More about Gaige House - A Thompson Hotel
Comfortable stay at the Gaige House Inn
by TripAdvisor Member surfbug77
My husband and I stayed in Room 11 at the end of March for our first wedding anniversary. Our stay was comfortable and the Gaige House is in a nice setting along the creek. Our room felt private with a separate entrance and the room was very clean. This is something that I am really particular on and the housekeeping staff did a fabulous job. The only complaint is that the bathroom (sliding) door didn't shut all of the way.
At checkin the front desk staff was pleasant and showed us around. They were also helpful the following day in suggesting the Kenwood Restaurant for dinner, it was our best dinner while in the Sonoma area.
The breakfasts are very good as were the cookies in the afternoon and wine tasting in the evenings. Overall, it was a great stay.
Love this place!
by A TripAdvisor Member
My boyfriend and I stayed at the Gaige house Inn on December 3, 2005 for 1 night. The rooms are extremely beautiful and service is excellent! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone staying in Glen Ellen! I can't wait to go back!
quite disappointed
by TripAdvisor Member chrismarti
We had looked forward to our time at The Gaige House for months. We had read so many glowing reviews here and from Karen Brown, Travel & Leisure and Frommer's. Our stay was not up to what we expected at ALL!!! First of all we chose The Gaige House for peace and quiet. I had no idea it was on a busy highway! The traffic kept us awake all night long plus we could hear the people above us walking around with each step! If I'd felt more comfortable at check-in I would've gone back and asked to be moved to another room. The woman who checked us in was "forced polite." Her smile was fake and I really felt like I was bothering her. To be fair when we checked out they were more than kind- it was different nicer people.
The pool wasn't open, the flowers weren't out, the jacuzzi didn't work right, our room was TINY. The bed was so small my daughter "slept" on the window seat. We couldn't even shut the bathroom door for privacy. No way was it close to luxurious. To me it was just acceptable. There was no tub only a shower. You could hardly turn around in the bathtub. On the website it claimed April rates were the lowest for "Summer" (it was hardly summer- cold and rainy!) prices but there was no discount when I inquired.
For the amount of money I paid I expected a lot more. By the time I paid for breakfast and the tip (if you are a Bed & Breakfast why would you charge separately for breakfast?) my bill was $365.78. For that amount I could've stayed another day at the Kenwood Spa down the road. We stayed there the next night after our night at the Gaige House and what a world of difference!
We were greeted like Royalty and felt so welcome and as if our every wish was their command literally. We had our own "suite" for for the amount we paid The gaige House. A huge sinfully decadent bed, fireplace with sitting area and a bottle of wine and flowers. The bathroom was all marble and huge with a beautiful jacuzzi plus walk-in shower big enough for 2 (there were even 2 shower heads for separate showering!) Their pool was open and heated plus 2 outdoor jacuzzis to soak in. And we did! Rain and all! We never saw or heard another guest until wine tasting or the complimentary breakfast (no tip was asked for.) It was like being at some of the villas I have stayed at in France or Italy and Spain.
It was truly a pleasure from the minute we stepped into the lobby until we left. You'd have thought we were Princess Diana. It felt like we were.
I am sorry to say it seems we wasted our money and time at the Gaige House. We were exhausted from no rest plus being so upset and feeling gypped.
The breakfast was delicious but since we had to pay for it and were asked for a tip it took away from enjoying it to be truthful.
I think others are being misled and it doesn't seem fair. It was a dark spot on our vacation and saddened us. It literally ruined 2 days for us. That's a big chunk out of 6 precious days to relax and be happy instead of angry.
Nice but Noisy
by TripAdvisor Member traveler1313
The Gaige House Inn is a wonderful place in the quaint area of Glen Ellen. The grounds were immaculate, the staff was very professional and friendly, and the breakfast is - by far - the best we have experienced at a small inn.
However, DO NOT stay in room 7 if you are at all interested in sleeping in. The location of the room is below the wood deck and next to the wood stairs that lead to the main house where breakfast is served. Starting at 7:30 am and throughout the rest of the morning, all we heard was the clomping of guests up and down the stairs and across the deck. This was very annoying and not what you would expect at an inn of this caliber. I am sure the other rooms are not this noisy but ask before you book.
Ahhhh!!!!
by TripAdvisor Member sj409
My husband an I stayed at the Gaige House for three nights in March 2006. I would highly recommend it to anyone who needs a few days of peace and quiet away from the city. We stayed in Room 17, which had a private patio with a wooden deck overlooking the creek. The room was ultra comfortable, clean and beautifully decorated. I was especially a fan of the bathroom. It was a little cool, so we took full advantage of the fireplace.
It was a little far from Napa, but it was nice to see another part of wine country that we may have otherwise missed. The drive from Sonoma to Napa through the mountains had the most breathtaking views - but I don't recommend doing the drive at night, in the rain, or after a day of wine tastings!
If it's good enough for Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) it's good enough for us...
by TripAdvisor Member BEAV7874
Yes, Megan Mullally of Will & Grace fame spent three weeks at the Gaige House Inn in November 2005. So if it's good enough for Megan, it's good enough for us.
Seriously, we are Bay Area locals looking for a short, relaxing get away. The Gaige House fit the bill completely.
We stayed in Spa Suite 13 for two nights, mid-week in January. We loved the unique design of this suite with all the comforts of home. Being January, we made good use of the gas fireplace as well as the huge Japanese soaking tub.
Unlike the previous poster, we were fortunate to find Ledson Winery pouring the first night of our visit. Becca from Ledson brought with her some very high end wines which we enjoyed very much.
As to the fabulous breakfasts, the first morning we were served a melange of fresh fruit w/yogurt and banana pecan muffin, followed by a poached egg, potatoes, thick cut bacon, prawns, olives and artichoke hearts with delicate roasted red pepper sauce. The second morning we enjoyed granola with fresh fruit as a starter, followed by an egg, country ham, baguette, asparagus, artichoke on a bed of cheddar cheese grits with chef's homemade mustard.
We found the entire staff to be friendly, welcoming and professional. One afternoon we requested a tour of some of the other rooms and suites and the concierge was all too happy to oblige.
The only negative aspect of the trip was checking out. We will certainly be back!
Fantastic
by TripAdvisor Member qaz123
For anyone looking for a fabulous place to stay in Wine Country, look no further than the Gaige House. This beautiful inn, set on a twisting country road in Glen Ellen, is about as good as it gets, and a spectacular value (relatively speaking) as well. The service is personal, the rooms beautiful, the grounds well-maintained, and the breakfast truly delicious. The Inn essentially rivals any full-service luxury hotel, and delivers the goods on a more personal level.
We saw a number of the different rooms and would recommend, based on our observations, Rooms 4 (fireplace room on top floor of the Inn), Room 8 (just off the garden, near the pool), any of the Spa Suites, and of course, the Gaige Suite.
The only downsides we could see was the lack of turndown service, and in some of the rooms, a lack of closet space. Other than that, there were no real downsides of which to speak.
The Inn offers complimentary freshly baked cookies throughout the day, as well as sodas, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, high speed internet etc. They offer a nice evening wine and appetizer hour and provide newspapers and games to read by the two fireplaces in the main rooms. And the breakfast might be worth the price of admission alone.
All in all, a really, really nice place to stay.
Nice, but not perfect
by A TripAdvisor Member
I agree with many of the previous reviews.. The Gaige House Inn is a beautiful place to stay in the wine country, but I was a little disappointed.
Our room, 14, was great. I loved everything about it.. Comfortable bed, cool design, nice shower.. The only suggestion would be a better seating arrangement.. The chairs were really close to the TV. A couch would have been great.
My biggest complaint was the breakfast. We had almost the same exact breakfast two days in a row. Don't get me wrong.. the first morning it was great.. But the second day of egg, pesto, asparagus and crustini was to much. As for the evening wine, we were not impressed. We stayed 3 nights.. all of the wine served I can purchase at my local grocery store for around $10 a bottle.. and the small cheese platter was disappointing.. From earlier reviews I was expecting them to showcase new and different wines.. and great appetizers.
FYI... The deli in the Glen Ellen market is GREAT.. Dinner at the Girl and the Fig is a must!!
Wine Country Inn with some reservations
by TripAdvisor Member JudeRB
This inn has alot of things going for it. The rooms and grounds are beautiful. I do believe however that they lack the comfort one would expect from a TOP dollar property. The asian theme is very attractive, but not the most comfortable. We stayed in one of the most expensive Spa suites and found the bathroom very lovely, but the bath tub is the most uncomfortable one I have ever been in. We laughed about how we just kept sliding around. It was slippery and dangerous as well. The lighting was awful as well. There is a lack of dresser/closet space, and the two small sofas and the bed were hard as a rock. The concrete floors on the edges of the bedroom and down the hallway into the bathroom were cold and hard. One of the most surprising things was the absence of turndown service. For 550.00 a night, not to even have the towels gathered off the floor and replaced was pretty hard to swallow. All that being said, the breakfast was the most impressive I've ever had anywhere.....just wonderful. The staff was very nice........it just seemed strange that for charging what they do, they never called to see if we needed anything, or ever knocked on the door to give us fresh towels! On the upside, we drank lots of wine and still had a great time!!
Creekside is the place to be!!!
by A TripAdvisor Member
This was a first on many levels for myself. Having never been to wine country and having never stayed in a B&B, I wanted this to be a memorable experience. The Gaige offered just what I wanted! We stayed in the Creekside room, which is just past the pool from the main house. Since it was the end of March and slightly overcast, we didn't have to worry about any overly loud pool patrons. The room had a great view of the creek behind us with lounge chairs to rest on, a nice private sitting area facing the pool area, fireplace, large soaking tub, and best of all was the skylights directly over the bed and tub!!
The staff were genuinely friendly at all times and the other guest we met during the evening wine tasting seemed as happy as we were. A turn down service would have been nice but the room was otherwise very well cleaned during our two day stay. Upon arrival on Sun afternoon, while walking past the pool, our initial thought was that we would never get into the pool or adjacent jacuzzi due to the excessive leaves and things floating within. But by the next morning, the pool and jacuzzi had been completely cleaned and were very inviting.
Although the thought of a B&B not including breakfast in the asking price of our stay seemed a bit strange, this was merely a small blip on our otherwise wonderful time. We actually found a great restaurant along Sonoma road called the Fairmont Hotels restaurant which filled our breakfast and lunch needs nicely. The Girl and the Fig is also a must if you are staying in the area (but like all nice restaurants in the area you must get in your reservations). There are also restaurants in walking distance from the Gaige that won't disappoint, just be sure you watch out for the passing cars since there were no sidewalks. The Gaige did have a basket full of flashlights on hand for the night time strollers.
All in all, going back is a given in my book. Having read some of the less than stellar reviews about the Gaige, I personally give it the nod as a great destination for anyone looking to enjoy the Sonoma!
Photos
And Here We Have a Bunch of Grapes
Inside the Cave
Benziger Family Photo
Chris Benziger
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