After a couple of nights at a 4-star hotel in San Francisco, we headed to the Russian River Valley for vineyards, biking, and hiking the redwood forest. As you enter Monte Rio, you are greeted by a sign exclaiming it to be a "vacation wonderland" teeming with "resorts." Don't expect luxurious spas and 5-star "resorts" like the Four Seasons -- this is truly an old fashioned "motel" type place, very much the kind of place our family would have stayed at when I was a kid. Nestled at the edge of a redwood grove, pool in the center with L-shaped, single-story motel looking out at the pool. Family works the office. Nice book of local restaurant menus in the office. Friendly people, but once you check in you won't see them again unless you need something. The rooms are not luxurious, but they are very clean and tidy. The bathroom looked new and was equally clean. Towels are changed daily, unlike the trend of the chains to conserve water and... more