We spent one night at the Desert Wind Winery Inn which was more than enough. We slept poorly as our room was cold and the auto fan very noisy. The noise was so loud we could not hear the TV. The remote would not adjust for volume or mute. The door to the balcony would not shut properly. There was no one on site to address these problems nor was there a phone number to call for assistance. After reporting these problems upon checking out the next morning ( we had to wait until 10 AM for someone to arrive) we were told there was still no one available to speak with about the room. The next day we received a call. We were told the thermostats are remotely controlled and cannot be adjusted individually; there has never been a problem with the door; a separate remote is needed for the TV volume control; there is a number to call for assistance on the nightstand (we looked for one but found only a note saying don't touch the TV. The bed was comfortable and the breakfast very nice. We were given a 10% discount for our displeasure.

We spent just one night at Desert Wind Winery and I loved it there. It was a lovely antidote to chain hotels and had Southwest décor, which I’m partial to. There are just four rooms at this winery in Eastern WA. At least three of them are on the second floor, up a flight of stairs (no elevator), and the winery closes at 5:00pm, so you get a key to let yourself back in a side door after 5:00pm.

The Charbonneau Room was quite comfortable – upscale bathroom fixtures, spacious, and with a large balcony overlooking the back courtyard and the Yakima River. The sink is in a separate area from the shower and toilet, which is always appreciated, and there’s a mini-bar and very plush bathrobes. It’s situated right next to Horse Heaven Hills and the room décor reflected the wild horse theme. The highway is nearby too but I wasn’t bothered by the faint background noise from it.

Booking a room includes a free sampling of five different wines in their tasting room, a bottle of wine, and continental breakfast brought up to your room in the morning as well. We enjoyed our breakfast out on the balcony in the sun, which was just lovely. It was especially yummy for a “continental” breakfast, with a marvelous coffeecake muffin and all kinds of fresh fruits, yogurt, granola, and orange juice. I hope to return soon.

We spent a long weekend at Desert Wind, and I would highly recommend it for anyone visiting the Yakima Valley. There are only 4 rooms here, each slightly different, but all are very spacious and nicely decorated in desert SW style. The bed was super comfortable, with a down mattress pad and duvet (and very tall - I almost needed a step stool to climb in!). The welcome package included a bottle of wine, a carafe of port and a couple chocolate squares. And breakfast was delivered to the room each morning, including fresh fruit, orange juice, granola, milk, warm pastries, a mini baguette and cheese. There's a fridge and coffeemaker in the room also (but the coffeemaker only works with a coffee pod inserted - if you want hot water for tea you're out of luck.) And they provide some very cozy, soft chenille robes. Since this is a winery, not a hotel, there is no staff around in the evenings and you enter/exit through a side entrance at the top of a long flight of metal stairs once the tasting room is closed. There is a restaurant downstairs that's open for lunch only, good food.

We did have one problem with our room, the heat would not come on and the fan blowing cold air would not turn off - not great when the weather was unfortunately cold at night. The fireplace helped, and the bed was warm, but it was annoying. We mentioned it Sunday morning but it wasn't repaired when we returned that evening, probably too much to hope for on a Sunday during a holiday weekend. The person who handled our checkout the next morning said she hoped the office would be able to do something for us...and indeed, we were pleasantly surprised when we received an email with the final charge (since registers weren't open yet when we left) with a 25% discount, and a note apologizing for the situation. Based on that, we would not hesitate to return or recommend it to others.

If you're wondering which room to pick, note that three of them overlook the courtyard downstairs and the river (Sacagawea is the first, and the balcony is slightly separated so more private; then Charbonneau and Lewis & Clark on the end, with adjoining balconies separated by a wall.) Jean Baptiste is around the corner and its balcony faces more directly toward the highway and the river, I think not quite as nice a view.

Stayed two nights while we visited the wine country of Yakima Valley, etc. Beautiful rooms with balconies overlooking the Yakima River. Great breakfast served in your room. However, there is nothing else around. Very limited dining options as the Inn only serves lunch, and then only on weekends. Also after 5pm they make you enter and exit through the back alley as no one is around -- not very nice considering you are paying around $300 a night. Also it would be nice if they had a channel guild for the TV, and the phone didn't work to call my friends room (but we had cell phones). Also, someone tried to get in my room after 5pm (after Inn staff is gone) - I think it was the people staying in the room next to mine who were confused - but not sure.