Few things in life are better than arriving to your vacation destination, walking into the resort lobby, and then being hard-pressed not to re-evaluate your place in a world of wealth untold. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or a first-time wine country visitor, it’s a no-brainer to realize Montage Healdsburg as a luxurious, yet nature-centric habitat within this hamlet of Northern California.

Healdsburg, a city with a small town feel, is located north of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, where notables such as Raymond Burr, who played the ever-popular role of Perry Mason, and wine mogul Jess Stonestreet Jackson Jr. of Kendall-Jackson fame once resided.

In the past 20 years, Healdsburg has evolved into a premier wine country stop for locals and tourists alike. It’s success is attributed to its walkable downtown with exclusive shops, restaurants, and wineries, and the drivable vineyard trails along the Russian River, Alexander Valley, and Dry Creek – American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) that produce all-star wines. Given the stature of the wineries that include Dry Creek Vineyards, Aperture Cellars, Stonestreet, and Silver Oak Cellars, it makes perfect sense to build a luxury hotel close enough to downtown yet tucked in nature. This is Montage Healdsburg.

Before one even walks inside, the ultra-luxury pours out as you turn into the remarkably long drive to the parking roundabout. A valet greets each guest at the driver’s side of their car, ready to assist and relieve you of your luggage duties. All you have to do is enter the lobby, take a deep breath to imbibe the beauty that surrounds, both inside and out, and hop into a golf cart to be driven to your room with its floor-to-ceiling windows and sustainability features that include repurposed stone, wood, and copper. A balcony with a firepit starts with a flip of a switch on a timer ready for in-room breakfast on a typical chilly morning in this micro-climate with a diurnal temperature shift of 40 degrees. The spacious bathroom prompts the planning of when you’ll find time to soak in the tub and also experience the outdoor shower.

Brunch on the outdoor deck at Hazel Hill, one of three restaurants on this 250-plus acre property, is guaranteed to be a multi-sensory experience, beginning with the view of rolling vineyards and heritage oak trees against the backdrop of distant mountains. Rivaling the view is the culinary experience that begins with a petite twin-wedge salad, followed by a hearty plate of homemade rigatoni carbonara with a brilliant orange egg yolk on top (local-sourced, seasonal menu), and dessert of Meyer lemon tart under a spun umbrella of toasted meringue.

Post-brunch, time spent chilling out in the body-contoured soaking tub -- with salts poured and loofa scrub-ready -- is the perfect preparation before an hour of work-from-anywhere desk inspires action. A quick call to the front desk and before you know it – you’re back in the golf cart being driven to be driven… in a Cadillac SUV (a benefit during a stay at Montage Healdsburg). Your driver will drop you anywhere downtown and await a call to pick you up to return you safely to your room.

Before the largest serving of avocado toast is delivered to your room for breakfast, yoga among the vines is a stretch-worthy and blissful way to begin your day of wine tasting and more adventures. The concierge at Montage Healdsburg can assist to arrange whatever you’d like to do… will it be wine tasting or hiking/biking/helicopter riding? You can also opt to stay on property for a game of bocce ball, pickle ball, or archery, or you can choose to lounge by the zero-edge pool under the Sonoma sun (or in a cabana!).

With so many options to explore the destination and sip on its premier pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon, the struggle is real when you want nothing more than to chill out on property. If this is what you want to do, go for it. It’s your time and you can experience the wines of the region poolside or following a leisurely stroll by the natural log nest of the honeybees on your way to one of the property’s restaurant lounges. One fact remains clear throughout a visit to Montage Healdsburg in that the staff has made every effort to impress its guests. Its five-star service and amenities extraordinaire are akin to having a blanket of rose petals laid at your feet as you enter this hideaway.

Charlene Peters is a travel writer living in the Boston area and author of “Travel Makes Me Hungry,” available on Amazon. Email siptripper@gmail.com