- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Relais Du Soleil
1210 Nuns Canyon Rd
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
(707) 833-6264
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
(707) 833-6264
- Price Range:
-
$$
4 reviews for Relais Du Soleil
My wife and I were looking for a Bed and Breakfast in Sonoma Valley for a WE in October 2009. We looked and looked on the web - including Yelp of course. And just price-wise, they aren't a lot of nice B&B below $200 a night - and some even don't allow you to only book a Friday night, forcing you to get Friday and Saturday. So we contacted Tim at the Relais du Soleil and got a reservation for Friday night for the Lilac room at $175.
When we arrived we were greeted by Tim, who is a warm and very nice host. He actually "upgraded" us to the whole bunkhouse! So we were able to enjoy the whole space for the same price, and really liked it.
As Laurel wrote, "You don't come to this B&B for fancy-pants rooms with 600 billion thread count sheets on a giant king bed; you come here for the beautiful property, delicious food, and wonderful hospitality." I couldn't put it better. We were served with cheese and wine in the evening, and an amazing breakfast in the morning, including a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon grape juice, freshly pressed, so different from any other grape juice I ever tried.
The domain is really nice, with metallic art work everywhere, horses and turkeys, and chaise longues to enjoy the sun in the morning and the stars in the evening.
Next time we go back to the Sonoma Valley, Tim will be the first one we'll contact for a place to stay!
Will T and I got hitched here last October! (We also stayed there as a "test run" the month before.) It was even more perfect than we planned or hoped for. The place pulses with magic, largely because of the sweet spirit Tim that owns and runs the place. He is laid back yet gets it all done from amazing gourmet breakfast for the lucky 10 folks that get to stay at the ranch during the weekend buy-out (he studied at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, plus raised his kids here) to the warm flannel shirts he puts out by the fire pit in case people get cold at night. On his own he planted flowers along the redwood deck (where people dance) that matched our wedding colors, and seemingly had the wild turkeys and two sweet horses that live at the ranch charm our guests as if on cue. If you are very lucky, you may get a bottle of homemade wine from Tim as a wedding present, which can be refilled once a year when you go back! Through the seamless wedding planning and the weekend itself, we quickly adopted Tim and he us. It's very hard to leave this sacred space that he has created.
Because we had the space for a weekend (at a very reasonable fee, especially relative to other 4-hour limit options in the rest of Sonoma), we had several opportunities at the welcome BBQ Friday night, at the wedding and reception on Saturday, and at the farewell brunch on Sunday morning to hang out with our family and friends, most of whom had to travel to be with us. It was a much better way, in my opinion, to seal in the love and wishes for our future together than if we only had a one-evening event.
One of the best aspects of planning a wedding here is that it is something of blank slate. It will all be outdoors, but you can get married under the walnut tree (people said the later afternoon light was amazing through the tree during our ceremony) or by the horses or in the barn/winery. You can do whatever you want with lights and seating and the DJ. Not being a visionary or one of those girls who has their wedding details planned out at 8 years old, I relied on our awesome wedding planner and our caterer, who was referred to us by Tim. It was a good idea to work with people (Larry Vito catering, in this case) who are very familiar with the site.
Feel free to Yelp-mail me with any questions about our experience here (either as a wedding site or a weekend B&B getaway) or good vendors to use in the area--we had very high expectations that were all exceeded and I'd be happy to share what we learned. We have plans to go back every year at least and have already been back to the ranch several times just to bask in the glow and be with Tim whether he's peeling potatoes or throwing a big party filled with music and babies and free-flowing wine.
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
- Funny (3)
- Cool (7)
You don't come to this B&B for fancy-pants rooms with 600 billion thread count sheets on a giant king bed; you come here for the beautiful property, delicious food, and wonderful hospitality.
We stumbled upon Relais du Soleil when searching for a place to stay in Glen Ellen at somewhat the last minute. We were going to attend a friend's wedding at the Jack London Lodge on Labor Day, and decided it was wise to find a place to rest our sure-to-be wine addled heads, knowing that this group of friends likes to PAR-TAY and we didn't want to brave the windy roads to get back home.
I started looking for lodging a month ahead, only to find that: 1. It's a bitch to find a place to stay over Labor Day weekend 2. Glen Ellen is a small town that doesn't have that many lodging options, and most of them are really expensive, and 3. during the high wine swilling tourist season, everyone, and I mean everyone, requires a two night minimum stay. Luckily, lots of phone calls led me to Relais du Soleil, and I've never been happier to be "required" to stay for two nights anywhere.
As soon as you drive up to the property you know you're in for something special - a large metal sun greets you on the road, followed by cast concrete rams' heads guarding the bridge across the creek, and a life sized winged metal horse sculpture that waits for you on the other side. All these pieces are the work of Bryan Tedrick, the sculptor in residence who works near the main house. His sculptures of franken-fish, elaborate gates, and other metal work are all over the property and really added something very cool to our experience.
The property itself is rustic, peaceful, and quite lovely. This is not a manicured, overly landscaped place - it has dry pastures with views of the tree covered hills, green lawns with wildflower borders, and fruit trees with lovely ripe offerings that find their way onto your plate at breakfast. After drinking, indeed, far too much wine (and beer, mojitos, and tequila) at my friend's wedding the night before, I nursed my hangover by sprawling on the lawn in the shade of an enormous old fig tree and watching three gorgeous horses munch hay in the pasture while buzzards wheeled over the hilltops. Not such a bad way to recover from the effects of your own overindulgence. That night my husband and I soaked in the hot tub under the stars and watched those same horses munch their hay under the moonlight.
Tim, the owner and host, is a wonderful chef, and the two breakfasts that we had were, without a doubt, some of the best B&B food that I've ever eaten. And I say this as someone who has stayed at a lot of B&Bs all over the world. They were so good that I feel compelled to give a blow-by-blow description: Day one - Fresh pear (from trees on the property) and mascarpone pie topped with whipped cream and blueberries, followed by a large piece of sausage tortilla espanola with shrimp and sour cream on top. This was accompanied by an buttered english muffin with pots of homemade preserves for liberal spreading upon said muffin. Day two - A baked cinnamon and syrup covered apple with a fresh fig (from the wonderful old tree) on one side, and a grappa and rum soaked fig (Tim warned us not to operate heavy machinery after eating it) on the other side with a healthy slice of bunt cake. That was followed by three blueberry, banana, and pine nut pancakes, two fried eggs with a sprinkling of reddish rock salt, and crisp bacon. Whoa mama - I was in heaven.
This would have been a five star experience if the rooms had been a bit nicer, but then again, as I said, the beauty of this place, and of the Sonoma wine country in general, can't be found in a hotel room. We stayed in the main house, an old farmhouse from around 1914, in one of the upstairs bedrooms. The bedroom was large enough, but had low ceilings and needed an update in the decor department. It was comfortable though, with a 1950's era bathroom out in the hallway. For $175 a night it is reasonable for the area, and if you factor in the great food and beautiful property, well worth it.
There is also another smaller room across the hall, which is only rented if a group of family or friends are willing to share the one bathroom. We did share the bathroom with some friends who stayed in the smaller room and it worked out fine. The only other accommodations are in the separate "bunkhouse" which is a two room guest house with a small kitchen. We only got to check it out briefly, but it seemed nice and probably worth the $250 rate if you want more space and privacy.
Tim also rents out the entire property for weddings and other events, and I was really impressed with the photos of past events that we saw in his album. I would definitely recommend this as a unique wedding site. Add in a beautiful swimming hole in the creek and a great chill-out bar area with homemade wine in the barn, and you feel like you've been transported to a truly magical place.
People thought this was:
- Useful (7)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (7)
We got married at Relais du Soleil in October and it was absolutely magical. The ranch is beautiful - feels remote and private but is really easy for your guests to get to. Tim is the kindest, most easygoing and helpful host. "Best breakfast ever" said our guests. Vows under the oak tree, dancing by the creek under the stars, cuddling up by the fire late at night. We searched all over the Bay for an affordable, beautiful outdoor wedding site and Relais was an amazing find. Funky, artsy, charming, personal, comfortable, and elegant all at the same time - plus you (and a few friends) get to stay for the entire weekend - no rushing in and out, just lots of relaxing in a peaceful location at a time when you really need it :) We could not have been happier with our Relais wedding.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
