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From big brands to tiny charmers, Napa's new and reborn hotel offerings are as impressive as its wine scene. Whether you're heading to wine country solo or are looking to book out a restored 19th-century Victorian home with your family and friends, these seven options are among the best hotels in Napa, with seemingly limitless amenities and activities, in addition to stunning decor.
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley
This past November, the Four Seasons opened its Upper Valley doors. It's an easy five-minute ride on one of the hotel's loaner bikes to the town of Calistoga and within walking distance of several wineries. The resort, with 85 modern, almost barnlike rooms that gently nod to Napa's ranching past, has rare double views of the Vaca and Mayacama Mountains. Knockout setting aside, what really sets the Four Seasons Napa Valley apart is that it's located on the Elusa winery, which was developed in partnership with famed local winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. Of course this makes tasting convenient, but it also means that when sitting on your private patio you're just a few feet from rows of Cabernet grapes. Guests can also experience this sort of immersion in the destination—not easy for an international hospitality brand—at Truss Restaurant + Bar. The kitchen has deep ties to nearby purveyors, as evidenced by meticulously sourced dishes like local quail with asparagus and fava beans. This newcomer is a great launchpad for exploring, but you can also stay put and feel pretty great about doing so.
Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection
The Napa Valley has long been associated with wellness thanks to Calistoga, which has been luring pilgrims to its healing waters for over a century. But when Stanly Ranch opens later this winter, it will usher in a new age of self-care. The centerpiece will be Halehouse, a sprawling well-being center with cutting-edge treatments like cryotherapy and a huge, multilevel sauna. The resort, with 78 cottages surrounded by 700 acres of active ranch land, is set just 45 minutes from San Francisco in the southernmost part of the Valley near the border with Sonoma, making it easy to check out both counties' stellar, yet distinct, wine scenes.
Meadowood Napa Valley
A collective sob sounded throughout the hospitality world when parts of this beloved St. Helena resort, including chef Christopher Kostow's three-Michelin-starred restaurant, were consumed by the Glass Fire. But 36 rooms perched on the oak-filled hills reopened this past summer and are as amazing as ever. The hotel has always had strong regional roots; since the late 1970s it's been a gathering place for Napa families who use it like a country club. And today, even though it draws a savvy international set, you're just as likely to see locals at the pool or enjoying a meal. A new restaurant is coming this winter, but in the meantime, Meadowood's serene wooded setting and excellent spa, coupled with its aura of indestructible goodwill, are more than enough.
Dr. Wilkinson's Backyard Resort & Mineral Spa
Anyone who has driven through Calistoga over the last 70 years has likely clocked the hotel's neon sign advertising hot springs and mud baths. This midcentury landmark is fresh off a sassy makeover with offerings that channel its namesake doctor, like arrival prescriptions (essential-oil blends), an updated spa, and rooms that feel more Coachella Valley than Napa (retro mini fridges and pale-pink bathrobes). The new restaurant, House of Better, takes influence from restaurateur Trevor Logan's time in the Southwest, with dishes like roasted green chile flatbread from the wood-fired oven. There are also tasty alcohol-free herbal tonics in case you need an antidote to all the wine-tasting. The hotel skews young and relatively inexpensive, qualities that can be hard to come by in Napa.
The McClelland House and The George
Over the past few years, the town of Napa has come into its own as a destination. For a car-free, totally walkable wine weekend, two lovingly restored 19th-century Victorians have opened just steps apart near the revamped riverfront district. The George is a nine-room Queen Anne on the National Register of Historic Places, while The McClelland House, with six spacious suites, is a Victorian-Italianate mansion. Both are great home bases to explore Oxbow public market, which has outposts of local favorites like Hog Island Oyster Bar, and tasting rooms like Outland and the always fantastic restaurant Angèle.
Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection
New suites, zhuzhed-up guest rooms, and an expanded patio at its beloved Solbar—these are just a few of the changes this Calistoga mainstay made during a recent $30 million renovation. But the most exciting addition might be Picobar, a breezy poolside restaurant with views of the Mayacamas mountains, where Ensenada-born chef Gustavo Rios turns out stunners like whipped avocado with goat cheese, seeds, and edible flowers.
This article appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
