Wine Valley Inn

Cottages -- secluded, quiet and comfortable

by A TripAdvisor Member

We spent our first winter get away (from Iowa) at the Wine Valley Inn and were more than pleased with the accommodations and service. We had an opportunity to get acquainted with the staff who were always helpful. We so enjoyed the weekly wine-tasting events as well; it was a great time to visit with people of all ages and all walks of life. We stayed in the cottages and had the pleasure of walking through an idyllic setting of flowers and nicely landscaped grounds, on our way to and fro. The inn provided all the necessities for making us feel at home. We were thrilled with having the fireplace and the outdoor jacuzzi for our use. Solvang is convenient for taking day trips to Lompoc, Santa Maria, the Hearst Castle, and the list goes on and on. It was a memorable couple months and we plan to return.

Great Place to Stay

by A TripAdvisor Member

Great place to stay. Great location. We had a room that was a step up from the basic room. I think these must be nicer but do cost a bit more. Everything seemed to be new/redone in our room. It had a fireplace which was nice. Comfortable bed. Nice bathroom, room had no view. Great location for walking around the village. Easy parking. Downfall would be that the sound insulation is very poor. We were sleeping and heard people above us arrive home about midnight. Heard everything they were talking about and a bit more. We were there on a Fri night. In the meeting room, Royal Oak vineyard was there and provided unlimited wine tasting and cheese/crackers. Met some nice people. In the am, they have a continental breakfast which was very nice. Other than the sound problem, we would definately return to the Wine Valley Inn.

Happy with the Upgrade

by TripAdvisor Member MplsMommy

We decided to stay in the Buellton/Solvang area because it was a convenient stopping point for our trip up the coast with our 3-year old; we selected the Wine Valley Inn because we got a good deal when we booked via the Hotel's website.
We had reserved a "two-level loft", but when we checked-in, we were told that the room was being painted, so we were given a free upgrade to one of the cottages. We never got to see what our $75/night special would have bought us originally, but we were pretty happy with what our money got us in the end.
The cottage’s separate bedroom with the king-size bed was huge, as was the living/dining room area – there was plenty of room for the three of us to stretch out even when one of the sofa beds was open. Our cottage was handicap accessible, so the bathroom with its walk-in shower was also massive. (It looked like the bathroom may have recently remodeled.)
Since the cottages are in separate buildings, we did not have to worry about noise from other visitors, as some other reviewers have commented on.
The little garden area in between the cottages is very sweet, though if other families with small children choose this hotel, they will want to keep a close eye on their little-ones – our daughter absolutely loved the koi ponds, but she got precariously close to the edge several times as she leaned over to see the fish.
The continental breakfast had a lot of variety – bagels, Danish (from one of the local bakeries), yogurt, granola, apples, oranges, hard-boiled eggs, juice, and milk – so each of us was able to find something we liked.
The only downside to the cottage that we found during our one-night stay was that the living/dining room smelled like a damp fire pit. The fireplace in the cottage has obviously been used frequently, and could probably stand to be cleaned and scrubbed out really well. Perhaps during the summer months when the windows are open, the odor isn’t as strong, but on the day we were there, it smelled just like our family’s cabin in the North Woods. (This isn’t necessarily bad, but if we had planned to stay for more than one night, or if we had paid full-price for the cottage, it may have been an issue.)
Our interaction with the staff was limited to check-in and check-out. All of the individuals we dealt with were friendly, though they seemed to be a bit inept when it came time to check-out. It took several attempts to get the right room information. Had I not reviewed the print out and pointed out that the name and room number on the bill were not mine, I may have wound up having my credit card charged with another visitor’s (higher) bill.
Overall though, we had a good experience with the hotel and would consider it staying again if we are in the area.

Huge room!

by TripAdvisor Member SelectItalySeth

we stayed in a king room on the second floor right under the clocktower for a managers special price of around 119/ night. room was massive! big living room / dining area, big bathroom with big tub (no bubbles), bedroom a couple of steps down with a big king bed, (a little springy). Breakfast was excellent, who knew that denmark made good danish. Location is right on the edge of the tourist strip, but very quiet. Highly recommend.

Not really dog lovers so much as dog gestapos

by TripAdvisor Member generic230

We got what they call a "deluxe" room, which was on the ground floor right in the parking lot. The walls were really thin. We heard the baby crying next door, and even normal level conversation. Checking out was a 45 minute nightmare as they kept trying to CHARGE me 80 dollars instead of CREDIT me. And they kept insisting I owed them 80 more dollars. I finally had to add all the numbers by hand, MANY TIMES, before they could accept this.

At the end, a housekeeper did a perfunctory check of our room and said it was "covered with dog hair." That would have been impossible as they both weigh ten pounds and one dog does not shed. I went back to inspect the room with the desk clerk, and she saw that there was NO HAIR ANYWHERE, except on the sheets. She charged me $20 because, "We'll have to clean that." No ----. You mean, if there IS NO HAIR, you DON'T wash the sheets?

DO NOT STAY HERE IF YOU HAVE DOGS. They allow dogs, but I would not consider them dog friendly, as they really just view them as unwanted guests. I also don't understand how a "deluxe" room can literally open onto the parking lot.

The ground floor rooms are all poorly insulated against sound, and 101 in particular is THE WORST.

A much nicer place to stay is the Royal Scandinavian Inn. They're nice. They like guests.

TILE ART IN COTTAGE #2 AT WINE VALLEY INN

by travelgourmet

"TILE ART DISPLAYED IN COTTAGE #2"

I wanted to share the art work I found that was part of the tiles in the main bathroom on the counter and bath walls. These were hand painted tiles done in 1981, depicting a story that most of us are familiar with today.