The Stavrand Russian River Valley

We were very disappointed in our stay at the Stavrand. Perhaps it was because we stayed midweek, but nothing was Luxurious as in Luxury Hotel that they call themself . It was pretty basic. Our room was small and the bathroom very small with an old shallow bath. We had a terrible time getting the old taps to work. No coffee in room. Breakfast was the real disappointment. The free breakfast was room temperature oatmeal with nothing on it but 3 blueberries. We had to ask for milk, and pay for each slice of toast which was dry. It was a bit tacky, and frankly nothing in the paid menu that jumped out at us. Service was terrible, and I think she may have also been the cook too because everything took forever and no refills on coffee. She may have been standing in for someone as she seemed very inexperienced. Staff all seemed inexperienced. To call this a luxury hotel is insane. I can only believe we missed out on something. They were not full by any means and said we had been upgraded when we arrived, but I find that impossible to believe because this was no more than a 2-3 star room. I realize options are limited in the region, but be aware before you book that this is no more than an average bed with mini breakfast.

A colleague of mine recommended Stavrand and so I booked it as a birthday getaway-- it was PERFECTION! Everything I wanted and more! This might just need to be an annual tradition. The only flaw was the alarm on our bedside clock going off at 6am(!) BUT I have to say, if that hadn't happened I wouldn't have gotten to sip coffee downstairs in a cozy nook while reading my book and gazing at the foggy redwoods out the big beautiful windows. So I can't complain! We will be back.

Pricey and weirdly inflexible Can't say that the hotel is worth the cost. We had only one night away, and there was a power outage for the entire morning. While obviously not the hotel's fault, their handling was odd. For $900 a night, I would expect better hospitality than what we experienced. It was also EXCEPTIONALLY loud with a leaf blower blaring the entire morning. The opposite of relaxing.