Cooperage Inn

I’ll start this by clarifying that I am NOT a B and B person. I don’t like lace. I don’t like being checked on a lot by the owner of the establishment. I don’t like having to eat breakfast with strangers. You get the picture. This is the perfect balance between homey comfort and privacy. Breakfast gets delivered outside your room. You have a fully stocked kitchen. You have a semi-​private or private entrance to your very large room/​apartment.
This place is a great deal. It’s hundreds of dollars cheaper than any place around (I was up for the weekend with my boyfriend for a wedding and we stayed in the MIlano suite), and it’s got an amazing location. You are right off the main square (walking distance to 10 – 20 bars and restaurants). Claudia the owner had a presence (call her if you need anything), but she wasn’t intrusive in any way at all. The décor is funky Victorian. It might not be brand-​spanking new (TV was old but worked, some of the couch cushions are well worn, vintage lights), but that’s what B and B’s are about. You have a fully stocked kitchen! Everything from a coffee grinder to a roasting pan. If I hadn’t been so interested in trying restaurants, I would have insisted my boyfriend and I save some money by cooking on our own for a meal or two. It’s very convenient and unexpected.
The bathroom was huge and well-​stocked. The parking was surprisingly easy (no parking restrictions on a long street or you can tandem park in the drive way). The bed was firm, clean and comfortable. We were pleasantly surprised by the privacy and the size of the space. I don’t think the previous reviewers are aware of what a great deal this is! Give it a try. I plan to return.

I hate being negative, but most of the previous reviews are at least 3 years old. This place must have gone downhill in the time since then because, wow, it’s definitely not the place the other reviewers experienced and I feel it’s necessary to let others know.
First, it’s infested with ants, in the bathroom of all places (what the what??). They’re just those little sugar ants, but still, they bite and they’re a nuisance.
There weren’t very many outlets either and the ones they did have had several extension cords and appliances attached. We made do with what we had, but can you say fire hazard.
Also, the dishes that were left for us to use were all dirty – all the glasses, mugs, plates, silverware. I’m not sure if this was the doing of the previous guests or whoever cleans the rooms. The refrigerator was also turned off by whoever cleaned the rooms because it worked one night and was actually flipped to the off position the next day when we returned and we were keeping food in it. The dishes our breakfast was brought in were also not clean (food stuck on the plates and literally brown dirt on the cereal containers). We let the lady who keeps the place know about these things, but all she said was that she was sorry. Gee… thanks.
There are a couple of positive things about this place. For instance, it’s in a really good location, within walking distance of Sonoma Square, and it’s also very quiet.
The building is for sale, so maybe that’s why they aren’t tending to the details. But keep this in mind if you choose this to stay here.

My husband and I stayed here just this past weekend — one of the busiest and most expensive times to visit Sonoma. We were there for a wedding and this was the perfect place. The price was very reasonable — especially considering our «room» was the size of a large one bedroom condo. We had our own sitting room that was a lovely parlor with a gorgeous gold mirror. It was perfect for dressing for all of the wedding events. The bathroom was also spacious and luxurious, with a large soaking tub, two sinks and lots of places to put all of our toiletries. The bed was a queen, but it felt larger and we slept very well. We were also simply shocked at how much we enjoyed the breakfast. It was fresh fruit, coffee, fresh squeezed juice and the most delicious pastries I have had in a long time. The best part is that it just appeared at our door so we didn’t have to go into a dining room and chat with a bunch strangers. We just ate in bed and read the NY Times. It was fabulous!

My husband i loved the Inn! Claudia and Ken made our week long stay quite memorable. The Inn is their home, and yes it is antique. Each piece has a story, and I loved hearing about Claudia’s collections in the room! This isn’t your typical hotel. it’s «down home», quiet and cozy. Everyday we had fresh towels, a comfy bed to sleep in, the dishes were done (though we didn’t expect that), and the bed was made for us. We stayed for a week in the room with the country kitchen, so we had expected to just «live» there for the week… no frills. There really are not frills of ‘five star hotels’, but the Inn has much more than that. Claudia and Ken get to know their guests, and their love for the Inn shows. Breakfast on the porch every morning was a true blessing… we really looked forward to it each day. THe European breakfast was amazing! A bowl of fresh fruit (strawberries and grapes, apricots and melon), hard boiled eggs, fresh pastries, cheese, jam, oj and coffee were delivered every morning… some days it would change to cereal, eggs, yogurt and/​or granola, but we loved it all. It was just enough «heartiness» for my husband, and just enough ‘lightness’ for me! At night, we would sit on the balcony with wine, and usually Claudia or Ken strolled by, and we loved getting to know them on a more personal level. you can’t do that at a hotel! I loved watching the town wake up (from our balcony porch) and run their dogs every morning past the Inn, and seeing families taking walks or walking to the ball park was awesome! We are not «prissy», as I put it, so this was a perfect place for us. Claudia also gave us a great wine tasting card to take around to the wineries, and some brochures to show us the outdoor areas and activities that we had wanted to do (kayaking on the russian river and lots of hiking).
THe Inn is is walking distance of the square which was great when we just wanted to stroll around and also join the farmers market/​outdoor concert on tuesday night. what a treat to just walk over with a blanket and wine, enjoy ourselves and stroll back to the inn! We love this place and Claudia and Ken, and can’t wait to see them again!

My husband and I rented the entire Inn for ourselves and our wedding party during our wedding weekend in August 2011. Not only was it a PERFECT location to both downtown Sonoma and our reception site just half a block away (Depot Hotel Restaurant), it was the dream place for a bride to get ready. The wall sized golden mirror made for exquisite primping photos and the set up of the Inn made for lots of great interaction with our friends while also being able to enjoy the privacy of our suite when our wedding night came.
Claudia and Ken are extremely kind and accommodating, even in the phase of wedding weekend chaos with tons of people coming and going– and the provide a delicious breakfast each morning. 5 stars for sure!

I would actually prefer to give this place 2.5 stars. I have not spent a great deal of time in Bed /​Breakfast style hotels in the U.S. but overall, I don’t think I would do it again. The place was not particularly clean which was quite unpleasant for me. Every plate I got down from the shelf already had some sort of food attached to it. The large parmesan cheese grinder had cheese still in the bowl, don’t know how long that had been there. The furniture was tatty. I understand that the feel of the furniture is supposed to be ‘antique’ but this was more like out dated.
We didn’t have towels the first morning other than hand towels. That was not the most fun time I have had drying off after a shower.
Somehow my magazine disappeared out of the bathroom when I was only a quarter of the way through it. I was kind of irritated by this as I had been looking forward to a specific article but apparently some one else wanted it more???
The TV was new and very nice but just sitting on the floor. It was an akward angle to try and watch as it was only visible from two chairs.
The good things were that the location was wonderful as it was a two minute walk to the downtown area of Sonoma with shops and restaurants. The linens were clean. The bed was comfortable. The proprietors were nice.
If this is typical B&B for California, I think I will stick with a hotel next time. I’ve only experienced B&B in England before and it was a much more luxurious adventure.

I could not agree more with the other reviews, absolutely charming.
And we were lucky, too, because we had not planned to stay overnight in Sonoma on Memorial Day, and did not except to find vacancy anywhere. After calling around for ages we got a 2B apartment at Coopearge Inn for a good price.
The only reason I do not give 5 stars is that this apartment was situated next to the road, so I did not sleep that long in the morning. It is by no means a busy road, though.

This is the best deal in the valley. Great location (½−1 block from Sonoma Square) and very cozy place to stay. I’ve stayed in several b&b’s before so I’m pretty aware of what you usually get. We booked their suite and usually you get a bedroom with a small living area. This suite (we paid $ 245 weekend rate) had a full eat-​in kitchen, a small living/​sitting room, a bedroom and bathroom with beautiful white french-​style subway tile. The kitchen had a fully restored Wedgewood stove and was fully stocked with dishes and appliances. If you like an eclectic mix of the antique and classic European mixed with a colorful fiestaware collection they have in the communal kitchen, you will love this place. Breakfast was a yummy continental breakfast with pastries, hard boiled eggs, coffee and juice — plus they deliver it to your door which Iove since I’m not the most social creature in the morning. This is great for a weekend getaway since you have meals in or out, plus the location can’t be beat!

I’m a very lucky girl because I got to spend a romantic weekend here. We had THE most charming room ever, delicious breakfasts, a great location (you can walk down to Sonoma Square where all of the trendy restaurants are) and the owners are super friendly. Be sure to check out their gallery downstairs!

This year, we spent New Year’s Day planning a three day getaway for MLK. If I had my drothers, this is how every NYD hencefourth shall be spent. It was all worth it, thanks to a nearly perfect weekend getaway to Sonoma. The Cooperage Inn was all that we expected, and then some. You can tell that it’s truly a labor of love from the moment that you walk through the door.
The artist couple that run this two suite bed and breakfast, Claudia and Ken, spent significant time and resources on building a sanctuary for their guests. Ken later told us that much of it was found over eBay over an 18 month period. Breakfast each morning was fabulous, including fresh croissants, grapefruit, etc, and included the Chron on the tray left outside our room at 8am to start the day. We stayed in the Milano Suite, because I LOVE hot tubs and it was anniversary weekend, which means my every whim is satisfied.
Located half a block from the Sonoma townsquare, we were within stumbling distance of the Girl and the Fig. Ken and Claudia also have a studio downstairs and encourage guests to visit-​very fun. If you’re planning a weekend in Sonoma, I recommend the Cooperage Inn without a doubt.