Skip to main content

I expected more from the Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country Hotel

My Dear Polite Travelers,

Our first stay in a Hyatt was less than stellar.  In fact, it’s more of a mixed bag of frustration and comfort.  The hotel was beautiful, don’t get me wrong.  It was just … incomplete. 

Really? Room #281 is considered accessible?

We booked an accessible room due to my hubby’s back issue—a typical old-person problem.  Typically, an accessible room would naturally have a shower with ease of entry.  In room #281?  Nope.  Getting into a tub requires some dexterity that a mobility-challenged person may not have.  This is a major problem that should be addressed.  I hope Hyatt is listening. 

Other than that oversight, there were no towel bars in the bathroom — strange.  Plus, it would have been logical if there was at least one hook for clothing/robe in the bathroom as well.  And, speaking of robes, robes are an accessory in these rooms.  There were none.  In fact, I had to call down for robes, the heater register that couldn’t be set, and the lighted-magnifying mirror that was broken. 

Aren’t there two restaurants in this hotel?

Nope.  There are no restaurants for any meal other than breakfast.  The “bar/restaurant" Sonoma Café is just a bar with limited seating.  The meals are limited as well.  We did have an excellent salad though but had to take it back to our room—which had no table for dining. Grrr…

And, how about that excellent breakfast buffet?

When reading reviews of the hotel, guests rave about the breakfast buffet in the hotel’s Railroad Stop restaurant.  Well, during our stay, the staff was stressed, so only one waitress served the entire restaurant.  I don’t know why this affected the buffet, but that was her reasoning.  The breakfast was good though it was just not what I wanted or expected.

Ready to work off that buffet breakfast?

One plus in this hotel is the fitness center.  This is a jam-packed gym filled with plenty of machines and free weights to tighten the curves. I appreciate the thoroughness and thought that went into this two-room center.  It even included a high-tech rower that I’ve never seen in a hotel fitness center.

Summing it up and will I return.

Just considering the hotel itself, it is charming and well-appointed with plenty of seating throughout, especially in the lounge/reception area.  During the morning hours, there is Starbucks coffee and hot water for tea in the lounge area, which is another oversight.  There are no teabags for tea drinkers.  Grrr…

Since it was raining during my entire visit, I couldn’t walk the grounds.  Still, I could look out all the windows and found the grounds well landscaped and ready for summer visitors.  I never saw the pool, but I read that there is one.  Evidently, there is a pool bar/restaurant there as well.  

As for returning?  No. This is a hotel for overnighters, work retreaters, and those spending the day on wine tours.  I want a hotel that offers a good onsite restaurant, an accessible room for my hubby, and walkable to sites for me—the one who walks aimlessly. 

Happy Travels, my Polite Travelers

More from The Polite Traveler
Labels:
Location: Santa Rosa, CA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa Review

Art, Excellent Service & Penguins...Oh My My Dear Polite Travelers, Maui has experienced some horrific natural disasters, including a devastating fire and, more recently, torrential rain that caused severe flooding.  However, none of that was visible during my last visit.  The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort is a huge, richly landscaped, multi-building beauty.  It includes a 40-acre oceanfront lagoon and a waterslide into a children’s splashpad.  However, I saw many more adults enjoying the splashpad than children.  It did look inviting.   Directly adjacent to the lobby is a penguin den.  Guests are invited to watch a daily penguin presentation.  I enjoyed watching them play.  They are quite adorable.     Dining & Shopping In the main building, you’ll find multiple shops, including a gallery filled with unique and quite excellent art.  My favorite shop was actually Honolulu Coffee .  As a family-owned,...
1 comment
Read more

A Few Days in Palm Springs

Palm Springs Activities Hello, my Polite Travelers, As an older couple, we often just want to relax and enjoy our favorite places at a leisurely pace. This was the case during our recent revisit to Palm Springs. For the most part, we explored downtown, stopping for coffee and chatting with the locals. Additionally, we embarked on a few other excellent adventures. Agua Caliente Cultural Museum As a Smithsonian Affiliate, I found this museum to be outstanding.  This museum is a mixture of immersive video, sound, and visuals (including lifelike exhibits) to tell the story of America’s rich—and many times heart-wrenching—indigenous story.  The permanent gallery begins with the 360-degree immersive video of the Agua Caliente “Creation & Migration” story.  The quality of their digital animation and sound is impressive—there’s even a screen on the floor.  I found their creation story to be fascinating. Don’t Miss! For the Love of Art! Don’t Miss The Palm Springs Art M...
Post a Comment
Read more

Did that really happen at this Hampton Inn?

Hampton Inn & Suites Palm Desert, CA—Hotel & Room #330 Review Hello, my Polite Travelers. We are now in sunny Palm Desert, and it is a grand place.  Everything looks clean and new.  Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the Hampton Inn.  It pains me to say it, but this hotel needs some love…and perhaps a good handyman.  Our room is an accessible room for hubby.  On first glance, it’s adequate, with space between furniture and grab bars in the bathroom.  That’s only the first glance.   Blink once more, and there are a few issues for both the mobile and mobility-challenged .  First, although the bathroom features plenty of grab bars, the toilet is too low, and accessible toilets require taller seats.   The shampoo bar is too high, and there’s no pull-down seat in the tub.  Those in wheelchairs would require a different room, and most mobility-challenged people can’t reach up to access the shampoo bar.   ...
Post a Comment
Read more