A Taste of Tuscany in Napa: The Meritage Resort and Spa

When we’ve traveled to Napa’s wine country in the past our trip included stops at a variety of wineries, a restaurant or two, and then we’d spend the night in a great hotel.  Recently, we had a similar experience at The Meritage Resort and Spa that included delicious meals, the finest resort amenities, wine tasting in Trinitas Cellars, a vineyard walk, and spa tour all without moving our car!  With only about 24 hours to spare, it was the perfect romantic escape my husband and I needed in an all-in-one location!

After checking in, we had to explore this beautiful location.  Taking a walk around the 32 acres of property the beauty is imminent with gardens of flowers, plants, and of course grapes lining the buildings. 

Strolling around their 9 acres of hillside vineyards dotted with Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot grapes has you thirsty for a taste of wine country. Then hike to the famous Grape Crusher statue atop the hill. 

The fabulous open air gym is something I haven’t seen much in resorts, check out this view for guests needing some motivation during their workout:Our room was ready and we were eager to see it.  The resort first opened in 2006 and had their guestrooms remodeled in 2013 with a taste of Italy right here in California! Our Superior King guest room was completely stunning with Tuscan-decor and luxurious bedding in gold, brown, and maroon.  Believe me it was HARD to get out of bed the next morning, it was like sleeping in the clouds.  There’s a rich wood desk to get some work done, if you must,  as well as more seating bedside with a comfortable chair and foot rest.  But, my favorite part of the room is the balcony with seating and a table for your wine as you gaze out onto the breathtaking view day or night!  Now that’s a spot I can spend hours relaxing on.  Our doors stayed open throughout the night and other than the singing of the crickets, the quiet was so peaceful.

The daily resort fee added to the room rate includes bottled waters daily, internet use throughout the property, daily newspaper, self and valet parking and more but what would a stay in Napa be without a bottle of wine in-room as well?!  A lovely bottle of Trinitas Apprentice was included in our room for us to enjoy on that lovely patio.  The bathroom is large and has a marble-topped vanity as well as lovely  Travertine tile in the bath/shower.  As much as we wanted to spend the entire time in our room, we had so much more property to explore!

A little hungry for lunch, we multi-tasked and headed to Crush Ultra Lounge.  Just at the bottom floor of our room’s building, this fun spot offers a sports-themed lounge with six luxury bowling lanes, a pool table, big screen televisions, and great dining options.  My husband and I love to bowl and do it every chance we can, so we got a little friendly competition going and had something to eat.  We shared flavorful sliders and ordered beer and bowled two games.  In the evenings Crush is lit up with neon and  music gives it a trendy nightspot for guests as well as the public.  Private corporate, wedding, or family events can be arranged in this space as well.

Next up, a visit to one of the two pools and we chose the Adults Only pool.  Cabanas, lounge chairs, covered couples chairs and more surround the heated pool and whirlpool and we indulged in some of the delicious drinks that are delivered to you right in the water!  The Napa Sunrise was my ultimate favorite drink during our stay but I was a tad disappointed they didn’t make it back at Crush Ultra Lounge.  The space was full of people while we basked in the sun, and we encountered a fun bachelorette party poolside.  Enjoying the Adults Only pool kept us from missing our kids too much, but the second pool on property is family-friendly.  At night the area has some great spots to relax fireside.

The courtyard between our building and the main lobby building is lit up at night and reminds me of photos I’ve seen of Italian streets with more lovely spots to enjoy your wine by a cozy fireplace or fountain.

Just steps from our room and the pool, Trinitas Cellars offers wine tasting inside their cool Estate Cave.  It was warm out, so this was a great place to escape the heat for an hour or so and get to know the wines.  Something I love when I taste is to enjoy a custom flight.  With 5 tastes ($20 fee, waived with a $100 purchase) available I looked down at the list and took into consideration my personal taste and the employee’s suggestions and came up with my selections. I love whites, so I tried two Chards and then I enjoyed the honey finish on the Rose’ary.  The Zinfandel is one of my current favorite reds, so I tasted the RatZINger named for former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.  The Busch family who founded Trinitas and built The Meritage visit the Pope each year and he has a bottle of this wine in his apartment!  My favorite though was the silky Mysterium that is a blend made up mostly of Carignane and Zinfandel grapes.

With a few great choices for dinner, we headed back to Crush Ultra Lounge, we looked for something to share since our appetites were small.  We ended up with the California Chicken Club, this grilled chicken sandwich was beautifully dressed with  avocado, queso fresco, and avocado cilantro cream, pico de gallo, lettuce and tomato.  Each bite was full of flavor and crunch from the toasted bread.  With a salad on the side, it was a perfect small meal. The Commons is a full bar in the main lobby of The Meritage and offers 30 of the finest wines from Wine Country by the glass, single malt scotches, small batch bourbons, signature hand crafted cocktails, small bites and shared plates.  A cheese plate, panini, wrap, or soup and salads can be found at Blend until 7pm along with a variety of snacks.  Award-winning Siena Restaurant has be lauded with such prizes as Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, Napa Valley Vintners’ Napa Valley Restaurant Award, and OpenTable’s Diners’ Choice Winner. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, Sunday Brunch is all done with a Tuscan flair and most dishes blend both Italian and Californian influences.  Our next (longer) stay will have Siena at the top of our list!

Our sunset stroll had us back up the hill to The Vineyard Deck and a gorgeous spot we could envision a wedding.

The Grape Crusher looks cool at night as well.Morning came too soon, but we headed to Blend for some coffee, bagels, and an amazing chorizo burrito that was big enough to share.

Room service was sure tempting, but after sleeping in and seeing what another gorgeous day awaited us, we dined al fresco just outside on a comfortable couch and told eachother we never wanted to leave this beautiful place!

Though I didn’t get a chance to enjoy it (this time), I did take a tour of the gorgeous Spa Terra nestled in the hillside in the Estate Cave. Quiet, serene, and peaceful, Spa Terra is located in the 22,000 square foot Estate Cave and includes 12 treatment rooms, including four for couples, his/her private lounges with whirlpools and saunas, a Serenity Lounge and boutique.  The lounge and the whirlpool rooms have water cascading down the walls and it soothes the senses almost immediately.  Private rooms for your massages, facials, and body treatments are available and they also have couples’ rooms for exciting “Love for Two” spa treatments.I know people from all over the world come to the Napa area and experience all it has to offer every year.  I believe The Meritage Resort and Spa is one of the must-see locations in the area!  Even if you’re visit to Napa is only 24 hours, you can get a taste of the Napa hospitality, drink amazing wine, dine on superior cuisine, and have a whole lot of fun doing it!  If you stay longer than we did, you’ll be pleased to know that included with your daily resort fee The Meritage provides an evening shuttle to Downtown Napa from 4:30-10pm daily!  You still don’t have to move your car!

For more information and to book a stay visit http://themeritageresort.com/.

I’m appreciative of my hosted stay with dining.  Wine tasting, bowling, gratuities and my opinion all my own.