Visiting Guerneville – It’s All About the Redwoods

disclosure: Discounts and comps were received throughout the Sonoma Valley road trip. All opinions are my own.

It’s road trip time again! As much as I love where I live it was time to get out of Dodge for a bit. So I hitched up the ole wagon and hit the trail. The wine trail, that is. Sonoma County or bust!

My mom, sister and I enjoyed a fabulous girls weekend in wine country. We had lots of destinations to visit but needed a home base. Enter Guerneville. This small town along the Russian River became our home base for the trip. Thanks to Russian River Getaways we were able to secure a rental house called Good Times in the heart of the redwoods.

And I mean in the HEART of the redwoods. Our first night we didn’t arrive until after 9pm and driving down the street it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere (although there are plenty of other houses on the street). For three gals it was a wee bit scary but as soon as we opened the door we knew we picked the right spot.

The house was so warm and inviting with everything we needed for the weekend. There was a full kitchen, a living room and family room, two bedrooms, and a full bath.  We quickly headed to bed under a pile of blankets and went off to dreamland. The next morning I had a chance to explore a bit and discovered our amazing backyard.

Redwoods everywhere! It was fantastic! And it was raining which made the atmosphere extra special. Coming from the deserts of SoCal I was completely out of my element and loving every minute of it.

We were so busy, we didn’t have time to enjoy the house as much as we’d like. But one morning I did manage to hike up to the buddha statue in the backyard.

Simply incredible. Truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Even though we didn’t spend too many hours in the house we did find it had every amenity we needed. Coffee for the morning (and by coffee I mean coffee beans, a grinder, coffee maker and mugs). A blow dryer to keep my hair frizz to a minimum. And blankets. Lots of blankets to keep us warm at night.

There was so much about the house I loved but it did have one downside. It smelled musty. I completely understand why. It’s damp there all. the. time. That’s the nature of a redwood forest. Naturally, a house that is closed up between uses is going to smell a bit musty. But in keeping with my standard of full disclosure, I gotta mention it.

The town of Guerneville was so quaint and lovely I wish we had more time to explore it. It’s a small town with a surprisingly hip vibe. From outward appearance it looks fairly rustic.

But upon closer look those facades hold trendy dining spots. I’m all about a good place to eat and we managed to have a couple of great meals. One night we went to Boon Eat + Drink – a small, modern restaurant. The emphasis was on locally sourced fair and it was quite tasty.

From the top is their signature burger with an amazing garlic aoili and fresh ketchup and truffle fries, flash fried brussel sprouts, and flat iron steak with chimichurri sauce. Everything was so tasty and we cleaned our plates!

On another morning we stopped by Big Bottom Market for a quick breakfast. This small market offers a selection of local food and drink products and has a full coffee bar and deli counter.

They also make homemade baked good, including their signature biscuits.

Isn’t that a thing of beauty? Accompanied by homemade honey butter and strawberry preserves it was incredibly delicious. I’m already a fan of biscuits and these may just be the best I’ve ever had. In addition to the traditional style there’s also a rotating selection of specialty biscuits available daily.

My mom ordered this apple pie biscuit and I just had to sneak a bite. Yum! I was in the mood for something a bit more savory so I grabbed the Prosciutto and Fig sandwich and an iced latte.

Oh boy! So incredibly delicious.

Prior to our trip I knew nothing about Guerneville. Now I know one thing – I can’t wait to go back.