After four incredible nights at Pebble Beach, we packed up the car and headed to Napa Valley for Part 2 of our California adventure.

This was actually our second trip to Napa. We visited 11 years ago and stayed at Solage in Calistoga, which is absolutely incredible. This time, we stayed at Harvest Inn in St. Helena, and I loved experiencing a different part of the valley.

One thing became very clear to me on this trip: where you stay in Napa matters.

Napa Valley covers more ground than you might realize, and depending on where your winery and dinner reservations are, you can spend quite a bit of time driving. I loved the location of Harvest Inn because St. Helena gave us a great home base for everything we had planned.

And yes, I would go back to Solage in a heartbeat! But when choosing your hotel, I would look at your itinerary first and think about where you'll be spending most of your time.

Napa 11 Years Later

Napa has definitely changed since our first trip.

The biggest difference I noticed? Reservations.

Eleven years ago, the trip felt much more spontaneous. Now, many wineries require reservations, especially for private tasting experiences, and popular restaurants can book up well in advance, too.

If you're planning a Napa trip, this is not one I would completely wing.

Make your winery reservations. Make your dinner reservations. And then leave some open space around them so your entire vacation doesn't feel like you're racing from one appointment to the next.

I also think the best Napa itinerary includes a mix of wineries. Visit some of the names you've heard about, but seek out some of the smaller, more intimate wineries, too. You don't need every stop to be a big-name vineyard to have an amazing experience.

Where We Stayed: Harvest Inn

We stayed at Harvest Inn in St. Helena, and I absolutely loved this hotel. We were traveling with annual Napa travelers and they insisted we stay at this location and I’m so glad we did!

The property feels quintessential Napa. It's surrounded by huge trees and vineyards and has a relaxed atmosphere that makes you want to actually spend time there instead of treating your hotel as simply a place to sleep.

The location was a huge plus for me. St. Helena gave us a great home base for exploring different parts of the valley, from Calistoga to Yountville.

Our first night, we decided to keep things easy and have dinner right at Harvest Inn. It was outstanding.

The hotel also has an incredible outdoor area with bocce ball and plenty of places to hang out. We ended our final night playing bocce, and we also made time during the trip for an afternoon by the pool.

When you're paying to stay somewhere this beautiful, give yourself enough downtime to actually enjoy it!

Our Napa Winery Experiences

Our friends scheduled three private winery tastings for our group during this trip: B Cellars, Outpost and Elusa.

One of my biggest takeaways is that you don't need to cram as many wineries as humanly possible into your day. Three private experiences over a few days was plenty for us, especially when we mixed those with great meals, sightseeing and a more casual tasting in Yountville.

B Cellars

Our first private tasting was at B Cellars.

This was such a beautiful introduction to the trip and exactly the kind of experience that makes Napa special. I love having enough time to sit, learn about the wines and enjoy the property rather than rushing through a tasting just so we can say we went somewhere.

And yes, I ordered wine. More on that later. 😂

Outpost Winery

The next day, we rented a shuttle van and headed up into the hills for our private tasting at Outpost Winery.

And when I say up into the hills, I mean it.

Think winding, hilly Napa roads.

This was one of the reasons we decided to hire transportation for the day, and I was VERY glad we did. Aside from the obvious benefit of not having to worry about driving after wine tastings, some of these wineries are tucked away on roads that you may not particularly want to navigate yourself.

Outpost's location gave us a completely different Napa experience from the other wineries we visited, which is another reason I recommend mixing things up when choosing wineries.

The setting can be as different as the wine.

Lunch at Gott's Roadside

After Outpost, we stopped at the famous Gott's Roadside for lunch.

If you've researched Napa at all, you've probably seen Gott's recommended. It's an old-school roadside burger spot that's become a Napa institution, so of course we had to try it.

My verdict?

It was good.

Did it blow me away? No. 😂

I'm still glad we went because it's one of those iconic Napa stops, but it wasn't one of my favorite meals of the trip.

Elusa Winery in Calistoga

From Gott's, we headed north to Calistoga for our private tasting at Elusa Winery.

Elusa is located on the same grounds as the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley. They are separate businesses, but the entire setting is absolutely beautiful.

This was yet another completely different winery experience, and I loved getting to spend some time back in Calistoga since that's where we'd stayed during our first Napa trip 11 years ago.

That's part of the fun of returning to Napa. Even if you've been before, there is SO much you haven't seen.

Dinner at Evangeline

Since we were already in Calistoga, we stayed there for dinner at Evangeline.

Excellent.

This is also where a little itinerary planning pays off. Rather than driving back and forth across the valley, we paired our Elusa tasting with dinner in Calistoga.

If you're planning Napa, pull up a map before you start making reservations. Grouping your wineries and restaurants geographically will save you a lot of unnecessary driving.

A Different Kind of Napa Day

For our third day, we changed things up.

Instead of starting with another winery, we toured the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena.

If you love food and cooking, this is such a fun addition to a Napa itinerary. Wine may get most of the attention here, but food is a huge part of the Napa experience, too.

We also stopped at Oakville Grocery, which is definitely worth putting on your list.

Oakville Grocery has been around since 1881 and is one of those iconic Napa stops that's easy to work into your day without another big reservation. They have sandwiches, cheeses, wine, snacks and all kinds of gourmet goodies, and it's a great place to browse or grab something for a picnic.

Stops like this are exactly why I wouldn't schedule every minute of a Napa trip.

Leave yourself a little room to explore.

Ana's Cantina

We also stopped at Ana's Cantina, which could not have been more different from the polished wineries and restaurants we'd been visiting.

And that's exactly why we loved it.

It's a fun, family-owned spot with dollar bills covering the ceiling, made-to-order margaritas and Bloody Marys and tons of personality.

If Roxie is there, ask for her! She's Ana's daughter, and the place is truly family owned and operated.

It's one of those places that just feels local and fun.

When You Need a Break From Fancy Napa Food...

We also discovered Azteca Market, and this is one of those places I would tell a friend about immediately.

We grabbed lunch to go, and it was SO good. Real Mexican food, completely casual and exactly what we wanted.

Because at some point after several days of wine tastings and beautiful restaurants, you might be ready for a break from the fancy food. 😂

Azteca Market was perfect.

We grabbed our food and then spent the afternoon hanging out by the pool at Harvest Inn.

I loved that we had nowhere we needed to be for a few hours.

A Low-Key Wine Tasting in Yountville

That evening, we got cleaned up and headed to Yountville.

Here's another thing I learned on this trip: not every Napa wine tasting has to be a big production.

Yountville has tasting rooms right in town where you can walk around, shop and have a much more casual wine experience.

We stopped at Jessup Cellars, which was a fun change of pace after our private winery tastings. It is located across the street from the beautiful Restoration Hardware Wine Vault.

I would absolutely build something like this into a Napa itinerary. Do your special winery reservations, but also give yourself an afternoon or evening where you can wander around and enjoy one of the towns without making the entire day revolve around a schedule.

Dinner at Bottega

From there, we went to Bottega for dinner.

Very, very good.

Yountville is known for its restaurants, and this was a great choice for our final dinner in Napa.

Afterward, we went back to Harvest Inn and played bocce outside before calling it a night.

Pretty perfect ending.

A Note About Tasting Fees...and Yes, I Bought Wine 😂

One thing that's important to know when planning a Napa trip is that these private tasting experiences aren't cheap.

Depending on the winery and the experience you choose, you can easily spend $100 or more per person just for the tasting.

And no, you aren't required to buy wine afterward.

But did I?

Of course I did. 😂

I ordered wine from all three wineries we visited: B Cellars, Outpost and Elusa.

We were traveling with a group, and because our group purchased enough wine, we weren't charged the tasting fees at any of the three wineries. I definitely would not count on that when budgeting for your own trip, though. Every winery has its own policies regarding tasting fees, purchases and whether those fees can be waived or credited toward a wine order.

My advice is to look at the tasting fee when you make your reservation and assume you're going to pay it. Then, if it's waived or applied toward wine you purchase, consider that a bonus.

Napa can get expensive very quickly, and those tasting fees are something you'll definitely want to factor into your budget.

What I Know About Napa After Visiting Twice

We've now visited Napa twice, 11 years apart, and there are definitely a few things I would keep in mind when planning a trip.

Make reservations. Napa feels much more reservation-driven than it did 11 years ago. Don't assume you'll be able to show up at a winery and get a tasting, especially if there are specific places you really want to visit.

Think about your hotel's location. Look at where your wineries and restaurants are before you book. We loved Solage in Calistoga on our first trip, and I loved Harvest Inn in St. Helena this time. Both are incredible, but they're in different parts of the valley. Your hotel location can make a big difference in how much time you spend driving.

Don't overschedule. You don't need four or five wineries a day to experience Napa. Give yourself time for lunch, the pool, shopping, exploring the towns or simply sitting somewhere with a glass of wine.

Mix up your wineries. Visit some of the well-known vineyards you've always wanted to see, but seek out some smaller, more intimate wineries, too. Some of those experiences can end up being your favorites.

Think about transportation. If you're doing multiple tastings or visiting wineries up in the hills like Outpost, hiring a driver or shuttle is money well spent. Those winding roads are no joke!

Budget for tasting fees. Private wine tastings can easily run more than $100 per person, and buying wine is additional. If your tasting fee ends up being waived because of a purchase, great. But don't assume it will be.

And finally, leave some room for the casual stuff.

One of the things I loved most about this trip was the mix. We had beautiful private wine tastings and wonderful dinners, but we also ate Mexican food from a market, had margaritas at a family-owned bar, hung out by the pool, stopped at Oakville Grocery and played bocce at our hotel.

You don't need every minute of Napa to be fancy.

Our Napa Valley Itinerary at a Glance

Day 1
Arrive in Napa Valley
Check into Harvest Inn in St. Helena
Private tasting at B Cellars
Dinner at Harvest Inn

Day 2
Shuttle to Outpost Winery
Private tasting at Outpost
Lunch at Gott's Roadside
Private tasting at Elusa in Calistoga
Dinner at Evangeline in Calistoga

Day 3
Tour the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
Stop at Oakville Grocery
Drinks at Ana's Cantina
Lunch to go from Azteca Market
Pool afternoon at Harvest Inn
Head to Yountville
Casual tasting at Jessup Cellars
Dinner at Bottega
Bocce ball at Harvest Inn

Day 4
Early departure for Ventura County

Would I Go Back to Napa?

Absolutely.

We'd already been once, and 11 years later it felt like we had an entirely new Napa experience.

That's what I love about this area. There isn't one perfect way to do Napa. You can stay at an incredible resort, book beautiful private wine tastings and have amazing dinners. But you can also eat Mexican food from a local market, have a margarita under a ceiling covered in dollar bills, spend an afternoon at the pool and wander around Yountville.

For me, the best trip has a little bit of all of it.

Three private winery experiences were plenty. We ate extremely well, explored several different areas of Napa Valley and still had time to actually enjoy Harvest Inn.

And after two trips, there are still SO many places we haven't been.

I guess we'll just have to go back a third time. 😉

Napa Valley 11 Years Later: Where We Stayed, Sipped & Ate