Nestled in lush vineyard countryside, Raccoon Cottage is a hidden jewel. My husband and daughter and I took our books and a couple of bottles of Russian wine and read and talked on a porch overlooking a lovely pear orchard and bird sanctuary. We spent a restful evening and night surrounded by lovely gardens, trees, a quiet symphony of birds, frogs and dripping fountain. We absolutely loved it. In the morning Jeanette, the proprietor, served us an exquisite breakfast. We enjoyed the breakfast and her company so much, we didn’t want to leave. I highly recommend this oasis if you treasure serenity and beautiful natural surroundings.

We spent the night of June 25, 2011 at Raccoon Cottage - it really is a cottage that you do not share with anyone - in fact, other than the owners home, it is the only accommodation on the property. Jeannette, the property owner, was there to greet us upon arrival and served a very hearty and healthy breakfast the following morning. The property is located in the middle of wine country and is just off of the aptly named Vinehill Road. A very serene and peaceful setting that invites you to come back again. We would heartily recommend this B & B for any couple who wants to "get away".

My husband, adult son and I recently spent three nights at Raccoon Cottage. As others have said, it's a lovely private spot with cozy but comfortable indoor spaces (small living room and separate bed and bath) as well as access to outdoor decks and lovely gardens with lots of flowers and wildlife. We loved waking to the sound of birdsong and a bubbling fountain. We greatly enjoyed a tasty and healthy breakfast watching hummingbirds, quails and even a pileated woodpecker . We found ourselves lingering longer in the mornings than we had planned and happily picnicked in one evening as well when we were overwhlemed at the idea of another restaurant meal. (Andy's Market nearby has wonderful food to take out.)

As we moved onto other inns and hotels in the area, we came to appreciate what a phenomenal value Raccoon Cottage is. The cost was well below places that weren't as nice in better known wine towns, like Healdsburg or Yountville. Both are quite close to Sebastopol by car making the Cottage a great option if you want to spend more money on wine and entertainment than on housing. Other attractions in the area include Armstrong Redwood State Forest, Point Reyes National Seashore and the seaside towns along Rte 1.

Best of all, Jeanette, our innkeeper, proved an invaluable source of information about vineyards in the Russian, Alexander and Dry River Valleys. She pointed us to artisanal winemakers who hadn't hit the tourist guidebooks but all proved to be superb. We all felt her guidance enhanced our experience considerably.

Our recent weekend stay here was just right (I am never sure how "just right" should translate into stars, so I'm giving full marks). The cottage is a free-standing 1br-1ba-1sitting-room affair, with a shared deck between the main house and a private deck just for you. All this tucked inside a garden/orchard.

The cottage itself is small/cozy, rough paneled walls (which is why I call it a tree-house on the ground). No kitchen to speak of, if that matters to you, though there's a small refrigerator and coffee maker. You'll have a simple (nice!) breakfast on the shared deck in the mornings.

We brought bicycles on a hunch, and it turns out there are more wineries than you can count on your fingers within an easy loop. It's a nice afternoon. Though the cottage itself feels in the middle of nowhere, you are about 10 minutes from Sebastapol dining.
Take in the recently revamped French Garden for a nicely-composed dinner with live music one evening. Hopmonk Tavern (with a Gordon Biersch pedigree) is serving up rowdier food, drink, and music as well.

I shaved a bit off full marks for sleep, because on one early AM there was a good deal of heavy truck traffic on a nearby road. It wouldn't wake you up, but if you were awake might keep you there. It wasn't a problem the following evening, so I can't say if this is a usual concern.