Review: Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley

Why book? Although there seem to be new domestic wine scenes cropping up constantly, Napa is still the gold standard of New World wine regions. There are a handful of excellent Napa hotels and no shortage of fabulous wineries and tasting rooms, but this is the first full-on luxury resort that marries the two. It’s pretty special to be mere feet from the vines when you’re sitting on your private patio and an even bigger treat to walk to a tasting—no wine bus or private driver required.

Set the scene It’s an easy 15-minute walk or a five-minute ride on one of the hotel’s loaner bikes to downtown Calistoga, a town that has been luring wellness seekers to its mineral springs and healing mud for over a century. Today, Calistoga is a cute town with a number of good restaurants, tasting rooms, boutiques, and day spas. The hotel is just on the other side of the Silverado Trail (Napa’s main thoroughfare) from Auberge’s long-loved resort, Solage. The property’s 85 rooms and suites—grouped in free standing units—as well as 20 private residences, are surrounded by acres of vineyards and set against the backdrop of the Vaca and Mayacama Mountains.

The morning-and-night heart of the resort is the bar-restaurant Truss, with its sprawling outdoor terrace that looks out over the property. That’s where sharply—albeit casually (this is still California and it’s nearly always sunny)—dressed guests gather for breakfast, a glass of pre-dinner wine, or a post-dinner whiskey and stargazing. The midday spot to be (when you’re not wine tasting) is definitely at the sleek adults-only pool. Although town is just a mile away, there is a lovely sense of expansiveness to the property; it feels private and much more like a countryside retreat. The buildings, while modern, aren’t of the NorCal hyper-minimalist style, which can skew a little cold. Instead, a number of the public buildings—the spa, lobby, restaurant, winery—are made of gorgeous sandstone bricks that seem to glow at sunset and, although quite contemporary, these buildings give a subtle nod to the old-school wine estates of Bordeaux or the Médoc.

The backstory The hotel occupies the site where the Silver Rose formerly stood. Nothing remains from the earlier resort except a few magical heritage oak trees and a truly enormous boulder that the resort kept in its outdoor spa area.

The rooms Rooms are grouped into units—depending on the size of the room or suite, there might be four guest spaces to a unit. The freestanding units line paths landscaped with native grasses, olive trees, and sage bushes to create a welcoming, almost neighborhood feel. The exteriors are a sophisticated charcoal gray and the interiors are contemporary clean with hints of the area's farming, viticulture, and ranching histories in the little details, like a decorative leather bridle or an antique stencil used to label wine barrels hanging on vertically planked white walls, or an open copy of Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Overall, the aesthetic is barn-chic, but not at all rustic.

There are several different room and suite types that range in size from about 480 square feet to the 3,400 square foot free-standing villa, and all have outdoor spaces: either a patio or a terrace. I stayed in one of the Palisade rooms that had two double beds separated by a cozy reading nook and a terrace that looked out over vineyards and the Palisades mountain range. The Four Seasons always get bathrooms right, and the ones here are fabulous. Mine was enormous with dark gray octagonal tile, brass hardware and fixtures, a wet room with a rain and hand-held shower, a freestanding tub, and the most beautiful petrified wood stool.

Food and drink The food here is a real highlight. Truss Restaurant and Bar is a true celebration of Napa’s bounty. The team has close relationships with the area’s producers and nearly everything is sourced from within Napa or nearby Sonoma County (including local, sustainably sourced caviar). Right now, a small, fairly casual menu is offered (the crudité with a classed-up take on French onion dip is fantastic, as are the thin-crust pizzas) with a fuller culinary experience coming soon. The bar and dining space are gorgeous—soaring ceilings, a glassed-in kitchen and a wall of glass doors that open onto a huge terrace with a fire pit—but made cozy by comfy booths and banquettes and the type of warm lighting that creates instant conviviality and makes everyone look great!

The bar has a serious cocktail program. The Jekyll and Hyde is a must-order, for the autumnal taste (bourbon, pear liqueur, brown sugar) but also for the drama; it’s served in a glass case filled with wood smoke. The lunch-only open-air Campo—set between the adults-only pool and the family pool—is also quite tasty and serves Oaxacan-inspired dishes. The ceviche as well as the tlayudas are standouts and the margaritas are just right. This is exactly the type of lunch you want after a dip in the pool and a nap in the sun. The onsite winery Elusa, led by renowned Napa winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, and its tasting room are another way this resort stands out. It’s a dream to walk from your room to a tasting and not worry about driving or calling a car.

The spa The spa—in an area and town known for its spas—is special. Because there are several different relaxation areas (my favorite was a light-filled cream and beige oasis upstairs) and a handful of experiences (beyond the treatments on the spa menu), you really should allow for at least a solid hour pre or post-treatment. After my deep tissue massage, I went to the outdoor spa garden where there was a dish of mud waiting for me. After applying the mud (they give you disposable swimsuits), I sat in the sun bay and let it bake and then showered outside before soaking in the huge whirlpool. I then wrapped myself in my robe and watched the sun set and the moon rise over the vineyards before heading inside for a steam and a sauna.

The neighborhood/area The hotel is about a one-mile drive or walk from downtown Calistoga. The resort Solage is across the road and its restaurant Solbar is a nice option. Although town, with its restaurants and tasting rooms, is nearby, as are a few other great wineries, like Kelly Fleming Wines, the resort feels very private.

The service The level of service, as to be expected from a Four Seasons, is high, but not at all formal or stuffy. Staff, especially at the poolside restaurant, are charming and friendly.

For families Napa doesn’t scream “bring the kids” but this resort is surprisingly very family friendly and I would actually bring the kids. There’s the Kids for All Seasons—the Four Season’s version of a kids’ club—that leans more camp than babysitting with actual immersive activities, as well as a legitimately inviting family pool, that, while shallow, doesn’t feel like a downgrade from the adults-only one. Plus, the fact that there’s an onsite tasting room means you aren’t technically ditching the kids while you sip. 

Anything left to mention? The hotel is an excellent addition to Napa. It’s a great jumping off point to explore the Upper Valley but it’s also the rare Napa retreat where you could come for a weekend and eat well, taste wine, have an epic spa day and lounge by the pool and not feel like you need to leave the property at all.