I know picking any hotel/resort/b %26amp; b is very personal and varies depending on people%26#39;s wants, needs, financial situation, etc. However, since we have been to CA many times and Sonoma one quick drive over from S.F. day, but never slept in Wine Country, I would appreciate other people%26#39;s opinions.
A little about ourselves: We are in our mid and late 40%26#39;s. Have two teens not traveling with us. Our trip will be for 6 nights with the first three staying in San Francisco, where my husband will be working/convention. We will head to Napa on Wed. night and have 2 full days, flying back some time on Saturday. We will be traveling in October.
We have only stayed in one true bed and breakfast actually at a winery in Texas. We absolutely loved it (wasn%26#39;t quite sure it was our thing)! We usually are the high-rise hotel/big sprawling resort type. Or all-inclusive. Have traveled a lot.
Looking for a friendly/romantic place. The rooms are pretty important to us. Don%26#39;t like real small, real musty or real old (as in worn and needs updating). Do like old as in aged well with great character, old furniture, etc. Would like maybe a balcony/porch or bench outside in a garden where we can have a glass of wine and just veg. Have hectic schedules and too little time together so need some quality time!
Think from some of the research I%26#39;ve done so far, that I would like to stay in one of the Napa B %26amp; B%26#39;s because you can actually walk in to ';town'; to shops and dinner. We really like that sort of thing, even though we will have a car. But, up for other scenarios!
Would like to do just one really good tour (did berringer tour and two or three tastings last time) and then some tastings. And maybe a lunch or picnic at a winery. Might actually consider leaving Napa for a drive or some great town/sightseeing second day? Don%26#39;t know if we are in to two whole days of tastings?
Like great food too!
Friends from San. Fran recommended Augerge du Soleil, however, I was ';shocked'; by their price tag.
From reading here, etc. looked at websites for Henessey House, Beazley House/Daughter%26#39;s Inn, Old World Inn, and Fairmont/Sonoma Mission Inn %26amp; Spa.
Spoke to Daughter%26#39;s Inn (actually beazley%26#39;s house) inn keeper by e-mail and she was very pleasant and gave great answers to my questions.
But, not entirely convenienced since our Friends in San Fran hadn%26#39;t heard of it and I don%26#39;t know anyone that has stayed there.
Any input on accomodations and/or intineraries that you think fit us, would be greatly appreciated!
Sorry for the long-winded post!
Thank you so much in advance!
Your Favorite B %26amp; B's/wineries
Beazley House - check that for a b%26amp;B
I like Candlelight Inn a lot -however not within walking distance, but has a wonderful pool, redwood trees, great sitting area, just great.
http://www.beazleyhouse.com/
http://www.candlelightinn.com/
Note: Many great places to stay - many woniderful suggestions from others, but these are 2 I like.
Tours: - choose from one of the following. All are quite good.
1) Benzinger $10.00 - great tour - takes you out to the fields, to a cave, tells you about barrels, and wine tasting. Free coupons to taste at Imagery (Great wines!). We were there this past Sunday - we enjoyed it even though we were a repeat!
2) Mondavi - Good overview tour of Napa
3) Del Dotto - if you want lots of great wines and barrel tasting its wonderful. Price is a bit high....but they%26#39;re really generous with the iwine.
4) Jarvis - good cave tour with lots of extras to see; pricey, but good.
Restaurants in general are pricey...hiowever Celadon (if you share a few of the small and medium priced plates) can be enjoyable!
Julia%26#39;s (not sure what day you are there, but some nights they have locals dinner....and pricing.).
Note: After writing this I saw your comment on Beazley House; I wouild say its a great place to stay! Its not as nice of garden area however as Candlelight Inn. We decorated some gingerbread houses once there for Christmas and it was amazingly great fun. The innkeepers are wonderful and the sitting rooms are beautiful and restful! The differences between Beazley and Candlelight are: Candlelight more superlative outside places; Beazley nicer inside sitting places.
Tastings in Napa can be high priced. If you want to spend some time in Sonoma, you can do some tasting for reasonable costs.
Cline for example is Free (and they let us taste each and every wine on their list.). Seeing Benzinger tour woudl be fun and then Imagery tasting is free. As such, you can do a full day tasting for $10.00. Right next to Benzinger is Jack London State Park - a historic spot with Jack London history. Viansa by Cline has wine tasting, but also free sauce tasting. The Sonoma Cheese Factory has free cheese tasting. The picnic areaas at Benzinger are very nice and would be a beautiful spot for a picnic; also picnic spots at Viansa are nice.... By visiting Sonoma you can have a pretty inexpensive day of touring and wine tasting (just stay away from Ledson - highway robbery in terms of tasting!)
Napa - V. Sattui is the popular but sometimes crowded place for picnics. Dean and Delucca is almost directly across the street to buy picnic goods. Also perhaps if don%26#39;t want to do just tasting, do a food demo at Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. Its fun to watch for an hour and they give you nice size portions to sample afterwards. Still can remember one of the best tiramisu%26#39;s I%26#39;ve ever had..and the flavors and smells outstanding!
Your Favorite B %26amp; B's/wineries
Mini thanks so much for all of your help!
If you did Beazley would you stay there or their sister property The Daughter%26#39;s Inn? They are walking distance to town, correct? Just thought that would be a nice touch.
Thanks for Culinary Institute recommendation. Anything you recommend (another city/town, etc.) outside of Napa if we choose to ';explore'; on second day?
I would go for Beasley. The sitting room is just so pleasant and relaxing. I can still take ';mental'; vecations there when I want to think of somewhere peaceful and fun. I don%26#39;t have personal experience with Daughters and it looks from the trip advsor hotel site reviews from people who have, both places are pleasant stays.
Towns nearby - go to Sonoma is a short drive from Napa to the west. To the north up 29 is Yountville, Calistoga, etc. which are all nice to visit.
Have fun!
For another perspective....look at Old World Inn. I prefer it to Beazley House.
Fairmont Sonoma Inn and Spa , in the Sonoma Valley is a completely different experience. Look at that further, if you are willing to be in the Sonoma Valley rather than the Napa Valley.
It is not a bed and breakfast, by any means, but a real spa hotel, located near hot mineral springs. The original hotel dates from the %26#39;30%26#39;s. Classy, expensive, get an historic room if you can. The modern ones have no character.
Thanks Both--
Mini, I checked out Candlelight Inn, but don%26#39;t care for the rooms they have left on my dates.
Was looking at the Old World Inn-Puter--where is that located, is it a good location?
So, though the Fairmont/Sonoma Mission Inn is not a small B %26amp; B it is still worth a second look and has character?
Have a great day!
Puter-
Thanks for your recommendation. It made our day over here. :)
Those who follow our posts know that taking care of guests is a big deal for us. We want everyone that visits Napa to have a great time. And a lot of that has to do with people%26#39;s expectations-- and meeting (or exceeding) those expectations.
Given what travelingfromTX has descibed in their ';wish list';, we don%26#39;t meet those expectations.
We are definitely romantic and friendly, and update/refresh our rooms and house frequently, but we would not describe our rooms as ';large';. They%26#39;re more like a small guest bedroom at a friend%26#39;s house. Cozy and charming, yes. Large. no. :)
In fact, the whole experience here is like staying at a friend%26#39;s home: We have no valet parking, no bellman (guests carry their own bags), no elevator to the second floor--- you get the idea. Folks that stay with us tend to be very laid back and relaxed. They are not looking for a ';hotel'; experience-- we don%26#39;t have room service, or someone working the front desk 24/7, or any of the other amenities associated with a 5-star resort. We%26#39;re just a happy bunch who love to take care of fellow travelers.
Our house was constructed by a master builder (who also built the current home of the Wine Spectator Magazine), so the rooms themselves have lots of charm, and incredible woodwork. In fact, Napa awarded this house ';Landmark'; status-- meaning it%26#39;s one of the most significant buildings in town. Kinda cool. :)
That being said, we suffer from ';garden envy';-- the Beazleys and Candlelight Inn have much larger/lovelier gardens than we do. Our garden (across the street from the Inn) is used primarily for growing organic herbs and garnishes-- it%26#39;s more of a foodie%26#39;s garden than a ';sit down and read'; kind of place. :) And our tiny vineyard is a ';walk through';-- it%26#39;s not designed for sitting. Our patio areas at the Inn are more set up for folks to sit and talk around the fire pit, or enjoy the wine barrel fountain-- we don%26#39;t have as many big trees or lush vegetation as the Beazleys or the Candlelight.
To answer the question about our location and being able to walk to town-- yes, we are walking distance to town-- a bit closer to town, actually.
Given the type of accomodations that travelingfromTX is accustomed to, Auberge is probably the best choice. It%26#39;s the most like a romantic resort. But we understand the ';sticker shock'; at rooms that run $600-3000 per night! And it%26#39;s definitely *not* walking distance to any towns.
TravelingfromTX-- we%26#39;re not trying to talk you out of staying here. We just don%26#39;t think you would like it as much, given your wish list of amenities (big rooms, gardens, etc). :)
And Puter-- thanks again for your kind words. :)
-The Innkeepers
Napa Old World Inn
travelingfromTX-
Sorry about the 2 separate posts-- we split your questions into 2 parts (lodging and wineries), and two of us worked on the answers.
Wineries-
For picnic spots:
napavintners.com/wineries/picnic_areas.asp
(Actually, the napavintners.com site has a lot of other wonderful things, like an interactive winery map).
Best technical tour: Robert Mondavi winery (instead of hearing their ';take'; on how they make wine, they show you instead how wine is made-- so you can take this knowledge and apply it to other wineries you visit).
Most impressive new winery: Castello di Amorosa ( www.castellodiamorosa.com ). Expect to hear/see a lot about this winery in the coming months. It just opened 2 weeks ago.
There are tons of fun, small family wineries for tastings-- if you do stay at a B%26amp;B, ask for their recommendations (they may even have complimentary tasting passes for you!). Some of our favorites include Goosecross (in Yountville), Chateau Montelena and Vincent Arroyo (in Calistoga), and Artesa (in the Carneros). But in all truth, we usually chat with our guests for a few minutes about their likes/dislikes before making recommendations. We honestly don%26#39;t know that much about your personal tastes to make a good recommendation here.
Name dropping wineries: Silver Oak, Stags Leap, Domaine Chandon, BV.
Name dropping places to eat: The French Laundry, Greystone at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America).
Some of our favorite places to eat: In all honesty, the list is *way* too long! Mustards, Ad Hoc, Bistro Jeanty, and Pilar are some of our faves-- but we have dozens and dozens (and dozens!) of restaurants that we frequent-- and love.
Other fun stuff:
Olive Oil tastings at St Helena Olive Oil Co, an early morning balloon ride, a train ride (if you love trains) on the Napa Wine Train, a chauferred tour in an old Packard convertible, art like Hess Collection and the Di Rosa Preserve, Gourmet grocery stores like Dean %26amp; Deluca and the Oakville Grocery . . . .
We could go on all day . . . :)
We%26#39;re guessing that you%26#39;ve already read a bunch of past trip reports-- these are a *gold mine* of information on great itineraries. If you haven%26#39;t, you can access them quickly by using the forums search function with keywords ';trip report';.
OK, that%26#39;s a quick set of suggestions for you. But truly-- talk to your innkeepers. They%26#39;ll be your best source of great local info.
Enjoy your stay in the wine country. It%26#39;s a magical place. :)
-The Innkeepers
Napa Old World Inn
oops-- forgot to add:
The min%26#39;s and Puter%26#39;s suggestions are great.
mini%26#39;s recommendations for winery tours are some of our favorites as well :)
Thank you Old World Inn. I haven%26#39;t ruled you totally out yet. Definitely can%26#39;t do Auberge--maybe for a very special occasion or a year when it is our only vacation.
Due to availability Candlelight won%26#39;t work for us either this time.
Where is Sterling Vineyards and do you like their tastings/tours?
Where is Robert Mondavi from your area of Napa?
In Wine Entusiast Mag. for June they have their favorite 55 adventures in Napa and they ';rave'; about the castello di Amarosa.
They also mention a chocolate place--Woodhouse Chocolate in St. Helena--has anyone been there? How far a drive is St. Helena.
They also really like Cafe Jeantry--that I think the Inn Keepers recommended.
Hi-
I don%26#39;t know if you have made your decision yet, but I recommend the Wine Country Inn located in St. Helena. We stayed in one of the cottages last year and absolutely loved it! The grounds are beautiful and very romantic. I have not stayed in the regular rooms but the cottages are really worth the extra money. Each cottage has a private balcony overlooking the vineyards or gardens, a fireplace, huge bathroom and living room. The staff at the inn was great and very friendly.
The website for the inn is winecountryinn.com. You can look at all the rooms and cottages online.
Also, St. Helena has great restaurants and lots of shops.
Just thought I would add another inn to your list. : )
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