Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
$$-$$$
More motel-style accommodation, renovated to a Wine Country-
appropriate standard, can be found at
Golden Haven
(1713 Lake St., Calistoga;
%
707/942-8000; www.goldenhaven.com; AE, MC, V),
which, like Wilkinson's, is
a mid-20th century motel (built at a time when Napa County didn't have much
going for it) that now doubles as a spa, so mineral pools come as part of the pack-
age. Its fanciest room, at $165 to $219, comes with a whirlpool fed by natural
springs (it's within reach of the bed, so no horseplay), but the way to save the most
here is to take a room on the second floor of the building—they cost $99/$135
versus $135/$169 for the larger rooms on the first floor. But since that $40 a
night you save upstairs could buy you an unforgettable dinner in these parts, is
having a dressing area really that important? Check out the specials on its website;
many dates, it's possible to score a couples' mud bath plus a room for $99—a
fantastic deal considering the bath alone is $75.
$$$
The homey rooms at the two-story
Inn on Randolph
5
(411 Randolph St.,
Napa;
%
800/670-6886; www.innonrandolph.com; AE, DC, MC, V),
in downtown
Napa, are everything you imagine a B&B room might be when it's in an old
wooden home like this one is. The appeal of historic downtown Napa—boutiques,
restaurants, gold-rush-era buildings—is right outside the front door. Rates start at
$139 for two of the rooms, called “Spring” and “Summer,” but $189 is the usual
starting point (the “Summer” room is better—it has a little private deck), so you
have to book early to get the lowest prices. There are private baths and breakfast is
big, but there are no TVs. Three cute cottages line its garden, and they can be
rented, too, but for prices that start another $100 higher.
$$$
The rooms could use some updating, but for the price, I'm satisfied with
Calistoga Spa Hot Springs
(1006 Washington St., Calistoga;
%
866/822-5772 or
707/942-6269; www.calistogaspa.com)
because its rooms, which aren't luxury,
have little kitchens with fridges, cooktops, and dishes and utensils. Given that it's
in Calistoga where thermo spas are cool, there are also four pools of varying sizes
and temperatures, and mud baths are administered. Rooms are usually around
$135, and the motel is fairly convenient to Healdsburg, in Sonoma County, via
the Alexander Valley.
DINING FOR ALL TASTES
Food is everywhere in the Wine Country. Affordable food isn't. This is a place
where even a deli sandwich costs upwards of $8. Let it also not be forgotten that
some of the finest and most expensive tables on Earth (such as Yountville's
$200/meal French Laundry, where nights book up months in advance) are located
here—that's the playing field. It's obvious you could use a little help finding a deli-
cious sit-down meal.
If it's fancy foods you crave, my strongest suggestion is to grab tastes of fine
meats and cheeses not as table-service meals, but at one of the many upscale gro-
ceries scattered around the two counties (I round up a few of the best in the box
on p. 232). Nibbling your way across the vineyards is perhaps not only the cheap-
est way to see them, but also the most fun, and this style of eating affords you the
widest exposure to interesting flavors grown and made in the valleys. Restaurants
serve $25 cheese-sampler plates, sure, but you can buy the same stuff for yourself
for half that. All you'll be missing is the wine pairing suggestions.
