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A Winter Escape to Napa and the New Senza Hotel

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Have that after the holidays blahs? Need a little getaway to look forward to?  It may not have crossed your mind right now, but its’s a perfect and slightly quieter time to visit the gorgeous Napa Valley. The weather is mild, mostly sunny and the slower pace during the winter months makes it a sweet  escape for a bit of relaxation, pampering and sun.
I was invited to visit the beautiful new Senza Hotel that opened last fall in Napa. Our Christmas break was an unusual time for us to go to wine country, but it couldn’t have been better. I loved it.  This was the scene above on a Friday at Domain Carneros, a super spot to sip bubbly and take in the views, and appreciate being a Californian in winter! It was a quick stop on our way to check out Senza and also visit another favorite, Merryvale Winery in Saint Helena. 

I was excited to introduce my husband Max to some of the places I got to on my girl’s getaway to Napa last April.
Besides Domaine Carneros, Merryvale was one I knew he would like. I love Merryvale’s wines! I also love the Schlatter family that runs the winery who are gracious and welcoming. I went to buy my favorite Sauvignon Blanc, but also ended up with the Silhouette Chardonnay which was special, fabulous and something I am now hoarding for a special occasion!!

Jason, a guide in the tasting room was wonderful and we learned more about the recent harvests, reds and had so much fun. We also shopped a bit as the Schlatter’s sell some authentic Swiss products as a nod to their heritage.


Good friends of ours also happened to be up in the area wine tasting, so they joined us at the winery. Sue’s husband Mark is a boutique winemaker in his spare time, so they know about wine. They both really loved Merryvale as well.

We both ended up buying one of these darling button ornaments! A lot of cute gifts, cookbooks and fun things as well as great wine are at Merryvale.

Merryvale is easy to find, right across from Gotts Roadside. Gott’s is a fun place to grab a burger or taco and have lunch outdoors between wine tasting. We had lunch and walked across the road over to Merryvale.

After Merryvale and lunch, we drove back towards Napa and checked in to Senza.  

Senza is charming with vine-covered shingled buildings set among vineyards and a pretty pool.

The room exceeded expectations!  It was gorgeous, spacious, modern, yet cozy, which ticks all my boxes. Our suite had a small desk, sitting area, fireplace, and mini kitchenette with Keurig and refrigerator.

They did an excellent job of choosing pretty colors and luxe materials in furnishing the rooms. Love the taupe and soft blues combo.
Our room was on the lower floor, but had a spacious patio that had doors for privacy or opened to the pool and grassy area a few steps away. The upper floors had views of the surrounding area and in the morning you could see hot air balloons!
The baths were huge, bright with heated stone floors.

I loved that feature and the spacious two headed shower.

After unpacking we sat in the jacuzzi for a bit before the very nice nightly wine and cheese reception Senza holds by their fireplace or outside on the terrace from 6-7.

Dinner was at Archetype, in Saint Helena. I am obsessed with this place.
Everything about Archetype is perfect to me. I love the menu, the food, fun cocktails and of course the pretty decor with it’s darling little wicker couches and tiny lamps.
The bar is beautiful and they offer a lot of hot teas as well in pretty pots. I tried the Dr Ann cocktail which was bergamot infused gin, lemon and raspberry foam. Amazing! To be fair though, the food is what will knock your socks off. 
We collapsed in our super comfy beds back at Senza and woke up to an seriously beautiful breakfast buffet in the cozy lounge. First I snuck in a little reading and coffee by our fire. So cozy!
Besides an oatmeal bar, yogurt, fruit, cheeses and meats, coffee, teas and juices, they offer pastries and bread from world-famous Bouchon Bakery in nearby Yountville. 
  Of course we had to partake of the Bouchon goodies. They had their amazing bread to toast too. If you believe it, these are even better than they look. Now I know why people line up around the block to buy them. I haven’t had anything like this since I was in Belgium. They were light and not overly sweet as American pastries tend to be. They also had a savory leek and mushroom versions. Wow!

One of the hot-air balloons floating by..

Senza also has charging for electric cars, which is really nice. Above is the Parker mansion the historic part of the hotel which has some lovely suites and rooms.
I loved everything about Senza. They are big on all the details and I love that about a hotel. Don’t miss an opportunity to check it out before the busy season in Napa.
Senza is located between Napa and Yountville which makes it an easy base to explore the Napa Valley from. Winter is a great time to get special rates and deals and there are some fun packages right now that include couples massages and even a hot air balloon ride. Perhaps a fun Valentines getaway?
Kim
A media rate was generously provided for my Senza stay, but all opinions expressed are my own as always on this blog.
Photos northerncalstyle 

Getaways- A Girl’s Guide to the Napa Valley

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Every girl needs a weekend away, preferably a few weekends a year. It helps to keep her sanity by reconnecting with friends, and getting away from the home drudgery.

I highly recommend the Napa Valley for a girl’s getaway. It’s got everything I look for in a respite – a beautiful location, spots to relax and explore, as well as wonderful places to shop and eat. Add to that, the best wineries in the world, and you’ve got it all.

So let me share a little more of our Blogger’s in Napa Valley trip and, and give you some great spots to get to and tips for planning your own little getaway as well.

1. Pick a hotel that is a vacation in itself. A hotel with lovely bedding, modern rooms, a lively bar and  restaurant is a great choice. A terrace for alfresco drinks and chat is always a nice feature too.  The Andaz Napa that I wrote about in my previous post was perfection! I couldn’t think of a better spot and highly recommend it for a ladies weekend.

2. Meet up for lunch! Our meet up spot was Redd in Yountville. Redd has amazing food and one of the largest and chicest patios to enjoy a lunch. A little chilled white wine and fabulous risotto, made this a perfect kick off to our 2 days!

3. Explore and Shop. As Redd is located in the charming small hamlet of Yountville, we had a lovely walk after lunch and made it to the V Marketplace , a beautiful spot to do some shopping while you are in Yountville. They have the flagship NapaStyle store, which has it’s own cafe and market. There are many fun shops here, but our main target was to get to the Montecristi Panama Hat Store, which is the ultimate cute hat destination.

First let me say if you think you can’t wear hats or don’t look good in them, you haven’t tried one of their Panama hats. They are unlike anything you can find in most retail stores. They are made in Ecuador and feel wonderful on. They are light as a feather and don’t flatten your hair either. The brims are flat in front and tip just perfectly up in back so you get that jaunty look just popping it on.

I have worn my hat a ton since buying and want a natural color one next.

I highly recommend a stop there. It’s the perfect souvenir from Napa and will protect your skin while you enjoy all the outdoor time at so many of the beautiful wineries. Luckily, Adrienne knew the darling owners, Mercedes and her daughter Carolina, who were on hand to help us all find the perfect hat. Do you know how much fun hat shopping is?

We adored these sweet ladies and all the lovely goods they sell. They have a treaure trove of styles,  not just Panamas. Adrienne got a large hat for a Derby party and there are even handbags like Mulberry, from the U.K.

A few steps from their hat store they also own Scents of Napa Valley, a purveyor of beautiful bath and bed items. Everything from Turkish towels to luxe bath soaks, soaps and pretty robes is here. It’s just the place to find a gift to bring home to someone or perhaps yourself. I was actually in love with the floral sheet sets they carry here from England. Really unique things.

After the excitement of meeting up and a fun night on our hotel’s lovely patio, we turned in to grab a few winks before our day out wine tasting. We didn’t have to worry about which of us was to drive or what maps to follow. We had our driver Mike coming for us at 9:30, to begin our adventure.

4. Hire a driver so you can relax and enjoy a day of Napa Valley with a expert guide. This was my first experience doing Napa with a driver and I highly recommend it. It takes the stress out of navigating the roads and worrying about driving while wine tasting.  A good driver is essentially a guide who has a lot of knowledge about what wineries are worth visiting and other unique places to do lunch and more.

The five of us with our trusty guide and driver Mike, who we adored.

We were fortunate to have Mike Johnson of Napa Valley Tours and Transportation as our driver and knowledgeable guide. We knew two of the stops we wanted to make and he recommended a few others that we would have never known about with just a wine country map. It was lovely to step into his air-conditioned Suburban after each stop. He carried and stowed our purchases, patiently watched our bags we left behind, guided us in and out elegantly of our car, and plied us with bottles of cold water as the day progressed. He was a gentleman in all ways and I can’t imagine going again with friends and not hiring him. He also is a gifted photographer. You can see his great pics of the Napa Valley if you follow him on Instagram. This is even more affordable if you have a group of ladies to split the tab. It’s worth doing.

6. Start with a little bubbly. On this trip we commenced with a stop at the glamorous and panoramic Domain Carneros. This visit was planned for us by the brilliant Charlotte Milan whose company C. Milan Communications, does public relations in the wine country and San Francisco. We first got a tour of the gorgeous Chateau and then sat with a stunning view of surrounding vineyards.

It’s fun to learn more about what you are tasting and the knowledgeable Sean Donaghue gave us a crash course in bubbles. We learned about their organic sparkling wines, the difference in bubble sizes, and Methode Champenoise, and what that means.

Umm, why yes I’ll take the one on the right!

During this we tried many of their special vintages while enjoying cheese, fruit and nuts. Why can’t learning always be this fun? Domaine Carneros makes organic varietals, which were some of the best we tasted. I personally loved that Domaine has 350 acres of organic vineyard, and a fantastic reputation of energy sustainability and green practices. Very cool!

Domain Carneros also makes Pinot Noir and we were fortunate to meet their Pinot Noir winemaker,  TJ Evans. You could tell he was passionate about everything from the smell in the vineyards to each step of the Pinot Noir process.  TJ has a fascinating background in wine and we wish we had more time with him.

The Pinot from Domaine was some of the best I have ever tasted.  I especially liked their organic Pinot, The Famous Gate. I had no idea they had such a reputation for their Pinot as well as their bubbly. After languishing as long as we could at the lovely view, we popped in the Chateau to buy our bottles to take home. It was tough to choose. The shop holds many cute things to bring home here.

7. Take a winery tour and visit a vineyard. Our next stop, Pine Ridge Vineyards, on the famous Silverado Trail, offers many different types of tours and has it’s own Stag’s Leap vineyard adjacent to the tasting room. Our visit included a walk through the barrel room, the deep wine caves and we even got to sip while we walked through the vineyards.  I have never done that in all the years I’ve wine tasted. A great experience for sure.

Pine Ridge was a perfect stop to learn more about wine production. The caves here are like fingers and they have a spot for special dinners and tastings with pretty lighting along with art like this beautiful Dale Chihuly piece.

 Pine Ridge is famous for it’s special Cabernet Sauvignon and it also makes excellent Chardonnay and Rose. I brought home a bottle of the Rose for Summer pool parties and I wish I bought more. It’s really something special.

Pine Ridge has tours for all interests and if you haven’t done this, it’s a lot of fun.

8. Visit a historic winery,  try an olive oil tasting, or have your lunch at a winery.  The historic and most beautiful Merryvale Vineyards, in St Helena, was one of my favorite stops.  Merryvale, was the first winery opened after prohibition ended and it has one of the most stunning historic cask rooms. It’s property couldn’t be better located right in the heart of St Helena. It’s an easy walk to lunch or you can do one of their artisanal cheese and wine parings which are at 11:30 daily by reservation.

We were fortunate that day to be treated to lunch by Charlotte who has Merryvale as a client. The delicious Gotts (amazing burgers, tacos and more), is right across from Merryvale.  We were able to lunch on the veranda of the old schoolhouse, which is part of this historic property. It gave us an opportunity to chat with the gracious Laurence Schlatter, who with her husband Remy and his family, own this pretty winery.

Laurence was so charming and fun. She and her lovely family, are Swiss, and run this winery like their personal home.

Their Merryvale Chardonnay was my favorite and I also love the Sauvignon Blanc. Another must try here is their famous Profile wine, which is a proprietary blend Bordeaux. Amazing! They make other wines as well, many of which are only sold at the winery. If this isn’t enough, there is also olive oil to taste and purchase. It makes a super souvenir to bring home. There is something for everyone here.

I adored Merryvale. The wines were sublime, and you won’t see a historic cask room with 2,000 gallon, 100 year old casks like this anywhere. To see a selection of wine experiences available or reserve a tour when you visit find it here. You can even reserve the room for special dinners and events. I can imagine what a magical evening it would be with all the candles glowing!

9. Stop at a small batch producer. Thanks to our trusty driver and guide Mike, we ended our day with one more stop at a very tiny, but special winery Bolen Family Estates, which specializes in Merlot. Did you know Merlot has made a huge comeback? I didn’t know it has returned in a big way and is very in-demand.
The owner, another Mike, is from Missouri. He loved visiting wine country and had a dream of one day moving here and making his own. Amazingly, he started by renting part of the wine cave he now owns, and having his son learn winemaking by neighboring winemaker in this Dry Creek area of Napa. Somehow, it all fell into place and Mike was eventually able to buy the cave and the vineyard and they now produce some of the best Merlot ever tasted. 
Bolen’s Wine Cave and a vineyard growing above.
 Mike Bolen produces a limited amount of no more than 500 cases per year, which allows him to really craft this wine from start to finish. His difficulty now is keeping up with the huge demand. He gets calls from all over the world from devotees of his wines to ship more. In fact, right before we visited he had just returned from Washington D.C., where one of his customers flew him out with his wines for a personal wine tasting for their friends!
What was a real blast here, was barrel tasting. Mike let us sip a bit from each vintage of his Merlots, straight from the barrels. He explained why some are still very fruity and others are mellowing as they go. In the end, when they are ready, they mix some that are aged in new oak with some that are aged in older oak barrels. This mix, that the family passes around and tastes until they hit the perfect note, makes for his mind-blowing wine. 
How often do you get to sit down with a winemaker and do a tasting?  We were getting a little silly, it was our last stop!
I splurged for a 2010, that still needs to age a while. The other girls bought the 2009 vintage that was ready now. All can be stored a decade or more. The bottles themselves were beautiful and so heavy they could be used for home security if you are able to control yourself from drinking right off! 😀

This stop was just so special. Mike Bolen is one of those guys who is the real deal and a lot of fun. If you are into Merlot, and small batch special wines, find time to taste at Bolen. It will be memorable, I promise! You can contact them through their site for a visit.

9. Explore another town and shop. After a night in, where we all decided we’d rather hang at out comfy hotel than go out, we ventured our last day to explore St Helena. St Helena is the perfect   destination for shopping while in Napa.

 The downtown has many darling stores to get olive oil, chocolates, cute shoes, bags and more. I love that most of these stores are locally owned and many incorporate the wine region into their merchandise.

10. Have your parting lunch at a charming spot! There are so many seriously good restaurants in Napa Valley it’s often hard to choose where to eat. For a ladies lunch, you can’t go wrong with a lovely atmosphere, outdoor dining and a little continental flair. Our last stop, Archetype ticked all the boxes for us!

You enter by a wooden gate into a greenhouse area they call the front porch. Benches with ticking stripe pillows, ives on tables, and windows filled with jars of fruit and plants enchanted us. Inside there are walls of shelves with white stoneware, bowls of pears and more fluffy banquettes or wicker chairs to relax in. These are just some of all the things I love and I was crazy for it all!!

We chose to sit in the greenhouse and of course snapped a zillion photos. They could have served dog food at this point, I adored it so much. However, the food was excellent. It’s fresh, delicious and everything was so good, we all shared our plates. My favorite was a buttermilk dressed romaine salad with avocados, the parker house rolls, and tandoori cauliflower. Archetype does tea and fun cocktail creations as well. Service was super.

11. Get a keepsake to mark the trip. Before we parted we all took a snap with our matching bracelets. We each had one that jewelry designer Tamera had made for us and also one Adrienne had bought us with a little cluster of grapes. They are both a wonderful reminder of our special trip and the bonding with these amazing gals. Each time I wear them I think back to those 3 days and feel a little lift.

 With that in mind, I suggest buying a little souvenir of your getaway that you all have. It is a wonderful way to keep a memory of that time.

Thanks for letting me take you along on our girl’s getaway!

Doing this made me realize how important it is to make time to plan things like this in our lives. It’s so easy to get caught up in the daily grind and not make time. Friends are special and as I get older I realize I need to make more time to appreciate them and be with them.

May you all get to experience something like this soon!

Kim

Special thanks to Adrienne Shubin, and Charlotte Milan for helping make this happen. Thank you to  Domain Carneros,  Pine Ridge, Merryvale and Bolen Wineries for hosting us. A very special thank you to Mike Johnson and Napa Valley Tours and Transportation for providing the fantastic transport for us.

All opinion expressed are my own as always on this blog.

Getaways- The Hip and Lovely, Andaz Napa

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Last week our, Bloggers in Napa Valley event happened after much planning and excitement!
We checked in to the very fresh and chic, Andaz Napa.
It exceeded our expectations in so many ways.
You can’t get a better spot in Downtown Napa. It’s close to the charming little walk to the riverfront, and many excellent restaurants and shops.
As it’s a short drive from the Silverado Trail, and the neighboring towns of Yountville, Rutherford and St Helena, it’s the perfect base for exploring Napa Valley wine country.

Loved the entry and the gorgeous ironwork on the windows.
The welcome is there the moment you arrive. 
They insist you relax while they check you in on an IPhone and hand you a glass of Napa Valley’s finest.
Nice!

Heather, and I were already giggling.

We had just had an alfresco lunch at Redd in Yountville. (More to come on that.)

Tamera, Jennifer and Adrienne getting silly in the lobby which had a nice buzz.  There are many spaces to chill and kick back here as well as fruit waters, nuts and other goodies to snack on.
We headed up to check out our rooms and get pretty for our little cocktail meet up we planned for a few Napa Valley friends and fellow bloggers who could make it.
The rooms were beyond.
My particular room was a corner suite that was like an apartment.
I loved the big sitting area with the sectional. It was perfect for having all the girls up later for more chatting and goat cheese. (Told you this was a girl’s getaway!)
The bed was as heavenly as it looks. 
Yes, I did take a bath! How could I not?

Much space to spread out including a desk and dresser..
Can I tell you how spoiled I felt to have my own space, as I live with 3 men?
I spread my things about!
Had to keep pinching myself. The rain shower and large bath were indulgent as well.
After I roused myself from this, and secretly schemed how I could stay a few months :D, we headed up to the open terrace top of the hotel.
Andaz’s lovely Mercantile Terrace did not disappoint. 

It’s a place to dine and socialize with fire pits and sofas, rockers and even swings.
There’s a fun vibe out here and frankly, the last thing you want to do is leave your hotel for dinner,  after a day of wine tasting.
We all ended up in some form of black. This is my favorite Instagram of the 5 of us.

There was some serious display of jewels by my fellow bloggers!

Jennifer and Tamera had some beautiful necklaces.

Adrienne wore her wine county necklace she had been working on for this trip. Love it.

We gravitated toward one of the fire pits and met some really great ladies.

Heather and Tamera with the lovely Contessa from The Vintage Hen House, who made the trek up from Orinda. 
So fun to meet her and she’s as fabulous as she appears in the blog world!

We also got the pleasure of meeting the charming Wine Country stylist, Malia. 
This girl is seriously talented and funny as heck too. I am hoping to get to work with her as Adrienne did for her photo shoot and also for her shopping expertise!

After a late dinner out there we all went up to Adrienne’s to chat more. 
Her suite had a fireplace and different configuration and was spacious too.
Couldn’t resist sharing cute Tamera in her sequin pants. 
We were like girls in slumber party mode and yakked late into the night..
It was hard to leave my cozy room in the morning…

 The sun streamed in and there was a pretty view of the little downtown and the hills beyond.

The fog was still burning off here.

We had room service the first morning. I adore the cute boxes they brought it up in.
This is my quinoa oatmeal with pears and almonds as well as proper Earl Grey tea, loose leaf and all.
Delicious.
There is a also cute breakfast bar where one can grab coffees, smoothies, oatmeal and more.
 We did this the second morning and ate at a high table.

The darling Famer’s Table Restaurant is another choice in the hotel for food.

Just adored the lobby. 

Fantastic huge map of Napa.
There’s a good feeling about this whole hotel. 
The spaces were so well designed for socializing and relaxing. 
A breakfast bar in the lobby becomes a fun regular bar later in the day.

I cannot say enough about the good service at Andaz. 
Everyone was so friendly and excited to share knowledge about the area and other great spots as well.

We lingered for a long time before departing on the last day.
 It was such a joy being together at this beautiful spot.
I am absolutely coming back to this gem. If you are planning on a trip to the Napa Valley, Andaz is a wonderful choice for so many reasons! 
Thank you to Andaz Napa, and all the lovely folks there who sponsored our stay and made us feel so well looked after. As a woman traveling alone, I really liked that.

Andaz itself, was a holiday and the highlight of this trip.

I am excited to show the other fab parts of this adventure- the friends, the spots we went, the wine we sipped, the hats we bought, the shopping, and our great guide, Mike of Napa Valley Tours and Transportation,  in my Girl’s Guide to Napa Valley, up next!
xKim
 A special thanks goes to my dear friend Adrienne who did so much work for this to happen. 


Disclosure: Andaz Napa generously sponsored my lodging for two nights. I paid for food, parking and other incidentals while staying at Andaz Napa. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Photos Northern Cal Style and top Andaz exterior photo and Farmer’s Table pic courtesy of Andaz Napa Pinterest.

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