The idyllic Northern California valley, adorned with expansive, well-tended vineyards and over 400 wineries reminiscent of both Old World European castles and sleek, modern glass-and-steel estates, unfolds like a fairytale or a scene from a Hallmark movie. George C. Yount, a farmer and fur trapper who planted the first grapes in 1839 (and whom Yountville was named after), transformed the region, located just an hour north of San Francisco, into a premier destination for esteemed vintners and renowned chefs like Thomas Keller and Masaharu Morimoto.
Spanning 15 towns, from the lively downtown Napa to the laid-back Sonoma, Wine Country has become a sought-after travel spot for honeymooners, groups of friends, and families alike. Recently, downtown Napa has experienced a significant surge in popularity, marked by the emergence of numerous tasting rooms (around 50 in the city alone), specialty shops, restaurants, and expanded retail establishments within the past year or two. Additionally, longtime San Francisco residents and Bay Area tech professionals have made the move north, exchanging hectic lifestyles, parking challenges, and exorbitant rents for a quieter, more rural existence.
For those planning a visit, Napa offers a diverse range of accommodations catering to every type of traveler. Whether it’s a boutique hotel transformed from a former stagecoach stop near downtown, or an eco-luxury property in Yountville paying homage to its original Italian-born owners, there is something for everyone. Here, we present the top 15 resorts and hotels in Napa Valley.
Purchased in 2001 by siblings Joe and Catherine Bartolomei, fifth-generation Sonomans with deep family ties to the region, the 84-acre inn exudes a charming, storybook-like allure. Featuring 25 country-chic rooms surrounded by lush gardens, the retreat includes a Wellness Barn offering facials and bathing rituals using locally sourced botanicals, a Michelin-starred restaurant, an outdoor swimming pool, and a house car for excursions to nearby wineries and art galleries. During the nightly wine hour, guests can savor wines from handpicked local vintners, and after dinner, they can indulge in complimentary s’mores kits for roasting marshmallows to perfection by an outdoor firepit.
