Napa Valley Romantic Getaway Vacation Tips and Ideas
The Vacation Gals were asked a good question following the article Napa Valley, the Perfect Romantic Getaway Spot in California. Ed wrote, “Hi! I am thinking about a long weekend in late September with my girlfriend. I have been to the Napa/Sonoma area a number of times, but she has never been. I have stayed at Meadowood and the Sonoma Mission Inn, most recently about 3 years ago. Would love your thoughts on other perhaps more quaint places to stay and other specific restaurant and vineyard recommendations. Thanks – Ed”
After sending this reader a response, I thought it may also be helpful to other readers seeking a romantic vacation and culinary experience. Please find, below, the tips and ideas I offer for a great long weekend in Napa Valley, California.
Hi there, Ed,
First off, I think it’s a great idea to treat your girlfriend to a long, romantic weekend in Napa Valley.
Since you’ve stayed at the Meadowood Resort, I’m guessing you like classy yet comfortable lodgings, rather than big monolith hotels. It’s also a luxury-class hotel, so I think you’re willing to spring for a high-end weekend. Try the Carneros Inn – it’s at the foothills of Napa Valley, in Carneros (most of the Napa Cabernet is made there because it’s hotter during the Spring and Summer). The Carneros Inn is no Auberge – but it’s a more private, and romantic resort hotel too. The breakfast at one of its restaurants is considered one of the best breakfasts in all of Napa Valley. The restaurant is the Boon Fly Cafe.
You’ve heard of the French Laundry, of course, I didn’t eat there, but it’s supposed to be either the 
best, or the second best restaurant in the world. Yes, the world! I couldn’t get in; you need to call 2 months in advance for a reservation, unless you get very, very lucky. Also, it’s massively expensive. Bouchon is a wonderful alternate restaurant, and just down the road in the Yountville town of Napa Valley (the best restaurants in Napa Valley tend to be in Yountville). There are a couple other restaurants in Yountville that are fantastic; Redd and Ad Hoc. With Ad Hoc, however, you get what you get. Check out the menu before you go in: There’s only one entree each day, so if you don’t like salmon (or whatever), you’re out of luck. It is very, very good, though. Bouchon also has a bakery for breakfast. This is next to the Bouchon restaurant; It is popular, and you’ll usually have to wait in line to get your morning croissant or muffin. Mustard’s Grill is another really good restaurant; it’s fun and mellow.
For lunch, my favorite restaurant is called Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen. This is in St. Helena – rather than Yountville – which has the cutest stores of all the Napa Valley towns.
Let’s see, what else…Well, please don’t miss the Joseph Phelps Winery and Vineyards for a wine tasting (make an appointment). It’s really beautiful, with remarkable views of rolling hills and the vineyard. Relax in the shade and you’ll think you’re in Umbria or Tuscany. The absolute oldest of Napa Valley’s wineries is Beringer. You need an appointment, but it’s very nice. Casa Nuestra is nice too. But my favorite? I most liked Francis Ford Coppola’s Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery; the main building features a small film museum with a couple of zoetropes, movie memorabilia, and other items of interest for film history buffs. This is the old Inglenook winery, so there’s a lot of history and heft to the place. It’s simply gorgeous – spring for a wine tasting/wine pairing tour if you can. I found the tour to be simultaneously fun, relaxed, and educational. I learned a lot about how to appreciate wine there.
Napa Valley is one of the most romantic US getaway vacation destinations for wine aficionados and fans of culinary travel. Hopefully, these tips and ideas for what to do there will be helpful for travel plans.
A “high end” weekend for sure… but ah, who can put a price on love.
The memories will last a lifetime, (even if the “marriage” doesn’t). (grin)
mark
I reckon any wine-growing area is great for a vacation, especially the kind Ed has in mind.
For those outside the States, I recommend: Mosel Valley, Ahr Valley, Rhine Valley, Bordeaux area (Europe) or Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, MacLaren Vale, Hunter Valley (Australia)
This will become one of the best travel sites on the Internet!
Another restaurant I would recommend is Hurley’s. The food was incredible, and it’s about a block or two south of French Laundry. Bon Appetit!
God I love Napa Valley. I live in LA, so I’ve done a lot of traveling up there. It’s great to take my girlfriend up there and have a relaxing weekend. We always manage to score good deals on hotels too. I’m an ambassador for Hampton Inns, I had some info that it seems like you’d be interested in, I thought I’d let you know about it.
Hampton Inn is offering 10% off the best available rate until September 1st. We’re also giving away bikes, vacations and a lot of other stuff for the Olympic Games!
Check it out here: http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/ en/hp/promotions/hx_su mmerpromo08/index.jhtm l?cid=OM,HX,Dreams,Specials&it=Specials,Dreams
Check out this video also and let me know what you think! Hope I didn’t bother or cross any boundaries by contacting you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=D2Y0jf-BKpI
Best,
Rob Williams
Official Hampton Inn Ambassador
naturalhouse302@gmail.com
I had the vacation of my life three weeks ago at Meadowood. The only Michelin two-stars restaurant in Napa– I had the chef’s tasting menu, with brilliant wine pairings. The best massage ever. A totally magical experience. Check out their website for all the details… http://www.meadowood.com.
Next time take a group of friends or the family and rent a fabulous home — you’ll feel like a native and see the wine country from a whole different POV. We went with my grown kids and it was an ideal way to reconnect. The folks at Sonoma-based BeautifulPlaces found us the perfect place to stay and gave us all sort of insider info on the region. I recommend them.
[...] which is convenient: St. Helena has the best shopping (with the most charming stores) of all of the Napa Valley towns, so lunch here makes for the beginning of a lovely afternoon. The ambience here isn’t [...]
[...] crisp and formal, with a full view of the kitchen. A sense of privacy can be had, for romantic meals, by requesting a side table. These have some hanging cloth that at least visually separates guests [...]
[...] the vino, so please share your stories of wine tasting or travel to a winery. Whether you visit Napa, Solvang, or even Disney World, we want to know about it. If you toured an Inn and enjoyed some [...]
I am 25 and have the labor day weekend off from clinical year in medical school! What are the odds! At any rate, I am flying visit my sister in SF and we were planning on going up to Napa for a day or two. Any suggestions on places to stay and things we should look into?
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