34 Best Hotels in Napa and Sonoma, California

Clean rooms in a convenient motor court–style setting draw travelers willing to pay more than at comparable lodgings in the city of Napa to be within walking distance of Yountville's tasting rooms, restaurants, and shops. The yellow exterior, Mediterranean-style roof, and vineyards that flank the property on two sides lend a touch of Tuscan grandeur, and the pool and hot tub are large and well maintained. A firepit keeps guests toasty on chilly nights. Guest rooms, done in soft whites and beiges and furnished with Nespresso coffeemakers, are in twin two-story buildings. (There's no elevator to the upper floors, so if this is an issue ask for a ground-floor accommodation.) Every room has a balcony or patio; some have views of the pool or a garden courtyard, others of grapevines.

Travelers, especially ones with kids, appreciate these cozy accommodations—most inside actual railcars—only steps from many of Yountville's best restaurants. The inn isn't fancy, but it's clean and well maintained, and except in high season, when rates trend up, you'll save money to spend on shopping, dining, and wine tasting. More than 100 years old, the railcars house seven long narrow rooms (an eighth room is not in a car) with a bit more style than your average motel. All have small flat-panel TVs, refrigerators, coffeemakers, and indoor and outdoor sitting areas. Double-paned windows filter out most outside noise except the sound of suitcase wheelies on the deck separating the cars. Some guests prefer the southern rooms on the east (Washington Street) side; they're the farthest away from Highway 29, about 100 yards to the west, and the Mini Model Bakery, which is on the inn's north side.

Exterior fountains, gallery-quality outdoor sculptures, and rows of grapevines signal this boutique hotel's Wine Country–chic aspirations. The several-building complex, just off Highway 29 near the Oak Knoll District, is decorated in soothing shades, with haute fabrics, finishes, fixtures, and furniture throughout. Eighteen spacious rooms in two buildings have private balconies or patios, and bathrooms with deep soaking tubs and heated floors; all rooms have large flat-screen TVs and fireplaces. Just as modern are the renovated accommodations in the 1870 Parker House, named for the local seaman who commissioned it. Among the quietest rooms at the hotel, which is just off the highway and has some noise issues, especially outdoors, are the three in the Nook, which has vineyard views. 

Ivy covers the outside of this downtown hotel quietly providing patrons with comfort, hospitality, and a touch of style at relatively reasonable prices. Though not flashy, the well-maintained guest rooms and suites, all on the second floor and from 419 to 592 square feet, have king beds, updated bathrooms, balconies, white walls, and framed prints and black-and-white photographs of vineyard and similar scenes. Hosts deliver a continental breakfast each morning. Guests receive access to the adjacent Health Spa Napa Valley and its pool, and there’s a garden courtyard for relaxing. Tra Vigne Pizzeria and Restaurant occupies part of the ground floor; a dozen other dining spots and a few tasting rooms lie within walking distance.