Clementine

Clementine is a bright, cheerful house in east Santa Rosa, a garden-wrapped retreat close to two of the city's favorite green spaces, Spring Lake Regional Park and Trione-Annadel State Park. The neighborhood sits at the edge of the city, where a morning walk around the lake or a long ride on Annadel's trails is minutes away, and the wineries of Sonoma Valley are an easy drive over the hill. The house itself is all light and warmth: elegant, warm decor, high ceilings and big sunny windows that pull the garden indoors. It is generous, too, with room for ten, which makes it a natural choice for families and friends traveling together. The garden is the soul of the place.

A stay here moves at garden pace. Mornings begin at the white island kitchen, coffee in hand, before drifting into the sunroom, all window walls, patterned armchairs and a woven pendant light, which is just as good later for an afternoon aperitif. Outside, the lush garden holds a private pool ringed by loungers under scalloped umbrellas, with oaks overhead and a lattice behind. On the deck, a long dining table is set for group dinners that run well past sunset, with the garden all around. Note that the house has no air-conditioning and the pool is not heated, so summer days are best spent outdoors in the shade and the mild evenings.