The Carneros Inn, Napa Valley CA

I’ve found my new favorite vacation spot – the Carneros Inn.

Really, who could resist this?

The resort is situated just south of Napa Valley, about equidistant from downtown Napa and Sonoma on either side – very convenient.

There are sweeping views of vineyards and hills, and that California casual-yet-manicured landscaping that mixes grasses and wildflowers with roses and topiary pines; it’s a beautiful place to walk around. And of course there are several restaurants, all very good – stay tuned for details!

But the best part was our little cottage.

Apparently the Carneros Inn is on land zoned for a mobile home park, which explains the setup – multiple courts, each with eight or so individual units.

We had a front porch with a rocking chair, leading into a cozy bedroom with a fireplace and quirky cow chair. The spacious bathroom had heated slate floors – perfect for cool California mornings!

And out back, we had our very own patio and yard, with two lounge chairs, a couch and fire pit, table and chairs, an outdoor shower, and an outdoor tub.

Some of the online reviews I read were critical of the corrugated metal walls around the cottage yards (one called them “prison camp chic”), but I thought they fit with the rustic wine country feel. Anyway, our wall was nearly hidden by an enormous honeysuckle vine and the lavender and rosemary plants beneath it.

And we had a neighbor, a very industrious hummingbird who seemed to live and work in our backyard, harvesting the honeysuckle nectar.

I had a soak in the tub outside (though with only a bit of water because of the drought). Quite pleasant!

We also ordered “s’mores service” one day, to make use of our fire pit: a basket of graham crackers, marshmallows, Hershey bars, Reese’s peanut butter cups, and two long sticks. Gimmicky? Yes, but also fun.

You know the trick of s’mores, right? It’s to make sure the chocolate – not just the marshmallow – is warm and melty. I carefully set out a graham cracker for each of us near the flames, with chocolate for me and a peanut butter cup for D.

It took a long time to get our marshmallows warmed up over the gas flames, enough time for the chocolates to begin melting, and our patience paid off with rather good s’mores, if I do say so myself.

All in all, the Carneros Inn was exactly what we were looking for: well-located, quiet and private, with all the amenities we could need (restaurants, spa, pool). And since we’re not the types to spend all day driving up and down Napa Valley to multiple wineries, it was wonderful to have that sunny, flower-draped back patio. Coming home every afternoon to relax and read there was a pleasure.

Cheers, and here’s hoping we’ll be back soon!