Weekend Guide To Napa Valley

Weekend Guide To Napa Valley Weekend Guide To Napa Valley Weekend Guide To Napa Valley

We first got into Napa around 12:00 a.m. Friday morning, so to say we were exhausted upon arrival would be an understatement. We were so tired on our drive to the hotel that we could have stayed in a Motel on the side of the highway for all we cared, but the moment we checked in, and went to our room, we were so glad we didn’t. The first thing Colton did was turn on the fire place, because, why not? Lol – I mean we had one in our room! Plus, it was quite chilly.

We booked our trip very last minute, and with it being Labor Day weekend, a lot of our “first choice” hotels were sold out. So in my search, I found the Senza Boutique Hotel and I cannot tell you how much we enjoyed it. The rooms were huge, we had a great view of the vineyard, it was very tranquil, had a beautiful complimentary breakfast every morning and a complimentary wine and cheese spread every afternoon. I also loved that it was centrally located! 

What to wear when meeting with your wedding plannerWeekend Guide To Napa Valley

Outfit Details: skirt / top / denim jacket / heels / purse

The first morning, we had breakfast at our hotel before before a long morning filled with appointments. Which was actually very cool for us because we were able to see so many parts of Napa before all of the wine tastings took place. Colton was even able to sample a few grapes right off of the vines!

Weekend Guide To Napa ValleyWeekend Guide To Napa Valleyimg_4757Weekend Guide To Napa Valley

For lunch, we headed to the highly recommended, Archetype in St. Helena. Moments after stepping in, it was very clear as to why so many people recommended it to us. It was divine!

The food was absolutely magnificent. You can’t tell by the photo, but under my salad was a piece of avocado toast and a grilled chicken breast. Umm, yum! Then Colton, of course, had an amazing pizza. I recommend sitting in their picture perfect, indoor patio and having a glass of their Rosé with your lunch. Next time, we decided we are going back for their breakfast, because it look mouthwatering! 

Weekend Guide To Napa ValleyWeekend Guide To Napa ValleyWeekend Guide To Napa Valley

After lunch, we headed to Meadowood for complimentary glasses of wine before heading to our grape stomping adventure. If it were up to Colton, we probably would have stayed here the whole trip because of the golf course-lol. 

Weekend Guide To Napa ValleyWeekend Guide To Napa ValleyWeekend Guide To Napa ValleyWeekend Guide To Napa ValleyIMG_5619.jpgOutfit Details: Anthropologie Peplum Top (on sale) (similar) // White J. Crew Shorts // Brown Mules (on sale for $29!)

Before heading out of town for our trip, we were told that Napa was in what they call, Harvest Season. Which means, grape stomping! Well, that’s not exactly what it means lol, but it is the season where they offer this activity! It basically means the grapes are ripe and  ready to be processed. We chose Grgich Hills Estate for this because, once again, it came highly recommended, and seemed to be less crowded then the others. 

I have to tell you, we had so much fun grape stomping! You walk up, and the first thing they do is give you a glass of wine and a tee shirt before getting in the barrel. I’m not sure how relevant our stomping was, but we had a blast either way! Afterwards we placed our feet on our shirts and hung them on the vines to dry. It was so much fun to check this off of my bucket list! 

 

Weekend Guide To Napa ValleyOutfit Details: Black Topshop Cami // White Jeans // Nordstrom’s Booties ($89) // Marc Jacob Purse // Similar Cardigan

That night we went to a restaurant called, Hurley’s, for dinner because Colton’s parents had been there a few weeks prior and just loved it! Very casual & relaxed but also very lively! We sat outside and just talked about our day. It gets pretty chilly in Napa at night, so I am glad I picked up these booties before the trip and brought along my favorite sweater. img_5721img_5719img_5717

Saturday morning, we woke up early to head to The Boon Fly Cafe for breakfast before a full day of wine tasting. I think out of all of our meals, this one was Colton’s favorite. The atmosphere of this place was so chill and the food was so good. I definitely recommend getting the donut holes and a cup of coffee to start! If you’re a Bloody Mary drinker, then that is at the top of the list too! 

Being one of the most popular breakfast places in the Valley, it can get pretty busy! So if you have a large group, try getting there before 10:00! If there are only two of you, I recommend sitting at the bar, which is first come first serve. 

img_5863img_5859

After breakfast, we made our way to the first winery of the day, Sterling Vineyards. I’m not going to lie, this was our least favorite of the trip, but it seemed to be very popular. Probably due to the familiarity of the name and the gondola ride.

If this is on your list for Napa, I highly suggest buying your tickets online ahead of time and getting there before noon. This place became a zoo on our way out and had lines out the wazoo. None-the-less, we still enjoyed our time!

img_5871img_5872img_5868-1img_5917img_5912Outfit Details: Floral Romper (so obsessed & only $48) // Nordstroms Booties // Red Lipstick (#302)

After Sterling, we went to Caymus and Frogsleap, both which we highly recommend! Caymus, is our absolute favorite wine. It’s kind of what we call our celebratory wine. It’s the one we get at nice restaurants on our anniversary and the wine we bring home for special occasions, so it only made sense to go there!

The grounds were beautiful, the experience was elegant, and I expected nothing less! We had our own little “reserved” area over looking the garden and it was really special. I would definitely suggest booking online before! 

Frogsleap was not originally on our list because it said everywhere that is was sold out. But since it was literally right down the street from Caymus, we stopped by just to see if we could get in, and we did!

For ambiance, I think this might have been our favorite! After grabbing your first tasting, you have the option to walk around the vineyard, their beautiful vegetable gardens, or relax and sit back until you’re ready for your next tasting. As you can see, we did all three! This is one that I will want to come back to, time and time again. 

img_6023

That night we were starving since we skipped lunch and were literally on an all wine diet for the day lol. 

Colton really wanted to go to a steak house, so we decided on Coles Chop House Downtown Napa. We hadn’t been downtown yet, so I was really excited to check it out. I loved Cole’s, mainly for the atmosphere and our service.  I walked in and immediately felt at home. Was the steak the best steak we ever had?! No -lol! But we did have the best time and the best wine. I truly know that we will go back just for that. 

img_6074

Outfits Details: Jeans // Sleeveless Turtleneck // Scarf // Purse 

The next morning, we woke up and immediately packed our bags to go downtown. After spending the evening downtown before, we knew we wanted to explore it during the day! I honestly think we could have spent the whole morning downtown it was so charming. 

img_6090

After exploring downtown for a little while, we started making our way back towards San Francisco, but not without stopping at The Fremont Diner for breakfast of course! Because we arrived there so late, there was quite the wait, but it was so worth it! They have a large patio area to hang out in until your table is ready. If you go, you have to get the milk shake! Actually, we ended up getting the french toast, a milk shake, and biscuits and gravy. I know, I’m shocked too! But hey, you have to indulge sometimes! 

img_6126

Then last but not least, we stopped by the Golden Gate bridge before heading to the air port. I have to say, it was quite the trip and one that I will remember forever. I always knew that I was going to love Napa, but I didn’t realize that I would fall in love with it lol.

 

Are you planning on going to Napa soon? Or have you been?? 

xo,

Lauren 

 

 

 

 

8 Comments

  1. So…I’m going to Napa for my bachelorette!!! Is there a list of hotels you recommend?? Looking for options!

    Xoxo,
    Kylie

    Posted 3.7.18
    • LifetoLauren wrote:

      Hi cutie!!

      Omg, what a fun Bach!!! You’re going to have a blast. Honestly, I reccommend booking an Airbnb in the St. Helena area. Hotels in Napa are very – very pricey. Meadowood and Solage Calistoga are the nicest but they start at around $700 a night. I also love The Bergson in Calistoga, Brannan Cottage and we love the Senza Hotel but for a group – I really recommend looking into an Airbnb! There are seriously SUCH cute ones! That’s what I would do – hands down!!

      Posted 3.7.18

Comments are closed.

Instagram feed