Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NAPA COUNTY
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A relatively new owner has injected a large measure of quaintness into the
19-room
Chardonnay Lodge
55
(2640 Jefferson St., Napa;
%
707/224-0789;
www.chardonnaylodge.net; AE, DC, MC, V),
where each room has its own person-
ality, some an inoffensive modern hotel style and others gussied up with things
like throw pillows and, in some rooms, murals on an Italian theme. Although the
building is an old motel, units are very well-maintained and have been recently
renovated, and someone is paying a lot of attention to the flowers growing all
around the yard. I wouldn't want to squeeze a whole family into one of the rooms,
but for couples, it works well, and the free bottled water and snacks are a nice
touch for the sensational price: $85 for a queen-size bed (these rooms go first, so
book early), $98 for a king, and $110 for a room with two double beds, which
is
big enough for families. The rose garden is several cuts above the kind of perks
you get for a place this cheap. When it's busy, prices may go up about 40%. Of
the motels around here, this is my top choice.
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Or perhaps you'd prefer a nice Chablis? The two-story
Chablis Inn
5
(3360
Solano Ave., Napa;
%
800/443-3490 and 707/257-1944; www.chablisinn.com;
AE, MC, V)
is another motel-style accommodation very much like the Chardonnay:
Simple, nothing fancy, but updated and clean in a way that proves owners are pay-
ing attention, and at a price that other places in town refuse to beat: $130 to $159
in the high season. Like the wine Chablis, it's a very satisfactory, cheaper substitute
for something fancier and more expensive, and it does the trick. There's a cloistered
pool/patio area with a hot tub, and rooms have mini-fridges, but its location, too
close to the hubbub of Highway 29, brings it down just a notch for me.
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A cute wooden building on the main street of town,
Calistoga Inn
Restaurant & Brewery
55
(1250 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga;
%
707/942-4101;
www.calistogainn.com; AE, MC, V )
has one thing against it and one big one going
for it. The negative is that its 18 rooms are above a popular local restaurant and
brewpub run by the same folks. The place doesn't rage—places that charge $26
per plate generally don't—but some people may be annoyed by the nightly
(Mar-Nov) live music on its patio. Me, I join in. The positive news is the extreme
low price: $75 weeknights/$100 weekends November through March; $89/$139
April through October. That gets you a clean, bright room with fresh furniture
and an in-room sink, but with a shared bathroom down the hall—one bathroom
for men and another for women. It also puts you smack on the homey main drag
of Calistoga, one of the most charming streets in the area.
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Another very simple motel that sets itself apart by being new and clean, if
unexciting, the
Napa Valley Hotel and Suites
(853 Coombs St., Napa;
%
707/
226-1871; www.napavalleyhotelandsuites.com; AE, DC, MC, V)
is a Travelodge in
downtown Napa, making finding food easy, and it's not very far from COPIA
(p. 259), a lavish center where food and wine experts speak and hold demonstra-
tions every day, should that be something you want to follow up on. For $129
(double bed) to $149 (king bed), you get a place where the conveniences of the
boutique-filled downtown are all within a quick stroll, although that also comes
with the feeling that, well, you're downtown. There's a pool, and the three-story
motel is built in a courtyard form around it.
