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Thinking of taking the husband to St. Helena or nearby for a relaxing getaway from the kiddies. Any recommendations on a place you love, that won't break my bank? --Itchin' for a Vacation
Hi, I am looking for a comfortable, affordable place in Napa/general wine country region for a weekend getaway. Any recommendations? Prefer non ''institutional'' setting. Have already consulted this site's archives. Esther
Re: Romantic Getaway for Couples
For a romantic hotel/B&B you can't beat the Wine Country Inn in
St. Helena, Napa. Fabulous. Pricey, however, esp. on weekends.
JC
We've stayed at the Gravenstein Inn in Sonoma County (it's in Graton, I think). It's lovely and the food is good. Mostly we've stayed there because it's one of the few places that doesn't have a 2-night weekend minimum. There's a swimming pool, too. It's a beautiful renovated house that's easy driving distance to many wineries and Occidental.
I think that you would really enjoy the Country Garden Inn. As I recall it is right on the Silverado Trail. The room we got had both a fireplace and a hot tub in the room. They also have wine and cheese in the afternoon and sherry and dessert in the late evening as well as breakfast the next morning. A bit pricey, but well worth it, I think. Let me know if you go there, what you think.
The property is so completely private, yet all that the Napa Valley has to offer is just a short drive (if you even WANT to leave the property--we didnt' move for 3 days!!) I think if it was raining that would make it even more romantic, so going in the winter shouldn't deter you. By the way, the new Coppola Food and Wine Center is very near by if you decide to venture out; Julia's Kitchen is deliciious.
Good luck and congratulations on your anniversary! Karen
Re: One-Night Get Away for Gals (March 2004)
We stayed in a place many years ago that was okay with a one
night minimum. It's been so long that they may have changed
their policy, but it's worth a try. It was owned by a sweet
couple, so you might even be able to beg them to make an
exception. The other reason I mention it, is because it is
definitely not a ''cuddly bear'' B&B. It's in the hills in Napa
somewhere (maybe Yountville)and has a nice pool and very nice
bungalows. It's called The Hyphen. Have Fun!
Nancy
Re: One-Night Get Away for Gals (March 2004)
I just did this very thing with my best gal-pal--she was visiting
from England and could only spare a night away from her family
obligations in SF. Sonoma Mission Inn (now owned by The
Fairmont) and another hotel in St. Helena were unable/unwilling
to rent a room for one night. The day of our departure I called
THE MEADOWWOOD RESORT in St. Helena, and they were very gracious
and said that they had a one-night availability, that very night.
In fact, two items of note: The girl who manned the phone
offered us the nicest ''suite'' on the property, and when I asked
if she could do better than the $540 room price, she quickly
offered a $350 rate, citing that the room was unlikely to remain
unrented between my call and that evening. (so it might behoove
you to balk at the price)
Meadowwood is rustic elegance. Our room was kind of removed (not within view of the pool or croquette green), had a timbered high ceiling, and a comfy sofa in front of wood-burning fireplace. The room was set up into the trees and had the feel of a treehouse. The bed was a big king bed with Frette sheets. The bathroom was very nice with a curved-wall shower and comfy tub with a built-in lumbar support. The resort is as quiet as a cemetary--likely because the units are set apart from each other. The spa on the grounds is really the only place of ''congestion'' on the whole property (I would advise you to make any massage, facial, pedicure, etc. reservations well in advance of your reservation since the spa traditionally is booked a week in advance). The lap pool went virtually unused, and so Girlfriend and I had the whole pool and jacuzzi to ourselves. There are ample workout machines on the second floor of the spa, and a largely unused, empty workout room with weights, mats, and a tv with VCR (should you want to play/use your own Pilates tape from home, like we did).
You can either eat in town (we did) or eat in the Meadowwood restaurant (we did that, too) with its very green view of the golf course. The food is quite delicious, as well.
My husband and I have stayed at World Class resorts all over the world and were pleased to see that Meadowwood had none of the attitude that upscale resorts sometimes have. The personnel could not have been sweeter.
The experience was really quite blissful and peaceful. I plan to return with my husband, and, possibly, my very obnoxious children who would likely disturb the quietud ENJOY!
On October 17 - 20 my husband has a business meeting in Yountville and spouses/kids are invited to attend. The company is not planning anything for kids to do, so I am wondering what my 2.5 year old daughter and I could do around there while my husband is in meetings. We will have our own car and are willing to drive up to 30 minutes for a fun activity. She wakes around 7 or 8, naps between 1 and 3 and goes to bed between 8:30 and 9, so we would need to be at our hotel in Yountville during sleeping times. -Lisa
Re: Day of pampering for friend's 30th birthday
Try the Napa Wine Train as part of your girls day out. Is is so
much fun. 3 hours on a wine train for just talking and relaxing
with no interruptions. You get a gourmet lunch (or dinner)as
part of the package. Can't seem to find the telephone number at
the moment but the website is www.winetrain.com
Have Fun!
martha
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