the carneros inn, napa, california

the carneros inn is set up like a pseudo-planned, stepford-type community. think the subdivision on showtime’s meadowlands, combined with a little bit of wisteria lane. it felt a bit strange.

don’t let that stop you from staying here, though.

situated in the midst of expansive farmland in the carneros district, charming wood-sided one bedroom cottages dot the landscape, built in tight clusters, named after prominent families in the area. the grounds are quite lovely, with an apple orchard and mature swaths of abundant lavender and rosemary plants. there’s a “town hall” for meetings, gourmet grocery store, spa, fitness center and three restaurants, all contained within the property.

we walked into the lofty, rustic-chic registration building, surrounded by beautiful landscaping, and were impressed with tons of natural light, high ceilings,and a light white color scheme. off the room where you check in is a living room of sorts, with comfy leather seating, books, dvds and a great view of the vast acreage beyond the property.

we checked in and were told we had the larsen 4 room. apparently, it was the “model” room when the inn first opened 4 years ago. i was immediately put on red alert, and prepared myself for disappointment. if i’m paying out the nose for what is supposed to be a “five star” experience, don’t think you are going to thrill me by dangling a “jacuzzi tub” in front of my face.

fortunately, it didn’t turn out that way.

larsen 4 sits at the far end of it’s cluster, so it only had one neighbor, and then the farmlands on the other side. to get to it (and all the other cottages) you walk along a crushed limestone path landscaped with rustic metal fountains, lantana, crocosmia, hydrangeas and other gorgeous blooming plants and flowers.

our room was very stylish and comfortable: dark hardwood floors contrasted with a light yellow and white color palette. big king bed with triple sheeting and down comforter and pillows. substantial trim and moldings around the windows and doors. wi-fi access and ethernet card at the writing desk.

more luxuries: wall mounted flat panel tv, wet bar and a filled ice bucket. ceiling fan, fireplace and a gorgeous wall of double doors that open to a completely private wooden deck, outfitted with two lounge chairs and table for four with umbrella.

not too shabby.

the bathroom had a double marble vanity, fantastic natural light, a humongous mirror, with a separate toilet room, ceramic tile everywhere, a deep kohler tub and separate glass-walled double shower with two wall mounted heads, body spray bar and handheld. at the back of the shower area was another door to the deck, where an outdoor shower was waiting.

decadent.

we came with friends who brought their two year old, and we did see several other families with kids, but despite this the place was really quiet. they have recently built a children’s pool that features a 18 inch deep wading area. very cute.

we encountered issues with parking on the weekend, with spaces in our cluster being filled with the cars of the people who were not overnight guests. there are no sidewalks to use so we had to walk on the streets, and negotiate around landscapers, construction trucks, staff on golf carts and other guests who were leaving the property by car, while all the new timeshare cottages are being built.

hopefully once the building ends, it will be an experience worthy of the top ratings is so strives to achieve. in the meantime, enjoy an indulgent, special escape from the mundane workday grind. we certainly did.

for more information and to reserve a room at the carneros inn, click here.

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streaming wine country odyssey thoughts

so last night i stumbled across a blog about a dude who is hiking through california wine country. very cool.

then this morning, i was thinking about melinda doolittle. whatever happened to that fresh-faced turtlehead who can really wail from american idol? seriously, she is awesome, even though she has no neck. she sounds just like gladys knight to me. i totally wanted her to win, and she didn’t even make it to the finals because of that technoturd, blake lewis. i wasn’t one of those stringy-haired, concert-tee-wearing, slouchy-skinny, classic rock-metal chicks back in the day, but even i cringed when he did his version of “livin’ on a prayer.” he has interesting musical stylings, but they have nothing to do with singing.

anyway, i digress.

so i’m thinking about melinda and then gladys comes on the radio and it’s “i heard it through the grapevine.” and that made me think of that blog i just mentioned, and that place that sells those cabernet grape pies that i saw on that food network tv show called road tasted with paula deen’s sons. i have heard tell that she really works those boys hard. they look like they can manage, though.

i’m doing it again.

wine country reviews and photos coming soon.

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