There is a standing joke among long-time residents of Healdsburg, CA: If you need to buy underwear, you have to leave town.

For those of us old enough to remember, Healdsburg was a sleepy little town on the Russian River in the heart of Sonoma County’s agricultural center. The Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander Valley’s all come together here, and the region is famous not only for wine, but also for many varieties of some of the best produce to be found anywhere. The town center was not for tourists, but was known as the place to pick up some migrant workers for the day. I guess you could buy underwear somewhere in town too. No mas.

About twenty years ago some developer/entrepreneurs saw the potential for attracting tourist dollars and raising real estate prices. Voila!. Welcome to the new Healdsburg, or what I like to call Agro-Urban Chic. You may have to go to Wal-Mart outside of town to buy underwear, but I am positive you can find scented candles, art, antiques, and lots of bistros serving dishes containing pesto or goat cheese or sun-dried tomatoes, or all three. I do not know for sure, but although underwear is not available, you can probably find some lingerie.

One of the centerpieces of the town’s revival is the 55-room Hotel Healdsburg. Occupying the entire west side of the town square, this beautifully designed and comfortably luxurious hotel likes to think of itself as the town’s living room. You can see this in the evening when many of the more upscale local crowd comes in to have a glass of wine and mingle with the upscale hotel guest crowd.

There are many things that make Hotel Healdsburg (HH) a great place to stay. It is difficult to prioritize, so Food, Staff, Amenities, Location, not necessarily in that order.  The food thing is a hands-down winner, as the hotel is the site of Charlie Palmer’s flagship restaurant, Dry Creek Kitchen. For those of you who do not know who Charlie Palmer is, well, you should find out who Charlie Palmer is. In the foodie world, he’s a big deal, with famous restaurants all over the US. Mr. Palmer is a partner in the whole Hotel Healdsburg project and owns a home in town so he can make sure everything is prepared to his standards. The banquet food, room service, and breakfast in the hotel come from his kitchen, too. Mmmm.

The staff at HH is excellent. They are professional, competent, and best of all, possessing of a small-town friendliness. This is what makes one hotel memorable and another just OK. The staff recognizes you, and remembers. Kudos to who ever trains them. The same holds true in the Hotel Spa. It sometimes seems that half of Sonoma County’s population is certified massage therapists massaging the other half (and each other). HH got some good ones.

Let’s talk about location. Since the hotel is right on the square, you can walk to at least a dozen great restaurants, and lots and lots of boutiques. Underwear shopping may require a short drive. But when you are out looking for boxers or briefs, you might as well visit one (or more) of the over 100 wineries within a ten-minute drive of the hotel. Crazy, but true. Get a designated driver. You’ll enjoy it more.

The other big news about HH is that it now has offspring. The brand new 36-room  H2 has opened up just one block away, and guests at either property have privileges at both. The hotel describes itself as “eco-chic” (I wish I had thought of that), and is built to LEED Gold green certification. I am sure that is a good thing.

On the meetings/event side, H2 has one very nice room with lots of natural light. Capacity charts being what they are, let’s just say its comfortable for a meeting for 20-24 people depending on the set-up, slightly more for a dinner or in the rare case of theatre-style seating. This room is catered by H2s casual restaurant, the Spoonbar. As with HH, the food is good.

Hotel Healdsburg (the Mother Ship) has some great space. The 1,069 square foot Grange Hall is the largest and can accommodate 55, classroom style. This works out well for a 55- room property (as in buyout). If you need more guestrooms, H2 is just a block away for overflow. The next largest meeting room, the 838-square foot Carriage House, stands separate from the main building and has a very cool, private patio/garden for breaks, etc. Finally, for indoor space there is the Rare Wine Library for board meetings, dinners, and such. Let’s say for twelve. The hotel also has a 2500+ square foot Event Green that can be used for parties, teambuilding, breaks, etc. It can be tented as well.

There are not many down sides to either property, but in all fairness, I will mention one thing. Not really a down side, but one should be aware. Both properties are in town. They are not secluded resorts in the vineyards, but very design-conscious agro-urban (with the emphasis on urban) hotels. Now, Healdsburg is a small town, not downtown Manhattan, but it is a town and so there is some traffic and street noise, not to mention the occasional garbage truck or ambulance. The hotel has all of the double paned this and that, but still, it’s in town on the main square. Just saying, know that going in.

In summary, go there. You’ll like it. Make sure you pack enough underwear.