A New 'Culinary Hotel' Just Opened in Sonoma County, California—and We Were the First to Stay

Appellation Healdsburg—the newest outpost in the Appellation Hotels portfolio, created by celebrated chef Charlie Palmer and Christopher Hunsberger, the former chief people officer at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts—bills itself as a “culinary hotel.” It’s the kind of trendy hospitality turn of phrase that sounds like an empty promise, similar to describing a resort as “wellness-centric” because it has a well-equipped gym. What exactly is a culinary hotel?

Appellation Healdsburg answered the question as soon as I arrived; walking into the hotel lobby is like stepping into the open kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant.

In lieu of a standard welcome drink, my 15-month-old son, Rai, and I were offered an amuse-bouche as we checked in: radishes from the garden with beurre escargot (garlic herb butter) and lemon zest for me, sliced kiwi and local cheddar for Rai. The check-in desk resembles a butcher block island with a built in wine fridge stocked with local Knights Bridge wines. To our left: a host stand, a glassed-in wine room, and an open garde manger station with a case of cured meats, terrines, and a hefty wheel of Point Reyes Farmstead’s toma. Beyond that was a full view into the kitchen, all the way to the open hearth burning California oak for wood-fired entrees at Folia restaurant.

A few hours after settling in, when my brother, sister-in-law, and 10-month-old nephew had joined us, we ventured into the olive grove for a winemaker tasting, hosted every Friday night. Under the canopy of trees—in full view of Folia’s firepit-strewn patio, the planters where the hotel sources produce for the restaurant, and the newly planted pinot noir branches—we met with the winemakers from Cast Wines. The tasting brought us from a bright blanc de blanc all the way to a decadent cabernet sauvignon made with grapes from Alexander Valley, just north of Healdsburg.

We wandered from the olive grove into Folia, the first restaurant from Palmer’s youngest son, Reed Palmer. The grown-ups started with Charlie Palmer Cuvée, grilled Hog Island oysters with a choron sauce (like, bearnaise plus tomato), and ‘nduja croquettes with meat from Healdsburg’s Journeyman Meat Co.; the kids with savory bread pudding, where sourdough scraps are soaked in fish broth and then dusted with bonito flakes and Gruyère cheese.

Over the next three days, we spent an inordinate amount of time at Folia restaurant, partially out of convenience, but mostly because the entire menu was worth trying. There were a couple of misses: I maintain that the burger, while meticulously shaped in a custom press, is in sando purgatory, hovering between smash burger and thick, ’90s-barbecue-style patty, and the by-the-glass wine list could benefit from more local inclusions. But between the punchy house pickles, Los Angeles spiny lobster roll, wood-fired New York strip, and delectably savory koginut squash pasta, we were well sated and never hurt for variation.

One evening, we paired our meals with a skin-contact melon de Bourgogne from Sonoma County’s Ra Ra Wine Co. And over lunch the next day—after my sister-in-law and I ran a half-marathon through the Napa woods, against our better judgement—we opted for the Williams Selyem pinot noir from the nearby Russian River Valley.

“The intent is that this hotel is unlike anything else in the area,” Charlie Palmer tells Travel + Leisure. “In 18 months or two years, we’ll be completely estate-driven, meaning all the produce we use will be grown on the property.” He notes that there are others in the area on a similar path (three-Michelin-starred Single Thread), but says Appellation Healdsburg will be set apart by the number of guests it can accommodate and the events it hosts. (The Grange, a barn and event space, has a show kitchen. And between Appellation and Montage Healdsburg across the street, there are now nearly 250 hotel rooms directly off Healdsburg Avenue.)

“It’s the right size—108 rooms—and it’s dense enough that you don’t need golf carts, which is a common complaint at hotels around here,” Palmer says. “You can easily walk from your room to the restaurant, the spa, and both pools.” His plan with Hunsberger is to open eight Appellation hotels in the next five years—including those in Healdsburg and Lodi, which began welcoming guests this past summer.

I’ve stayed at about 15 luxury hotels between Sonoma and Napa, and have covered most of the new openings in the area. Generally, the level of hospitality is commensurate with the nightly room rate. Appellation Healdsburg is more approachably priced, yet it delivers a level of hospitality that rivals that of a hotel charging four figures per night. The staff is deeply kind, helpful, and thoughtful in a way that shows they are well taken care of and trained by the best in the Sonoma biz: the Palmer family. Charlie Palmer is credited with putting Sonoma fine dining on the map 24 years ago with the opening of Dry Creek Kitchen, still among the best restaurants in Healdsburg. He is well-known locally for his commitment to uplifting his community, which shows in the way guests are treated at this hotel.

Here, my full review of Appellation Healdsburg, an excellent example of why this budding hotel brand is one to watch in Northern California.

The Rooms

Appellation Healdsburg’s 108 guest rooms include nine suites and range from a 300-square-foot entry-level Superior King up to a 1,500-square-foot Two-Bedroom Appellation Suite.

My family and I stayed in the Healdsburg Suite with an adjoining room, so we had a functional two-bedroom apartment with a dining table, a kitchen, and three bathrooms in total. But the highlight was the stunning balcony overlooking the gardens, the restaurant, and the pinot noir vines surrounding the hotel.

I enjoyed our location, because it was close to the patio gathering area, olive grove, and restaurant. That said, families with older children might prefer a room next to the main pool. A group of young couples from Los Angeles, all of whom were attending a wedding at a nearby resort, chose a block of rooms near the quieter pool, which caters mostly to adults and is next to the spa.

Food and Drink

Folia restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and on the third floor of the hotel’s main building, Andys Beeline, is a swankier lounge open only in the evenings. Andys has outdoor balcony seating or, inside, cozy blue-velvet banquettes under a cluster of globular light fixtures. Come for the cocktails and light bites—ceviche, caviar toast, and the like—but stay for my favorite design element in the entire hotel: the endless bottles of gin. Above the bar, there are two rows of gin bottles, with a two-way mirror between them and an infinity mirror behind the second row. The effect is a never-ending collection of gin bottles and though, perhaps, this sounds more pro-martini than is professional, it’s a downright alluring piece of art.

Activities and Experiences

Happenings like on-site tastings with winemakers, artist residencies, and ins at coveted wineries have become de rigueur at Napa and Sonoma hotels. However, what sets Appellation apart is the relationships the hotel has developed with Sonoma wineries. The level of access guests benefit from when booking a Charlie Palmer hotel is quite noticeable. “We’ll pull out all the stops to squeeze someone from Appellation in,” says Kelly Bailey, who co-owns Knights Bridge winery, where my brother, sister-in-law, and I tasted big chardonnays and a surprisingly oaky sauvignon blanc after leaving our kids with a babysitter that the hotel helped arrange. We also tasted at Bricoleur Vineyards—another winery the hotel has a close partnership with—which I’d recommend to Sonoma pinot noir fans and families.

Crafted, Appellation Hotels’ seasonal program of on-site classes and workshops, connects guests with local artists and craftmakers through hands-on activities such as wreath-making workshops and pie tastings. Every activity is paired with wine and small bites—this is a culinary hotel, have you heard?

Finally, there are two pools, the larger of which will soon have a taco truck and an ice cream bike serving It’s-It ice cream sandwiches, a Bay Area staple, along with an indoor-outdoor gym with all the trappings an athlete could ever need.

Family-friendly Offerings

Yes, a chopping station might be the first thing you see when you walk into the hotel, but this has to be the most family-friendly property I’ve ever stayed at in wine country. And it’s not because the menu caters to children (in fact, I can see how bread doused in fish stock could be an acquired taste for toddlers). It’s because the staff is so well trained and willing to help. Every morning, when we came in for breakfast, a server would trot out a bowl of blueberries to immediately keep the two children entertained. A number of Crafted experiences are also welcoming to little ones. The hotel staff can arrange wine tastings at vineyards that welcome children, as they did for our party.

The Spa

After a trail half marathon, my sister-in-law and I tried to “wine down” at the spa, which included a wonderful evening foot soak with wine or tea (I opted for a flowering tea), a jade face mask, and a Nodpod weighted blanket. It was heavenly.

Worth noting: the facial program is particularly impressive because the Appellation spa uses Inlight Beauty skin care products, which are oil-based (a rarity) and made from all-natural botanicals grown in the U.K. It is a lovely suite of products that I haven’t yet encountered elsewhere.

Accessibility and Sustainability

There are six fully ADA-compliant guest rooms and suites, including 345-square-foot Accessible Deluxe Queen rooms with two queen beds and 300-square-foot Accessible Deluxe King rooms, all with ample outdoor space “designed with accessibility in mind, featuring ADA-compliant amenities and thoughtful layouts to ensure comfort for all guests,” per the hotel’s website. Unlike many wine country hotels, this property is largely flat and accessible to guests with mobility issues.

As for sustainability, for the ingredients not sourced from the hotel grounds, the restaurant works almost entirely with small farms and local meat producers. It also has menu items that specifically use scraps that would otherwise be thrown away.

Location

The hotel sits in a scenic stretch of Northern Sonoma County, in Healdsburg’s North Village. Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa, California, is 12 miles from the hotel. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is about 84 miles south, and the hotel can assist with transfers from either airport.

Downtown Healdsburg, with all its art galleries, shops, restaurants, and tasting rooms, is about two miles away. A house car is available to transport guests to and from the hotel to nearby attractions and tasting rooms.

Book Now

Appellation Hotels doesn’t have a points-based loyalty program. For the most current offers and packages, check out Appellation Healdsburg’s website.

Nightly rates at Appellation Healdsburg start from $509.

Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.