By Maria Gaura
This story originally appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle
Geyserville, CA (July 2007) -- Rural Sonoma County is so thick with wineries that you can barely swing a cat without sloshing someone's Chardonnay. But it also has the Isis Oasis
Sanctuary in Geyserville, where anyone swinging a feline risks offending
Bast, the Egyptian cat goddess.
For 30 years this Egyptian-themed retreat
center has provided lodging for spiritual seekers and a home for dozens of
unusual animals. If you require 300-thread-count sheets, or even a private
bathroom, it's probably not for you. But if you don't mind a bit of
roughing it, the Isis Oasis has plenty to engage you. Most guests will
have never experienced anything quite like it -- at least not in this
lifetime.
COMFORT ZONE
Each of the 12 bedrooms in the main lodge is dedicated to a different
Egyptian goddess. The Isis Room boasts purple batik bedspreads, bamboo
shades over sash windows, peacock-style wicker chairs, antique sideboard
and mirror and a '60s-vintage reading lamp. The queen bed is draped in
gauzy turquoise fabric, the hardwood floor is uncarpeted. A large silk
screen of a winged Isis flutters on the wall. Seven rooms have a queen bed
that can be split into two twin beds; five rooms have a queen and a twin.
Ceiling fans and a small window over the interior door for cross
ventilation provide the 1930s version of air conditioning. West-facing
rooms hear some traffic noise from Highway 101.
BATH AND BEYOND
The shared women's bath has a long counter, two toilet stalls and two
showers, one of which was out of order the night we were there. The bath
was clean but seemed quite small for 12 guest rooms if all had been
occupied. Soap is in dispensers, towels in your room; bring any other
personal-care items.
GEARED UP
We had a lamp and ceiling fan: no phone, TV, mini-fridge, etc.
GROUNDS FOR APPROVAL
The pool and spa are clean and attractive, with plenty of seating and
poolside shade; a large wine barrel has been converted into an adorable
little sauna. The 10-acre property also has a pond with swans, pens with
emus and white peacocks, an ankh-shaped meditation maze, a small vineyard,
an organic garden, a wooded picnic area with a fire pit, and owner Loren
Vigné's art studio (open for browsing). The dining pavilion looks over a
lawn and the sanctuary's sacred Douglas fir, said to be 600 years old. The
lawn is ringed with cages of exotic birds; Roy, an enormous Royal Palm
turkey, can often be found flirting madly with his own reflection in the
gift shop window. The 16 large felines on site include ocelots, bobcats
and serval cats; menagerie tours take place daily. The Temple of Isis is
open 24/7 and frequently is used for services and rituals. The sanctuary's
100-seat theater hosts a variety of productions. Ask to see the tomb room
beneath the theater building -- you may arrange for a session inside the
sarcophagus, with or without the lid on.
IN THE VICINITY
It's a short stroll from the Isis Oasis to tiny downtown Geyserville,
where you can order an espresso, sip wine, splurge on a fine Italian
dinner or buy a saddle. (For more ideas, see last Sunday's California &
the West story at sfgate.com/travel.)
GOOD TO KNOW
Check the Isis Oasis Web site for special events, weddings and concerts
before you book your room. Housekeeping is spotty; we found dust bunnies
under the bed and cobwebs in the temple. Management is very low key;
check-in consisted of finding our own rooms, and the keys on the dresser.
The place was deserted when we went to check out, so we settled up by
phone the next day. The sanctuary is nonprofit; most of the people living
and working here are volunteers, and your room charge is technically a
donation. Massage, tarot, past-life and astrology readings can be arranged
by asking at the office.
HIGHS AND LOWS
While you will not be catered to, the staff is friendly and interesting to
talk to. The cat keepers gave our two fourth-graders a private and
informative tour of the zoo, and the cage arrangement allows you to get up
close to some very beautiful creatures (although their eye-watering smell
won't keep you there for long).
VITALS:
20889 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville. (707) 857-4747, (800)
679-7387, www.isisoasis.org. Twelve double rooms with shared bath, $100;
two-story tower room with private bath, $125; both include breakfast. $25
for third person in room. Group rates for the dorm and retreat house (two
wheelchair-accessible rooms) begin at $30 per person. No minimum-stay
requirement.
This review originally appeared July 19, 2007, in the San Francisco Chronicle.
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