The Gaia - A Great Hotel

Since we were going to be gone for so long, we made it a point to stay in motels along the way that, shall we say, were not of luxury quality. Only the Parc 55 in San Francisco defied this rule - because that's where the convention was being held. Otherwise, I reserved rooms for us with a budget in mind. Our only criteria were that we have free breakfast, free parking and free internet. (This last requirement varied in quality from place to place; thus my inability to blog successfully while en route... Plus the fact that four of us were sharing computer usage with very limited time.) While most of our lodging was at familiar chains (Comfort Inn, Rodeway Inn, etc.), we found a great deal in Anderson, CA, at the Gaia Hotel. Not knowing what to expect, we arrived late that night with some trepidation.

Oh, my goodness! Were we in for a treat! Gaia is a new chain with only two locations thus far: this one and one in Napa. They bill themselves as a "green" hotel chain, and indeed have recycling bins in the rooms and outside the buildings; native landscaping that conserves water; rainwater recovery systems that funnel rainwater from the roofs back to the ground for watering plants; low-water usage toilets; and organic, locally-grown food featured at the breakfast bar; refillable shampoo, conditioner, and lotion dispensers (rather than individual, pilferable bottles); and a copy of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" in each room. It also espoused an acceptance of all cultures in that a drawer in the room not only held a copy of Gideon's Bible, but also a Book of Mormon and the Teachings of Buddha!



Despite this back-to-the-earth approach, the Gaia bills itself as a spa destination, and included spa services and a health/exercise room, pool, and hot tub, as well as convention and wedding facilities. The grounds were beautiful and included a koi pond complete with a footbridge and swans - two white and two black. Very la-di-dah! The complex consisted of a number of two-story, round buildings with 48 or so rooms in each one. Each room fronted on a central courtyard, and had sliding glass doors opening to a rear patio or balcony with Adirondack chairs. Ours had a view of the koi pond - just lovely.




Did I mention that this was where we got our cheapest room rate (well under $100) and our fastest and most reliable internet connection? I will be on the lookout for more of these in the future, and wish them much luck in their expansion plans. I don't expect their rates will remain cheap for long, though. Once they're "discovered", I suspect we won't be able to afford them any longer!