1. Embassy Suites Napa Valley
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 253-9540, (800) 362-2779
Address: 1075 California Boulevard
Description: A group of three-story canary and burgundy buildings, the Embassy Suites offers a nice combination of corporate know-how and Wine Country charm. There are indoor and outdoor pools, wet and dry saunas, swans in the mill pond, and a soaring lobby with terra-cotta tiles and parlor chairs. Every guest unit is a two-room suite with extra pullout sofa, wet bar, and microwave. The tariff includes a full, cooked-to-order breakfast and an afternoon Manager’s Reception with complimentary drinks. The on-site restaurant, Rings, is a steakhouse serving traditional American cuisine.
2. Napa Valley Marriott
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 253-8600, (800) 228-9290
Address: 3425 Solano Avenue
Description: The 274-room hotel (including several suites) is just off Highway 29, north of the Trancas Street/Redwood Road exit. Each room has individual climate control, in-room pay movies, iron and ironing board, a work desk, and voice mail. The Harvest Cafe, specializing in steaks and California vegetables, serves breakfast and dinner; Character’s Sports Bar & Grill serves lunch and cocktails. Amadeus spa offers massages, exfoliations, body treatments, and facials. (See the Web site at www.spame.com.) The Marriott also has a heated outdoor pool and Jacuzzi, lighted tennis courts, and a fitness center.
3. Hilton Garden Inn
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 252-0444, (877) STAY-HGI
Address: 3585 Solano Avenue
Description: Designed for business and leisure travelers, this 80-room hotel has all the amenities you expect from a Hilton property. All rooms (and 18 suites) have refrigerators, microwaves, and coffeemakers. Each room features an ergonomic Herman Miller chair at a large work desk, and the on-site business center is available 24 hours a day. The location has easy access to Highway 29, too.
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Address: 1815 Silverado Trail
5. Napa River Inn
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 251-8500, (877) 251-8500
Address: 500 Main Street
Description: When the historic Napa Mill and Hatt Building were renovated along the Napa River in 2000, this hotel was the result. It offers luxury accommodations in 58 guest rooms and suites in various themes—from nautical to “California rustic” to vintage 1800s. All rooms feature large TVs, refrigerators, and in-room coffee. Many rooms have fireplaces, river views, and balconies. (Rumor has it this hotel is haunted, but in a good way.) A full-service spa is nearby for use by guests, and restaurants and shops are handy right next door in the refurbished Hatt Market building. Pets are welcome here for $25 per night and treated as VIPs. All rooms are nonsmoking.
6. Wine Valley Lodge
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 224-7911, (800) 696-7911
Address: 200 South Coombs Street
Description: South of downtown Napa, close to Highway 121, the mission-style lodge has 54 guest rooms including deluxe suites suitable for families. There is a heated pool in the motor court and complimentary continental breakfast with Belgian waffles. Ask about the photos of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe in the breakfast room.
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Address: 1600 Soscol Avenue
8. Best Western Inn At The Vines
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 257-1930, (877) 846-3729
Address: 100 Soscol Avenue
Description: Best Western offers few surprises, which is probably why it’s one of America’s most popular chains. The Napa version has 68 rooms, including 8 suites. All rooms have cable TV and refrigerators. There is a heated pool and spa, a meeting room for up to 50 people, and a 24-hour Denny’s restaurant on the property. This is a nonsmoking hotel.
9. Hawthorn Inn & Suites
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 226-1878, (800) 527-1133
Address: 314 Soscol Avenue
Description: One of Napa’s newer hotels is this 60-room, three-story structure that focuses on comfort, with a nod to business travelers. The rooms have high-speed Internet access, irons and ironing boards, microwaves, refrigerators, and executive chairs with oversize desks. Business services, a daily newspaper, a hot breakfast buffet, and a boardroom for meetings are also available. The deluxe suites have in-room spa tubs. Vacationers who like a little exercise will appreciate the hotel’s swimming pool and spa, as well as the fitness center.
10. Travelodge
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (866) 520-5948
Address: 853 Coombs Street
Description: If location is everything, the Travelodge has it all. The downtown Napa locale puts you in close proximity to shopping and restaurants, and it’s four blocks from the Wine Train depot (see the Getting Here, Getting Around chapter). The 45-room motel, recently renovated and upgraded, has a heated pool, and each unit comes with a two-line phone with a fax port, individual air-conditioning, and Italian marble vanities.
11. Chardonnay Lodge
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 224-0789
Address: 2640 Jefferson Street
Description: The lodge offers convenient Napa centrality and beds of various proportions. The 20 rooms are air-conditioned and have phones and cable TV. Renovated in 2007, the rooms are decorated in wine themes. There’s a vineyard and a rose garden, along with topiary trees and iron benches for watching the world go by.
12. The John Muir Inn
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 257-7220, (800) 522-8999
Address: 1998 Trower Avenue
Description: I can’t imagine John Muir, the naturalist who wandered through the Sierra Nevada range, staying here at the intersection of Trower Avenue and Highway 29. But the inn that bears his name is a solid midprice choice with a courtyard swimming pool and whirlpool spa, conference room, 24-hour front desk, and free continental breakfast. About one-quarter of the 60 rooms have kitchenettes, and some have wet bars or private spas. Children 13 and younger stay free. The entire property is a smoke-free environment.
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Address: 485 Brown Street
14. Cedar Gables Inn
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 224-7969, (800) 309-7969
Address: 486 Coombs Street
Description: Chances are, you’ve never seen a house like this one. Designed by British architect Ernest Coxhead in 1892, it’s an immense, brown-shingled home that you might expect to find on an estate in England’s Cotswolds. In fact, the feeling here is decidedly masculine, making it a logical choice for people who begin whining when they hear the expression “bed-and-breakfast.” Cedar Gables’ nine guest rooms are sizable and brimming with period antiques. The Churchill Chamber, originally the master bedroom used by Edward and Alice Churchill, has a walnut-encased whirlpool tub to match the fireplace. Several of the rooms have old coal-burning fireplaces, converted to gas. Breakfast is served either at the long, formal dining room table or cafe-style in the adjacent sun room.
15. Inn On Randolph
City: Napa, CA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (707) 257-2886, (800) 670-6886
Address: 411 Randolph Street
Description: This modest, tasteful inn is on a quiet street in a neighborhood of historic homes. The main house, an 1860 Gothic revival Victorian, has five rooms with seasonal themes (the fifth is called Equinox). Spring, for example, boasts intricate flowers painted on the walls and ceiling, and Autumn features a handcrafted bent-willow canopy bed. Five more expensive rooms are in cottages dating from the 1930s. All of the cottages and some of the main-house rooms have gas fireplaces and two-person whirlpool tubs; some have private decks. Roses line the front walk, and the gardens are flanked by a common deck, a gazebo, and hammocks. The Inn on Randolph serves a full breakfast, and in-room massage can be arranged.