Sonoma

A meal at the restaurant at Sonoma’s MacArthur Place, Layla, feels like you’re dining in a friend’s beautiful backyard. The indoor dining room is in an airy, light-filled modern barn, but you’ll want to snag a seat on the patio, where you’re surrounded by lush trees and greenery. That’s to say: For an upscale hotel restaurant, Layla is as stunning as it should be, yet it remains warm and inviting—a pillar of dining in Sonoma Valley. The Mediterranean-focused menu leans on locally sourced ingredients and bright, fresh flavors, like the crispy Spanish octopus paired with black risotto and tender lamb chops served with roasted baby artichokes and fava beans.

Founded over a century ago as family estate, vineyard, and working ranch, this newly remodeled property is a bucolic, low-key-luxurious landing spot for visiting oenophiles. Each of its sixty-four rooms—which are nestled in private (socially distanced!) farmhouse-style cottages—is appointed with custom furnishings, cloudlike linens, art by local artists-in-residence, and in some cases: a stunning outdoor shower. But the true beauty is in the grounds, which boast lush lawns and gardens, winding flagstone paths, verdant archways, and cozy firepits to unwind by after a day of tastings. Don’t skip the on-site dining at Layla (locals flock to this Mediterranean-meets-farm-kitchen spot every day of the week) or the spa, which offers an extensive menu of relaxing facials and massages featuring essential oils made from local flowers, herbs, and plants.

Treatments at this dreamy oasis happen in chic tent cabanas—and truly feel like a reprieve from the world. A ten-minute consultation allows the aesthetician to craft a whole protocol for you and to blend the purest seasonal ingredients right in front of you. After you’re slathered in a variety of pore-clearing masks, mineral-packed serums, and antioxidant-spiked creams, the heavenliness is topped off with a hand, neck, and shoulder massage. You emerge radiant beyond belief and profoundly rested.

Located downtown Sonoma in Vallejo-Castañeda Adobe House, a mid-1800s historic landmark which the owners reinvented with the help of architect Ken Fulk, the space is stunning: equally eclectic and modern with Mexican influences.

Located in the heart of Sonoma's central plaza, this restaurant serves up Portuguese cuisine with a twist–with most dishes heavy on the olive oil, garlic, and fresh tomatoes. Chef Manuel Azevedo cooks classics from his native country, such as a traditional fish stew with a medley of clams, mussels, shrimp, sea bass, and scallops.

Husband and wife Nick and Jen, culinary institute alumni, offer up a seasonally changing menu in this small but mighty restaurant.

A destination for in-the-know design enthusiasts.

Fremont Diner is a charmingly local spot where the menu focuses on old-fashioned comfort food—the fried chicken and waffles, fried chicken sandwich, and especially the homemade pies make for customers year-round. Kids will love the backyard chicken coop, where local-as-it-gets eggs are harvested daily for famous dishes like the deviled eggs and breakfast hash.

If there's such a thing as a hipster winery, Scribe Winery probably qualifies. Owned by young brothers and located in Sonoma, it's a small production vineyard with a decidedly unstuffy vibe—you'll sit at a picnic table or swing on a rope swing while you sample their rosé. There's a historic hacienda located on the property that the brothers are in the midst of restoring. It promises to be a fantastic tasting room (and an even better event venue), but until the project is finished, they're happily running their tastings on an outdoor hillside lovingly dubbed "the knoll."