California Road Trip -- 4th Stop: Carneros Inn (Napa)

The fourth stop on our California road trip was my favorite -- Napa Valley wine country.  Not only was the destination beautiful, the trip along the way was an absolute highlight.  It was a long drive from Santa Barbara up the PCH, so we set out bright and early.  We passed through lush farmland, drove up and down windy mountains with views of rolling ocean waves way down at the bottom of cliffs, stopped in the quaint town of Carmel-by-the-Sea for lunch and detoured through the 17-mile drive, a scenic trip through Pebble Beach.  The drive to Napa alone was worth the trip, but then, upon arrival, we realized that the best is yet to come.

We stayed at the Carneros Inn, recommended by Tablethotels.com, a great website for boutique and unique hotels.  I had high expectations for the Carneros Inn thanks to the helpful and responsive concierge team who helped plan our wine tasting adventure.  Lisa Ross and her concierge team were extremely patient in working with me to develop a day of wine tastings and tours and had great suggestions for a wide range of destinations.  Upon our arrival, we were presented with a full itinerary, which included appointments for a range of wineries (a tour at Pride Mountain, a picnic, tasting and discussion with one of the owners of Schweiger Vineyards and a sparkling wine tasting on the wrap-around balcony at Domaine Carneros).  Of course, we found time for stops at a few others along the way, including Silver Oak and Caymus.

The grounds of Carneros Inn are beautifully manicured, dotted with fruit trees (including a mini apple orchard) and criss-crossed with paths connecting the cottages.  Our cottage was decorated with a modern touch, with a huge bathroom offering both indoor and outdoor showers, and an expansive patio with lounge chairs and a table and chairs for quiet breakfasts or just enjoying the mid-day sun.  Carneros Inn reminded me of a quaint village, with a little market that packed us our picnic lunches and a post office.  We also took advantage of one of the two restaurants (both had plentiful outdoor seating) and relaxed by the infinity pool.  Both the restaurant and pool are situated up on a hill, offering expansive views of the surrounding vineyards and mountains off in the distance. 

We spent our two evenings exploring downtown Napa and Yountville. Both cities have great little shops, art galleries and enough restaurants to keep you full for weeks on end (highly recommend Bottega!).

≈Sadly, we only had two days in Napa.  Five days would have been perfect -- enough time to visit the nearby cities and towns, taste an extensive variety of wines and even spend a day or two just relaxing by the pool or in the spa.  We were already talking about our next trip to Napa on our drive down to San Francisco for the last leg of our trip.