Napa Valley
 

I am planning a short trip to Napa in late October. I will only have 3 days there. I would love suggestions for wineries to visit and places to stay-mid range priced hotels/inns. This will be my first trip so any help is appreciated! Thanks, Karen

We've been out there twice over the past 2 years - here are some of my favorites:

Wineries -
Duckhorn (need a reservation, could spend an hour there). great wine, great room. Napa on the Silverado trail
Hop Kiln - this is in Healdsberg, so it is Sonoma.
Vinsana -

Mustards is a restaurant in Napa
It you are looking for a first class, special occasion restaurant then check out Cyrus in Healdsberg

I really liked Hess (I think in Calistoga). Beautiful grounds and they provide of free tour of the grounds along with three stories of art on their building. I've also become a fan of their wine.

Any suggestions for hotels/inns? Thanks!

I like the Vintage Inn and Napa Valley Lodge both in Yountville. and the Harvest Inn in St. Helena; though none of these are mid-range but maybe they have deals available if you're visiting mid-week. October is a great time to visit, IMO.

Hess is either in or very near Napa, not Calistoga. Other wineries I like are Mumms, Duckhorn and Peju.

I really like Resgusci on Silverado Trail a lot. I have always liked the wine at Sequoia Grove

I like to stay in St. Helena since you can walk to restaurants. El Bonita is very inexpensive for the area, not fancy at all, more like a motel.

This time we Pricelined a hotel in Napa and got the(4 star according to Priceline) Vino Bella Resort in Napa for $152.00/night. Not the ideal location, but they operate a shuttle from 5:30 to 10:30 pm to downtown Napa, so no need to drive. PLEASE DON"T DRINK AND DRIVE.

I, too, like the Peju winery in Rutherford. Try the V. Sattui winery. They have free wine tasting. I love their sweet wines esp. the Madeira. They have an extensive deli w/ picnic tables so you can buy your picnic lunch there. Rutherford Grill is a good restaurant choice nearby.

Downtown Saint Helena has a two blocks of fancy shopping. You could do a Yountville, Rutherford, St. Helena, and Calistoga run. Have a great trip!

Karen - You should zone in on what town you want to stay in and then read reviews on tripadvisor.com to locate a hotel or inn that you might want to stay at. Otherwise you might end up in an industrial park (Vino Bella). If you are a foodie then Yountville might be a good choice because of all the excellent restaurants within walking distance of the hotels. However, all the towns, including Napa, St Helena and Calistoga, have wonderful restaurants.

For wineries, you should zero in on the ones you drink at home. What are your favorites? Napa has many great wineries that are among the finest in the world. Many require reservations to visit and most are not cheap. The free ones like Peju and V. Sattui are fine for the casual weekend tourist looking for free tastings but they are not properties that have any international reputation. You can do a lot better.

Put Napa in the search engine above or Sonoma and you will find loads of info.

Here is a nice interactive site with information about wineries:

http://www.napavintners.com/wineries/

This is great info. You have all made this trip planning so much easier!

Wow...over 10 posts and the old Napa v. Sonoma Valley debate hasn't flared up.

We prefer Yountville in Napa Valley. Lotta "walk to" restos and central NV location.

Hurley's, Bottega, Fr. Laundry, Napa Valley Grill, Redd, Ad Hoc, Bouchon's, Bistro Jeanty, Pacific Blues Cafe and some newbies opening soon.

Hellloooooo Ronda....;;)

oh my gosh...Please do not "focus on the ones you drink at home". No offense, but you should strive to find new, hidden gems and limited production wines which seldom make it out of the state. Hess is really spectacular, but it's not in Calistoga. It is in the southern part of the Napa Valley and a gorgeous drive. My rule of thumb is, if you see a tour bus or limos, avoid the place like the plague. That includes all the big names. You'll probably want to do one tour- and you should. Frog's Leap does a really nice tour and tasting. You have to make a reservation, but you'll enjoy it. I suggest going to the Silverado Trail and doing some of the small wineries such as Zahtila, William Harrison, Dutch Henry. Frank Family up in Calistoga is always fun. You are plenty close to Sonoma Valley, which you should visit. I fell in love with Preston last year. Beautiful place, kitties running around, picnic grounds. Geyserville is also a fun stop and they have the BEST pizza place in town. The real thing. I prefer Sonoma, but if I stay in Napa, it's in Calistoga because you don't have the awful traffic that you get in St. Helena.

Hi Kal! Why hasn't there been a Napa GTG?

Our favorite wineries are Rutherford Grove near Oakridge. Nice cabs, go for the Howell Mtn. cabs, reasonable prices, picnic area, can't buy them anywhere else except maybe local restaurants.

Another is William Harrison on the Silverado Trail. Interesting tasting room, low key, great wines, cost a little more($45 up) but you really should do a tasting there if you want your socks knocked off. Can only buy them at certain wine shops around the bay area.

Favorite chard - Rombauer - nice tasting room, too. Can get crowded and have valet parking at those times.

We also like Turnbull but just do the reserve room.

We were also pleasantly surprised by ????? have to ask my husband and let you know later. Or see if I can find my trip report.

I'm searching for my trip report, too, LOL. We were there in April. William Harrison, ahh I have a magnum in the cellar! You MUST go- they were the first Italian immigrants to the valley and they have lots of interesting memorabilia there. And a bear!

Vell, I searched for my trip report and couldn't find it. Guess it is because I haven't posted it yet. lol Half finished.

The name of the winery we didn't expect to like was BV. Right next door to Rutherford Grill. 2 for 1 tasting coupon on the website. Their wines were quite nice and reasonable. You can't buy all their wines in the grocery store. Some you can only buy at the winery.

Ronda on Jul 28, 09 at 11:37 AM
Hi Kal! Why hasn't there been a Napa GTG?

Ah, but there was at least one that I remember. Looooong time ago! Kal, time for another one? ;)

I put together 2 of them.

I served my time! 8-}

I am serving now trying to make South Tahoe sound appealing :))

Hi, you may want to check out the Yountville Inn, Bottega ia a great place for a meal in this area. Have a wonderful time in the wine country! ***kim*** ((*))

Highly recommend Rombauer Vineyards on the Silverado Trail near St Helena. They make some of our favorite wine.

Rombauer is YUMMY

Have enjoyed Market in St. Helena and Bistro Jeanty in Yountville, both moderately priced restaurants. I've also stayed at the Yountville Inn, and really liked it there. There are many B&B's in the area if you like them. For a very good cheap lunch, I'd suggest Pizzeria Tra Vigne in St. Helena. Lots of people like Taylor's Refresher, also in St. Helena, for inexpensive lunches, but - someone has to say it - California burgers are overrated.

Can anyone recommend restaurants in "Downtown Napa" specifically? We want to take the shuttle from our hotel for dinner since we do not drink and drive. (that way I don't become the default DD).

Bottega! Now why didn't I think of that? :))

Rombauer has one of the best "jammy Zins" I know. Slurrrrp.

Nice grounds too when the flowers are a'bloomin'.


LynnieD,
We ate a Cuvee a few mos ago when we were staying at the River Terrace Inn and it was pretty nice.
La Toque is nearby but it was chilly that night and a bit of a farther walk.

smetzy...do you mean Taylor's burgers are overrated or all burgers in Calif are over rated?
When we hit Taylor's it's the Mahi burger for us.

Kal - I guess my experience is somewhat limited, I just have always heard raves about Taylor's and also about In & Out, and I've never found them to be that great. I admit I've never gone in search of burgers in CA, since there is so much other great food to be had, so my comment was a little tongue in cheek. But I have gotten the impression that Californians are a little too health conscious to appreciate a massive artery slammin' burger!

LynnieD,

Cuvee is not near where your shuttle will take you if it only goes downtown.

Here's some suggestions:

If it's a warm evening, sitting outside is nice. Angele has a delightful patio on the Napa River and they offer some wonderful food.

http://www.angelerestaurant.com/

If you like a great bar scene and are meat lovers, Cole's Chop House might be the place. It's expensive but always excellent.

http://www.coleschophouse.com/

If you like big band jazz with your meal and you're in Napa on the right night, you might want to check out Uva.

http://www.uvatrattoria.com/

If you are vegetarian, you should not miss Ubuntu. This is one of the most talked about restaurants in the wine country right now.

http://www.ubuntunapa.com/

For simpler fare and great pizza, there is Azzurro.

http://www.azzurropizzeria.com/

All of these restaurants are right downtown and will be busy on Friday and Saturday nights.

Taylor's Refresher is a few blocks away from downtown. As far as I'm concerned the Ahi burger is not a true burger but rather a fish sandwich.

Taylor's burgers are OK but are overpriced except on local's night when they are $3. Then, they give In & Out a run for the money. In & Out is a fast food chain particular to California and not well known in most of the country.

Thanks for the tips. Actually we will be in town for a SUnday and Monday night so getting in should be not so hard.

We spend a lot of time in Napa and have had burgers at Taylors. I like the ahi burger for what it is, DH likes the hamburger, but nothing special. I think we'll try Ubuntu for fun.

Kal, I never encourage ANYONE to go to Sonoma, Healdsburg, Russian River. It's my favorite area and not as pricy or crowded as Napa and I want to KEEP it that way!!!!! :D

Karen,

Here goes - as a frequent traveler to Napa - below is a sort of wrap up of what I have put on this forum previously - and most places in Napa and the Valley will be expensive based on most other places - despite the economy, they still seem to be doing good or at least, putting on a good front. And, we have stayed at other places, I've just put the "high point" ones below.

LODGING:

NAPA VALLEY:

Avia Napa: New hotel in the middle of downtown Napa town. Beautiful hotel where old classic meets modern style – the rooms have hardwood floors, marble baths, and are just really nice all around – and for the Napa Valley, on the less expensive side.

The Carneros Inn: which is just over the Sonoma border in Napa County, obviously, the “Carneros” region which spans Southern Sonoma and Napa counties. This place is quirky and is laid out like a barnyard. The cottages have lots of tin and surround a center courtyard with, usually, a cow trough in the middle. The rooms are a bit small but have huge baths with heated rock slate floors as well as an outside patio/deck with a shower. The restaurants here are nice too. It is removed from central Napa or Sonoma so you will have to drive to get anywhere – though, honestly I spent three days here doing nothing much… They have a spa, gym, and pool… Very pricey.

Meadowood: Beautiful property, comfortable rooms, but the property is starting to decline a bit and the service is sporadic - it can be great one stay, and awful the next. It is rather removed from the main road - one has to drive some distance just to get to the Silverado Trail and then into St. Helena, Yountville, or Napa. Also pricey.

Milliken Creek: Another beautiful, but sporadic service property - very small and removed from everything, but they do offer (or did when I was there) evening wine and appetizers which are very nice. Downside, you never know what response you will get from a staff member if you ask a question - a gracious, helpful comment, or a snap your head off comment. Also, there was some room confusion when we went - not with us, but a couple checking in had booked one room and they didn't have it and put them in a different room - the couple argued and the staff was not at all polite - of course, again, this was several years ago, and they may have gotten better. Pricey.

Napa River Inn: The first really new hotel in Napa that led the Napa renaissance and remodel. They have some beautiful “historic” rooms – the Captain Hatt suite is very nice with exposed brick, hardwood floors, and a big bath. The hotel is very pet friendly. Less expensive.

Napa White House Inn: This is more a bed and breakfast than hotel and it is nice – it’s not frilly Victorian but is an older manor house type accommodation. It has been extensively remodeled and is a “green” property – the service here was good with a few caveats – they seem to want to please but sometimes didn’t seem to know how. We had a glitch with our TV and the attitude seemed to be “deal with it.” Yet in other things, they were impeccable. Then again, we went when they had first opened so think they were working out some kinks. Mid range.

Westin Verasa Napa: Nice effort from Westin – the rooms are large and beautiful, the lobby and bar are beautiful, and overall, a nice place. The service was both great and bad – the concierge was incredibly good and gracious, the bell staff was good, but the front desk staff and limo “staff” or service were somewhat lacking and confused. The front desk seemed perpetually confused – not mean, just not with it. The entire “chauffeur” scene is to be avoided – while they offer this service to take you to Napa, it was a comedy of errors – the drivers got lost, they were promised at a certain time and weren’t there, etc. But overall, this is a pretty nice place – there are less expensive hotels in Napa though and they are actually in Napa proper. Don’t get me wrong – the Westin is just across the river by the Oxbow market and is nice, but there are other selections.

NAPA FOOD:

- Bottega: Some of the best food we have had in the Napa Valley. What the owner/chef Michael Chiarello calls his version of his Grandmother’s Italian cooking. In Yountville.

- Bounty Hunter is good as well but a bit more downscale. In downtown Napa.

- Rutherford Grill: Great local place, I hesitate to recommend because it's already so crowded, we can't get in any longer! Great food, good prices.

- Ubuntu: is wonderful; in downtown Napa - one of our favorite restaurants.

WINERIES:

NAPA:

- Barnett - another specialty Cabernet producer.

- Frank Family - a bit over the top with tourists, but some great Zinfandels. Of the others, none are really that much of an appeal.

- Outpost - which is way off the beaten path outside Angwin

- Spring Mountain - real dog and pony show here and they specialize in Cabernet - but worth it - they filmed the old TV show "Falcon Crest" but don't like you to ask about it!

- Trespass - they are making some great French styled wines.

- Tres Sabores - great Zins

You get a real feel for the Napa Valley with the above - all are off the beaten path and all give you great service and tours. Also note that you won't be able to hit all the wineries in one day - probably a maximum of three or four and I believe all of the above require appointments - some charge for tasting, some don't.

Hope this helps! Please ask w/any other questions - don't check the forums every day, but will check back in a few to see...

To pick between Sonoma or Napa is like choosing between pasta or pizza.
You can't lose!

As for Bottega...just make sure you eat your gnocchi with the correct spoon (the notched one) or else MC will actually scold you!:-[

I've only been out there twice - what a wonderful part of the country! Having been to both places if I had to pick one it would be Sonoma. But it's the op's first trip there, and to miss Napa would be a travesty in my opinion.