Hotel Gem in Mill Valley

Enjoy the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, but truly desire the tranquility of the Sausalito area with views of the bay?  Consider Mill Valley, just a short drive away.

In the 8 trips we have taken to Northern California it is always a debate on where to stay.  While some trips we have stayed in both San Francisco and Sausalito there are trips where you want to combine both of the cities into one segment so you can see other parts of beautiful California.

We have stayed in Sausalito a few times and have loved our time there, but not the price tag of the location.  There are few hotel options here, which helps drive the price tag up.  As an alternative there are many places that are a short drive from Sausalito, one being Mill Valley.

While we have considered staying in Mill Valley a few times, we always decided we didn’t want the extra hassle of driving into Sausalito.  If only we knew what we had been missing out on!  This trip we made the decision to stay at the Acqua Hotel in Mill Valley and it is not to be missed!  We booked the first two days of our vacation here and loved it so much that we returned for the last night of our trip.  Who wouldn’t love this view, right?

Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- View from balcony
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- View from balcony

Acqua Hotel

Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Front of hotel
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Front of hotel
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Lobby
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Lobby
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Lobby
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Lobby
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Back of hotel
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Back of hotel
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- View of hotel rooms
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- View of hotel rooms
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Outside
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Outside
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Enclosed space with firepits
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Enclosed space with fire pits

The view from the back of the hotel was just beautiful and so serene.

Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Outside
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Outside patio view

Complimentary Breakfast

The hotel provides complimentary breakfast and everyone in our party agreed it was the best we had on our trip.  Each of the 3 hotels we stayed at offered a complimentary breakfast.  The breakfast was served on the second floor.  You could sit at one of the many tables inside, or you could bring your breakfast on the patio outside on the first or second level.  There was also an all glass enclosed area on the 2nd floor that had gas fireplaces. You could enjoy the beautiful views while staying warm when the wind picks up, which we all know that bay breeze can be chilly!

Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast (Scrambled eggs, sausages and veggie frittata)
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast (Scrambled eggs, sausages and veggie frittata)
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast (Bagels, breads, pastries)
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast (Bagels, breads, pastries)
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast (Cereals)
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast (Cereals)
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast (Waffle maker)
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast (Waffle maker)
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast (hard boiled eggs and yogurts)
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast (hard boiled eggs and yogurts)
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast (Toppings for oatmeal)
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast (Toppings for oatmeal)
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary breakfast
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Breakfast Area
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Breakfast Area

Complimentary Wine and Cheese

There was wine and cheese served at 5 pm which was looked forward to every day.  One wine they served I am told was truly amazing and rivaled if not beat the taste of several wineries we visited this trip.

We were lucky to have stayed during some beautiful weather and one night we enjoyed the wine, crackers and cheese on the patio outside.  The other nights we enjoyed them in the glass enclosed area on the second floor, with the fireplaces turned on.  We were able to watch the sunset and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful water views from here.  Surprisingly the heat retention in the enclosed area was great!

Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary wine and cheese reception
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary wine and cheese reception
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- View from tables outside at wine and cheese hour
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- View from tables outside at wine and cheese hour
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Wine and cheese hour by the firepits
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Wine and cheese hour by the firepits
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- View from enclosed space with firepits
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- View from enclosed space with firepits
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- View from 2nd level of hotel
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- View from 2nd level of hotel

Complimentary Fresh Baked Cookies

At 7 pm warm cookies were served in the lobby, which were delicious and something we always looked forward to.

Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary cookies in evening
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Complimentary cookies in evening

Junior Suite Fireplace

We reserved a Junior Suite Fireplace which is located on the 3rd floor.  The king bed was very comfortable.  There was a small living area in the room which we used to store our luggage.

Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Junior fireplace suite
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Junior fireplace suite
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Junior fireplace suite
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Junior fireplace suite
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Junior fireplace suite
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Junior fireplace suite
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- View from room
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- View from room
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- View from balcony
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- View from balcony

The bathroom was spacious and had a tub and a separate walk-in shower.  There were dispensers in the shower containing shampoo, conditioner and body wash.  I enjoyed this as you didn’t have to try to squeeze out the last bits of shampoo from the small bottles typically provided, but you could use as much as you wanted.

Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Junior fireplace suite
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Junior fireplace suite
Aqua Hotel Mill Valley- Junior fireplace suite
Acqua Hotel Mill Valley- Junior fireplace suite

Sausalito is less than a 10 minute drive from the hotel.  You can easily enjoy either the beautiful seaside town or take the ferry across to San Francisco.  You are also only about a 20-30 minute drive to Muir Woods.

Both Guadalupe and Judy, the sales manager provided amazing customer service and made our stay absolutely perfect!  This stay was part of our anniversary trip and they sure went out of their way to make it special with a bottle of wine and some  delicious chocolates.

We would definitely return and we are  sad we didn’t find this gem sooner!

 

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