A few weeks ago, when I was up in Napa for the business retreat, we decided to spend one more night in the area un"wine"ding and carrying out a post-retreat-retreat. We ended up staying at one of the most serene and comfortable places I've had the luxury of staying at and it proved to be the perfect antidote for the exhaustion that followed the weekend.
We stayed at The Inn at Carneros in Napa, CA and left the next day feeling refreshed, restored and ready to embark on the 7 hour drive home. Woot woot! After our departure, I considered the stay to be more of a recon mission of sorts because I now have serious plans to go back and take full advantage of the array of activities that the resort facilitates, both on property and off. I would also like to state for the record that Napa is perfection.
This was my first trip to the Napa area and I maintained a wistful feeling of needing to live there, throughout the entire weekend. The town of Yountville, located within Napa County, is any consumption connoisseur's Disneyland and everything within the greater Napa County seems to be bursting with life and beauty in a homegrown yet curated kind of way (does that make any sense??). Some of the world's best restaurants are quaintly tucked into this perfectly picturesque setting and many of these Michelin rated restaurants have their own farm in the back where they grow fresh ingredients and truly embody farm to table in a way like no other! The whole area felt a bit surreal to me and I was able to indulge my Parent Trap circa LiLo mind wanderings as we cruised down the main drag of town like we had no where to be.
The resort itself was an extension of this clean, simple, fresh beauty with the infusion of a modern farm feel. They have constructed the entire property to feel a little town/neighborhood with each guest staying in their own little cottage (with a private backyard!).
The end result causing a semi-utopian feel. There is a general store/market on the premises that will pack any variety of picnic for you. One of the restaurants, The Boon Fly Cafe is in this bright red farm house and serves up the most delicious donuts for breakfast (speaking from personal experience).
There is another restaurant, the Hilltop Dining Room that is aptly named, as it sits upon a hill overlooking acres of vines. I did not have the pleasure of dining here but... I will. Someday.
However, I can attest, The Farm Restaurant at Carneros is amazing... Spectacularly appointed and scrumptious fare. We were sat near the fireplace and for some inexplicable reason, were still a bit chilly so the manager brought us these faux fur blankets.
From that moment on, I was sold. Actually scratch that, from the minute we checked in and they offered us complimentary wine and chocolates, I was sold. And then before we went to dinner and they came for turndown service and brought us more chocolate (this time chocolates filled with a salted caramel creme), I was goner. The blankets were just the "creme de la creme," if you will :). We also had a fireplace in our room and a shower that was both indoor and outdoor (see below). The property is teeming with activities which include bocce ball courts, firepits, complimentary bikes, affiliate relationships with several nearby wineries that you can take the bikes to along with a picnic you can get from the market on site. The pools are spectacular, of course there is a spa and the dining options leave no room for wanting more.
All in all, I'm classifying it as a "Highly Recommend" and am recommending first and foremost, that I go back ASAP. Yes, that is my official expert prescription.
