I saved Boon Hotel for my 200th review. My most recent visit to the Boon Hotel + Spa was for a charity event the hotel was hosting for the Ceres Community Project. This was my third time staying at the Boon and my first time staying in an actual room (the other two times I was glamping in the tents).
BOOZE: The $40 VIP advance ticket included unlimited beer and wine tastings from nine wineries. Each winery was set up on the lawn and it was fun walking around and guiding your own tasting. We started with whites, moved onto roses and finished with reds. I got to know the vibe of each vendor and the gentleman pouring for Equality wines may or may not have emptied a bottle into my glass at the end of the night.
FOOD: We purchased raffle tickets to buy food but found out later that only one of the four food vendors were collecting tickets, the taco bar hosted by Boon Eat + Drink, which sold out fast. Seaside Metal Oyster Bar, Chile Pies Baking Company, and Nimble and Fins a local ice creamery were accepting cash only. . . So what to do with the $80 of raffle tickets we purchased when all the tacos sold out? Luckily, the security guard working the event agreed to let me buy bottles of wine from the bar with the extra raffle tickets. . . one million YELP stars for helping us find a solution.
ENTERTAINMENT: Our party thoroughly enjoyed the live music . . . Tumbleweed Soul, The Easy Leaves, Heather Combs, and Dgiin. . . but what we liked even better was winning a majority of the raffle prizes. As luck would have it, our room (which is also the most expensive room on the property) had a private balcony with views of the event and we could space out our tickets on the table which I think was critical due to the amount of tickets we purchased. We took a lot of heat for it, but hey, the rest of the attendees shouldve spent more money on the raffle tickets to compete with us. We walked away with countless bottles of wine, a full pie from Chile Pies Baking Company (which was DIVINE), and my best friend won a complimentary massage. We did not win the complimentary stay.
HONOR BAR: We ended the night in the hot tub, and sampled some mezcal from the honor bar by the pool. This honor bar is EVERYTHING. Top shelf liquor, mixers, beers, and bottles of wine are offered at totally reasonable prices. You simply take your card out, tally up what you take, and the hotel charges your account when you check out. GENIUS. The way the whole pool area is designed and maximized as the focal point of the property is genius.
BREAKFAST IN BED: Boon Hotel proudly serves complimentary breakfast in bed. Further, they serve Oprahs favorite biscuits. Oprah named this companies biscuits as one of her favorite things and they are EVERYTHING. In addition to the biscuits, you receive a seasonal fruit parfait, orange juice, and pressed coffee. Please note that if you stay two nights, the breakfast might vary. I booked two nights this past summer and the first morning I was served bagels and I was shocked. Rookie mistake.
BIKES: You will notice a wall of orange beach cruiser bikes when you enter the property. The use of the bikes is complimentary and another reason why the Boon Hotel is worth every penny. If you turn right onto the road fronting the property, you can take your bikes to Armstrong Woods. Just drive right past the attendant at the gate, because bikes have no entrance fee. If you turn left onto the main road, you can drive the bikes into town. Ive eaten at the Boon Eat + Drink and the food there is as good as any big name restaurant in any city. Or take your bike to the margarita bar El Barrio.
RIVER: In the summer, the Russian River provides endless activities. Kayaking, canoeing, floatilla-ing . . . My only advice is dont put your head under depending on the time of year because of bacteria levels.
WINE TASTING: There are many wineries a short driving distance from the property. I pass Korbel every time I drive in (but havent been yet). La Cremas new flagship winery is a 15 minute drive from Boon (I was locked inside the property this summer but that is for another review). We also visited Sonoma-Cutrer, it is the only winery with a professional croquet lawn.
GLAMPING: I have to say that after staying in a regular room, the tents are the way to go! Unless you cant deal with an outdoor shower/bathroom. However, its best to know whoever will be staying in the tent next to you so you can avoid hearing someones drunk girlfriend say "Dont touch my butt," all night.
FIRES: Sadly, the morning that we were checking out of the event. Our breakfast was delivered with the terrible news of the fires. The freeway was closed and we were being evacuated. In the coming days, the Boon Hotel stepped up to provide meals and shelter for first responders during this nightmare. And because the Boon continues to do such great things for the community, I will continue to support them, even if staying at the Boon is out of my teachers budget. read more