The Valley Ford Hotel is a wonderful place to catch some Zs. It's small. Seven rooms small. Is that a problem? Not for us. The building is old - built in 1864. Not 1964, eighteen sixty-four. Really old. Also not a problem for us, we loved the charm (which is often just another word for 'old'). It's funky. No TV. No capacious lobby. No concierge. There is a bar downstairs, but there's not a single fern in it. Need to be pampered? We don't. What it's got going for it: Big fluffy towels. Charm. Authenticity. Close to the coast without coastal prices. Filtered water available at no extra charge, BYOBottle. A few cons: The bed was too soft (for us, at least). The check-in process was not clear to us (but the guy at the bar cleared that up in a jiffy). Some of the electrical outlets were a little loose (but not dangerously so), so plugs felt like they might fall out (they didn't). Windows didn't have screens, so a few mosquitos found their way in. The Valley Ford Hotel is right on Highway 1, but we didn't mind any noise from the highway, unlike some other reviewers. We did hear it, but it's not like being under a flight path for a major airport or across from a steel mill. We barely noticed the noise. And the proximity to a pretty good restaurant is hard to beat. Just walk down the stairs, turn left, and you're there. The few cons taken individually are not a big deal, but they collectively bring our rating down one star. I think, though, the most important consideration if you're wondering how we feel about the Valley Ford Hotel is this: We intend to stay there again. read more

At first glance, it looks like a cute and quaint room, which it was. However, the carpet could have been shampooed. And of course, I forgot my slippers. There were ants that kept crawling on the table by the fridge. The bathroom is in total need of an update and had a funky smell to it. The fridge was nice touch to the rolm, but not sure if it was intentionally turned off because it smelled so bad. Had to turn the dial to turn it on. It is a bearable stay if you just need a place to sleep overnight. For the price, not bad. Since everything else in Bodega Bay is expensive. There's a restaurant/bar below the hotel. There is a market across the street and a few businesses that are walkable. read more

Valley Ford Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Valley Ford, California

I am a lifetime Californian, but I had never been to Valley Ford until my wife and I stayed here over the weekend. We found The Valley Ford Hotel and decided to give it a try. If you are looking for fancy, this is not it, but if you want family run, charming, and clean it's all you need. There is a fridge in the room and a shared Keuriug in the hall way. There are some nice touches to the space. The bed was comfortable, but the bathroom is prob due for a remodel (the shower was HIGH pressure). We would def stay there again as the location is perfect for getting to all the places in the area. read more

I truly hate to leave a bad review, plain and simple. Especially for a family owned, local business. The unsavory experience I had at the Valley Ford (primarily with its management) was enough for me to get on Yelp and warn prospective lodgers. My wife and I stayed at the Valley Ford for two nights since we were enjoying some country time for our anniversary. The first night was fine and uneventful although the bed was definitely "tacoing" in the middle and we kept being folded in throughout the night. The second night was when things got weird. Around 9:30pm the keypad to our door started to beep as if someone was entering the code. We were in bed, cozy, watching a movie and then the lock started to turn and the door was being opened. We both hastily shouted that "there were people present in the room and DO NOT ENTER" which fortunately the outsider obeyed and thus the intrusion was stopped at the door. This incident left us feeling unsafe, unsettled, angry, frustrated, annoyed, etc. We also kept discussing how invaded our privacy was and "imagine if you were in here by yourself" and how uncomfortable the night was after that. Needless to say we were restless and very bothered and did not sleep well that evening. Promptly after the event, my wife phoned the number provided and spoke with the owner Shona who apologized and promised us compensation monetarily and a bottle of wine or gift card to offer sincerest apologies. She told us she would meet us the following morning. Great. We waited around until 11am which is check out time and of course no Shona, no wine, no gift card, nothing. I followed up shortly after with an email to Shona regarding the incident and how we could come to terms with our alleged compensation. She replied enthusiastically that we would receive a gift card in the mail and again offered her apologies. Great. A week goes by, no gift card. I reach out again and she continues to respond with apologies, the offering of compensation and a willingness to make amends. My responses are friendly and patient. Another two weeks goes by - NO COMPENSATION!!! NOTHING!! I email Shona multiple times after that with zero response at this point. I have been completely ghosted with no gift card, no apologetic bottle of wine and a sour taste in my mouth about the entire establishment. If you're going to offer compensation for an incident that occurred at your establishment - at least follow through! Even a few drink tickets at the bar or a free night or something would have made me forget about the entire situation and be more than willing to patronize the Valley Ford again. Unfortunately Shona has shown that the customers at the Valley Ford are expendable and has made a potentially cool local spot for my friends and family into an establishment that I will never return to. read more

Really charming roadside spot! I found it randomly and was happy. The bar/restaurant had good food and fun service. The value to the price was appreciated. The rooms were very clean and comfortable. I was traveling alone and felt very safe. Would highly recommend. read more

What a lovely little hotel this is! The owners are friendly and the rooms are cute, comfortable, and clean! When we showed up they were just getting ready to lock up and handed us our key code and chatted with us like family. It really seemed like I was a distant cousin coming to stay in a guest room for a few days! It's a tiny town with great people! We ate dinner at a place across the street and breakfast at another place across the street. Both the only places in this tiny town and both were great! We only had to drive about 15 minutes to get to Bodega Bay, which was our main reason for coming. For those of you that are into small town spooky stuff.... I found a little here! The first night we got here, I of course found it mandatory to check things out under the moon light. The vibe was quite mysterious and eerily quiet with the lack of population that I am used to in Sacramento. I did, however feel like there might be some friendly unseen activity peeking from the shadows. I snapped a couple pictures to see if I'd get a better view of the other dimensions that way. As luck would have it there was a couple of interesting mind benders. I've included those pics last. My husband looks translucent and my selfie looks like I had a visitor that I caught leaping off my shoulder! The first one of me is unedited and the next one has edits to better see the details. I'll leave it up to you to come to your own conclusions... nevertheless, the vibe during the night and the day was friendly, welcoming, and uplifting. I would stay here again. read more

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I stayed 2 nights in the Valley Ford Hotel in June, while on a multi-day bike trek. I really enjoyed my stay. This is a place with personality and charm - not your cookie cutter motel. The staff were very friendly and helpful. I was very glad I found it, and would definitely stay there again. read more

Pros: Good hot water Refrigerator in room Clean Coffee and tea Wifi Large towels Cute farmhouse style Cons: Not conducive to sleep (too loud, too bright) Broken window lever No one to help onsite No communal area to hangout. All outdoor areas are for the restaurant only. No continental weekend as advertised My husband and I came here for our first weekend away without kids. Needless to say, we were looking forward to sleeping! This hotel is charming but it is not a good place for sleeping. You can hear every door open and close in the building and even talking in the hall. We were woken by 6am by doors and activity in the hallway. Also, there is a lot of road noise, which was made worse by a window with a broken lever so it didn't close all the way. There wasn't anyone around to ask questions or deal with issues like a window that doesn't close. I found the bed and pillows to be uncomfortable and lumpy but my husband thought it was fine. There are blinds on the windows but no curtains so the sun came blasting in in the morning. We picked up ear plugs and eye masks for the second night. I highly recommend doing so if you plan to stay here. The hotel was very clean! I appreciated that a lot. They don't service the room during your stay, but we did see the housekeeping person in the hall and she was very friendly and helpful. We also appreciated the coffee, tea, and water available in the hall. It would be great if there was some sort of communal area where guests could hangout. There are lots of tables and chairs outside but there is signage saying it's for the restaurant (run by the hotel owners) and outside food and drink is prohibited. It would be nice to have a place to enjoy some local cheese and wine outside the room since there are no tables in the rooms. We saw kids sitting on the floor of the hall playing on tablets because it seemed there was nowhere else for them to hangout. Overall, we enjoyed our trip but it's unlikely we would return. The hotel could make a few small changes for a big impact: designate an outdoor area for hotel guests to relax, curtains on the windows, easily accessible extra hand soap, towels, etc (if no one is available onsite to help with this). read more

This is one of the worst places we have ever stayed. No TV dirty carpet very rundown hotel. Would never recommend it to anyone.

What a jewel! Stopped in last minute and Brandon was so helpful. Don't expect chocolates or Turndown service, it is a charming vintage building and filled with the friendliest people around. Mia rescued us with deviled eggs after the kitchen had closed and the Mules were delicious! The decor is so adorable, comfy beds and quiet despise being along Hwy 1. It deserves more stars! read more

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Spring and Shona are the best! We had our wedding at the Valley Ford Hotel and things couldn't have gone more perfectly. We worked with Spring over the course of a year for planning and she was always super kind, helpful, and supportive of our ideas and wishes. I didn't hire a planner, but Spring walked me through all of the decisions and made it easy. (Especially for since I've never planned a large event, let alone a wedding before). We stayed two nights at the VFH and had a fairly large (35 person) rehearsal dinner and a last minute 20 person brunch there on Sunday. In addition to our 75 guest wedding. Every single moment was perfect. The hotel was cozy and inviting and Shona and Brad made us feel like we were all just part of the family. The staff was alsi very courteous, professional and extremely organized in executing on the day of. The food is beyond compare. EVERY. SINGLE. DISH! All of our guests were complimenting the food and the venue, and I still feel as though I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have stumbled upon this absolute gem. Thank you so much for making our entire weekend even better than we had dreamed of! read more

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WEEKEND GETAWAY IN SONOMA: November 20, 2010 It is almost the end of the year and apart from our cruise last March, my fiance and I haven't done any weekend getaways. Just an indication that it is time to slow down and sneak a drive down California country roads. When I found out that Oyster Rockefeller is housed at Valley Ford Inn, I had this GENUIS IDEA. My idea was to pack our bags, get on the road to Sonoma, stuff ourselves with the famous BARBECUE OYSTERS at Rocker Oysterfeller featured in 7x7 magazine and drag ourselves to bed without having to get behind the wheels again. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Qi69oJrU4OBnPIiuPrHF0A?select=_ZYoSnbTLHGw_8WOx54Q5g (And despite the rain, we went. With the GPS no longer working at some of Sonoma's areas, we drove under the canopy of redwood trees, visited an antique store, visited quaint little towns, went wine tasting, bought freshly made bread baked in a woodfire oven, hobnob with the locals at Howards's Cafe where we had an awesome brunch before arriving at Valley Ford Inn.) And Valley Ford Inn allowed me to execute my genius plan to perfection. You see Valley Ford Inn is just a flight of stairs away from Rocker Oysterfeller downstairs. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Qi69oJrU4OBnPIiuPrHF0A?select=YsEsI7NUfg_kuEf4o6gE8Q Valley Ford won the historical preservation award. It is a historic Hotel from 1864. It is situated on the idyllic setting of West Sonoma County among grazing cows, rolling hills and the majestic redwoods. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Qi69oJrU4OBnPIiuPrHF0A?select=pA4qaWSKDReDtNQ2epNR0A During our dinner downstairs at Rocker Oysterfeller, we met the female owner who also functioned as the bartender, proprietress and server. She was very nice and told us that her husband is the chef. They've had the inn for only 2 years. So, on the UPSIDE: 1. You can stuff yourself with delicious Tomales Bay fresh and/or barbecued oysters downstairs at Oyster Rockefeller featuring Southern-inspired cuisine. 2. You can imbibe all you want at the bar downstairs and be very confident that you will not get a DUI unless you are stupid enough to jump back in your car to go somewhere later on.( My fiance who is a not a drinker had 2 mojitos while I had a Bloody Mary and Hot Toddy to warm me up. ) 3. You can drag yourself to bed if you can make it to the short flight of stairs upstairs and sleep comfortably. (We we slept like babies while the rain was pouring heavily! So cozy!) http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Qi69oJrU4OBnPIiuPrHF0A?select=PqaKbmGkKt6W7e1rrBKNag 4. This bed and breakfast is small. It only has 6 doll-sized rooms with wooden floors. Decor was shabby chic yet classy and tasteful. Our towels were thick and fluffy. I love the lavender EO handsoap, shampoo and conditioner that they provide for every room. A space heater was also provided in each room in addition to central heating.http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Qi69oJrU4OBnPIiuPrHF0A?select=Q7AT_ANjoTpeG-Q6dJy_VQ 5. You will wake up to the smell of freshly baked raisin bread, pecan tarts, succulent grapefruit and orange juice for breakfast. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Qi69oJrU4OBnPIiuPrHF0A?select=xrDfqPpBl8UouUAwjNht4A 6. A Kuegg coffee maker was in the hallway for guests to enjoy a decent fresh cup of coffee 24 /7. The DOWNSIDE: 1. The rooms were barebones--no TV, phone and the wifi signal was weak. So don't forget to bring your books and/or portable DVD player, i-Touch, etc. 2. During breakfast people made a lot of noise while trying to get coffee and breakfast. Breakfast starts at 7:30 am. The breakfast nook was literally across our room (#3) and I just reached over for the goodies in my pjs. I could not go back to sleep so I just read. My fiance slept through all of the commotions and woke up stating he felt so relaxed and refreshed! Valley Ford Inn was renovated and being run with lots of love and pride from the owners. The place is not Marriott or a fancy bed and breakfast but it is a sweet little clean place whose comfort of the guests was given a lot of thoughts despite the small space. You can drink your coffee on the rocking chairs at the veranda or inside the cozy living room. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Qi69oJrU4OBnPIiuPrHF0A?select=_vQj7OOzeXhO-Z0hCo6uUA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Qi69oJrU4OBnPIiuPrHF0A?select=ELkAbLgPFRtLhhEgC135Gw http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Qi69oJrU4OBnPIiuPrHF0A?select=v9UCAwhUmekteind5kv4_A This is a darling pitstop on Highway 1 on your way to great Sonoma destinations: 1. Bodega Bay 2. Cute little town of Occidental (boutiques and old Italian family dining. Howard's Cafe for great brunch) 3. City of Freestone (Freestone Vineyard and Wild Flour Bakeshop) They are just about 1 mile or so away. Off-season room rate was about $150. Snoozing, dining and weekend traveling do not get any better than this! read more

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This place is totally misrepresented by the adds and their website. The site claims "In the middle of everywhere". I guess by that you mean nowhere near anything. There is literally nothing there. We arrived at dusk and there was a small goat in the back yard. Then it got dark and I could no longer see the goat, and I was left with nothing. No restaurant, no store, no television, no internet, no board games, no books, nothing. My wife and I went there mainly because the restaurant in the lobby and the rooms looked cute. The web site shows artisanal "hipster" soaps. In reality you get the plastic liquid soap dispensers they have at cheap motel 8's. When we arrived at 5:00PM, nobody was there. We called the number and heard it ringing in the office. After an hour of wandering around,and checking out the goat, we saw an envelope with someone's name written on it on a bench on the front porch. We looked under the bench and found an envelope with our name on it lying on the floor. Then some locals from Bodega Bay showed up to go to the restaurant. Like us, they were shocked to discover the restaurant is closed Monday through Wednesday. If you try to make a reservation online eventually you will see the hours, but it's not at all apparent. After they left, we went inside and immediately heard some other guests conversing at normal levels right through the walls. We went into our room where we could still hear them. As I previously mentioned the rooms were cheaply put together and no: Television Internet Board Games Cards Books At $170 a night, we decided to cancel right away. Without touching or disturbing anything, we left, and called and left a voicemail that the room was not what we were expecting. We expected maybe a small cancellation fee. The owner eventually got back to us saying there would be no refund and she would keep our full payment of $170. She claimed "boredom" was not a valid reason for cancellation. As if we weren't cool enough to understand how paying a lot for nothing is the newest thing. I hope the $170 was worth it. I am off to write more reviews. Trip Advisor, Orbitz, Hotels.com, Travelocity, there are so many. read more

I'm a local and love heading out to West County, Tomales Bay and Point Reyes for emotional goodness. I stayed here in June 2017 on a week night and recently I showed some friends around the coast of Marin and Sonoma and opted for us to stay at the Valley Ford Hotel again. As it was a 'weekend' stay, the price was $185/night but I must say the experience was lacking and the two rooms we occupied were not up to that price range and especially the smaller room 5. I am aware that it is an old hotel with great country charm...I do not expect, nor do I want, a sterile souless place. But this sweet hotel needs some TLC. The sheets are not comfortable and feel like heavy starch. The beds are lumpy. The blankets are hard; extra blankets have holes. The walls (at least in my room) are bare and in need of paint and some love. Unfortunately, the fans in the bathrooms are connected to the bathroom light switch and the noise is deafening. If there is an adjoining bathroom next door, their fan will sound like a jet-engine in your room. The basic breakfast (weekends only) is continental style but you have to eat in your room...my room only had a small desk and one chair. Where does the second person eat? .... I encourage the Hotel to take a look at their rooms as the place is a TREASURE in the county but, in my opinion, it could use some thoughtful attention. Thanks! read more

My friend's mother lives in Bodega Bay and when she flys in we always meet up in Bodega Bay and we always stay at the Valley Ford Hotel. We love being across the street from the market and Estero Cafe, the room prices are amazing, and everyone that works there is super friendly and accommodating. There is something about waking up to green pastures and cows but still have that ocean air. The rooms are wonderful. They are bright and airy, always clean. In the mornings they provide a simple breakfast: farm fresh hard boiled eggs, oatmeal, coffee and orange juice. This last time we made reservations at the hotel restaurant and I am so glad we did! The food was so delicious, you have to get the fried chicken. It was one of those dining experiences where at the end of the meal you wish you could have it all over again. We will continue to always stay at the Valley Ford, as long as they will have us. We can't speak highly enough of this hotel and restaurant and the people that work there. read more

Quaint, romantic, comfy and the little touches are endless! Fresh orangejuice, sheep milk yogart (from Petaluma), scones, and fresh eggs all served as their continential breakfast! Highly recommend. read more

The accommodations were adequate considering the price. We paid $250 for one night incl. tax. That price makes sense considering the wine country location. However, it was soooo noisy. The restaurant downstairs was open late and then the staff cleaned up for some time and it was noisy. Then the traffic was noisy and kept waking us up. Then, and I realize it's not the hotel's fault, cats were screaming during the night. Then, the restaurant was open for brunch so the noise began early in the morning. Needless to say, the night was restless because of the noise. I wish the experience would have been better because the bed was comfy and the continental breakfast was yummy. Scones were delish and yogurt was gourmet. I left the restaurant 5 stars because it was amazing. Service, food & drinks, and atmosphere was amazing. read more

The Valley Ford hotel is so cozy and lovely. This little historic family owned business is filled with charm and close to Bodega Bay and Petaluma. The staff are friendly and accommodating. The street noise from highway one isn't bad at night, even with the windows open. The rooms are quaint and perfect for relaxing after visiting the area. I'll definitely be back. read more

This is very basic lodging if you are looking for something else you will pay more the rooms are clean very small no TVs and lots of road noise the bar and restaurant are only open Friday Saturday Sunday maybe. the furniture in the room seems like they made it themselves and is very cheap but again the room is nice and clean and we didn't ever see any do the people that run this hotel when you show up your keys are in an envelope on a clipboard at the door I don't know if that key opens everything or just your room read more

Where do I start.... This family owned hotel is the cutest and best place to stay. The rooms are spacious as well and the bathroom. The restaurant/bar downstairs is top notch. The food is outstanding as well as the drinks. Everyone who works here is very nice. We stayed for two night and it was great. They have a very pretty area on the back where we popped open a bottle of champagne and I read a book. We will definitely be back read more

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NOT RECOMMENDED FOR SAME-DAY BOOKING. We booked online (through the hotel's website) during our dinner in Bodega Bay. Several places we tried there were full. We arrived after an amazing dinner, tired and well-ready for bed, to find no reception of any kind. There were keys outside for other guests. No one answered the doorbell or the hotel #. We finally called the emergency number, apologetic for the disturbance, and reached the owner who was (drum roll) ON VACATION. He led his response with the fact that he would not charge us for the room and seemed to think that was a good response. When I explained we'd had a long drive and were tired, he suggested we return to Bodega Bay. When pressed, he said he had someone local watching the hotel, but it was too late (10:20 pm) to have "them" come out. I was sold by the great reviews that bespoke great management. IMHO, hotel owners on vacation in mid-July with inadequate caretakers and/or failure to block out their reservations that they can't honor = unprofessional. Why not block out reservations if you can't fulfill them? It's your own website (not a third-party/travel website.) I own my own business. If I fail to run it correctly, I don't ever make that my clients' problem. I fix it. Even if it's at considerable cost/time. My fail = not your problem. Caveat Emptor. P.S. With no offer of help from the owner, and after 45 minutes and a considerable number of phone calls to full hotels, we found a room down the road at the Continental Inn in Tomales (we didn't want to backtrack to Bodega Bay, which seemed pretty full.) The innkeeper there was super-sweet and super-helpful and provided us with everything we needed to check ourselves in (a little after 11pm.) Also, they use a keycode for front door entry and left our keys in the lobby (which felt much more secure than the Valley Ford, where they'd left guest keys on the porch and the front door completely unsecured with no on-site management.) I highly recommend the Continental Inn as an alternate to the Valley Ford. The room was huge and beautifully furnished; the bed was very comfy and the room spotless with a giant flat screen TV. It's between Marshall (which is small and gorgeous) and Bodega Bay (also gorgeous, but bigger/more touristy.) read more

My sister was in dire need of accomplices in a total lie. She wasn't going to run her last nine miles for her charity walk-athon and so needed a reason to be out of the house at 6 in the am to ensure remaining undetected. How absolutely against every fiber of charity, wouldn't you agree? Enter the Accomplices. Could I be speaking of an underground alliance? Perhaps. But now, could I really say? We planned to head out to the beach and maybe a skip or half-jog, so that we could truthfully say that she indeed ran that morning. Is this air-tight or what? Hunger arose and we stopped in Valley Ford at the charming, and only hotel there. Across the street is a breakfast place and probably the oldest grocery store in America. Do not even give this second "breakfast" place a second glance, we had to wait an extra hour for the Hotel to open for their weekend brunch (line 'em up at 9 am) but I would have gladly waited 3 times that amount for what we received. I ordered the Devil's BELT - a bacon, fried egg, lettuce & tomato sandwich. To call this a mere sandwich does not do this collaboration justice in any sense of the word. The bread was seeded wheat that the GRIDDLED for me and slathered with a cheese sauce. Serve with fries and you got my name on it Honey. Let's move onto the biscuits. These are like absolutely no biscuit you have ever taken pleasure in. Soo crispy on the outside and beyond tender on the inside. I use that word sparingly because I despise it - but there really is no other way to let you know how completely perfect these delights are. Ma had the biscuits in chocolate sauce and bacon. Grandma Ledbetter's design. I love Grandma Ledbetter. This was the crowning dish. The Faux-Runner got the biscuits and gravy with scrumptious sausage. Then there's the yogurt parfait. Forget all parfaits that you have ever seen/tasted or even read about. Homemade granola sprinkled atop blueberries and figs!! Yes, figs on cool plain yogurt. The stand-by 2 eggs, potatoes & toast was outstanding in it's class, it was as if every potato was individually coated, loved and grilled in the pan with such coddling you were sure these were trust-fund babies. There was no way to improve upon any of these dishes, these people got their act not even just straight, it's curved my Friend - great AND innovative. The staff are extra friendly and totally helpful, because some of them are the owners too and they like to come out and talk to you if you're feeling the vibe. If not, shut the hell up and eat your breakfast - who cares? Be forewarned, after eating here you will be strongly compelled to rent out a room upstairs and stay for lunch and then dinner too, stay the night and have breakfast again the next day. Who the hell would choose running a marathon over such fair? Beautiful drive, phenomenal food and the best lie that I ever told. read more

I kind of love this place. My best girl friend and I decided to stay here, eat at Rocker's, and go to Osmosis in Freestone for some Cedar Bath action. Add in a trip to the Petaluma Seed Bank for garden seeds on the way and you have a great weekend. Alas, I contracted my son's stomach bug and wasn't able to eat the fine food offered at Rocker's. Well, I did suck down some of their arugula bacon oysters. Wowza. Then stopped, and had to go up to our room, post haste (not because of the oysters). But how nice we were at the hotel, right? I'd totally do it up again there when I didn't have a bug. The hotel is very low maintenance. Rooms are very simple but well taken care of. Breakfast is waiting for you out in the hallway- tea, coffee, granola, nice scones, hard boiled eggs. Everything is very hands-off but good. As my girlfriend said, if you want a place that caters to your every whim, this is definitely not the place.You have to check in at the bar and never see anyone after that. But pretty sure you'll have everything you need.( PS wall are thin, just fyi ) read more

We had high hopes for this place...me and the lady were getting away for a long weekend. We called weeks in advance to make the reservations for 2 nights...spoke to some guy on the phone and he assured me, we were all taken care of. The day we get there, a very nice woman checked us in and said that we were down for 1 night. Clearly this was a mistake, when we asked for the guy we had booked with, she told us that he was not there. then she told us that the inn was booked for the rest of the weekend, so we'd have to head home after 1 night or find another inn. The woman offered to help us find one, she called a place and handed us the phone, and that will be a review for a different time. annnnnd offered to get us some oysters and drinks on the house, if we had dinner there...as a to say sorry. Which we thought was nice. (if it actually happened). We show up that night and the woman who claimed she would "hook us up" had left for the weekend. We definitely felt let down by the whole experience. This place is definitely not worth the price. Cute, but not great. read more

Super cute! I wouldn't call it a hotel, more of an old-fashioned inn/bed and breakfast. I feel like it's the only lodging in town on the main street in Valley Ford proper, across from an equally cool vintage grocery/pharmacy/deli/bakery mart (where beau and I went to buy lottery tix when it was $300+ million). It's reasonably priced, but the room could use some updating as it's a little cramped and slightly dank. It also has the thinnest walls and windows. But you're out in the rolling green hill boonies, so I didn't expect much more anyway. There is "free breakfast" by way of coffee, some fruit, and scones. Free parking. Convenient that there's a bar and restaurant Rocker Oysterfeller's in the hotel. Also, there are 2 goats out back you can visit with if you like animals!! read more

Stayed at Valley Ford Hotel in 2019 and it was a wonderful experience and stay! They served a fabulous continental breakfast with cranberry scones, sheep milk yogart, eggs, fresh squeezed OJ, Gourmet coffee and Numi Organic earl grey tea. It was a peaceful and relaxing hotel with special touches and amenities in the rooms and a large front porch to relax on. Also, the restaurant Rocker Oysterfellers was located downstairs. The cuisine at Rocker Oysterfellers was exceptional with fresh ingredients and the fish tacos were out of this world. All the staff in the hotel and restaurant were friendly and provided excellent customer service. The location is only 15 mins from Bodega Bay and close to Dillon's Beach and Point Reyes. I highly recommend Valley Ford Hotel and Rocker Oysterfellers for a great get away to unplug and relax in Northern California! read more

We found this out of the way hotel a delight. The remodeled room was exceptional and even had a docking/speaking station for my iphone. Looking at the hotel you would have never guessed how wonderful it was on the inside. The rooms are located upstairs and downstairs is a bar restaurant serving up wonderful cocktails (liquor wine beer). Very medium price with a compliment of alcohol to suit almost any palette. The dinner proportions were very good and if you are not big DINNER eaters you most likely can split a dinner successfully. No room phones or TV's. A good time to catch up with your significant other or read. read more

Nice accommodations. The main negative for me was the traffic noise. The hotel is kind of in the middle of nowhere, but somehow there was a lot of traffic on the road outside our hotel room window. I really didn't sleep at all that night. Note if you are here on an off night (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), you will need to make sure you prepare ahead of time for food options (as everything in this area seems to be closed on those days). Luckily, we found food in Bodega Bay before checking in. Also, this isn't a traditional hotel and it's hard to contact the hotel the day of check-in. We were concerned about a late check-in, but the hotel left our room key outside the front door. read more

I found the Valley Ford Hotel on Yelp, and was able to reserve a room for Labor Day weekend just a week in advance. The hotel is clean and quaint, and it has a comfy rustic bar downstairs with a cocktail list and liquor selection that puts to shame many a swanky San Francisco lounge. Rooms are less expensive than a lot of other places in Sonoma (about $160/night while we were there). The beds were comfortable, the shower was great, iPod dock alarm clocks are provided, and you get a space heater in case it gets chilly (we never used it). Because you are in a historic building, you will hear things that go bump in the night, as well as anyone having a nightcap at the bar. Valley Ford itself is a little hamlet with a few places to eat--the Rocker Oysterfeller's restaurant in the hotel itself serves up yummy takes on a New Orleans favorites like gumbo and po boy sandwiches. The town is only about 10 minutes from Bodega Bay, 10-15 minutes to Tomales Bay, and about 20 minutes to Sebastopol. It's a great base for exploring Marin and Sonoma. read more

A funky, quaint, charming place - it will make you feel like you're a guest on a farm in the middle of the countryside. The rooms are clean and comfortable, furnished with antiques. No tvs or phones so a chance for total relaxation. We loved being a few steps away from a delicious restaurant and great bar. There is no area to "check-in"; you just go to the bar and tell them you're there for a room. We stayed two nights - a Saturday and Sunday night. On Sunday morning, we were surprised and delighted to see that a breakfast tray had been prepared in the hallway with hardboiled eggs, cinnamon bread, fresh orange juice, and fruit. Such a filling breakfast that we skipped brunch. But no food on the tray the next morning so I'm not sure if the previous breakfast had been served on a whim or what? The location is great. You're a short drive to Occidental, Bodega, Bodega Bay, Tomales, and Pt. Reyes. We took country roads to check out each place. The cons are the noise. We asked for a quiet room (#2) but the walls are thin and you can hear your neighbors quite clearly. There's the noise from the highway in the front . I actually like that type of noise so it didn't bother me but other guests could have a problem with it. And because it's an old building, there are the typical creaks and groans. I also imagine that if your room is near the bar, you might experience some racuous bar noise. This is definitely not a place for someone expecting a 5-star retreat with all the bells and whistles but rather for a heavy sleeper who wants a reasonably-priced, quaint getaway. read more

We stayed the night here on our journey up the West Coast, and it was lovely. The owners were awesome and personable. Even though their kitchen was closed *boo* they recommended Nick's Cove to us for dinner and sold us a bottle of a wonderful local Pinot Noir. The room was comfortable, though we had been really hoping for a bath. All in all a great experience, hopefully next time I can go when their kitchen is open. read more

Fabulous retreat in the middle of Marin/Sonoma dairy country. The place looks like it might have come right out of Deadwood, but the people who run it are far more charming than E.B.! We stayed just the one night but found it quite charming and with a lot of thought put into the details. The bed was comfortable, the room very clean, and the coffee/tea and breakfast layout in the hallway in the morning a real treat. Don't miss the restaurant downstairs, either (Rocker Oysterfeller's, about which I am doing a separate review) for dinner... We picked this place because we were visiting Point Reyes and Tomales Bay but could not find a reservation on the bay for the Friday night (the third and last of our stay) because we had booked rather late. This was an excellent choice even though the town does not offer much besides the hotel itself, a small general store, a little cafe/auto body shop, and a woolen goods store. The countryside around is beautiful and the distance to Petaluma, or Point Reyes, or points north modest enough to consider using it as a base... Quite impressive for a place that probably doesn't get that many visitors. We wish them luck!!! read more

Didn't get a chance to check out the famous restaurant, as we booked on Thanksgiving, BUT....our stay in the room was EXCELLENT! VERY quaint!! Nice, hot showers with great water pressure! Soft sheets! Great bath robes! Beautiful scenery! VERY cozy and welcoming! Quiet, relaxing, and delightful! Very close to Bodega Bay. We'll DEFINITELY go back! Next time we'll check out the restaurant! Everyone raves about it! We were very happy! Owners are very nice, too & welcoming!! read more

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The Valley Ford Hotel and Rocker Oysterfellers are hidden gems you drive past on the road from Petaluma to Bodega Bay. In the middle of beautiful ranches and dairy farms, it's a slice of rural life a short drive north of San Francisco. We were there for Thursday night $1 oysters and a restful night in the old (1867, I think) hotel. The rooms are small but very clean and comfortable. The food at the restaurant is awesome...we had the fried chicken but most diners were chowing down on delicious-looking burgers on ciabbata rolls with buckets of fries. Prices are very fair, and I highly recommend this for a getaway mid-week. read more

The location and staff were excellent. Thoroughly enjoyed our time at the hotel. It's not a five star resort, but the rooms are everything you need and the entire building feels safe and clean. Highly recommended! read more

My GF and I escaped for a one day "get-away" from the Bay Area Rat Race... OMG, the owner/chef, Brandon and his hotel was beyond PERFECT! We arrived at 1:00pm, before the 3:00pm check-in. Brandon graciously welcomed us and as luck would be, our room was ready. As for the room, it was beautiful and perfect for our needs. Jenn and I enjoyed the afternoon in our room and then traveled the area. At 5pm, we ensured we secured a spot at the bar for the Happy Hour "One-Dollar" Oysters. Those,with a cocktail were amazing. Following was a fantastic dinner in the onsite restaurant. The fried chicken and fixings were to die for... Please, do your self a real treat and make time to visit this HOT SPOT! read more

The Valley Ford Hotel was a surprise to me. Set in bucolic Sonoma County, the Valley Ford Hotel has 6-rooms and is more bed and breakfasty than hotelly. If you go in the winter, they store the space-heater in the closet. Pretty decent heater too. We went with a baby and there were no complaints from the other guests... pretty well insulated, too. It was quirky the way we checked in... there's a bar downstairs and you sort of go up the steps, walk into the front of the bar with all your luggage and the lady signed you in and transacted right there... But if you're visiting Coastal Sonoma County, you're not going to go wrong with the Valley Ford Hotel. read more

Cute little hotel in the absolute middle of nowhere for this city girl. Well, halfway to the middle of nowhere as my sweetheart and I planned to spend a night here to break up our most recent road trip. Rooms are small but neat and clean, the sheets are soft and not scratchy. There was supposed to be wifi though the network was nowhere to be found; thankfully one corner of the bed - literally! - got a weak 4G signal so we could intermittently use our cell phones to check email and get directions. Checkin and checkout is easy-peasy, and for a converted house it was pretty quiet. There's a small station in the hallway with juice and coffee (and hard boiled eggs and scones if you're not a vegan like me; if you are a vegan like me the OJ was pretty good!) in the morning. Not too shabby! read more

Stopped by for dinner last night and it was crazy busy! Thank goodness Amy was there to welcome us! Even though it was hot, people were irritated to have to stand in line and the kitchen was backed up, Amy had a smile on her face and kept everyone abreast of the wait times. She was a breathe of fresh air in these crazy times. Thank you to everyone who was running food out to the great cooks! We had a nice dinner on our tailgate in the parking lot. :) The burger and fish tacos were amazing! read more

Made reservation based on Hotels.Com reviews and was not sorry. Our room was spotless, the decor appropriate to the period, bathroom spotless as well. Memory foam mattress was very, very comfortable. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant, Rocker Oysterfeller's, and it was wonderful. They also have a nice, friendly little bar that was full of both locals and visitors. Breakfast in the morning, fresh scones, hard boiled eggs, coffee, juice, tea. A great stop. read more