Ryan J.
Yelp
Gorgeous building surrounded by Japanese maples and birdsong. It's in a residential neighborhood and the driveway is easy to miss if you're not looking for it. My wife and I stayed for two nights in the Gaige House King room for our 10th anniversary. On our check-in day, they actually texted us that our room was ready early, which was really nice as we did make good time on our drive up and were already in the neighborhood. Kat at the front desk checked us in, and was friendly and helpful throughout our stay. I was worried that the attention to design would be given only to the suites, and that the more basic rooms would be an afterthought, but that was not the case; our room was beautiful despite (or maybe because of) the minimalist decor. I appreciated that so many things were mechanical - the blinds stay up by wrapping the string around a hook, and there's even an actual key to unlock the door with a charming hammered metal tag on the key ring! (The front door key that gets you into the building was a little wonky - it's one of those where you have to pull up on the doorknob while turning the key so that the locking mechanism lines up. You'll figure it out.) The room was huge, and we were particularly impressed by the spaciousness of the bathroom; we could both get ready in the morning without being cramped. Our room had a hot tub big enough for both of us with basic jet functions, which we took advantage of after a big dinner our second night; the hotel even provided bath salts in the room. Interestingly, the handheld showerhead dispensed hotter water than the overhead one, so be sure to play around with the shower controls a bit if you're having a similar issue. The bathrobes are plush and comfortable and hooded, and you get slippers too! They left us a couple macarons and a card as an anniversary gift, which was a nice touch.
The hotel itself provides a lot of food. They do a wine and cheese hour from 4:30 - 5:30 in the game room (where you can play mancala, go, and chess, if you're interested.) The wine, sourced from rotating local vintners, is pedestrian and probably not of interest to connoisseurs, but it's at least two cuts above Yellow Tail, and it's really nice that they provide it. Alongside it, they serve a charcuterie board which was pretty decent and definitely helped tide us over until dinner our first night. The best treats, though, were the ones that were provided all day - you can help yourself to port (ruby or tawny) or sake at any time, and there are giant, soft, fresh cookies in the foyer. They'll even chill the sake for you if you ask. There's a breakfast served in the common area every morning from 8-10 AM. I encourage you to think of it as a really good continental breakfast rather than a lower-quality restaurant breakfast. The hot food gets held in a chafing dish. The breakfast serves its function (that function being to allow you to go wine tasting at noon without getting totally sloshed). Our first day they served a red bell pepper egg strata with cheese biscuits; our second day was cheesy breakfast potatoes with poached eggs and link sausages. Both days they provided granola, overnight oats, and a selection of fruit, bread, and pastry. There's also a DIY mimosa station, if you want a socially acceptable way to drink at 8:00 in the morning. A minor note: all the food is served in the main house, so if you're staying in one of the suites that's not in the main house, you'll have to actually walk outside briefly in order to get to it, whereas if you're in one of the rooms that is in the main house, you can just wait until the absolute last minute to roll out of bed, throw on a hoodie, and make your way downstairs.
The pool and lounge are nice, set on a lower level than the main house and surrounded by foliage. We enjoyed lounging next to the fire pit on the patio while we ate our breakfast. There's a nice fountain around the side of the house, and there are a few different common areas where you can unwind. The whole place is just built for relaxation. My strong advice if you stay here is to avoid the temptation to overschedule yourself with wine tastings and meals. Instead, leave some time just to enjoy the hotel spaces. On our full day in the hotel, we didn't actually leave until 3:00 PM save for a walk around town, and it was fantastic. We spent like half an hour sipping coffee together and looking out the window at the birds and the trees. Gaige House is a pleasant place to stay, tucked away in a quiet part of the county; it's a bit far from some of the more well-known wineries and restaurants, but I think that's kind of the idea.
