Nightcaps in Napa

Since B and I have each traveled extensively on our own, it isn't always easy for us to find a spot to vacation that is also completely new to both of us.  We decided to take one of our long weekend trips to Napa, a place we'd never explored individually and really wanted to enjoy together. We flew into Sacramento and rented a car. It's a pretty easy drive from there, less than two hours.

Napa is B&B and country inn central, so we didn't want to stay at your cookie-cutter, boring hotel. We chose this darling inn, Hennessey House. It was centrally located, an easy walk to the main part of town, and the rooms were all Victorian themed - so quaint! The staff and owners were very pleasant and the daily breakfast was amazing!

The town itself is well-laid out, walkable and pretty much has a wine tasting on every corner, how can anyone not like that?!

 

There are also restaurants on every corner, everything from casual to fine dining to all the nuances in between. We had dinner one night at ZuZu, a Spanish inspired restaurant with amazing tapas and a truly lovely atmosphere. We had scallops and some delicious octopus.  Sadly, this was the last time I ate octopus. As much as I loved it, I love cute little live octopus (octopi?) more. How can I be expected to eat octopus after watching YouTube videos about how adorable they are? I'll still eat scallops though. There don't seem to be any baby scallop videos out there so I can remain ignorant of any potential cuteness.

 

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the wine tour and tasting we did at Jarvis Winery. Founded by William and Leticia Jarvis, the winery is contained in a cave, which was built by Jarvis and is an architectural wonder. With 45,000 feet of space, the cave keeps all the wine-making facilities self-contained and includes not only a tasting room, but a natural spring that flows into a river channel in the floor!

The winery focuses mainly on red wines, but also makes chardonnay. We enjoyed a lovely tasting and  B bought a very nice (ie; expensive) bottle of wine that he said we'd open when we sold our first screenplay. It's still sitting in the closet of our downstairs bedroom, but we have hope! Someday, Hollywood, we're comin' for ya!

We finished the day off by exploring the grounds, which are every bit as stunning as the caves and winery itself.

  

 

Because I'm impossible to be around if I don't get some kind of exercise (and because of all that delicious food and wine!) we spent an afternoon hiking at nearby Skyline Park. This was a really nice area, lots of great trails, perfect weather, a great way to get out and explore some of the natural beauty of the Napa Valley. 

 

 

  And of course, it wouldn't be a vacation for us if we didn't do at least one cheesy love selfie!

The only mishap was our attempt to go on a bike ride. 

We thought we could bike out of town and hit some bike trails. We forgot that we weren't home in Anchorage, which boasts an almost endless network of biking paths all around the city (you really can bike just about anywhere up here, at least in the summer!) and means you almost never have to take your life in your hands by riding on the street. Not so in Napa. Despite the mean bike rental guy who got angry because I didn't put my kickstand up properly (sorry dude I didn't know there was a kickstand protocol!) we tried to rent bikes. We got about three blocks away, my heart in my mouth as we navigated traffic, when B got a flat tire. He immediately saw this as a sign that we should NOT be renting bikes, and we cut it short and went and had more wine instead. Have I mentioned  I love this guy? 

Romantic, fun, wine-soaked Napa is a dream of a getaway and a place worthy of exploring. Whether you want to strengthen bonds with your partner with a weekend escape, or have a classy and stylish girls weekend,  Napa finds its way into your heart, as well as your wine glass!