Resorts make perfect pairing with Napa wine country
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — Many years ago, long before I had the privilege of personally experiencing the magical sensory journey that accompanies a trip to California’s Napa Valley, my father told me, “It will be your nose that first tells you: ‘You’ve arrived in Napa.’”
My dad was right. During a visit last month, it was the delicious aromas of Napa that first reminded me I was once again in one of the loveliest spots on this continent.
Driving up from San Francisco — leaving behind the typical late-summer foggy gloom and chilliness that blankets the City by the Bay — not only was I visually delighted by the sudden burst of sunshine, my schnoz was brightened by the smell of grapes as I stuck my head out the window. The drive up California Route 29, the main artery linking Napa Valley’s key towns — from the city of Napa through Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena and on to Calistoga — increasingly put me in olfactory overdrive.
STAYING THERE: Calistoga Ranch, 580 Lommel Rd., Calistoga, has 46 guest cottages, starting at $550 a night. Two-bedroom estate lodges average $2,500 a night. Check for discount packages that include dining and spa treatments; (707) 254-2800, calistogaranch.com.
Auberge du Soleil, 180 Rutherford Rd., Rutherford, has rates ranging from $550 to $2,000, depending on time of year. All-inclusive deluxe packages include a two-night stay, meals, spa treatments and other amenities for $2,856; (800) 348-5406, aubergedusoleil.com.
Solage Calistoga, 755 Silverado Trail, Calistoga, has 83 studios and six suites from $375-$825. Special packages can lop $150 off the basic room rate and include other extras; (866) 942-7442, solagecalistoga.com.
The good news? Not one disappointed.
I started my adventure at the north end of the valley at Calistoga Ranch, several miles south of Calistoga, just off the legendary Silverado Trail.
As soon as you arrive, it’s time to say goodbye to your car. You won’t see it again until you leave. All movement on this hilly terrain is either via foot or golf cart to get between the wooden cottages (with fantastic outdoor showers) and the dining, pool, hiking and other recreational facilities the ‘‘ranch’’ offers.
Take advantage of the resort’s superb spa, offering a wide range of massages (including warm stone, muscle and joint-focused, as well as the usual stress-relieving varieties) in a beautifully tranquil forest-glen setting.
Don’t miss a dinner at the Lakehouse restaurant (open to resort guests only), featuring one of the best dining experiences in the valley matched with the best California vintages. Also special: an early breakfast on the terrace, chowing down on fresh-as-they-come fried eggs and homemade sausage while you watch woodcocks do their morning foraging.
From Calistoga Ranch, my next stop was one of Napa’s iconic resorts: Auberge du Soleil (or simply “Auberge’’ to longtime devotees). From the moment you arrive at this special place in Rutherford, you understand why this Relais & Chateaux property has long been the hallmark for quality in Napa Valley. I suggest taking a long walk around the hillside estate to enjoy the wide range of views, sculptures and various spots to sit, ponder and relax. Similar to Calistoga Ranch (and, frankly, every property we visited), the spa and workout facilities are first-class, extensive and feature every amenity you could imagine.
Have at least one meal in Auberge’s famed restaurant, a dining experience that will remain with you for a lifetime. Allow an entire evening and reserve a table on the terrace (if you visit May-October), which overlooks the entire valley. One particular dinner included not-to-be missed oysters, a grilled quail starter that melted in my mouth, an amazing gazpacho and the best John Dory I’ve ever eaten.
Originally created in the 1980s by noted San Francisco interior designer Michael Taylor, Auberge du Soleil provides spacious accommodations done up in that ‘‘big California’’ look, with oversized furniture, heavy wood and overstuffed cushions. This is a place that’s all about comfort.
My final stop was Solage Calistoga. Unlike other resorts perched in the hills, this gem was constructed on a very flat piece of property on the Silverado Trail.
Designed to appeal to a younger, hipper traveler, Solage features contemporary cottages — each equipped with a couple of sturdy bicycles — that have a New England feel to them, at least from the outside. The key thing here is to enjoy the extensive athletic facilities, including one of the best free-standing gyms I’ve experienced in any resort.
The most memorable part of this stay was enjoying the valley’s largest pool — of oversized Olympic proportions — and having a great spa day that included a ‘‘Mud Slide.’’ It started with a quick shower, followed by a trip to the spa’s check-in bar, where you choose from a selection of fragrances to enhance the hot mud that’s handed to you in a small bucket — reminiscent of your first sand castle-building on the beach. Into that mixture of volcanic ash mud are blended oils that will either relax or energize you. I did it alone, but couples mud lounge experiences are popular. And what could be more fun than smearing gooey mud (that smells great) all over the body of your partner or spouse?
Once you’ve covered your entire body — and I do mean ENTIRE body — with the mud, you bake for 20 minutes at 120 degrees in a dry-steam room.
After showering, you soak in a mineral bath for another 20 minutes. Then it’s off to the third chamber, where you’re cocooned in a warm wrap on a gently-vibrating lounge chair, listening to music for the final half hour.
You emerge refreshed, happy and ready to pedal off to yet another great meal in Napa Valley.
Information for this article was gathered on a research trip subsidized by the participating resorts.