Inn and Restaurant in Russian River Valley, about a 30-minute drive from our home.
My original birthday plans included a 17-day trip to France with my husband. But the fires began three days before our flight to Paris was to leave. Needless to say, we canceled our trip. By the time my actual birthday arrived, the fires were out and we were able to return to our home.
We decided we would still celebrate my birthday but rather than get on a plane somewhere, we wanted to stay local for a couple of reasons. First, we didn’t want to be far from our home, friends and family. And second, we wanted to keep our travel dollars here in Sonoma County, supporting local businesses.
Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant
I have always dreamed of staying at Farmhouse Inn so when Bill suggested it, I was elated!
Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant is family-owned by siblings Joe and Catherine Bartolomei. Their family goes back five generations in Sonoma County! That is remarkable in itself. What is also remarkable is the number of prestigious awards Farmhouse Inn has earned including 2017 #1 Best Hotel in Northern California by Condé Nast Traveler. Their restaurant, located onsite, has been given a Michelin Star annually for the last 10 years.
We checked in at registration, greeted warmly by the welcoming and friendly staff. They gave us a quick run down of the property then we were shown to our gorgeous King Deluxe room.
The Property at Farmhouse Inn
Farmhouse Inn is tucked away on a secluded property surrounded by woods. Once you’re on site, you feel as though you’re miles away from everything yet you’re just a short distance from world-class wineries, restaurants, shopping and entertainment. Since we live in the area, we spent most of our time on the property but we did venture out, as you will read later, to visit some premier Russian River wineries.
I adore the architecture at Farmhouse Inn – it’s modern farmhouse style. An enticing pool is located in the center of the property, surrounded by a stone wall. The pool area has a few chic seating areas, fire pits and a hot tub.
Bill and I sat by the pool one afternoon and ordered some sandwiches to enjoy on our lounge chairs, then took a dip in the pool. It was so lovely and relaxing!
I could not get enough of the breathtaking roses, some as big as your head, dotted throughout the grounds. The roses were magnificent and the vibrant pinks shades were just gorgeous.
I rarely passed them without either leaning in for a sniff, taking another photo or both.
Farmhouse Felines
I grew up with lots of cats and always had kitties throughout my life. With 4 dogs, adding a new kitty to our family is not in the cards right now. Because I am feline deprived at home, I squeal with delight when I see a cat. And if that cat happens to be at an inn where I am staying, well forget it. I will go to great lengths to find and befriend that cat, or in the case of Farmhouse Inn – cats, plural!
Farmhouse Inn is home to three adorable kitty cats and I want to tell you a little about each one.
Charlotte, the black kitty, is the head cat at Farmhouse Inn. She is the oldest and loves to sleep in the guest rooms, usually on the bed snuggled up next to you. The three nights we were at Farmhouse Inn, Charlotte slept with us. Charlotte is a friendly cat but can be rather aloof. You get the feeling when you’re in her presence, that it’s her room and she’s just letting you sleep there.
Then there’s Fitz. We first met Fitz when checking in at the reception. He looks just like our last kitty who was also a Tuxedo cat. Fitz is also friendly, has a confident air about him and loves to curl up on the fluffy towels at the pool and take naps.
Finally, there is Giles – Goofy Giles, I call him. He is an orange and white tabby and loves belly rubs, baby talk and brief stays because he is always on the go. He acts like he wants to be in your room to hang out with you, sniffing around and checking things out, then quickly changes his mind and darts outside. Speaking of hanging out, Giles’s tongue is always hanging out, as in permanently. He is definitely the most animated of the three Farmhouse felines.
Our King Deluxe Guest Room
Our room was stunning and so spacious! I fell in love with the neutral tones, the light airiness, and the comfy bed and furniture. There is something so inviting and comfortable about the inn’s décor. It was luxurious and decadent but not stiff or stuffy. It was easy to relax and feel at home.
A few weeks ago, when Bill and I were talking about redecorating our home, he asked me to name a hotel we’ve stayed in that I would want to emulate. Without missing a beat, I said, “Farmhouse Inn, of course!”
My 50th Birthday!
My 50th birthday started out with a few of my favorite things: a bubble bath in the jetted tub accompanied by chilled French bubbly, then a mouthwatering breakfast in the dining room at Farmhouse Restaurant.
I opened gifts from my husband, wrapped with used fire maps, and was delighted to discover he bought me a Louis Vuitton Neverfull and a bottle of Dom Perignon, that I’ve stashed away for a future celebratory occasion.
Private Wine Tour
After breakfast, we returned to our room to get ready for a day of wine tasting with a personal guide. We booked a private wine tour through the inn with Randall of Randall’s Wine Tours.
Bill and I rarely go wine tasting unless it’s for a blog story so it was fun to wine taste without having to worry about documenting our experience. We also didn’t even need to pick out which wineries to visit or book the appointments. Randall handled it all! He did all the driving, of course, and kept us right on schedule. Plus, he knew the wineries we visited and the wines we tasted inside and out and the staff at all three wineries knew him by name.
Russian River Valley is known for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. All three wineries we visited specialize in those varietals. They were all superb and we purchased a lot of wine to bring home with us. Much more than we anticipated – there were so many fantastic wines, it was hard not to bring them home.
Our first stop was the world-famous William Selyem. I can’t believe it’s taken us so long to experience this phenomenal winery!
Next, we went to a seated tasting at Lynmar Estate.
And lastly, we visited Freeman Winery.
Fall is such a gorgeous time of year in the Russian River. The leaves in the vineyards were shades of bright yellows, oranges and reds. And the flowers at Lynmar put on such a colorful show for visitors while we were there.
Farmhouse Restaurant
Our last night at the inn, we had dinner at Farmhouse Restaurant, the onsite Michelin Star restaurant. It was such a special birthday dinner! Every course and every morsel was culinary perfection. The plates were not only a delight to eat but pleasing to the eye as well. The romantic lighting made photos difficult but I really wanted to focus on the experience anyway. My birthday dinner at Farmhouse Restaurant ranks as one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had, possibly the best.
I hope to return to Farmhouse Inn again and again. It is quintessential wine country luxury and so relaxing and peaceful. Plus, those kitties!
Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant, 7871 River Road in Forestville, California. Visit their website for more information or call 707-887-3300.
For private wine tours, contact Randall at Randall’s Wine Tours or call 707-888-1551
This post is not sponsored in any way. We had such a wonderful experience at Farmhouse Inn and with Randall on the wine tour that I wanted to share it all with readers. I enjoy supporting Bay Area businesses, especially when they are family-owned and offer superior products and/or services.
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What a great post! Farmhouse Inn and Restaurant are both on my bucket list. Having a hard time convincing my husband to go because we live right down the street in Guerneville.
I’m so glad you included the kitties in your post because I follow Giles on Instagram and his posts stopped in May. I feared the worst for him. Glad to see he’s doing well. He’s so cute! And I love the pic of Charlotte curled up between your two pillows.
Glad you had a great celebration! You deserve it doubly…one for your milestone and one for your husband returning safely from fighting fires!
Hi Deanna (my aunt’s name too!),
It can be hard to justify staying in luxury hotels that are located near you. That being said, there are some good arguments for doing so – I like to think of it as field research, experiencing a hotel so I can tell out of town friends and family whether or not to stay there. Also, I am much more likely to enjoy the property by staying onsite when I already know the area. Whenever we go to Europe, we always book budget friendly places (Rick Steves is our go-to guy) because we know all we’ll do is sleep, shower and store our stuff there. I feel like I get my money’s worth when I stay locally!
I just loved having those kitties around. Giles is such a character! I love his little pink tongue. I will have to search him on IG!
I was honored Charlotte chose us to sleep with each night – I am sure she has her pick of rooms, being the Farmhouse Inn boss lady and all 😉
Happy Friday! I hope you had a great week – looks like we are getting a long stretch of sunshine. I love the rain but looking forward to sunny days. Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, I remember researching Farmhouse Inn … maybe you put some pictures on IG near your birthday?? I thought it sounded lovely. After reading this it sounds like perfection! What a wonderful place to go to celebrate a special birthday and just be together after the stressful and anxiety filled weeks you’d both experienced. Bill chose perfect presents too. Love how he wrapped them … so much more unique to you both than a gift bag! All your pictures are beautiful , love the one of you both in front of the doorway with the vines … your dress is gorgeous too … you look stunning in it.
Wishing you both many more happy occasions like this ..,
Rosemary
Hi Rosemary,
I have wanted to stay at Farmhouse Inn for many years so I am not surprised I suggested staying there to you!
Bill always spoils me on my birthday – and I also love that he used fire maps to wrap my gifts. He made sure to use one that included our street.
I love that dress and if I hadn’t already worn it a ton, I would wear it to my stepson’s beach wedding coming up in April. I want to find another one similar, just a little less bright and colorful.
Happy Friday, Rosemary!
Adrienne
Farmhouse Inn and restaurant both look fantastic – I love the architecture and design. Food looks amazing too. Bill is great at picking present too!
I think you would love Farmhouse Inn…you may want to stay there next time you come up. I hear their spa is over the top fantastic (kicking myself for not going while I was there) and the restaurant is phenomenal. I still think about our daily breakfasts. So good!
Yes, Bill is such a wonderful gift giver and so thoughtful. I love my Neverfull and carry it almost daily. xo
What an amazing and special birthday! The Farmhouse property sounds and looks so wonderful and I can see why you would want to draw design inspiration from it for your house. My husband and I enjoy staying at hotels with fine dining restaurants since being able to walk to dinner makes the meal that much more enjoyable, so I will definitely be showing your write-up to him. Also loved reading about the wine tour since we have done quite a few private tours in various wine regions here in Europe. Even though I’m a native Californian, I have yet to explore wine country. Your Instagram posts always get me excited for when we have the opportunity to do so!
I love your review and pics of this charming hotel. We rarely get up to this area, but now I feel like we should should try to plan something. I’ve read some great reviews about this property, but I think your post is the most comprehensive. I love the board and batten that was used for the exterior and in the interior of the hotel. I rarely see it used for interior spaces, but it looks great! I love your room, the gardens, and the beautiful paths…and the restaurant looks wonderful! Wow….what a great gift giver Bill is! You guys so deserved this trip!! I hope you decide to re-schedule your France trip for later this year. It can be your 51st birthday trip! April xo