Yountville or Napa in February??
 

I am planning a 3-4 night stay in the Napa area mid February with my boyfriend. We are very into both food and wine, and are looking for accomodations in which are within walking distance to the wineries. I'm trying to to at least narrow down my search and need some input as to where the better wineries are and which are within walking distance - in Napa Valley or Yountville? Or should I be looking elsewhere?

As far as lodging, $100/night and less would be nice. I'm not sure if any lodging places are actually situated on a vineyard, or anything that resembles "Tuscan". Being both Yountville and Napa have walkable distance tasting rooms, where would you suggest I stay so that we could walk to dinner?

I would like to do at least one tour. I side more with whites (riesling, viognier, albarino), but am slowly getting into reds (pino noir, malbec). If scheduling appointments is needed, that's fine. That would make or break the decision to visit a winery.

Overall, I'm looking for Tuscan-like scenery and reasonablly close (driving distance) wineries to do tastings (and possibly a tour) by day, and to be able to have great restaurants and bars within walking distance by night.

Thank you for your help :)

$100 or less...hahahahahah

You'll get a lot more response over on this forum. But now, re your budget >>As far as lodging, $100/night and less would be nice. <<

Oh my, yes $100 a night would be wonderful! But it really isn't a $100-a-night sort of region. Even in Feb which has probably the lowest room rates of the year (except for the holiday weekend which will be higher). For that price you will most;y be relegated to a low-ish end motel and I personally don't know which. And almost definitely not walking distance to a winery. Maybe someone has an idea.

Walking to most wineries isn't a good option--you really need a car, as they're very spread out.

Not only are they spread out, they're spread out along unwalkable roads.

And it is winter, our rainy season.

You can find some tasting rooms in Napa or Yountville that you can walk to. In St. Helena there might be a couple where you can park downtown and walk to. But as noted, most of them are well spaced and I wouldn't feel safe walking most of the roads.

Also, Yountville is in Napa Valley, as is the town of Napa--it's a bit confusing.

I do agree that that budget is unrealistic unless you can Priceline something at the last minute, and not on a weekend, for sure. You could probably find something close to that in, say, Petaluma or Santa Rosa, in the Sonoma Valley, but it will be a chain motel on a busy road, not in a vineyard and not reminiscent of Tuscany. Still, you'd be within budget and could drive to scenic spots in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys

There are tasting rooms in all of the towns in the Valley, as well as bars and restaurants you could walk to; the wineries are easy driving distance from the towns and from each other. Some require appointments, most don't.

I found this place when I was researching our last trip to wine country:
http://www.christophersinn.com
It's close to your budget if you're a AAA member. I have NO experience with it--just found it online.

The Christopher Inn looks like a real find. I just plugged in 3 nights over Valentines Day and got an AAA rate of $116 inc tax. for the 'Classic' room (higher for other rooms). That seems like a super deal in Calistoga!

Christopher's is lovely but
in Calistoga a far cry from Napa and/or Yountville or St Helena.
Not as convenient for walking around.
Also the Feb prices for 2 were much more like $180 +with tax even for AAA>

wow Janisj where did you get that AAA rate? Best I saw was $180.
It's still not in the thick of things.

We were just in Calistoga on Sunday and i was shocked to see how many places had shut down. It used to be the hub for relaxing etc but a lot of shops have closed, the few restos are either expensive hotel restos or very casual places. It really seemed run down compared to a couple of years ago.

>>where did you get that AAA rate? <<

On their website -- and I chose Valentines Day/Presidents Day weekend just to make sure.

I got that rate on the website, too--I checked before posting the link. It's not hard to find lodging under $200, but $100 is tough. I agree that Calistoga isn't ideal, but it's in the Napa Valley and the price is right...

Check El Bonita in St. Helena. I've stayed there many times and they have always been at the low end of the price range. Also, within walking distance of all of the St. Helena spots.

That aside, I've loved Calistoga and would stay there in an instant. Sad about what newtome says in above post.

I agree -- for sure I'd much rather stay in Calistoga than IN Napa

1) You will need a car for any serious wine tasting. The driver can spit.

2) $100 is almost certainly not doable in Yountville. You'll come closer in Napa, but still have trouble getting down to that number. Tuscan-like scenery at the hotel is not possible in your price range.

3) I would not stay in Calistoga.

thank you for allthe replies! I've narrowed it down to 2 places: 1) The Napa Inn (B&B) and 2) Embassy Suites Hotel Napa Valley. Suggestions??

Also, from reading some other posts, I undestand that it is extremely difficult to narrow hundreds of wineries down to 4 or 5. With that being said however, which wineries do you suggest in mid-February that still offer spectacular views/scenery? I was looking into Joseph Phelps, Domaine Carneros, Robert Mondavi, Bravante, and Artesa. Any suggestions would be greatly apprecited! What time do the wineries open/close?

ohh, I also am deciding between the Best Western PLUS Elm House Inn.

There really is not any lodging within walking distance to wineries. Wineries are in the agricultural areas. I think Calistoga is a charming little town, but it is fairly quiet at night. You could certainly walk to some restaurants and find wineries a short drive away.

Unfortunately, most hotels are pricey. Calistoga and the city of Napa are your best bets for lower-cost lodging. The valley is not that big, so you can drive from Napa to Calistoga in 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the time of day. Napa has changed quite a lot. There are numerous excellent restaurants in walking distance of downtown as well as bars, music lounges ( like Silo's), and other theater/music venues like The Uptown and the Napa Valley Opera House. There are also many, many (almost too many) tasting rooms in town where you can sample a variety of wines. No town has a Tuscan feel, but you can get to that feeling within a ten-minute drive.

There are numerous B&Bs in Napa Valley. A number of them have less expensive rooms, usually the smallest room or with a shared bath. Try Washington Street Lodging, Beasley House, McClelland-Priest, Ink House, and others. Best Western Elm house and Embassy Suites are close to the freeway but not noisy and people seem to like them. They are within walking distance of good restaurants.

February is a beautiful time to visit. The mustard will be in bloom.