The Astro Motel

The Napa and Sonoma valleys are iconic travel destinations, and for good reason. Santa Rosa is a different side of the California wine country, presenting a more urban aspect, but with access to all the phenomenal wineries and restaurants that make the Sonoma Valley what it is. The Astro Motel is an authentic 1963 motor lodge, with its finest mid-century attributes still in place; like so many great American motels, it’s since been renovated into something much more than its original incarnation.

This means not just preserving or restoring its existing mid-century Modernist aspects, but adding more period-specific furnishings and artworks, as well as contemporary pieces that fit the aesthetic. In its comforts, it’s an upgrade from the motel days as well, a proper boutique hotel; much of the original parking lot is now a garden, while the rooms range more widely in size than ordinary motel rooms, and conveniences like kitchenettes are welcome additions.

A fleet of bikes makes getting around Santa Rosa and its surrounding trails a breeze. And while the Astro lacks an on-site restaurant, its owners are also responsible for the nearby Spinster Sisters, a highly regarded New American eatery.