When I was in Healdsburg, CA for the Epicurean Winter Event in early March, I stayed at both two hotels under the same umbrella — h2hotel and Hotel Healdsburg, both along Healdsburg Avenue which border the infamous bustling Healdsburg Square, home to a number of great restaurants, shops, art galleries and wine tasting rooms.
Although they both tout eco ‘living’, h2hotel demonstrates this more significantly with their simple and stark design – think Scandinavian influenced to get a visual flavor of the place. From an undulating roof alive with succulents to ripples on the creek, the hotel aims to root itself in nature. The hotel is built to LEED Gold green building certification, and from the wood floors and white bare walls to the organic products in the bathroom, they’re all about ‘green.’
My favorite part of the hotel is the lobby, which feels a bit like a “chic but I’m not the big city” W, topped with sustainability trimmings.
Add to that the fact that there’s dining to the left of the reception area, tables lining ceiling foot tall windows and a cool flame on the other side of the reception, it creates a fun, eclectic experience.
Hotel Healdsburg is more upscale and the ambiance combines old world with modern, slick and “green” design throughout the property. The difference between the two is that Healdsburg has more warmth and color – the lobby, the hallways and the rooms. My room was a soft sage green and while the sheets and duvet were white, they had a bright orange throw blanket on the bottom of the bed.
The bathtubs are deep, the showers powerful and like h2hotel, they carry organic lotions, shampoos, body wash and conditioner. One other thing I really liked was the plush, soft cotton (but thick) white robes and the oak colored shades that made the room feel crisp, clean and spa-like, as if I were about to take in a facial or a massage….but in my room. Love the hallways – wide and estate-like, yet the whole property’s design is modern and stark with light airy colors.
It’s a better option if you want a romantic weekend getaway or take your family away – kids or parents. They offer a full service spa, pool, country gardens, and it is attached to Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen.
View of the pool from my room and gardens from my room.
Hotel Healdsburg also has a terrific spa with a wide range of services, including massage, facials, body wraps and polishes. The menu includes:
- Meyer lemon sage massage
- Meyer lemon sage purifying body polish
- Meyer lemon sage herbal wrap
- Cyclist deep relief massage
- Swedish massage
- Combination massage
- Deep tissue massage
- Wellness massage
- Spicy Thai warm-up experience
- Lavender peppermint restorative massage
- Hot stone massage
- Four hands massage
- Shiatsu massage
- Thai massage
- Wine and honey wrap
- Seaweed gel wrap
I love sage, seaweed and lavender so it was a hard decision between the three of them. The meyer lemon sage massage uses Stellaflora Biodynamic essential oils of lemon sage body milk and locally produced olive oil designed to rejuvenate and relieve tension. You can go with the same ingredients for a body ‘polish,’ which includes exfoliation.
While the lavender massage sounded incredibly relaxing, I opted for the Spicy Thai massage which is great for muscle relief, particularly muscles with inflammation or those prone to far too many hours in front of a computer. The Thai inspired massage includes lemongrass, ginger and clove body milk. Warm, spiced Thai herbal compresses are used in the massage to soothe tight muscles, exfoliate skin and promote a sense of well being — these are very hot compresses btw and a welcome retreat in between tissue work. Note: they also give them to you when you leave so you can get a few more uses out of them.
Afterwards, be sure to jump in their outside hot tub which is set up against a wall covered in twigs creatively displayed. Beyond the iron doors is the pool surrounded by trees, giving you the feeling of pure nature, as if you are at a far away retreat, beyond the town of Healdsburg. Thumbs Up!
Disclosure: I was hosted by the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce to visit a handful of restaurants & hotels however all opinions expressed here are my own and honestly reported.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
