Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Trip to Calistoga, Napa Valley



"Harvest time will be early this year," said Philip as he poured coffee into my cup. Alan and I were about to have breakfast al fresco, taking in the view of the rows of vineyards before us.

"If you look at the vines closely, you will see that the grapes are already starting to sprout," he added.


Every year, Alan and I make an effort to go someplace new for our wedding anniversary. My pick for this year was a bed & breakfast highly recommended by my brother. 
Chateau de Vie in Calistoga, Napa Valley offers a refreshing break from the heat as well as the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas.

Accommodations

It's a three-story house with 4 rooms in the middle level. I believe the top floor housed the suite. Upon entering, you are welcomed with soothing urban music -- reminiscent of modern hotels and resorts. (This one reminded me of the music for Skylofts at MGM Grand). Dominating the walls were posters with Diego Rivera's art. Philip, the main host and one of the chateau's proprietors, greeted us and led us to our room.

Our bedroom was decent size with a four-poster bed, a comfortable armchair next to a reading lamp, a tall dresser...but no television. That made me sing Handel's Messiah in my head. But I swore to my husband, the TV addict, that I had no idea they wouldn't have any TVs in their guestrooms. I'm surprised he didn't mind and in fact, he had a really relaxing time just reading and napping during our stay. I love quiet time and hardly ever turn a TV on, so this was perfect for me.

The bathroom was just as nice with L'Occitane amenities. Outside our bathroom window was another breath-taking view of the vineyards. Imagine how much fun it was to just brush your teeth while looking out this window!

Downstairs were the main living room, main dining and kitchen areas. The parlor had sofas and ample-sized armchairs conducive for reading. Bookshelves lined one end of the room. Opposite that were French doors that led outside to a deck area with bistro sets and patio furniture. This is where they served breakfast. This backyard area overlooked the surrounding vineyards -- some of which are owned by Chateau de Vie. (One should never miss the opportunity to taste their excellent Cabernet Sauvignon.)

Beyond the deck is the pool area. The Jacuzzi tub is enclosed in a gated section and past that, a small lap pool. Everything seemed to be just the right size. Understated yet never lacking.


Breakfast

Breakfast was served at 9 am. Unlike other B&Bs, this one had several smaller tables where guests and their own parties can dine in private as opposed to dining altogether at a common table. There's nothing wrong with socializing with others except when you're on vacation, sometimes you prefer alone time. 
For starters, we had delicious scones. I never thought about having them for breakfast. I always thought scones were reserved for afternoon tea. (By the way, Philip published the famous recipe in his newsletter.) Next, we had strata with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes. Fabulous! After breakfast, we took up Philip's suggestion of taking a walk through their vineyards. The photograph at the top of this page shows the mini grapes already starting to sprout. I made Alan put his hand next to it to give the viewer a better sense of its size. "Beautiful" is probably an adjective too common to describe this place, but I can't think of any word more apropos.


Around Calistoga and Napa Valley 
Driving around this town is enough for a wonderful adventure. The different wineries alone such as Opus One is a must see. The building structure at the center of the property reminds me of Aztec architecture. The surrounding acres of vineyards seem to stretch as far as your eyes can see.The one curious thing Alan noticed with some vineyards is that a rose bush grew in front of each row of vines. We asked Philip about this and he said there are two schools of thought: one (which is his favorite) is that it is a symbol of celebrating the fruit of the vine...the very essence of Napa Valley...and the romanticism of it all. The other (the more scientific explanation) is to protect the vines. If bugs were to attack the plants, the bugs would go after the roses first.

~ dates of stay: May 18 - 19, 2008

6 comments:

cara said...

My Husband and I took a biplane ride for our wedding anniversary. It was so much fun! We got to ride in an open air cockpit and the plane flies so slow, it's almost like you are gliding. We went to an airstrip in Carlsbad and flew over the ocean and down the coast. I highly recommend this! For the more adventuresome you can even do a loop! Check out: www.barnstormingcom
Cara

Quentin Tarantado said...

My marriage (all 4 abortive years of it) probably didn't give me a chance to celebrate any wedding anniversary. I can't remember any memorable events, heh. In any case, I saw your wish list, I'd like to freely suggest some more things you can do (and you can freely not do them, of course)
1) Take a ride to supersonic speed in a MIG 25 jet fighter (in Russia)
You'll have to google how to do this.
http://www.flymig.com/aircraft/
http://www.rusad.com/index.asp?id=115
2) Go to Antarctica
(Don't wimp out and go to the north pole, try the SOUTH pole, coldest continent in the world!)
List of travel agencies that do this:
http://apps.iaato.org/iaato/directory/
3) Go to space. Only $200,000 (cheep)
http://www.virgingalactic.com/

Jennifer said...

Donna, This is GREAT fun! Bob and I love wine country and have been many times. Our next adventure is Fiji. I'll tell you all about it in August.

Jennifer

Curious Adventurer said...

More comments from friends...

[translated] verrry good. I'll join you in getting a massage in phuket and staying in a tuscan villa, pass on white river rafting and hot air balloon haha.. why pay to get scared...
~ George

You're a great storyteller, I was imagining all the details. It was a great 3-min. getaway from the busy day! I love Diego Rivera. I visited the house he had when he was married to Frida Kahlo in Mexico City , today it’s a museum. You can learn lots about Mexican political history just looking at his painting and murals.
~ Adri

I love it. I'm envious of your Mexico pic. I wish I could take a sip of tequila in Mexico. I too love to travel. It's the best! Did tequila remind you of the days when we used to drink and get drunk? You would drive home and I would ride with rene and we could see your car swerving. Those were fun days!
~ Mitzi

Great blog! Is there a way I can sign up so that I can read it regularly? Belated happy anniversary also to you and Alan!
~ Richie

Unknown said...

I am looking for best places to stay in Calistoga to get idea to write article about it and post in my blog california hotel information

Curious Adventurer said...


Hi Goto Inca - There are several lovely places to stay in Calistoga and this B&B is just one of them. There are also several restaurants and wineries to explore in the area. Please see my other posts about Napa Valley: (1) Whispering Walls and (2) Napa Valley: An Encore. Thanks for visiting my blog. ~curiousadventurer

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