Our Healdsburg Home

I’m back! Hopefully over the last few days, you have enjoyed the great guest posts! Thanks so much to all of the guest posters for sharing something delicious with us!

Our long weekend in wine country was a perfect whirlwind of relaxation, wonderful people, and great food and wine. I took SO many pictures, and I have decided I will spread my wine country posts out over a few weeks mixed in with other recipes, restaurant reviews, and regular old bloggy stuff (including a very sweet giveaway that I will kick off later today). That way, I won’t bore any of you not interested in the wineries with day after day of wine, and I can give each winery the full write-up it deserves.

Any good holiday begins with beautiful accommodations, and Bella Villa Messina in Healdsburg, CA was hospitality in every sense of the word. After a late Jet Blue flight from Boston to Oakland, we spent a short night in the Holiday Inn Express at Oakland Airport. I highly recommend this hotel if you are ever in need of a quiet, clean place to stay in Oakland. From there, and very early Friday morning, we headed straight for my current favorite place on earth, the Dry Creek Valley. After a few winery visits, we found our home away from home at the top of a hill overlooking the valley.

As you can see, the property is simply stunning, and the views spectacular whether with a fiery setting sun or a foggy Northern California morning. Our room was comfortable and spacious, though I somehow missed taking any shots! It had a fluffy, comfy bed, a great view, and even an air purifier and fan! As someone who can not sleep without constant noise, I appreciated this little detail!

Our incredibly sweet and charming hosts, Harold and Jerry, offered a cocktail hour each evening. Full of delicious little bites like olives, cheese, nuts, and fresh bread, cocktail hour gave us the chance to meet other guests and to further take in the views. We enjoyed the time in their art-filled dining area with their 3 adorable dogs, Bernice, Brindle, and Basel.

Oh yes, and their pair of llamas. . .

I thought I may have just been tired when, on our first morning at breakfast, I saw a black and white llama head floating on by. But no, there they were!

Speaking of breakfast, our stay included a full gourmet meal every morning. Each day was different and completely homemade or locally grown from the bread. . .

. . . to the fruit

. . . to the spinach frittata and bacon.

This bed and breakfast is simply an elegant and comfortable place to spend your wine country visit. It is located in my favorite valley but is close to Napa Valley as well; we easily spent a day there as it’s only about an hour’s drive. I have so many more stories to tell but for now must get back to work. I hope you all had nice weekends, and I am looking forward to catching up on blog reading. Tonight, I am headed to the first Mystery Meet Boston dinner, and I will hopefully see some of you there!

What kinds of details make a vacation special for you?