To me, the perfect Designer Escape involves food, wine, exercise in nature, relaxation, and inspiration. Luckily this Napa Valley visit checked all the boxes for my birthday and was completely orchestrated by my expert vacation planning hubby. Check out all of the fun you can have on just one property and a few of its surrounding hot spots.
At the Meadowood Napa Valley Resort, you will find plenty of amenities—to the point of never needing to leave the property if you want a real off the grid moment.
The Grill: While you could absolutely indulge in The Restaurant at Meadowood that offers a casually elegant dining experience featuring a modern approach to Napa Valley cuisine by Chef Christopher Kostow, we decided to keep it a bit more casual by going to The Grill for breakfast. The Grill presents a daily menu featuring ingredients fresh from the Meadowood garden. It is a perfect solution for in-room dining as well.
The Spa: Our wellness experience began with a warm welcome in the Spa and unfolded under the skilled and intuitive touch of our therapists. As you come to know the property, you find the wellness aspects ultimately transcend walls to encompass the beauty and tranquility of the entire private estate. We experienced the “From the Gardens” treatment that focuses on the season—since I am a Fall baby, I loved this. Just as we nourish our bodies with seasonal foods, we also benefit by applying this philosophy to products applied to the body. This treatment, therefore, changes with seasonal essential oils and herbs and includes exfoliation, massage and a luncheon from the farm. Crushed walnut shells and warm oils were used in our massage while we ate salmon and bok choy for lunch.
Hiking Trails: Long before Meadowood Napa Valley became a haven for discerning travelers, this sheltered stretch of Napa Valley, ringed by rugged, wooded hillsides, served as farmland. In many ways, little has changed in the bucolic landscape over the years. Nature here is still respected—not tamed. The estate’s architecture is designed to harmonize with the native terrain, and indigenous trees and flowers still grow wild. Rather than engineer paths or plantings, Meadowood’s grounds staff allows nature to be the creative director.
Circling the estate is the Meadowood Loop, just over four miles of scenic hiking trails that wind through the woods, rising to heights of more than 600 feet and culminating in breathtaking views of Napa Valley—and yes, we did it all! The Meadowood Loop follows the same path that many deer created years ago while meandering through the woods on the estate.
Aside from a few water bottle stations and benches placed at strategic locations, and two delightful picnic sites, the local flora is left to its own ingenious devices. Hikers may admire an array of the region’s plants and trees as they follow the Loop up its eastern paths, where California buckeye, coast live oaks, as well as native scrub like chaparral, manzanita, and chamise are plentiful. These give way to stately Douglas fir trees as the trail ascends to reveal panoramas of the neighboring Mayacamas Mountains, the city of St. Helena and Napa Valley’s ever-present vineyards at its crest.
The Meadowood Loop is lovely at any hour of the day from sunrise to sunset. Two charming picnic sites, available by reservation, are the perfect settings for intimate lunches or dinners, with service provided by the Meadowood culinary staff. During the warm-weather season in particular, hiking and picnics are among the most memorable experiences on the Meadowood estate.
Beyond that, you will also find a pool, golf, tennis, and croquet, too!
Off property, also took in Vice Versa wine tasting at Wheeler Farms. Check out our Chef’s Table blog post to get the details on this lovely find. Additionally, we were able to visit our winemaking friends from Castellucci Estate who happened to be pouring at a Caldwell Snyder Gallery to honor Brazilian artist Marta Penter and her gorgeous works.
