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Napa Honeymoons

dream2011dream2011 member
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in California-Napa
Hi Ladies! We are thinking of coming to Napa for our Honeymoon. Does anyone have any good recs for Hotels/Resorts and Wineries they have been to that they love?

Thanks!
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Re: Napa Honeymoons

  • DeLucciDeLucci
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    YES!!  I'm a local so hopefully I can give you a good insiders point of view!!

    HOTELS: (there are the top/most romantic/best stays in the valley in my opinion!)

    The Carneros Inn - Carneros
    Auberge - Rutherford
    Solage - Calistoga
    Harvest Inn - St. Helena
    Meritage - Napa

    Wineries:

    Madonna Estate - small, family owned, organic wines
    Regusci Winery - fantastic red wines
    Chimney Rock - nice reds
    Schramsberg - a MUST tour for a sparkling lover
    Honig - amazing sauvignon blanc
    Sterling - purely for the gondola ride up the mountain to see the views of the valley
    Domaine Carneros - more yummy sparkling!

    Restaurants:
    Bottega - absolutely amazing! make reservations FAR in advance though - they book up!
    Cole's Chop House - yummy steaks
    Oenotri - amazing, authentic Italian food
    Rutherford Grill - a must! if you are going in warm weather sit outside for cocktails before dinner!

    I will keep thinking and post back with more ideas!!  Have an amazing time planning!  It's fantastic here :)
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  • chelseyleruthchelseyleruth member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hi Dream and DeLucci,

    I'm also thinking about honeymooning in Napa so thanks for the recommendations! My FI and I are originally from New Orleans... we're big "foodies" (w/o the snobbiness, hehehe) so Napa seems like a good fit for us. 

    DeLucci -- have you done the wine train? If yes, what's your take on that? Fun or tourist trap? It looks cute on the website, and there are mostly positive reviews on yelp (4 stars overral), but a few negative reviews saying it's too touristy, food is not great, overpriced, etc. 

    Do you have any thoughts on renting a car? We want to avoid driving as much as possible (for safety reasons obviously w/ the tastings), but also just so it will be a more relaxing trip. However, I don't think we could afford a driver to take us out every day. I'm concerned that if we don't have our own car we'll miss out on some of the smaller, more out of the way wineries. 

    Thanks again for your advice!
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  • DeLucciDeLucci
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hi Chelsey!

    If you guys are foodies...Napa is a FANTASTIC choice!!  Along with the restaurants I listed above, Morimoto just opened up a few weeks/a month ago and it is out of this world!!  And I just went to Oenotri last night for a friends birthday dinner - SO awesome!! 

    As for the wine train, I've been on the train a few times before but never just as a passenger...so my perception is a little skewed.  My family has a small winery here in Napa so I went on the train before when the chef (Kelly MacDonald) created dished to match with our wines...they do this every Friday with a different winery in their Champagne Car (I believe that's the name) and it is beyond fun!!  It's a little more pricey than if you are going just as a guest on the regular cars...but in my opinion it is worth it!  You have the chance to learn about a specific winery, how they came about selecting the foods to pair with the wines, etc.  As for the food in general, it's amazing!!  And it's a nice way to see the valley without having to be stuck driving around all day.  But I can def see how some people think it's too touristy...I mean that IS what it's there for...if you really are interested in this perhaps I could help you out...(I'm not sure if it will help, but you might give it a shot!) email Melodie Hilton at melodie.winetrain@gmail.com (I believe that's her current email) and say that Taylor Bartolucci gave you her info...tell her that you are going on your honeymoon and wanted to know if they had any special packages that aren't listed on the website :)  Maybe she can hook you up with something nice! 

    As for renting a car...unfortunately if you really want to have the freedom of seeing the sights and wineries, driving on your own is the best way.  However I do have other options!  There are many tour companies (Napa Valley Wine Country Tours - is one I can think of off the top of my head) that will pick you up at your hotel and take you wine tasting for a day.  You are with a few other people, but it's a nice way to visit smaller wineries and not have to drive or have the burden of renting your own car.  Depending on where you stay, some hotels have shuttles that can take you places as well...

    Let me know if you have any more questions :)
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  • Chelsey504Chelsey504 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks so much! I will get in touch with Melanie and see what she has to say!
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