Napa Valley, California is one of our favorite places to visit. We’ve all been lucky enough to experience a Napa trip several times and most recently, Gretchen and Laura traveled there on a “mother/mother-in-law/daughter/daughter-in-law” trip. Fun fact! Gretchen’s mother is Laura’s mother-in-law! We are thrilled to share our favorite places to stay, eat, taste and shop!
Whether you are planning a girls trip, couples trip, or a mother-daughter getaway… we hope this guide will help.
Where We’ve Stayed
The Estate is actually comprised of 3 separate accommodations on a 22-acre property nestled in the middle of beautiful wine country. We stayed at the "Villagio," the biggest of the three options, located on the south side of the property. We loved the hotel. The rooms were lovely and the lobby bar and pool area was always bustling, whether it was at the beautiful breakfast buffet (available each day) or during happy hour. We didn't spa, but were told it was phenomenal. You can read about the other two properties in the link above. This hotel was great for our girls' trip and was within walking distance of French Laundry.
A newer property by Auberge, the grounds here are beautiful. This is great for a couple’s retreat, girl's trip or even a mother/daughter trip. It’s very serene, quiet and peaceful and fits the bill of the "laidback luxury" vibe of the Napa area. If you’re looking for a reset, this is it. The spa is the BEST we’ve been to and the food can’t be beat. We recommend staying in a suite if you can swing it. It’s basically a “tiny house” and the amenities are perfection. The restaurant on property Bear is delicious for lunch and dinner. The resort is located about 10 minutes from downtown Napa.
None of us have stayed here but has been highly recommended by local friends. It’s the closest resort to Sonoma as it’s located in South Napa. This resort offers charming stand alone cottages complete with an al fresco shower as well as a spa and pickle ball courts. This is also great for a couples retreat and relaxed recharging trip.
Where We’ve Eaten
We stopped here on the way into Napa from the airport as well as on the way out! It’s an indoor “market” with several local vendors/grocers and each one is better than the other! We recommend getting the “Tomato Bagel” at Loveski!! It’s a can’t miss! Great for lunch.
A delicious French Bistro located in Downtown Napa. We loved this for dinner on our first night. White tablecloths and great food. Get the crispy artichokes!
A beautiful and relaxing lunch or dinner spot. Sit on the patio if the weather is good. The restaurant has great fare and overlooks the larger grounds with vineyards and a wine cellar. We went for lunch and sat out on the patio. Located North of St. Helena. Don’t miss the Pulled Mozarella appetizer that is an off-the-menu secret! We loved this paired with a Chardonnay rec'd by our server.
This restaurant was gorgeous and is part of the Restoration Hardware home stores we all know. Think: crystal chandeliers and live trees indoors. We recommend for brunch or dinner. Check out the RH Vault, next door, too.
Located right next door to RH, the Wine Vault is a gorgeous outdoor space great to order wine flights of different wines. We stopped here before dinner at RH one night and ordered a few wine flights. It was so fun!
If you're staying at Stanly, this is a no brainer, but we Ubered in for dinner one night and were glad we did. Stop at the bar pre dinner and grab a drink. You can enjoy at a nearby fire pit while awaiting your reservation time. The people watching here was great, as lots of locals come here. Make sure to go at sunset and sit outside if the weather permits.
Tastings (So many options here, but here's what we've done)
Gretchen and her husband did a tasting here and loved it. It was a great experience and offers personal tastings and hiking on the property.
Gretchen and Ryan stopped here one evening before dinner as well wh they stayed at Stanly. A beautiful vineyard offering Napa Pinot and Chardonnay.
Highly recommend this one day! We treated it as our "lunch" as they offer food pairings with the Olive Oils and it was enough food for a lunch. Round Pond makes and sells their own olive oil and it was really fun to see the process and the machines they use. They offer different olive oils and vinegars. The olive oil was absolutely delicious! We all bought some and couldn't wait to drizzle it all over everything when we got home.
Where We Shopped
St. Helena
Napa Valley Vintage Home - a beautiful and unique home goods and clothing store located on the main drag in St. Helena.
Elyse Walker - an upscale boutique with many chic and designer offerings.
Yountville
Alchemy Works - Really cool home goods and clothing.
What to Wear in Napa & Surrounding Areas
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