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Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa
Sonoma, California, United States · Fairmont · High Luxury
Captain H. E. Boyes struck 112-degree water at 70 feet in 1895 and started a hot-springs hotel; fire took it in 1923, and Joseph L. Stewart's Spanish Mission house opened in 1927, renamed the Sonoma Mission Inn a year later. The Navy used it as a rest center in World War II. Ed Safdie bought it in 1980 and opened the spa in 1981; Fairmont has managed the property since 2002.
- 226 rooms
- Opened 1927
- Neighborhood: Boyes Hot Springs
- Rooms from 320 sq ft (30 m²)
- Architect: Joseph L. Stewart
About Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa
- The spa draws artesian water from 1,100 feet underground into five naturally heated mineral pools.
- In March 1943, ninety veterans of the Guadalcanal campaign were stationed here.
- Sonoma Plaza, twenty-one minutes away, is where the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt declared the California Republic.
- Entry-level rooms start at 320 sq ft (30 m²).
History
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa traces its roots to Sonoma Valley’s mineral hot springs, which were long known to local Native American communities and later drew commercial development in the nineteenth century. In 1895, Captain H. E. Boyes drilled a well that struck 112-degree water at a depth of 70 feet, leading to the Boyes Hot Springs Hotel and a small resort district built around the promise of “taking the waters.” The original hotel was destroyed in a September 1923 wildfire, but the site quickly found a second life.
The present hotel opened in August 1927 as the Boyes Hot Springs Hotel, developed by Fred Partridge and Rudolph Lichtenberg at a reported cost of about $600,000. Joseph L. Stewart served as architect, and the Spanish Mission-style building reflected the region’s historic, California-inspired resort aesthetic. The property was renamed the Sonoma Mission Inn in February 1928, and a golf course and country club followed later that year. During World War II, the Navy leased the hotel as a rest center for sailors and marines returning from the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; in March 1943, 90 veterans of the Guadalcanal campaign were stationed there.
The inn entered another major chapter in 1980, when Ed Safdie bought it for $2.5 million and began a $4 million renovation. The Spa at the Sonoma Mission Inn opened in October 1981, and Safdie’s total investment reportedly reached $10 million by 1984. After another closure for remodeling in 1985, the property reopened in 1986, and in 2002 Fairmont Hotels & Resorts took over management and rebranded it as Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. Today, Fairmont highlights the property’s historic Mission building, its mineral-rich hot spring setting, and its long-running identity as one of Sonoma’s signature resorts.
The setting
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa stands at 100 Boyes Boulevard in Boyes Hot Springs, where Captain H.E. Boyes struck 112-degree mineral water in 1895 and created California's most fashionable geothermal resort. After a 1923 fire the property reopened in 1927 as a Spanish Colonial Revival landmark — red-tile roofs and salmon stucco — and draws today on artesian springs from 1,100 feet below through five naturally heated mineral pools. Sonoma Plaza, site of the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt, is twenty-one minutes away; Sonoma State Historic Park twenty-four; and Jack London State Historic Park forty. This convergence of geothermal rarity, 19th-century resort heritage, and Sonoma Valley viticulture defines the property's enduring luxury identity.
Restaurants and bars
- Santé — Restaurant
- 38° North — Restaurant
- Water Tower Bar — Bar
Experiences
- Bathing Ritual — A ritual through ancient mineral waters, fire, ice and healing aromas, enjoyed alongside a treatment or on its own.
- Spa Under the Stars — An exclusive 2-hour private experience under the Sonoma moonlight with full access to the Bathhouse and Spa Pools.
- Daily guided fitness activities — Pilates, yoga, Infinite Method and stretch classes plus docent-led hikes, scheduled by day of the week.
- Watsu Pool guided yoga — Guided yoga lesson in the Movement Studio overlooking the Watsu pool.
- Sonoma Golf Club access — Members-only Sonoma Golf Club access, including practice facilities and tennis and pickleball, arranged through the concierge.
- Daily wine tasting in the lobby — Wine tasting in the lobby from 4:30pm-5:30pm, included in the Resort Experience Fee.
Amenities
- Spa
- Indoor pool
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Kids' club
- Fine dining
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
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