We had our breakfast at the Inn which consisted of some sort of egg dish with a scone and yogurt. It was fine. Prior to checkout, we decided to check out the town of Napa. It was very overcast today with a slight chill in the air. We were informed that this is not normal and that temps are typically around 90 this time of year. It made it easier to settle on pants versus shorts. It was about a ten minute walk into Napa, where we popped into a few stores before turning around and heading back to the Inn.
After checkout out at 11am, we headed to the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art. Nicole likes a good modern art museum. This one was quite sprawling and encompassed a path around a lake with various sculptures. We had a wine tasting appointment at 1pm, so we couldn’t fully appreciate everything without rushing, so we would return later to take in all the . . .art.
Our tasting was at the Domaine Carneros. It looked kind of like a chateau from the outside. Apparently Napa’s specialty is the Cabernet Sauvignon or perhaps a chardonnay if you seek a white. So the waiter tactfully explained to me that the Red wine sampler I asked for that consisted of four different Pinot Noirs was something unique to the Domaine Carneros as if I was in the know about all this. In fact, the Domaine Carneros offered no whites at all other than some sparkling wine varieties. He explained that it had something to do with the location being slightly cooler than the rest of Napa valley. I have no idea. I was curious to see if I could identify a discernible difference between the four Pinot Noirs.
They varied in age and one was aged in a different kind of cask or something. Anyway, my final verdict is that they all tasted distinctly of red wine. I then mixed them around and had Nicole try them and she said that two made her cough and two didn’t, but she couldn’t tell a difference in taste. So despite the explanation by the waiter about tannins or the ones on the right supposedly being more full-bodied, there wasn’t much difference. In conclusion, keep shopping at Trader Joe’s for the $3 varieties. We cleansed our palettes with a cheese board that Nicole ordered (as one does). After this sophisticated experience, we went back to the art museum to ride our wave of pretension.
On the other side of the lake was a gallery referred to as the incorrect museum. As the text explained, di Rosa wanted to create a museum experience that differed from those of New York or Los Angeles; one that was not as serious and was free to everyone. Nicole and I both picked up on that last part and wondered why we paid admission. It was not in the spirit of the incorrect museum’s guiding principles. We saw all kinds of fun things like sculptures of ears, a sculpture of an angel swinging in circles overhead, and a stack of books in a corner of which many were red and titled “Half red books.” This is the kind of genius display that keeps the people bursting through the doors. Next we were off to our main purpose of this trip — taking advantage of Hilton.
Luckily we were able to check in a little bit early to the Carneros Resort and Spa and parked outside our cottage in the Poppy district of the resort — which we presume are the cheapest cottages on property. It didn’t look like much from the outside — tucked away in a corner and decorated with corrugated metal. We were a bit concerned. Nonetheless, the room is actually quite nice — large and with nice outdoor fire pit and lounge area. After settling in, we walked around the property.
There were actual grapes on the vine surrounding one of the pool areas. Very appropriate to the setting. The sun was sort of trying to poke out as well and made the temperature a bit more comfortable though still a bit cool in the low 70s. After exploring different parts of the expansive resort, we sat down by the pool for a while that overlooked the surrounding wineries.
The chill eventually proved too much for our fragile SoCal bodies, and we returned to the room where we promptly turned off the AC. Then we got ready for dinner. The property has a few different restaurants — most of them a bit pricey, so we ate at the “bar” and had a margherita pizza and a burger. Guess who had which! Anyway, I had a Pliny the Elder beer from nearby Santa Rosa, California. I’m off wine, as I announced to Nicole. The cheap option at the Carneros had a pretty decent atmosphere, and we were even a bit warm at times from the unfashionably late appearance of the sun.
Our initial verdicts on the Carneros Resort & Spa are as follows. Under no circumstance would this ever be worth $1500 per night. However, it is superior to some previous free night stays because at a minimum it’s more than just an overpriced (albeit standard) hotel room like we had at Monarch Beach last year. We have some decent outdoor space, lots of scenic vistas around the property, and we didn’t have to valet the car. There are still plenty of ways that the Carneros Resort reminds us of its absurdity, however.
If we wanted to play pickleball, it would be $200 to reserve a court. If Nicole had a hankering for some Dubai-style chocolate from the market, it would be $28. The attached shop for the hotel only had designer handbags and expensive merch. And remember that we were placed in the cheap cottages. People are here with young children and probably needed something bigger — something that was probably over $2000 per night. Yikes. We did however stumble upon a game of horseshoes that used proper metal horseshoes that made a bit of a loud clang when we continued to miss our targets. We left the premises before some rich person reported us.
We returned to our room to sit out by the fire pit and chill for a bit. We’re hoping for a late checkout tomorrow to maximize our free night. The weather is at least supposed to be better tomorrow. Locals seemed a bit perplexed by the weird chill today as well. We don’t have to depart until our flight at 4:45pm tomorrow and JSX makes a big deal out of not needing to check in until just 20 minutes before your flight. If the Carneros kicks us out early, we may just drive around the vineyards or up near St Helena again. Even driving around is surprisingly scenic. Oh! And we supposedly get free breakfast tomorrow, but have no idea what that actually entails. For the record, I can’t do any more wine.
passports & pepto bismol 