Kip
Iowa City
My soon to be wife and I are going to Napa Valley / Sonoma to celebrate our Oct 4th marriage. Hope to make reservations in the Calistoga, CA area. We are arriving Oct 8th for 1 week. Also, I am thinking a surprise hot air balloon ride would be fun. Should I tell her or keep it a surprise?? Any suggestions on B&B's, restaurants, wineries (we like red but are open to other types of wines). Frankly, a place that are open to educating us would probably be good to start! Thanks!
Congratulations, Kip!
In Calistoga proper, Castello di Amorosa is amazing. It's a castle with its own moat! Great wines and you can schedule a private tour of the place. They, and pretty much every winery, will educate you about their wines and wine in general.In Napa, I really like Artesa Vineyards & Winery, really gorgeous spot and good wines across the board!
If you really want to see the process, take a cave tour at Del Dotto Estate Winery & Caves, which is a similar experience to Castello di Amorosa.
For food...
For fun...
By the way, Calistoga is known for their spas because of their hot springs and mud baths, so maybe you can have a spa day there. These are the top three spots there:
Solage and Indian Springs are also highly regarded resorts, so those are possibilities for lodging. Another really popular one in the area is Auberge Du Soleil.
If your wife likes surprises, keep the hot air balloon a surprise :)
Have fun and let us know where you end up going!
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