Day Two : Sonoma

Since Day Two did not officially begin until 12pm, we decided that while we were in Sonoma, we may as well visit a winery during our free morning. I know. It was a tough decision. We limited our choices to wineries within the Sonoma area, since that was where we would be for our appointments. Gloria Ferrer, known for their sparkling wines, was the ultimate winner. And so we spent the morning sipping Rose Cuveé and Carneros Cuveé on the winery terrace. It was beautiful. Hot. But lovely. After this we were ready to view the final two properties on our trip. The first was a block or two off of the main square in Sonoma. We had never been to the heart of Sonoma, and it was adorable. Much like a mini-version of Healdsburg. (Healdsburg being already quite small, Sonoma is even more so. Perhaps that is why it was so sweet?). We couldn't believe we had never been there.

The first inn was also quite small. With only six rooms, it felt quaint. There was some potential here, but the two buildings of the inn felt jumbled and tight. It also needed a fair amount of work, despite the solid furniture and great location. We kept this in our mind as we moved on to the second inn—the last we would see this trip.

Inn number two was a five minute drive from the town center. The location, we lamented, could have been better as it sits off of the main two-lane Sonoma Highway. That said, we were immediately impressed with the scale of the property—which included a (relatively) considerable amount of land. The inn itself, also had a good basis upon which to improve. There was decent furniture and linens. Room for expansion. And, of course, the opportunity to improve the business. This, we thought, could be it.

At this juncture, our next step is to sign a confidentiality agreement so that we can receive the financial documents for the inns we are interested in. Once we are able to review those, we will able to fully assess if this is all possible. Or not.