BODEGA BAY, Calif. – Every year, Condé Nast Traveller patrons participate in the Readers’ Choice Awards, where they can rank the top vacation resorts in the world down to the best suitcase company, and on Tuesday, one in Sonoma County topped the list for the best hotel.
The Lodge in Bodega Bay ranked No. 1 in the travel magazine’s yearly Best Hotels in the World questionnaire.
Nearly 600,000 votes, looking into the lodging’s food, service, activities, rooms, facilities, design, concierge, community investment, and spa & wellness, were counted to determine its ranking.
BODEGA BAY, CA – APRIL 16: The Bodega Bay Lodge & Spa is perched on a hill overlooking Doran County Regional Park as viewed on April 16, 2014, in Bodega Bay, California. Sonoma County’s rustic Pacific Ocean coastline attracts millions of Bay Area and global tourists each year. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
Hundreds of thousands of voters were surveyed in the magazine’s sweepstakes period from April 1 to June 30. Scores were weighed on a point scale converted from a status of excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor.
BODEGA BAY, CA – APRIL 16: The Bodega Bay Lodge & Spa overlooks Doran County Regional Park as viewed on April 16, 2014, in Bodega Bay, California. Sonoma County’s rustic Pacific Ocean coastline attracts millions of Bay Area and global tourists each year. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
The Lodge in Bodega Bay is no stranger to the Readers’ Choice Awards, ranking high on the list for the same award from 2017-19 and 2023, Condé Nast Traveller said.
“During the day, the secluded beaches are free to roam, and local wine tastings are plenty. As the sun begins to set, there’s no better way to wrap the day than retiring in the fireside lounge surrounded by views of the Pacific Ocean,” the magazine described the hotel.
SEE ALSO: Big Sur home made from giant wine barrels on sale for $3.3M. See inside
Dubbed a “laid-back getaway,” the hotel has traditional amenities such as a bar, free wife, gym, pool, and spa, all “snuggled in into a bluff in the vineyard-peppered Sonoma coast.”
BODEGA BAY, CA – APRIL 16: Two deck chairs at the Bodega Bay Lodge & Spa are viewed on April 16, 2014, in Bodega Bay, California. Sonoma County’s rustic Pacific Ocean coastline attracts millions of Bay Area and global tourists each year. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
Another Bay Area hotel was also mentioned on the list.
The Claremont Club & Spa in Berkeley ranked #23 on the list. The hotel is a historic landmark and has hosted guests such as Louis Armstrong and Frank Lloyd Wright, the magazine reported.
The hotel was also mentioned in the Readers’ Choice Awards Best Hotels in the World in 2018 and 2021-23.
BODEGA BAY, CA – APRIL 23: The Bodega Bay Lodge and surrounding homes, perched above Sonoma County’s Doran Regional Park beach, is viewed on April 23, 2014, in Bodega Bay, California. Warm sunny skies in Sonoma County Wine Country have turned springtime into summer beach weather conditions. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
The top five hotels in the world also include the Ritz-Carlton, in Doha, Qatar, Hermann Bungalows, in Palm Springs, Calif., the Thief in Oslo, Norway and the Ritz-Carlton in Kyoto, Japan.
KTVU reached out to The Lodge of Bodega Bay for a statement but has yet to hear back.
The hotel did acknowledge the ranking on its website, telling viewers to “find themselves here; the top-rated hotel in Northern California and the world.”
