Quick picks in northern Napa Valley town, from chic properties with top restaurants to smaller lodgings steps from tasting rooms and downtown.
What’s Where: Inns and hotels in all price categories are clustered along Lincoln Avenue, Calistoga’s main street, with a few more, including two luxury resorts, outside downtown but within 2 miles.
Downtown and Nearby
Brannan Hotels
A few blocks apart but marketed under the Brannan Hotels banner are the Brannan Cottage Inn, a six-room inn centered around a 19th-century cottage, and the five luxurious Brannan Lofts (four with kitchenettes) in the middle of downtown. $$$
Why go: Historic cottage’s tree-shaded setting, lofts’ convenience and sophistication.
The Bungalows at Calistoga
Three bungalows with fully equipped kitchens with top appliances, a 10-minute walk from downtown. $$$
Why go: Contemporary style, kitchen convenience, great for families, two couples, or friends traveling together.
Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs
A smart makeover transformed a downtown favorite for traditional mud baths into an upmarket motel-like resort with a restaurant, the House of Better, serving healthful comfort cuisine. $$$
Why go: playfully retro, mud baths, good-sized pool, family-friendly.
Embrace Calistoga
Five-room inn with tasteful but unfussy decor known for afternoon wine-and-cheese get-togethers and four-course breakfasts, both on the wraparound porch in good weather. $$$
Why go: Hospitable hosts, those breakfasts, cozy feel.
The Francis House
Restored 1886 Second Empire–style stone mansion, for several decades a hospital, now an eight-room luxury inn with classy decor and service. $$$$
Why go: Romantic, intimate, understated elegance, elaborate breakfasts.
Indian Springs Calistoga
One of Calistoga’s oldest spa properties, with palm-lined grounds, an Olympic-sized mineral-water pool, Sam’s Social Club restaurant, and, blessedly, no resort fee. $$$
Why go: resort feel without the hoopla, 17-acre grounds, spa treatments.
Mount View Hotel & Spa
A century-old downtown landmark houses a spa, a restaurant, and 31 rooms and suites. $$$
Why go: Historic ambiance, several spacious upper-floor rooms, alfresco Robert’s Tropical Table restaurant.
Okaeri Calistoga
Six serene, individually decorated rooms, all with renovated bathrooms, at a Japanese-inspired inn on a tree-shaded slope. $$$
Why go: Gracious hosts, newly remodeled, breakfast, social hour.
Roman Spa Hot Springs Resort
Some rooms at this hotel have kitchens; for the area, the spa services are reasonably priced. $$
Why go: straightforward presentation, family suites.
Downtown Restaurants and Tasting Rooms
Downtown restaurants include Eight North, Evangeline, and Lovina for fine dining; Sam’s Social Club for casual fare prepared with flair, Johnny’s for sports bar action, Bricco for Italian favorites, Calistoga Inn for beer-friendly cuisine and house-made microbrews, Palisades Eatery and the Hydro Bar & Grill for comfort food, House of Better for healthful options, and Sushi Mambo for classic and quirky rolls. Head to open-air Robert’s Tropical Table for cocktails and island-inflected small bites.
For additional restaurant suggestions, see the Calistoga Restaurants Cheat Sheet.
For wine tasting downtown, visit family-owned August Briggs (small-lot whites and reds), Lawer (tastings at same-owned Eight North restaurant), Lola (unusual varietals, iconoclastic winemaking), Maria Concetto (home of the robot sommelier), and Romeo (Bordeaux reds grown in Southern Calistoga). As noted, the craft beers at Calistoga Inn are made on-site.
Outside Downtown
You may want to drive downtown from these five lodgings, though three are just over a half-mile away, and the other two are about a mile.
Best Western Plus Stevenson Manor
The chain’s Calistoga entry has a boutique-style lobby, a good pool, and often reasonable rates that include breakfast. $$
Why go: Well maintained, often a bargain.
Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa
Three mineral pools, the Fleetwood Calistoga restaurant, and a spa are among the draws here; ask for a room away from Lincoln Avenue. $$–$$$
Why go: Several room types from motel to upscale, free bicycles for guest use, resort feel without sky-high prices.
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley
Luxury lodgings, high-style spa, two restaurants, and 4.7 acres of vineyards. $$$$
Why go: Vineyard setting, Michelin-starred Auro restaurant, Elusa Winery, Four Seasons style.
Solage Calistoga
Chi-chi but low-key resort with fine dining (Solbar) and poolside Mexican (Picobar) restaurants, a dramatic spa, and three pools. $$$$
Why go: High but unstuffy style, noteworthy restaurants, plenty of activities.
UpValley Inn & Hot Springs
Guests at this spruced-up former Comfort Inn, whose one-site geothermal waters feed the pool and hot tub, can “take the cure” without breaking the bank. $$
Why go: Affordable, pools, not too far from downtown.
Outside Downtown Restaurants and Tasting Rooms
Awarded a Michelin star in less than a year after its debut (since retained), Auro at the Four Seasons Napa Valley is Calistoga’s premier fine-dining destination. The restaurant shares space and the same culinary team as the less-fancy but still elegant TRUSS Restaurant and Bar. Across the street at Solage, Solbar also provides a luxury experience, with Picobar an option for poolside Cal-Mexican.
With its on-property Elusa Winery and 4.7 acres of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon vines, the Four Seasons Napa Valley provides a convenient luxury tasting experience that’s also open to nonguests. Other high-end Calistoga wineries to investigate include Davis Estates and Theorem. The two most visited wineries in Calistoga are the 107-room medieval-style Castello di Amorosa and Sterling, where guests ride in a state-of-the-art gondola to the hilltop hospitality area.
Chateau Montelena sees guests at a stone structure that dates to 1882; the winery made history half a century ago when its Chardonnay placed first at the 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting that brought the Napa Valley international fame. A former Disney exec founded Frank Family Vineyards, known for Chardonnay and single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Bennett Lane prides itself on warm hospitality, but its Cabernets deserve high praise, too. For a more down-home experience, check out Vincent Arroyo.
Itinerary
More Napa Valley Itineraries
3 Historic Napa Valley Wineries Day Trip
3 St. Helena Wineries with a Personal Touch
Lead photo of a Vineyard King room at the Four Seasons resort is courtesy of the resort.
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